Review: Fire in the hole! Master Error gets a few of his mates together for a session that's rowdy and heavy enough to wake the dead. Skore's on side from the off with 'Dead Creatures', a furious piece laced with a staccato bassline and a beautiful rave breakdown while Warhead joins in the scrap with the wonky bleeped out swagger jam 'Circulator' and Metal Work gets involved in remix form on the ugly tear-up 'Balance Of Terror'. Elsehwere 'XMNV' is pure laser grot while 'Ready' could soundtrack you joyriding into the shop window of a deluxe robot shop. Dead good.
Review: Following his 'Stranger Things' EP on Grid earlier this year, Warhead drops more bombs in the form of 'Temper' on Sub Zero's Propaganda. Four tracks, four vibes; 'Temper' sets the scene with its contemporary grizzles that are balanced by the sweet vocal sample that echoes in and out of the mix. Elsewhere we get all wonky and strung out on the alien vibes of 'Everything', 'Dun Kno' is all about the decayed, laser-like staccato riff while 'Clingy' sees Warhead teaming up with the bossman for some timeless jump up fun.
Review: From the holy to the moly with all levels of WTF and crikey along the way; Gradient have just levelled up with this turbo-charged VA that celebrates how exciting the new generation of drum & bass is right now. So many talents, not enough time or space to list; just press play, dig deep and you'll find untold bangers for days. From Harley D to Warhead to Amplify via Nick The Lot, Jenks, Scurrow, Flint, Fanatics and the bossman Metal Work, this is a huge collection that's right on the cutting edge of the club D&B sound. Fusing elements of jump-up, tech and good old fashioned dancefloor bangers, these are the sturdiest foundations from which future careers will be built on.
Review: Now here's a rollcall you can set your watch by... Jeopardize, Disrupta, Atlantic Connection, Dunk and Oz all on one release dicing and splicing, chopping and popping with some of Warhead and Teej's releases on Co-Lab. The results spea for themselves and range from big 3am drone horns (Jeopardize) to theatrical breakbeat rattlers (Atlantic Connection) to classic mid 90s sounding vibes (Oz) Bangers o'clock!
Review: Agro's Sub-Liminal hit the big 100 with a series of power punch exclusives from label friends and family old and new. Raz's 'Control Tower' sets the flavour in an instant with its wild drums and almost jazz-like attitude. He's followed by a whole range of killers, all delivering high grade goods. DJ Hybrid goes turbo on the rubber ball subs, Georgia Phoenix brings some seriously savage funk, Oz wheels up more bloodclarts than money can buy and Warhead gets weird and wonderful with his snake-like bass wriggles and computer trills... Not to mention the Sub-liminal bossman's horn-heaving hip-swinger 'Hang Ten'. All this and plenty more bangers, Sub-liminal are celebrating their 100th in style right here.
Review: Sub-liminal take a moment to look back over almost six years of hard graft at the future talent coal face. Having been responsible for so many bangers from so many now household names, it's a mean feat boiling it down to this mere 50 heavyweight highlights. All the label's key names are on board; Guzi, Dreadnaught, Nick The Lot, Too Greezy, Kumo, Version, Vital, Pyro, Motiv and many more dust off their past heavers, hurters and head-slappers to reflect on everything Sub-liminal has stood for and encouraged so far. From the deeper, more subtle bubblers (Sam Harris - 'Coffee Machine') to the most outrageous funk-ups (Warhead - 'Cranked') this EP has everything. When the Riddim hits you, you can't say no...
Review: Bag it, tag it, tell you mum about it; the B&T massive put together this 15 track collection to celebrate the label's 15th release and it's an all-out showcase of tomorrow's finest talent. Highlights fire from all sides; Ben Snow's 'Fire Iron' is a grunting staccato session of pure savagery, Refracta brings NFM-style melted bass to the fray on 'Embrace', Dunk & Teej get all mobster on us with 'Soprano', Parallel does his old school slap-about thing on 'Communications' and KL's 'Tension' is strong enough to blast us into the 23rd century. Pack your bags and your tags, you've pulled m8.
Review: Uh-oh, Warhead's on the 'Rebound' and he's out on the prowl with some of his most seductive bangers to date. The title track is the sound of him chirpsing you over a meal of rare-cooked basslines and tender stem snares. 'Backstreet Business' slides into your DMs flashing its raw high voltage bassline at your peepers. 'Ozone' is the type of romp that turns the room upside down thanks to those tumbling toms on the fills and that urgent (not to mention classic) vocal sample. Elsewhere 'Good To Me' chats you up in a chippy, all greasy and hungry, 'How Can I' is a gnarly, white knuckle mercy trip to see an old flame while 'Versions' ends the EP with a grumpy, grizzled bassline that vows never to go on the rebound again. Live, laugh, love and all that.
