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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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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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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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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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Various
Review: Following in the footsteps of the likes of A Skillz, Beatvandals and The Allergies, Boca 45 helms the latest in Bomb Strikes' 'Funk N' Beats' compilation/mix album series, which has been running since 2013. As ever, Vol 10 features an eclectic, party-hearty mix of funk, hiphop and breaks jams, with wicky-wicky scratch sounds applied liberally. Notable inclusions this time around include two "never heard it like that before" covers of classics from the Spencer Davis Group and (sure to please footy fans) Gala, as well as Western Roots' reggae/ska-infused 'Bogus Daddy', while the bundled DJ mix version from Boca 45 showcases these sounds as they're really meant to be heard.
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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: 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: Will Hofbauer has once again delivered a truly unique sonic experience for the Wisdom Teeth collective, unloading four tracks of breaks-inspired creativity. We open up our adventure with 'Hiccups', a crunchy drumified slingshot, driven by spooky atmospherics and quivering moogy subslines, before 'Substracting The Egg' gives us a shaker driven scrape through percussive abstraction. The title track 'The Shovel Is A Shovel Was A Shovel' then gives us another avenue of weirdness to explore, unloading 4x4 rhythms and purposefully dissonant synth pulses, before 'Crow' gives us the last dash of magic we need to close the EP off with a splash with it's hard hitting percussion and unique approach to rhythm. Lovely stuff!
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Papua New Guinea (Translation 7 - Things Change Like The Patterns And Shades That Fall From The Sun) - (6:01)
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The RebelEXCLUSIVE
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The Niceguys feat Bobby Saint
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Played by: Dj Pencil
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: 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
DJ Voodoo & Liquid Method - "Everybody Thinks I'm High (and I Am)" (Dj Poochie D Phat Phat Acid remix) - (3:24) 135 BPM
Played by: Juno Recommends Electro
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Various
Played by: Juno Recommends Breakbeat
Review: Next up from the ever-ready Hardcore Energy crew we have a momentous collection to explore, pulling together a high energy selection from some of the most forward thinking breaks producers out there right now. We begin with the euphoria-inducing chord progressions of 'Feeling Inside', upping the energy from the jump, before GHSTGHSTGHST turns up the heat further for a fiery sweep through bulbous drums and more of those throwback chord-lines. From here a much more stripped back groove as Jai Dee delivers a moogy 4x4 bubbler in 'Dancin', followed by both the high energy half-time rhythmic smashes of 'Security' from T-Cuts and unorthodox chops of 'One thicc DJ Tool' from Mincy. Finally, Annod Bloque gives us a final dash of finesse with 'Your Love', an acidic joyride through nostalgic rave energy, topped off with jittering vocal overlays and a glorious sense of harmony throughout. Excellent work!
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Played by: Dan Speed
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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Played by: Bluntskull
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Played by: Juno Recommends Minimal Tech
Review: New on Shall Not Fade this week is the latest offering by ascendant Belfast-based talent Robbie Doherty, hot off recent releases on Meta, PIV and Oldskool. The Sick n' Tired EP features five upfront cuts aimed squarely at the dancefloor; there's some tripped-out party staring retro techno on the title track, he then channels in to that second summer of love vibe on the euphoric rave nostalgia of "Dream Of Me", (which benefits from a much needed extended mix later on) and rolling deep on the smooth house flavor of "Tantrum".
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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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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 Breakbeat
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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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OnDaMiKe/Various
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VARIOUS
Played by: BMD, DUBRA, Trotter, Jayl Funk, Juno Recommends Breakbeat, TOSSES, TURNTILL, Funky Boogie Brothers
Review: It's a great sign of the state of music when the tenth installment of Tru Funk's Tasty Beats series, which normally features about five tunes, boasts 21 fresh new cuts! It's a veritable feast of party mash-up bangers, with something for everyone. Highlights include the funky Khia/Snoop blend of "Gangsta Lick", the cut-up electro-funk of "Golden Ass" and the hands-in-the-air Stevie Wonder madness of "Party Like We Do".
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Played by: ZETEK, Hong Kong Ping Pong, WAVEWHORE, DJ AKA (Funk Moguls), Johnnypluse, Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Juno Recommends Drum & Bass, Juno Recommends Broken Beat Nu Jazz, Juno Recommends Electro House, BadboE, Euphonique, RuN RiOT, Ragga Scum, Ez Icarus, Basement Freaks, S Man
Review: Bang! There'd been hushed tones of this opus for well over a year, and at a whopping 29 tracks, it's been well worth the wait. Showcasing their widest repertoire, within the first trio of tracks we're already treated to Latino swing breaks, new jungle jiggery and dramatic dubstep. This wide-eared vibe embracement runs throughout consistently; "Hey Mr DJ" rattles a few electro-hop cages, "Countdown" is quintessential booty-bass heaven complete with delectable UK hip-hop rhymage, while "You Can Be My Night" shoots us up to planet D&B on a floaty carpet of rave heritage. A solid calling card to every party in town, it's time to get bouncing...
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Review: Hardcore is most certainly alive and kicking, and thar much is clear here as we get stuck into the latest offering from Stratton, who touches down on Of Paradise with four original creations. We kick off with the pumping drum rolls and sketchy rhythmic swerves of 'Coming', which is followed nicely by the more acid inspired pulsations of 'Wide-eyed & Painless'. It gets a tad euphoric next as we land on 'Bad Advice', a shimmering roller, packed with uplifting pad arrangements and junglistic drum slices, followed by the uptempo 'Unhappy Hardcore Mix' of 'Getting' Out'. Very cool stuff!
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Played by: Juno Recommends UK Garage
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Bushwacka!/Various
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