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Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Hypercolour reaches its one hundredth release. To celebrate this milestone, Jamie Russell and Alex Jones' label enlists the services of KiNK. The title track is a high-paced banger, featuring a dramatic vocal loop and rousing rave synth lines. It sounds like KiNK has distilled the energy of early 90s dance music into "People". "Ta" isn't as dramatic, but still hits hard, thanks to the interplay between a rough bass and airy melodies. In contrast, "Kazan" sees the storied artist go down a more considered route, with glitchy percussion melded with a dubby groove. Rounding off this 100th release is another dance floor banger, in the form of the heavy stabs and dense kicks of "Vacation"
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Played by: Juno Recommends Experimental
Review: Overmono unleashes their debut album here on XL Recordings. This album represents a remarkable culmination of their musical journey so far with 12 compelling tracks, with brothers Tom & Ed Russell taking listeners on a captivating sonic odyssey that seamlessly blends a diverse range of electronic genres. 'Good Lies' showcases their impeccable sound design and experimental approach: from the evocative vocal-led breaks of the title track, or the glassy-eyed IDM of "Walk Thru Water" feat. St. Panther, to the infectious 2-step attitude of "Is U" and the future UK sonics of "Calling Out" - this is the sound of one of the most original contemporary live electronic acts.
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Played by: Juno Recommends Bass
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Various
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Played by: Craig Charles Funk And Soul
Review: It's another absolute strike from the Breakbeat Paradise crew as they welcome the ever-ready sounds of BadboE to the table, delivering a vibrant original alongside a hip-shaking collection of remixes. First up, 'Hard Times' takes centre stage as shrill saxophone melodies and groove-inducing breakbeat arrangements give us a tasty original to work with, setting the mood just right for some remix action. Next up, Suckaside unloads a seriously weight refix clip, giving the track a much more dubwise feel, followed by the system-twisting bass crunches of Baxta & Boydex's overhaul, alongside Gramophone Soul's more dancefloor driven rethink. Every feature on this collection has a valid time and place, making it a very well arranged remix package!
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Review: The Scuffed Recordings crew really do know how to hold a vibe, with their catalogue being stuffed to the brim with vibrant DJ tools. This latest offering sees Danny Goliger enter pole position with three original slappers, opening up with the super choppy percussive pings of 'Really Like To', an old school groover that holds some real weight. Next, we explore a much more drum-driven approach as the wavy breaks samples and dizzying vocal delays of 'Archos Gmini' are then wheeled out amidst squelching synths and bubbling melodic incursions. Finally, 'I Told Y'all' gives us a final dip into skippy percussion and groove-inspiring synths, closing off this very unique collection with a smash.
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Played by: Johnnypluse
Review: Buoyed by outings on Dirtybird, 8Bit Records and Crosstown Rebels, long-serving Leeds duo Audiojack make their bow on Shall Not Fade. They're in confident, all-action mode from the word go, peppering a funk-fuelled breakbeat with new age ambient melodies, mutant bass and eyes-closed female vocals on lead cut 'Hooked', before exploring dreamier and more psychedelic breakbeat house pastures on 'Rise Up' (check the speed garage influenced bassline that drops midway through). Elsewhere, 'Haze' is a subtly bassline-influenced chunk of tech-tinged deep house heaviness, and 'Bring It Back' is an energy-packed fusion of mind-mangling tech-house sounds, tactile chords, female vocal samples and warped speed garage bass.
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Played by: The Allergies, Craig Charles Funk And Soul, Johnnypluse, Umbo, Juno Recommends Funk, Vito lalinga
Review: The Allergies have been, without a doubt, one of the most consistent outfits within the funk and breaks crossover space, with this new thirteen-track collection being a fabulous testament to both their consistency and creativity over the past few years. From the rave-ready horn toots of 'Mash Up The Sound' to the old school sampling flavour of 'Sometimes I Wonder', we see The Allergies unleash a full spectrum of what they can offer, alongside a host of collaborative guests including: Andy Cooper, Bootie Brown, Marietta Smith and more. Our highlights for this full project include the vibrant horn displays and steady drum builds of 'Hypnotise', along with the slow rolling bass swings of 'Treat You Right'. Lovely stuff!