Review: Warhead is back on the warpath! Not content with tearing Co-Lab up with his and Teej's 'Activate' EP earlier this year, he's back with another four-piece suite of slap-downs and blast-ups. 'Gobsmacker' says it all. A slithering percussive wriggler, all steppy and stripped back and laced with a tense dark funk, it's the type of tackle you'd expect from the Eneis or DLRs of the world. Elsewhere 'Real Bad' is a Harley Davidson of a tune that revs up behind you menacingly with its lamp on full beam, 'Battering Ram' is a roundhouse kick of chaos, all scratchy and grizzled and 'I Want More' is another minimal mission where the percussion does all the chatting... Before that killer sample kicks in. Wow. We want more, too.
Review: The epic decade celebrations continue as DJ Hybrid's Audio Addict continue to reflect over the last 10 years at the forefront of the dnb game. Like the previous classics collection, once again we dive deep into the label's rich history to find career-shaping tunes from some of the best in the game such as Kumarachi, Warhead, Euphonique, Replicant, Nectax and many many more. A perfect chance to get up to speed on the last 10 years, or fill a few gaps in your collection, highlights include the forthright rudeness of Nectax's flutter-bass roll-up 'Labyrinth', Gravit-E's twisted growler 'Side Bitch', Scudd & Crinnion's skank-happy 'My Town' and the massive 'Takeover' VIP from the bossman himself. Massive.
Review: Ever on the forefront of fresh talent, Sub-liminal present another brand new name to our ears: Pyro. Every bit as firesome as his name suggests, his debut EP shows strong signs of promise as Pyro runs us through his gritty, slightly-left-of-centre gutter funk. 'Bring Me Up' hits with a little old school rave flavour, some proper ghetto grit in the kicks and trippiness with the glitches. 'Tick Yes' follows with serious roller clout and just a touch of jumpy riffage in the bass while 'Your Love' brings things to a head with pure unabashed rave energy and a bassline so bouncy you need to hold onto something when it first hits you. Complete with his own remix of Warhead's Sub-liminal banger 'Volume' and you've got an exceptional debut EP. Start some fires today!
Review: So it doesn't feel like we've had much of a summer this year. It also feels like the arts are being hung-up to dry right now. But at least the good folk at Sub-liminal care for us.... To mark the (albeit raveless) sunny season, they've put together a 50 (yes, fifty) track collection from some of the most exciting names in the game. From Dunk to Xav, RV to Warhead, Agro, Guzi, Shayper, Damage Report and so many more, this is the 'Summer Selection' we all totally need and deserve right now. Highlights include the Remarc levels of badness on Guzi's 'Area 51', the tension and staggered creepiness of Yatuza's 'Clich?' and the broadsword swathes of Motiv's buzzy bumper 'Necroplasm'. And that's just three out of 50. Thank you Sub-liminal. We need this more than ever right now.
Review: Heist's forever consistent Co-Lab invite Warhead and Teej over for a bit of musical mischief. Two of the most exciting new names to emerge from the underground in recent times, naturally they hit the spot with two link-up tracks and two solo originals. "Activate" packs a heavy punch with a bassline sludgier than quicksand mixed with treacle while "Eclipse" is a heads-down gritty one with an almost techno flavour to its bass warps and loopy percussion. Elsewhere Warhead goes full-on rudeboy with the savage "Rasclart" while Teej hurls us into a dank slimy-walled dungeon with "Osiris". If you can find a more on-point new-gen collabo this month we'd like to hear it.
Review: Everyone likes a good compilation, right? What's better than having as big a range of artists as possible in one condensed place? It's essentially an album with the ease of listening of a single, so we're all for it. Subliminal have come out with the 2020 edition in their Riddim Return series and it's packed full of bangers, across a range of styles, and it's one of those albums which doesn't try to be cool or sophisticated by chucking in a few fillers for the sake of diversity - it's just hard stuff here. It works great, with Sam Harris' tendency for muscular minimosity coming on loud and clear on Boom Ting, a wickedly devilish and driving roller.
Review: Grubs up! Twisted Individual's cooked up a feast of undead delights for the first Zombie Recordings V/A collection and everyone's invited. Chewy, spicy and full of gully victuals, across the collection we're treated to all range of flavours; the peppery aftertaste of Filthy Habits & Jeopardize's "Mind Transfer", the fruity funk bursts of Imaginary Friends' "Rooftop Jam", the gamey aroma and meaty chugs of Yatuza & Nick The Lot's "Mystic Ways" and the sweet and sour textures of Alex SLK's "Kluture" are just some of the many highlights on the menu. Gunfinger-licking good!
