Review: This is Confidential Recipe's third release on Rekids, and it sees him draw on classic house, techno and rave influences. "Dance" is redolent of Bobby Konders' vision for house, as a dark organ is combined with insistent stabs and a looped vocal sample. It's the kind of track that is tailor made for small, sweaty basements. On "Come (dub)", the Colombian producer ups the tempo; layering chiming chords over a driving steely rhythm, while he teams up with Manao for the original version of the track. Led by crashing break beats and featuring hoover stabs, it's a celebratory if somewhat nostalgic affair.
Review: Featuring 22 full-length cuts plus a 42-minute mixed version, there's no faulting the VFM on offer from this Jim Sharp-helmed Bomb Strikes comp. Featuring tracks and mixes from the likes of The Allergies, The Nextmen, Ugly Duckling, Alice Russell, Lack Of Afro and Sam Krats, the emphasis here is on the kind of dusty funk/soul grooves that sit well alongside hip-hop and breaks - as opposed to the stack-heeled, silver-jumpsuited kind that goes better with disco - with standouts for this writer including Sly5thAve's moody, cinematic 'Shiznit' (think Shaft staring broodily out of a rain-streaked diner window) and Skill's 'Break It Down', a stuttery, stop-start gift for the jazz-dancers.
Review: With the catalogue that the Cuttin' It Fine team have both assembled and keep adding to, it's hard to expect anything less than exceptional with every release. They deliver another set of four breakbeat belters, courtesy of both El Bomba & Roast Beatz. First up, El Bomba delivers a dancefloor-ready funk out in 'Take A Break', a lively combo of sharp drum slaps and lip-curling basslines, before Roast Beatz the energy with the groovy guitar plucks and singalong vocals of 'Party Over Here'. Back to El Bomba next as the classic sounding guitar melodies and unpredictable drum shakes of 'Bronco Funk' tone down the madness a tad, before rounding off with anthem-like arrangements of 'Get On Down' from Roast Beatz, boasting a showstopper of a bassline, draped in pleasing horn switches and tidy vocal chops for good measure.
We Are I.E. (original extended edit - 2022 remaster) - (4:58) 136 BPM
We Are I.E. (Solo & Blades Yellow Cali mix) - (4:51) 136 BPM
We Are I.E. (Borai's Brizzle Bassline mix) - (5:02) 135 BPM
We Are I.E. (Filter Dread remix) - (5:04) 131 BPM
Review: With the re-arrival of breaks and hardcore onto a much more popular landscape, we are thrilled to see just how many labels and artists are unleashing drops, especially over the last few weeks. This collection from Lennie De Ice is a solid dive into where the sound currently is, opening up with the bulbous bass bounces and chiming melodic drifts of 'We Are I.E', the extended edit which lands with some serious impact. The rest of the project comes to us in the form of remixes, with Solo & Blades stepping up first for their super tidy 'Yellow Cali' mix, redesign the breaks into a much more processed design, before Borai's Brizzle Bassline mix sends the original into 4x4 realm, juiced with garage flavour. Finally, Filter Dread unleashes his aquatic overhaul, rounding off the project with another tidy design.
Review: Just when you thought the remixes on 'The Resonance 1' couldn't get any bigger, along comes the second part of this Noisia-flipping series with even more staggering remix combinations. Mat Zo giving 'Cleansing' a twisted 23rd century G-funk polish, Skeppy bringing the dinosaurs back to life with his almighty percussive flip of the the famous 'Diplodocus', pioneering Virus architect Matrix turning 'Sinkhole' into a grizzled and bruised late 90s roller, Audio hammering the heck out of 'Sunhammer'... The list of this headliner remix b2b goes on and on. For an act who haven't been remixed many times, Noisia are definitely making up for lost time.
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: Bomb Strikes are back! Yet again they have brought some serious ammunition with them as they welcome Prosper & Stabfinger for three tracks of seriously groovy delight. We kick off with the title track 'Down In The Basement', which combines disco-like melodies with funky clav experiments and patois vocal lines for a real mashup of styles alongside Awoke. Next, 'Lucky Six' wheels into play with its jazzy horn lines and party flavours, also featuring work from Lions Pride. Finally, Fedorovski gets busy with a super experimental take on 'Boogie Bugi', smashing affected vocal lines with a potent bassline and crunchy percussive influxes. Tasty!
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: Breakbeat Paradise first released the various artists EP 'Funk Originals' back in April 2017; now, nearly three years later, it's back with a new set of remixes. The EP as a whole is very much the proverbial game of two halves: the four original tracks are aimed fair and square at lovers of "new old" funk and soul (think Speedometer, Dap Kings, etc), while the three remixes ('Stand Up' doesn't get one, oddly, but its P-funk/Zapp-isms will delight funkateers nonetheless) are altogether more squelchy and electronic-sounding, and as such will be better suited to broken beat or funk-breaks sets.