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Played by: The Allergies, Fort Knox Five, Roast Beatz, Johnnypluse, Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Morlack, Funky Boogie Brothers, Ben Jamin
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.
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Various
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Various/The Allergies
Played by: Spinforth, The Allergies, Craig Charles Funk And Soul, Fort Knox Five, Roast Beatz, Mooqee, Jayl Funk, Johnnypluse, Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Quincy Jointz, Rory Hoy, Morlack, Wiccatron, THE NICEGUYS, LEGO EDIT, Funk Fusion
Review: As ever, the Bomb Strikes imprint delivers an awesome package to us with this brand new 25 track compilation entitled 'Funk N' Beats Vol. 5', To be honest, it's exactly what it says on the tin as The Allergies head up waves and waves of funkadelic rhythms and crunchy riffs. For us the highlights have to be the futuristic drum processing and subtle percussive movements of 'Loose Gardner' from Flevans, along with the classic breakbeat fusion of 'Fire' remixed by Smoove but originally produced by the Renegades Of Jazz. With the sheer depth of the project it's easy to get lost within the tracklisting, which is always a good sign on a large scale compilation.
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Played by: Juno Recommends Breakbeat
Review: Next up from the Cross Country crew, a spicy slice of new school garage-influenced breaks as the wonderful Stones Taro touches down with three enticing new warblers, perfect for the upcoming summer of raving. We begin with the bubbling bass bounces and glittering arpeggios of 'Anyway', a vibrant slink through choppy vocals and dizzying FX, followed by the more abstract drum arrangements and eerie backdrops of 'Shot Sonic'. From here, we move towards a close as the sweeping synthetic subs and gnarly rhythmic slices of 'Count Dubwise' bring us a sizzling final blow. Awesome work!
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Various
Played by: The Allergies, Craig Charles Funk And Soul, Jayl Funk, Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Morlack, Doctor Hooka, Gino Boleti
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.
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Played by: Juno Recommends Electro
Review: The work of Mystic Jungle and Whodamanny, "Freak..." gets remixed by two iconic artists. First up is Egyptian Lover's version. The storied electro producer subtly adds in some nuances - rolling 808s and a pulsating bass - to give the original version an extra layer of funk. Luca Lozano's 'Breakbeat Guy' version follows a different approach. This time, the focus is on a rolling, break beat-led groove and spaced out, dubby elements. Lozano contributes a second remix, featuring Karlos Moran. The 'Tribal Workout dub' sees the duo go down a house route, but with a difference. Laced with acidic bleeps, cow whistles and tripped out vocal samples, these elements make for a fittingly celebratory version.
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Review: Lost City Archives have been slowly and stealthily building up an absolutely beautiful discography since launching in 2019. A celebration of the hardcore continuum in all its tempos and forms, over the years we've been treated to techno, jungle, breaks and plenty in between. Right now, though, it's about that 160 sweet spot as the mysterious Year 2000 Problem goes in on a timeless foundation tip. 'Love With You' and 'Hopes High Girl' are both dreamy, emotional deep jungle pieces while 'Vampire' lowers the tempo for something a little spookier and pranged out. Time once again to get lost in the music.
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Played by: Juno Recommends Electro
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Review: If it's box-fresh but still authentically vintage-sounding funk vibes you're after, you'll find them in abundance on this V/A four-tracker from UK label Cuttin' It Fine. Roast Beatz are up first with the James Brown-ish 'Jungle Steppin', before Gramophone Soul marry War/ Sly Stone-esque vocal chants with rap snips on the big beat-infused 'Day By Day'. Pecoe's 'Good To Me' then brings more phat-assed retro vibes, complete with some familiar-sounding vocal bites, before Frankee More plays us out with the rumbustious 'For The Music', which rocks another chanted funk vocal. Overall, file somewhere between big beat, funk breaks and straight-up funk.
