JTRA - "The Melancholy Dancehall" - (5:36) 107 BPM
Jah Bliddie - "Run Choon" - (5:27) 165 BPM
Subshell - "Palm Oil" - (3:52) 160 BPM
Hi$to - "Deep Space Turnup" - (3:18) 107 BPM
PUFF.Magic - "THE UNDERGROUND" - (4:02) 160 BPM
Dom Corleone - "BOOM!" - (2:51) 126 BPM
HomeSick - "Petrol Safety" - (3:56) 131 BPM
DBK Teklife - "Port Sunset" - (3:03) 160 BPM
DJ FLP - "POSITIVE NRG 4EVER" - (7:24) 160 BPM
Review: It's always an exciting moment to see a new compilation from the Black Marble Collective, who return to their super-successful 'Ravetools' compilation for a dazzling second edition, exploring the space between bass music and footwork with twelve explosive originals. From the intense synthetic flicks and twists of 'Pulverturm 160' from DJ Ends to the super choppy, almost post-jungle intricacies of HomeSick's 'Petrol Safety', we see such a wide range of sounds and styles being covered, that it's difficult to ever guess where we as listeners will end up next! This is a real journey of a collection, pulled together with masterful arrangement skills, with our favourites including JTRA's emotional overload in 'The Melancholy Dance', the junglist-based nostalgia of 'THE UNDERGROUND' from PUFF Magic and the emphatic half-time drum bounces of 'Get It Right' from Alexandre. Lovely work.
Review: The next installment in Shall Not Fade's Basement Trax series comes courtesy of Mani Festo, who forms part of Club Glow with Borai, Denham Audio and LMajor, and is chief of the Flightpath label. The Londoner kicks off the The Pathfinder EP with the jungle-infused bounce of "Powertriip" followed by the pounding and broken techno of "Pathfinder", while the retro euphoric acid of "Big Rooms" takes deep you into rave territory. Finally, the sounds of bleep, drum 'n' bass and Detroit collide wonderfully on "Auto Sequence".
Review: The Glue EP by Irish power duo features two new tracks embodying the same dramatic and evocative vibes from their recent, highly acclaimed self titled album. The title track here unashamedly explores rave nostalgia, with its tough breakbeats, euphoric chord progressions and gated vocal samples taking you all the way back to '92. "Metro" uses phased acid house style drum patterns with roaring rave synth leads on this slow burning but heavily building dancefloor destroyer. Finally "DLR" soundtracks those divine moments of truth loved up in the chill-out tent, with this emotive ambient house cut with a nice tint of 303 acid for good measure that's reminiscent of classics by Orbital et al.
Review: Still a relatively new project from Simon Neale, aka Dave Spoon, is Shadow Child, a project which first took off in 2016 with a release of Neal's own Food Music. A release with fellow BBC1 DJ Danny Howard (Nothing Else Matters) and Jerome Hill's Super Rhythm Tracks later and Shadow Child slides into the basement of Shall Not Fade club tracks series with this Bak 2 Skool EP. Going old school hardcore, rave and jungle on "Romford", get your undeniable house grooves from "FFFound" and a slightly techier "4U". Basslines, bleep and breakbeats go all the way in the referential "Have You Seen Mr G?" with a slight of trance capping of this fine release in "Crystl".
Review: Sneaker Social Club are back in business, and they continue their pretty outstanding run of delivering outside the box gems as Low End Activist makes a return with this thumping new 'Hostile Utopia' album. This is a pretty wild collection of swampy originals, giving Low End the opportunity to explore the full spectrum of 140 influenced sounds, from the gnarly synthetic grit and skippy percussion of 'Amphibious Centurions', to the electro-dancehall drum swings of 'Bodysnatchers' and on to the vibrant soundscapes of 'Wild Roses'. This album holds such a sense of depth and direction, that to experience it in its full majesty it's a must listen on long play scenario, but despite that there are a couple of very fun highlights, first up, Mez, Killa P & Emz all make storming appearances with some rave-ready vocal maneuvers, perfectly navigating the dungeon-esc production styles, alongside the icey eeriness of 'Cold' and metallic bass notation of 'Sprint'. Excellent stuff!