Review: As always, the Breakbeat Paradise team are bang in form as they unveil yet another top quality drop, this time welcoming the explosive sounds of Boydex inside, who delivers a weighty five track collection. We open up with the bulbous bounces of 'Push it', which sees the team link up with Sully Sax & Pecoe for an old school funkadelic freak out, followed by the horn-driven title track 'Funk Fam' and disco-laced delights of 'Cosmic Funk', which also sees Stabfinger move into the collaborative harness. Two more corkers to round off then as 'Party' lets fly another dizzy display of brass and guitar combos, before the stuttered drum taps and distant vocal sampling of 'Ease Your Mind' gives us a crunchy landing to close out with. Lovely work!
Review: The first volume of Hardcore Energy Introducing is considered an essential selection of rave material by a new generation of producers, packed full of nostalgia that will transport you back to the halcyon days of the Free Party scene: think pirate radio, warehouse raves and dancing in the fields. It opens up with the proto-jungle roller by Tribe Steppaz & 6Blocc "Down With The Underground", then comes a throwback to the loved-up euphoria of the early '90s on 9Trane's "Thuggish", while Farayen takes us back to the second summer of love beneath the M25 on "Can't Take It" and Sharpson is the real star on here with two tracks - his finest being "I Think I Know This One" which harks back to the R&S glory days.
Review: Although the cover of this latest instalment in the Paradise Breaks series echoes the famously trippy sleeves of '70s prog rockers like Yes, the music couldn't be more modern. Actually that said, many of the productions on here do plunder the '70s for inspiration but they choose funk over wizard's capes and that. Highlights include the mighty "Bad Mother" which combines raw soul divas vocals, wah-wah guitars and thumping break beats, J-Sounds' tight and groovy break-funk jam "On And On" and the super catchy shuffle-pop gem "Nobody Else" by Arteo. A totally mixed bag and all the better for it.
Review: It's difficult to envisage a Breakbeat Paradise drop that doesn't feature a serious tonne of quality, with this latest collection of 13 powerful creations making up the 'Boots Of Paradise' collection. The project takes a very central theme of reigniting hip hop vocals with dancefloor-ready reworks, from the classic Biggie sampling of Crash Party's 'The Juice' to the old school slicing of 'Ice Cream' from LROY and Aliens In Denmark's 'Chatty Tramp'. Even with this pretty solid central theme, the project has a lot of variation involved, from the sharpened drum punches and modernized synth slides of 'Brick Bounce' by Towlie DJ, to the more 4x4 influenced grooves of Morlack's 'Fall In Love With Me'. Our standout highlight for the whole drop would have to be Pecoe's 'Champion', which balances crunchy drums with well designed vocal sampling, which also makes it a perfect final entry.
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: What a funkadelic way to start the weekend as X-Ray Ted lands once again on Bomb Strikes for a vibrant display of breaksy bounce with two sizzling originals, jam-packed with colourful sampling and in-depth flare. First up, 'Doin' My Thing' delivers a shuffling waltz through northern-soul style vocals and horn lines, atop a shimmering plate of breaks-inspired drum work to create a dancefloor-ready shuffler. On the flip, 'Tribute To The Original Artform' combines groovy bassline action with colourful percussive drives and cowbell-infused melody, providing a wicked b-side and keeping the energy levels high as we round this one off.
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".
Jayl Funk - "Come On Little Girl" - (3:48) 105 BPM
BadboE - "Selecta" - (4:49) 105 BPM
Funkin Basstards - "Rhizoma" - (4:15) 110 BPM
Pecoe - "Bring Your Booty" - (4:04) 116 BPM
TowlieDJ - "Limbs" - (4:19) 122 BPM
DJ Clairvo - "Step Step Step" - (4:14) 153 BPM
FunkinRight - "High Yo" - (3:50) 153 BPM
Bob Marley - "Exodus" (Sonale remix) - (3:47) 115 BPM
Review: Whenever we see the sounds of Breakbeat Paradise arriving in the store, we know for a fact that we are going to be in for a good time, especially when they revisit a series as exciting as today's. The fourth edition of their 'Breakin The Riddim' is a gem-laden experience, packed with wicked creations from the likes of BadboE, Funkin Basstards, DJ Clairvo FunkinRight & more, all adding their own unique approach to the table and giving this collection a seriously flavorsome feel. The whole project just exhales creativity in sonic design, from the rootsy overhauls of Jayl Funk's 'Come On Little Girl' to the more funkadelic refills of Pecoe's 'Bring Your Body. The variation really makes this collection special, with our favorites including TowlieDJ's vibrant overhaul of Cutty Ranks with 'Limbs', next to Sonale's LFO driven 'Exodus' redesign, taking classic Bob Marley vocals and twisting them into something completely new!
