Review: More saucy sounds from Bristol's most brazen lords of the ring. Fresh from revealing their Shy FX remix, once again we find DLR, Smithy and Hyrdo taking things back to the roots: "Kiss The Ring" wraps around you like a well-fitted sovereign, all chunky and unapologetic. "WUT", meanwhile, sounds like the title suggests. A gurgling guffy bassline that scratches it knuckles along the ground while dreamy pads and warm punch drums do all the groundwork. Kiss it!
Review: The Sauce are one of the most exciting production outfits to emerge for a while, probably because they're not new at all: instead, it's DLR, Hydro and Spinback from Total Science. These three have decades of combined production experience between them and it shows, with both cuts just rolling out in bloody sublime fashion. 'Mr Robot' has been doing the rounds for a while and was featured in the recent Sofa Sound promo mix, its twisting tendrils of force spinning in unmistakeable fashion. 'The Click' is spookier and more stripped back, with ghostly basses that wobble in all the right places. More classic Sofa Sounds from the Bristol crew.
Sub Zero - "Missing Piece" (feat Roxi Yung) - (4:32) 175 BPM
Annix & K Motionz - "Stutter" - (4:33) 175 BPM
Review: Playaz are rounding out this year with their first compilation for quite some time, and their 2020 roundup relies on a fairly small handful of long-term label stalwarts across twenty tracks. In this case, less is more and the likes of Annix, Taxman, DJ Hybrid and Tyke all come seriously correct in this compilation, their collective decades of experience really shining through. Taxman's 'You Can't See' is absurdly good, with wonderfully stuttering breaks which emerge from shimmering synth lines before cutting into a raucously stabbing bass hits, a proper rowdy collection of sounds which get right to the heart of the Playaz sound. Bristol trio The Sauce pop up on the label with several contributions, including 'Spooked', an eerie roller with choppiness right at its core - big stuff from the crew.
Review: DLR's Sofa Sound label has become a pillar of the scene in barely a handful of years, and this week they're following up their previously successful Sofa King Sick compilation with a second edition, this one equally packed to the rafters with both new and old school talent. It's a tour-de-force of the tough side of the genre and it's exemplified by 'Baja', courtesy of Scepticz, a Belgian producer who knows his way around the controls and who proves it once more, as jagged synth lines cut across its snapping, two-step arrangement with all the force and subtlety of an underground train. Kodin makes an appearance on the superbly gruff 'Chronic', whilst The Sauce get deeper than usual on 'Ultrasonic'. Quintessential drum & bass that makes for essential listening.