Review: Having been granted his first cut on the Breaks 'N' Pieces Vol.2 various artist compilation last year, you would never know the sounds of Nicolas Duque in fact find themselves coming outta Columbia. With a sound knowledge for UK garage, house & UK rave clearly presented here - the Bogotan producer makes his full debut! Keeping it real with a soundsystem culture tip to kick things off in "UK To G" there's some pure R&B inspired sweets to revel in "Just The Way". "Moshpit Rave" goes deeper into drum and bass/jungle territory with some slick use of some classic sampling in "2you" alongside some pure bassline bliss in "Bristol Love". Never been to the UK? Take a tour with Nicolas Duque!
Review: Bonjour! Monty finally delivers his debut artist album and it's an absolute gem from start to finish. Featuring the many cuts he's been teasing over the last few months ('Hardware', 'Vibin' etc) the album takes a deep dive into every sound on the young Frenchman's palette. Flexing from the gnarled 140 bubbles and bumps of 'Dreamer' (with 1985 bossman Alix Perez himself) and the spacey garage vibes of 'Walking Home' to the soulful roll of 'Birdland' (with fellow Toulousian Redeyes) and the electroid night creeping title track, this is the full Monty on levels we've never seen before. Bass music across the whole menu, it's one of those rare LPs that will both slay a club and work well in any other listening scenario. Bonsoir!
Review: Rave material with hardcore DNA from Vancouver's Greazus, on their brand new Phantasia EP for Leipzig, Germany's Defrostatica. This is the shared vision of two of the city's most renowned and prolific bass music ambassadors - HxdB & Patrik Cure. Get on your smiley face to the loved-up, back to '93 energy of "Phantasia", followed by "Wtf" that goes for more of a Detroit electro vibe with its strong Underground Resistance influence, and ending some rolling drama on the euphoric "Raverz" and its proto jungle vibe.
Review: The Pretty Weird team have collected a very cool pair of acidic art pieces here as they welcome the sounds of both Nikki Nair & DJ ADHD inside for a rave-ready exploration. The crunchy moog synths and bubbling drum textures of 'Startrack' give us a very cool introduction as Nikki rides out solo, fusing nostalgic acid-house feelings with crunchy breakbeat drum textures. On the flip 'Rips' introduces DJ ADHD into the fold for a much more intense design, focusing on 808-style drum punches and distorted cymbal rhythms, giving this two-tracker a very unusual yet truly innovative feel. Tasty stuff!
Review: Berlin electronica heroes Modeselektor and Apparat join forces again for their latest titled MORE D4TA, the holy trinity's fourth album is the first since 2016's III. Recorded during the pandemic period, the LP explores subjects such as lockdown and information overload, concocted in the outfit's idiosyncratic style of pop sensibilities with sublime electronic soundscapes. Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary create the perfect backdrop for Sascha Ring's ethereal vocals throughout, creating a sound and aesthetic that are all their own, and showcases a group that is more reinvigorated than ever and passionate for their craft.
Review: For his latest album, Martyn has turned a real-life, near-death experience into one of his greatest artistic statements. Recorded after he was recovering from a heart attack, it sees the storied Dutch producer at his most vulnerable. Granted, there are typical Martyn steppers like the melancholic "Manchester" and the recoiling sub-bass of "Nya", but the album also contains abstract, contemplative pieces like "Voids One", the jazzed-out drums of "Why" and the show-stopping, late night piano piece, "Try To Love You". Clearly, his experience has left him with an appreciation for music in its rawest form and thankfully, he is happy to share it with his audience.
Review: After Livity Sound established itself as a self-contained affair originally centred around Pev, Kowton and Asusu, it was intriguing to see the net widen with the introduction of the Ytivil Dnuos sublabel as a place for likeminded, fresh talent to reside. After the previous Livity Sound original and remix compilations, now the 'reverse' label has its own collection, bringing focus on a host of producers who are now reaching notoriety in their own right. From the recent thrill of Simo Cell to Hodge's first outing on the imprint, via Bruce, Batu and Alex Coulton, this is as strong a statement of cutting edge UK soundsystem electronics as you could wish for.