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Review: It's been a long time coming, but we are very excited to finally dive into this new full length LP from Brighton's own: Etch, a stable in new school breaks who has made his name through cutting edge drum production and abstract sound design. This latest 'Snakes & Ladders' LP gives us a chance to explore the breadth of his sound, from the moody melodic drifts and bubbling LFO's of ;Not Your Ordinary Octopus', to the euphoric harmonies of 'Sunbeam and more tribal percussive pounces of 'Overdose'. This full project is a fantastic look into Etch's range, with our highlight being the industrial drum work and bulbous synth bubbles of 'Psychotic Neurotic'. This project also houses two wicked remix features from Justin Jay & Octopic, giving us a fantastically well rounded sonic exploration.
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The Niceguys feat Bobby Saint
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Review: There is no getting away from the domination that the Time Is Now team have been holding over garage music in the last 18 months, with another heavyweight drop being added to their box with this new collection from Prozak. We open up with the energy drum twists and sizzling reesey low ends of 'Ras', a title track that packs one hell of an introductory punch. We then dive into 'Give It To You', a much more breaks-driven design, alternating between belching bassy drones and skippy drum textures, for a beautiful fusion of old school euphoria and new school precision. We then close with the skippy clicks of 'Dart', a much softer arrangement that brings us to a tidy landing, rounding off the EP in style!
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Played by: Juno Recommends Minimal Tech
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Played by: Juno Recommends Bass
Review: It's been a solid year for the team at Sneaker Social Club so far, with their stock set to continue rising with the release of this vibrant new four track display from Dog Patrol. We begin this dive with 'Non PGR', a euphoria-driven dreamwalk through distant delays and shimmering synthetics, with the Nasty King Kurl remix providing an even more spacey overhaul. From here, we flow into 'Sassafras', another bubbling crunch off, combining abstractly arranged breaks-style drums, topped with angry moogy sub stabs, with the snare heavy percussive chops of 'Creepin' then providing the outro soundtrack, forming a post-grime funk out as a wicked final closer..
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Review: Detroit electro icon DJ Godfather is back again to continue on with the latest release in a series of 11 total EPs on Databass. Experience the sound of mechanoids going to battle on "That Electro Shit" before Brian Jeffries delivers a thumping late night house jam on the impressive "1200s Are Lit". "Intergalactic Funk" loves up to its title on this typically soulful hi-tech jam, and "Oh Shit" (feat Goodmoney G100) goes back to the seminal DJ Godfather sound of old which gets seriously deep, down and dirty as we like it.
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Insane Bangers Vol 2EXCLUSIVE
Review: The second instalment of A Skillz and Krafty Kuts' collaborative bootleg-style set of edits and mash-ups sees Queen going toe to toe with the acapella from C+C Music Factory's "Do You Wanna Get Funky" on "Another One Bites", while "Flow Banger" rides one of DJ Premier's finest beats - the tightly-looped jazz of Gangstarr's "BYS". With a more subtle, groove-based "Dust Beats Battle Break" also included, these are three party bangers just begging to be rinsed.
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Review: Whenever we see Deadly Habitz back in action, we get a little bit excited to say the least, with this latest four tracker on Lost City Archives providing us with instant jitters. We begin with the nostalgia-inducing chords and groovy vocal overlays of 'Henney & Coke', an instant rave-ready rinseout, with 'Got Me Burning' then providing a more niche-inspired 4x4 splatter. We jump into more 2-step inspired switch ups next as 'Happy Daze' unleashes a smoothened sweep through choppy vocal slices and booming subs below, with the rough-house bass rolls of 'It's The Way' then giving us a smoothened outro, closing out the tracklisting with a certified slap of original garage tang.
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Played by: Dan Speed
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Played by: Juno Recommends Breakbeat
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Goldstone Life LP Sampler Pt. 1EXCLUSIVE
Review: This latest Sampler pack from the Goldstone Life project sure packs a punch as Guzi, Beskar and the vocal prowess of Vitamin G join forces across two sizzling original heaters. We open up with '1 4 T', an old school crossover between original grimey rhythms and more digitised synthetic structures, driven by cold production techniques and the super skippy vocal approach of Vitamin G, toasting the track nicely. Following on from a voluptuous half time switch up, we then move into 'You Can Do It', a seriously vibrant chopper, focussing on whistling synthesiser melodies and intense 2-step drum rolls, giving us an even more punchy feeling than the A-side. Awesome work!