Review: Warhead returns to Sub-Liminal and once again it's like a riot in both your speakers, your streets and your pants. Trouble, drama, tension and pure ugliness all abound as he hurls us through the darkest corners of his psyche. Lead track "Exploritorium" is an all-out trippy groaner topped with warnings of the woes of finance from outspoken woke MC Mr Traumatik. Elsewhere "Cranked" takes us into snake-like techy roller territory, "Huh" is a harmonic riddle with a hypnotic see-saw riff, "Mucked" is pure tear-up material, all rattly and high voltage and finally "Volume" shuts the EP down with some of the gnarliest moany groany basses he's ever sculpted. Just plain naughty; get exploring.
Review: Warhead: Because it's always stinker-o-clock somewhere in the world. "Overdue" is one of his most accomplished EPs so far. Featuring collabs galore but running a consistent heads-down rolling sound throughout the whole release, every track is fire for the floor. Highlights include the pulverising warping bass on "Higher", the seductive vocal and equally sexy bassline on "Swerve" and the pure ugliness of the title track. Respect for Warhead is long overdue...
Review: Forget your daft screechy dubstep variant of the same name, Sub-liminal deal strictly in proper riddims. Wobbly riddims, fat riddims, stinking riddims, gully riddims. They have done for almost five years now, and this new Riddim Return collection is a reminder of just how much ground they cover, how many super talented darksmiths they work with and how much skin of yours their releases will melt. Highlights on this 50 track strong collection (yes, 50!) come from every angle but you'd be mad not to lick a shot from Agro & Raz on their melted bass weird-out "Ah Like It", do air trumpet to Warhead's "Cop Killa" or get wonked the heck out by Leaf's concrete steps on "Hold Up". Dig hard and take a deep breath... You're in riddim country.
Review: When we look back over both the roster and discography that we have seen the team at PAR assemble over the years, it is very difficult to not be incredibly impressed, with back catalogue boasting arguably one of the strongest selections in UK bass music. We here see them set out on another goliath conquest as they present their ninth birthday release 'PAR IS 9'. This project features a host of exciting guests, from heavyweight veterans such as Garna, DeadbeatUK and Moony, to more new school hard hitters such as S3 Dubs, Daze Prism and more. Highlights for us include Dubzta's grimey sheller 'Side Effect' and the madness of Sekt 87's skippy belter in 'Surge & Rush'.
Review: Two highly respected members of the new-gen gentry collide on Co-Lab for this perfectly symmetrical release. Two tag-team cuts, one solo piece each, Warhead and Teej go in from every angle; "Gyaldem" takes the lead with a classic Bristol rolling vibe with hip-hop samples but for a weeping bassline literally cries into the mix. Their second collaboration "Cloaked" continues the wry sample theme and baggy space in the groove, but this time with a much sterner wobble to the bassline. Elsewhere Warhead's "Soundboy Slaughter" rolls its sleeves up and dusts off its pneumatic kick drums and timestretched break fills for a white knuckle 23rd century dancehall jam while Teej's "Fatal Attraction" gives us a deep breathing introspective cheerio. Cloakers gotta cloak
Review: Guzi, with the speed of an Uzi and the glamour of Gucci, is landing on Sub-Liminal Recordings with an unsophisticated but incredibly fun release, one which, if you hear out live, is certain to get you moving. There's a carelessness and a freedom to these tracks and it's a tangible sense of kinetics. The title track kicks things off in style but it's 'Shadow' feat. BP MC that really takes the cake, a winding, subby track that flips between wobbiling shimmers and jump-up stabs. It's a wicked track and definitely the highlight of the release. 'Shroud' feat. Peggy Sewage - great name - is another absolute banger but one that's deep and wispy in all the right ways. Sick release.
Review: Not to be confused with the Julia Roberts classic, the Sound of Nuusic isn't a Bavarian epic but instead a UK underground epic of compilation sized proportions, with a whole raft of underground talents offering up a diverse concoction of jungle flavours. With Conrad Subs making several appearances, his stand-out contribution is 'Leave Dem', with a funked-up loping introduction that's seriously smooth but which quickly devolves into a stuttering balance of breaks and reece bass action. There's wicked jungle contributions from Kumarachi and RMS as well as Sheffield upstart Charla Green, whose knock-down breaks carry some serious weight. This is a must-listen for anyone who likes their jungle music.
Review: Agro is on Sub-Liminal with an EP that's full of, well, agro. He's roped in some of his friends for the release, including NV & Mentah, Leaf, Charlie Rotten and Toxinate in what is a full-throttle release from start to finish. This is clear from the off, as 'Don't Play' dives down deep into murky sonics and minimalist force for session that'll appeal to the real heads. 'Godfather' feat Lead has a unique percussive line that lends it an almost halftime quality; 'Gorgon Sound' is a naughty roller with a disturbingly scary sub bass & reece bass combination and 'Thinking Bout U' ties up the release with more dark atmospherics - quality stuff.
