Review: This is a monster of a remix album, as Calculon has roped in an all-star cast of names from the world of slower, breaksy music: Om Unit, Deft, Survival, Lewis James, Fanu and more. Lewis James, of Exit Records vintage, especially impresses, as his remix of 'Get Murked' makes its way through analogue soundscapes via a vessel of bouncy junglist breaks, a truly funky yet hard-hitting arrangement that rolls out to your heart's content. Deft's remix of 'Get Murked' takes a different direction, with oodles of space for his halftime approach to reap dividends amidst a serious commitment to soul and funk. Top album.
Simon V - "Night Sail" (feat MC Fava) - (5:12) 175 BPM
Review: German representors Santorin ante up ahead of their Drum & Bass Poetry album with the first of two samplers. Here we find label co-founder Simon V get mucky on an international jaunt with the US and Finnish skills of Stunna and Physics. The result is dreamy, piano-laden vocal number that surges with Sigma-style electricity. Simon goes it alone on "Night Sail" with an even deeper, reflective number. Coded with a nagging riff, floating pads and a waterfall sub, it's an ideal warm-up or end-of-night hug-track. Emotional.
Review: Shoot Recordings are coming in to play with this single from Stunna & Calculon, the B-side of which is a remix from Stunna. This one is stripped back and clear, there are no over the top synths or cheesy vocals, instead it's all about the roots of the genre: drums, bass and the rawness which has made the genre such a mainstay. 'Dime Piece' features Lailah Reich on haunting vocal duty over a subby yet melancholic rolling number, the perfect exemplification of what makes this release so solid.
Review: This VA is jam-packed with some of the scene's best liquid maestros, and it's of the movement for Liquid Drum & Bass 4 Autism, a group which seeks to raise awareness and money for those who have autism. Low:r, Furney, MsDos and more have gotten themselves involved, and the result is a lovely, serene walk through some of 174's most nonchalant moments. 'Eyes Closed' by Low:r is especially gorgeous, with his trademark organic sound fluttering in the wind of his creativity like usual. Changer is characteristically deep with 'Only To Be', and it's just the iceberg of what is a brilliant album for a brilliant cause.