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Jim Sharp/Various
Gizelle Smith & The Mighty Mocambos - "Time Is Right For Love" (Swing-O AKA 45 remix) - (4:37) 107 BPM
Played by: Herbie Hatchback, Craig Charles Funk And Soul, Juno Recommends Funk, X-Ray Ted, Discoholic Ken, Doctor Hooka, Funky Boogie Brothers
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.
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IRMA Records/Various
Review: Like its predecessor, 'Urban Grooves 2' takes a deep dive into the vast vaults of IRMA Records, resurfacing with a 30-track set of "urban funk breaks dub hip-hop beats". In practice, that means a mix of head-nodding, slow-motion disco-funk (see the various contributions by hypno-disco king LTJ Xperience), rubbery jazz-funk-goes-dub disco workouts (Vito Lalinga), toe-tapping, sample-heavy instrumental hip-hop (Ice One), Latin-flecked downtempo grooves (Lo Greco Bros and Flow Bop), sumptuous neo-soul (Orange Factory), and wah-wah guitar sporting deep funk (The Smoke Orchestra). Equal parts club-ready and sofa-friendly, 'Urban Grooves 2' is a uniformly entertaining and life-affirming compilation.
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Various
Review: The Cuttin' It Fine crew have pulled together once again to deliver a bag of dancefloor ready riddims under the 'Funk Butter' compilation title, what more could we ask for? We begin with the emotive vocal sampling and big room keys of Frankee More's Re-Funk remix of 'I Like It' from Debarge, which sets high levels from the jump. From here, Mr Fitz delivers a horn-driven funk out on 'Sharons Land', topped with a powerful vocal display before the shuffling drum rhythms and disco-like string backing of 'Sunshine Love' from Pecoe does the business once again. Finally, Roast Beatz gets to work on rebuilding a classic Sister Sledge vocal set into a modern, groove-ridden breaks anthem. Lovely work from all involved!
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Played by: Juno Recommends Breakbeat
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Various
Review: What a monsterous collection of creations we have here as we explore the full range of breakbeat influences, from slower, more clunky original creations, to garage inspired rollers and everything in-between. The sheer mass of this collection is one of it's immediate charms as we are gifted over 50 originals and remixes, each one bringing something unique to the table from a supporting cast including the likes of Origin8a & Propa, Benton, MKII, Deekline, Samurai Breaks and more. The constant changes of direction and expansionary sense of sonic inclusion are both big yesses from us, with our favourites including 9Trane's nostalgic bubbler 'Thuggish', next to the housey piano drives of Herve's 'Live Together' and the old school garage flavour of Matt Jam Lamont, Echelon & Tuff Culture, who join focus for 'Massive & Crew'. Tidy work indeed!
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Don't Need YouEXCLUSIVE
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Review: Fracture pays homage to the pirate roots with this epic release which is either a very generous EP or a very modest LP, depending on how you look at it. Either way, it absolutely bumps and rattles with total jungle authenticity. Highlights include the eerie space and early jungle elements of the title track '0860', the total slappage and choppy choppy grit of 'Buzzing Crew', the heavy pressure and deep-seeded murkery of 'Telepathy', the cheeky vocal samples of Bryan Gee on 'Blaze' and the buzzy little rave samples and super-wobbled bass on 'From The Very Top'. Special requests galore.
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Played by: Pajosmashup
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Bombstrikes Vol 3EXCLUSIVE
Played by: Prosper, The Allergies, Mooqee, Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Juno Classics, Chamber, Stereo Beatz
Review: More party antics from Mooqee as this latest in the Bombstrikes series of funky mash-ups takes in KRS-One jammin' with Bob Marley on "Supacat Police", while acapellas from Tupac's "California Love" and Stetasonic's "Talking All That Jazz" butt heads with each other over a flute-led hip-hop beat on "Jazz Talkin". The "Mustapha Dance" instrumental mix of The Clash's "Rock The Casbah" also gets a good seeing to on closing track "Hypnotic".
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Played by: Juno Recommends Breakbeat