Review: Following releases by label chief Martyn, Otik and the It Was Always There emerging artists series, Washington DC's 3024 returns this week with the Freak Shift EP by NYC-based producer Zoe Shopmaker aka Sister Zo. The four tracks on offer continue the label's 'amalgamation of percussive techno and the bass continuum', perfectly exemplified by first track "Earth Mover", while the darkly subterranean "Afraid 2 Make A Move" utilises vocal snippets underpinned by off-kilter beats influenced by UK bass, and the futurist bounce of "Ledge" with its foreboding sound design closes it out in style.
Review: It's always a lively event when Manuka come to town, this time welcoming a vibrant collaboration indeed as head-honcho Hypho links up with both PAV4N and the Foreign Beggars flag for a seriously gnarly creation, throwing us back to the 2010's in sound and style. Hypho does the business with a properly gritty instrumental creation, driving forward with hypnotic tripletted bass stabs and churning synthetic layers doing the business, with a combination of harsh vocal slides and intense lyricism then adding an extra level of enjoyment to the table. A very good single indeed from the Manuka camp!
Review: The hold tight team have for sure assembled a powerful combination of artistry on this one as they welcome Ickle inside alongside two of the most recognizable vocalists of our generation in Riko Dan & Rider Shafique. Riko steps up first for a chest-heavy vocal display on 'Wicked', once again displaying his microphone dominance with a skank-inspiring display of intricate lyricism and skippy flows. On the flip, Rider Shafique dons a much more dubwise influenced sound, with scattered drums and a much more syncopated feel giving him room to maneuver his poetic approach amidst a sea of synthetic slides and beeping chords. HIJINX also provides a potent remix of 'Murda' for good measure, giving it an additional level up in the evil-sounding department. Lovely stuff!
Review: The Smoking Session crew have collected up a positively potent collection of sizzlers for this one as the combined flavours of both LJ & Paul Domino are brought forward for a delightful four track journey. We open up with the trippy chord progressions and dubwise FX delays of 'Purple Sound', which sets the tone nicely from the jump. From here, 'Saturn' sends us to the stars with a glittering backdrop above pumping sub prods, before 'Colour Blind' sends us down under for a jittering journey through percussion and thudding bassline pulses. The whole EP is then rounded off nicely with the typically dub-influenced chord pops and chomping drum crunches of 'Invisible', putting the final touches on a very smooth four track box. Fabulous stuff!
Review: Joy Orbison returns to XL Recordings for the first time since the release of his critically acclaimed, and deliciously difficult to describe, debut album Still Slipping. Whereas that was constructed as a mixtape and showcased his influences and inspirations as much as his signature style (in other words, it wasn't a set of straight-up peak-time bangers), this two-tracker sees the long-serving UK producer refocus on the dancefloor. First up is 'Pinky Ring', an atmospheric and quietly dreamy chunk of post-two-step UK garage rich in gnarly, mutilated bass, cut-up vocal snippets, punchy drums and woozy chords. 'Red Valve7' meanwhile, opens with intergalactic ambient sounds before warping into a far0sighted, dubstep-influenced UK techno number peppered with minor-key electronics, moody chords and warped electronic bass.
Review: Alix Perez's 1985 sets the bar again... Edition 3 is another instalment of their spotless V/A series which covers the label's broad range of shades. This one is a game of two halves as the first five tracks flex around the 140 region with crucial slabs from Halogenix's Lordel alias and dubstep men of the moment Ternion Sound. Meanwhile the second half flips to D&B with a whole clutch of impressive designs; Visages' "Memories" is a mournful stepper, Bredren get bad-ass with the thumpy, bumpy "Only One", Machinedrum brings some outstanding soul on "Braided Leaves" and Perez delivers three of his finest. Bring on Edition 4.
Review: If you haven't caught up by now it's Dirtybird that's putting out the dopest in crossover club music at the moment, colliding the best in LA beat scene vibes with true UK rave ethics. Who else to represent such a sound as Ivy Lab, probably the best and most versatile in delivering a hybrid form to appease all ear; experimental and pop-minded. That's exactly the case here with a new school education of uptempo, acid and experimental breaks, with trippy beats to boot in "Press Play" and old school bass trips of "Dresden Codex". Get your anthemic UK liquid classics from "Options" while not forgetting to check ""BBQ" for your classic Flying Lotus looping gems.