Review: It's always a pleasant thing to see a new Dansu Discs creation land in the store, with this latest offering from Cheval being another gorgeous arrangement to take in. We begin with the floaty pad lines and catchy vocal chops of 'Afterparty', leading into both the smooth, summer-laden organ harmonies of 'My Love My Kisses' and unpredictable vocal scatters of 'Put Your Faith In Me', again ticking all the boxes for the summer season. From here, we dive into a field of moogy pulses and constantly altering drumscapes in 'Keep Hitting', followed closely by the unorthodox vocal chops and super electronic percussive sweeps of 'Burning Out These Fires', switching up the general mood once again. Finally, 'Bounce With Me' gives us the final leap, doused in minimal techy flavour to round off the project with a classy touchdown.
Review: Nuremberg's Jurgen Ludwig, aka Jayl Funk, knows his soul music inside and out and here he delivers four fresh new jams via Goodgroove. They're all pretty high quality scalpel jobs, as per usual. "SixxThree Aight" is all heavy breaks and tight licks, "Piece Of Mine" is some classy disco funk, "Supernatural Babe" is some excellent low down boogie and "Still Together" is a hands-in-the-air 70s soul gem.
Review: What an incredible link up this one is as the king of crunch, known to the world as Bonobo, links up with T.E.E.D for a delightful two track experiment, doused in euphoric energy and production class throughout. We begin with 'Heartbreak', a summer-time breakbeat epic, perfect for the late-night BBQ setting as big room vocal leads sit atop of pulsating chord lines and super groovy breaks for a proper party-starting vibe. On the flip, '6000' alongside Outlier takes a slightly slower path, focussing primarily on acidic filtration and classy 4x4 drum beats, adding some real contrast to the A-side. This is a top quality link up to say the least and we can't wait to hear more from the two outfits in unison!
Review: Honkey Phonk founder Jayl Funk outta Germany brings his cards to the table with this Four Aces EP, turning to disco as an inspiration for the most part with a sweet touch of samba in "Together". With a rocksteady groove and blaxploitation funk backing the horns, vocals and extra piano rolls of "Feel The Heat", it's the filtered strings of life and roller disco decadence of "Something" that accompanies the '80s-pop elements, spaced-out vocoders, and undeniable dancefloor vibe of "Fantastic Sunshine". Four of a kind.
Review: Breakerz Banquet switch the feast to a BBQ flex with a quartet of laid back summer vibes. Fresh from fronting the label launch, El Bomba takes the lead with "Party Your Ass Off". A refreshingly honest ode to smoking, drinking and fun times, it's an instant smiler. Knuckle Fingerz plays the spot-the-sample game with a whole range of well-known lyrical hooks and a Tribe Called Quest level groove. Cris Crucial plays a similar rap homage with added Dee-lite and Maars. Finally the whole team collide for the 'banger' of the bunch... Muscular drums, a clinically obese groove and party chants a-go-go, if you're not popping within 30 seconds, your volume function is faulty. Yummy.
Review: Gallegos most recent single, 'Sycophantic Maniac', was a super-charged chunk of weighty, warehouse-ready house heaviness that also featured on TSHA's just-released - and properly ace - Fabric mix. This follow-up EP is equally potent and retro-futurist in tone, but a little more diverse musically. Check first the bleeps, organ stabs, hip-hop vocal samples and stripped-back 21st century hip-house groove of 'Pump Up The Sound', before admiring the squelchy, hot-stepping UK funky head-does-classic deep house flex of 'Faulty VHS Chewed My WWF Tapes'. Elsewhere, 'Only The Lonely' is a dusty, ambient influenced hip-hop instrumental, 'Westfest Windmills' is starry-eyed fusion of hypnotic beats, warming synths and unfurling musical motifs, and 'Warm Grass With Friends' is a snappy, sample-heavy chunk of giggling deep house cheeriness.
Review: A celebration of sound system culture is the prevailing theme throughout London duo Overmono's new EP on XL - their seventh release thus far for the esteemed UK label. Inspired by the nostalgic feelings conjured up by old mix tapes recorded in their youth, Cash Romantic sees the Russell brothers (aka Tessela & Truss) combine elements of breakbeat, dub, garage and ambient. "After listening to some of these old tapes, we wrote this record and realised our heads are still pretty much in the same space as when we were kids."
Review: Lord a'mercy! Timewrap are chowing down on 2018 with the appetite of 10 armies right now. Hot on the heels of their space disco collection comes this equally spotless set of versions, edits and booties ranging from dub-style hip-hop to all-out trouser swinging Motown monsters. Highlights include beastie skanker "Dopesmokah", the doo-wap walloper "Say Some", the big band cosmic soul drama of "Dr Ray", the middle eastern mischief of "Ida Tharis" and the psychedelic hip-hop funk of "Bambuta".