Charlie Rotten - "The Myriad Part 3" (continuous DJ mix) - (16:49) 181 BPM
Review: Sub-liminal are one of those very prolific, very underground labels that tends to go unnoticed yet releases some absolute bangers. So, getting a whole compilation full of them from a variety of up and coming producers is only going to go one way - hard. The first tune - 'Iggy' - from Garry K & RV is an instant stand out, a wobbling riff of force and hurting energy, all tied up in a jump-up sized package. 'Vultures' by Zapya and MC Karter is another top-level cut, a skippy drum-line and menacing vocals sit above a fiercely minimal roller that clicks and clanks with satisfying precision. There are a bunch more excellent tunes on this release, so go check them out.
Review: Following his "Bloodclart Dubplate" EP this spring, Warhead returns to Sub-liminal with another generous five pack punch up that ranges from divine funk to guttural low end filth. The title track is one of Warhead's funkiest cuts to date with its urgent vocal and spacious sense of soul and freedom. It's joined by the sweeping gully drones of "Embers", the knuckle scuffing gritty bass of "Kill Ya Quick", the dizzy tribal rolls and jittering grizzles of "Start The Attack" and the siren blazing hair raiser "Watch It". As if that's not generous enough, there's an insane Dutta remix thrown in for good measure, too. Thinkin bout this?
Review: Don't be misled by the title: this is no thrown-together 'greatest hits' package but rather a 40-track label showcase from DJ Hybrid's Audio Addict label, coming complete (if you opt to buy the whole album) with a fast and furious, 52-minute mixed version by Canada's RMS, aka Paul Currie. Tracks come a mixture of relatively new names (Martyn Nytram, Saffire Dubz, Confusious) and more established players (LJ High, Scartip and of course Hybrid himself), while stylistically the album touches on various different D&B sub-genres, but with the emphasis always firmly on cuts that are built to tear up the rave.
Dub General - "World Of Confusion" - (4:27) 175 BPM
Cabin Fever - "The Hunter & The Hunted" - (4:50) 175 BPM
2Stars & Dissent - "Kung Fu Kid" - (4:28) 175 BPM
Zere - "Loophole" - (5:36) 174 BPM
Tomoyoshi - "Smokey Horn" - (5:34) 175 BPM
Suv - "Instead Of War" - (5:12) 175 BPM
Coda - "Tripped" - (3:42) 175 BPM
Ickleman - "Open The Hatch" - (4:24) 174 BPM
Warhead - "Static" - (4:32) 175 BPM
MPW - "Jungle Stranger" - (5:56) 58 BPM
Review: Jaxx powers up his gully roller steam engine for the latest volume in his label's Off The Rails series and the results are off the scale. 14 tracks of deep, forthright rollage from a broad selection of respect talents ranging from certified OGs such as Suv to established dons such as Cabin Fever and Verdikt to bright young upstarts like K-Y and Zere, the collection is one of the best Train wrecks so far. Highlights include the tonal chaos of Zere's "Loophole", Suv's peaceful party piece "Instead Of War" and Warhead's brittle bass lash out "Static" but to be honest the entire collection needs your attention. Full steam ahead.
Review: Sub-liminal sleepers this one is for you... The UK label have just repurposed and repackaged some of their many successes on this epic 20 track compendium. Ranging from the white knuckle neuro pace of Fena's "Viral" to Dominator's gamechanging grumpy-bass twist on Agro's "Noise Complaint" via Dialogue's ultra-grot wobbler "If You Can't Beat 'Em", Tyrant's Nightflight-style jungle slap-about "Bomb", Agro's sinful stepper "Tank" and many more, this is a perfect snapshot of the label's breadth, weight and uncompromised sound so far. Riddim stinkers.
Review: Preston pistoleero Warhead lets rip on Sub-Liminal with six battle-ready bumpers of varying degrees of aggression. "Bludclart Dubplate" wobbles and shakes like an old Bristol joint, "Triggered" waves and weaves with a woozy horn sample and warped bass stretches, "Talk Sense" pokes and punches with a stabbed-out horn riff and an outrageous fog horn bass lick on the drop, "Cop Killa" scratches and soothes with its well balanced smoky jazz whispers and guttural bass groan and "Don't Test" teases and pleases with minimal mischief. Finally "Electric" (with Erkal) slaps and batters us with mangled muted trumpets and pneumatic beats so strong they should come with a government health warning. Show us your war face!