Review: Now many have guessed that this one has been in the works for a while, but that makes us no less excited to unveil this tasty new album projct from J:Kenzo, who returns to his home imprint of Artikal Music for 'Taygeta Code'. From start to finish, the album is a true exploration into electronic music, primarily of course focussed around 140BPM. It's got bass pressure on 'Desired State', it's got acidic originality on 'Hoodwinked', it's even got a weighty guest vocal from the legendary Flowdan who returns on Kenzo's Darkside VIP mix of 'Like A Hawk'. This is an excellent showcasing of J:Kenzo's ability within a crowded dubstep scene.
Review: Sully's latest swansong has been stimulating murmurs of excitement over the last few months, the type of hype that you get rarely enough to know it means something special. Swandive has landed on Fracture's Astrophonica and the result is a four-tracker of potent creativity, a crashing jungle release that blends the genre's recognisable core with a heady dose of experimentation. Its title tune is the best example; a fractious melee of elbows and knees, a perfectly judged progression from spacey pads to all-encompassing percussive persuasion. It's really hard to describe this track as it's like nothing else you'll have heard before, but it lays down the law for the rest of the EP and 'Werk' is especially good as well. Unbelievable Jeff.
Review: Things are going to get hot! Saucepots Die and Dismantle return to the taps and let "The Juice" flow once again... As with everything they've blessed us with in the past, each cut is a fizzy melting pot of everything that pops and bumps in system culture. "The Papers" is a turbo dancehall piece driven by a militant steppy drive and precision samples. "Harder They Come" sees them reconnecting with Redders for a vicious necksnap funk up while "One Day" strips things back for a slinky finale bubbler than rolls with a nice acid house style bassline charm.
Review: The beauty about every Gutterfunk drop is that we genuinely never know what to expect, but boy are we over the moon with this brand new 'Works Gutterfunk' V/A selection. We begin with the 80's inspired synthetic drives of Nuff Pedals, who revamps 'Brand New Drop' from Addison Groove into a sunshine-ready roller, before DJ Die, Skuff & Prime Cuts join forces for a moody, organic display of modern rap mastery entitled 'Right About Now', laced with a damage-inducing bassline. The future-bass inspired synthetic structures and pulsating drum crunches of Yung.Raj's 'Fighting You' then switch the direction entirely, before Project Ryan takes it old school with a combination of hardcore and breaksy influences across 'SE4'. It's another successful outing for the Gutterfunk team.
Review: Livity Sound has come a long way since surfacing as something like white label for Peverelist, Kowton and Asusu's music - the latter's "Sister" a bonafide gem! Over the years it has expanded its roster to the point of becoming a landmark within UK bass music - especially that of Bristol! If you wanted to catch up with what that sound actually is, still fresh as f*** in 2021 - Molten Mirrors: A Decade Of Livity Sound is your port of call. For the first of two parts, it's Batu in the mix with a feel-good yet grubby, junkyard industrial banger "Melts Into Air" which sits nicely next to the abstracted beats of Two Shiel's "Big Style". With deeper mysticisms comes Azu Tiwaline's slower "Nissa" next to the faster polyrhythms of Forest Drive West's "Lost Signal", with Facta, Al Wooton and Cando spreading some hypercolor synths and high fidelity beats in their sessions. And check out the leftfield selection of warped, jazzy breakdowns by DJ Plead that makes for a perfect segue into Bakongo's "Ashy".
Review: We are gathered here today to celebrate the holy matrimony of our souls with the dancefloor. United by a 'Love So True' for reaching for the lasers, leaping around like a fool and grinning like a cat who hasn't just got the cream but owns an entire cream conglomerate... We shall never be parted. Certainly not as long as Prayer continues to make music like this. Stunning, undiluted rave sounds with all the twinkles and rushes we've inherited from our 90s ancestors; 'Reflection' is all about the stompy stompy 4x4, 'More Than I Could' is all about those dreamy moments when you feel like your losing your gravitational pull, 'Take It Easy' is pure rave gospel, pianos and belting vocal galore while 'A Love So True' throws out the most beautiful bouquet. Total emotion and escapism. You may now kiss the sky.
Review: Surprisingly, this predictably action-packed and mind-altering EP marks Mall Grab's first appearance on his Steel City Dance Discs label since 2016. Fans of his particular brand of energetic, techno-tempo, rave-igniting dancefloor fusion will find plenty to set the pulse racing, from the relentlessly cheery piano stabs, dreamy chords and surging beats of the Head High-esque 'Room Full of Rothko', to the sleazy analogue bass, revivalist hardcore breakbeats and punishing riffs of 'III (Part 2)'. Sandwiched in between you'll find the trance and hard dance inspired techno stomp of 'Nonstop Feeling' and the blistering breakbeat techno filthiness of 'III (Part 1)'.
Review: Getting plenty of radio play over the last few months, Nativ's long awaited EP finally drops on us like a pile of bricks on the continuously on-point Tumble Audio. Quick-firing percussion pellets, shuffled house beats and swirling concoctions of bass delight throughout. "Dizzy" is our personal favourite but be sure to check Arctic Shadow and Jook10 on remix duties for the title track.
Review: It's been a little while since we last heard the most talked about duo in UK bass music unleash something new, which is why we were so excited to see My Nu Leng unveil their brand new 'Champion Sound' project. The title track takes influences from all across dance music, but primarily acidic techno flavours as moogy synthesizer runs and pumping 4x4 beats take the lead on this one, followed by the euphoric pad work and glittering soundscapes of the breaks-heavy 'D.A.S', which sends the EP in a completely new direction. Finally, we finish with a nostalgic twist as the throwback synth rattles and hardcore breakbeat action of '1 More Tune' take us back to the centre of rave culture. A fabulous return indeed!
Review: Ahead of the release of the Ytivil Dnuos compilation, Peverelist has opted to turn out a 12" that revisits two tracks from the recent past and sheds some fresh light on them. The label boss himself takes "Amor Fati" by Hodge to task, and turns out a delicately poised but satisfyingly weighty version replete with twinkling synth lines and jagged rhythmic incantations. Hodge meanwhile gets to have some fun with Bruce's "Tilikum", and weaves an emotional techno variation out of the component parts that stands amongst his most impassioned works to date, thanks in no small part to the heart-rending sweeps of chord that blanket the peak of the track.
Review: Next up from the Doro Sounds camp, we find ourselves diving into a very enjoyable three track display from J.A.B, exploiting the more experimental side of underground bass music. We begin with 'Self Esteem', an extremely unique interpretation of the classic bass house sound, focussing on crunchy bass sounds and gnarly textures, coupled with a very groovy set of drums. Next, Trickshaw joins the party for another fuzzy roller, using uniquely simple melodic twists with a very cool bass lead to inspire more late night dancing. Finally 'Ladder' gives us a more tech-influenced approach, unleashing some bubbling synth work into the mix for a wavy final slice.
Review: This latest offering from Keysound sees Calibre return for a full-length adventure into sonic-wonderland, exploring a vibrant array of sounds and styles across 9 buzzy originals. The range is the most impressive thing we notice when first opening up this project, with the almost grime-inspired skips of the title track 'Double Bend' pulling us one way, the future-garage-like melodic licks of 'Rare Groove' throwing us another and the intricate percussive infusions of 'Grinch' pulling us into a completely different zone all together. The whole project has a very refreshing feel, with each track boasting unique rhythms and sound design, with our favourites including both the bubbling LFO expansions of 'Hostage' and intense drum flicks and glitchy drum work of 'Im Ent'. Fabulous work!
Review: Gully shots fired: Fresh from damaging the dance with both Footsie and P Money, Royal T's immovable banger gets the treatment from three of bass music's most exciting characters... Wen creates a tripped-out sensation that sits somewhere in the shadows between the industrial strength loopy psychosis of techno and the unnerving, spacey dynamics of dub. Kahn & Neek, meanwhile, get straight to the point with jaw-breaking snares and a bassline so deep and metallic you need a tetanus shot before you play it. Finally we hit a TQD remix of T's own "Limbo". Fresh from their debut "Day & Night", the dream trio of DJ Q, Flava D and Royal T strip down the beaty, LA-minded drifter and rebuild into an armoured Challenger tank. Bruising.
Review: Following up a great release by Cando, Bristol's Pluralist is up next on Le Chatroom with his Console EP. The three original tracks are designed for the club, with a strong emphasis on drums, catchy vocals and tuned percussion melodies. There's the contorted, bass-driven groove of the title track which later receives a stern remix by American producer Djoser (3024), the deep meditative vibes of "Body" as well as the hypnotic polyrhythms of "Got2".
