Review: The Lobster Theremin team have an almost ingenious ear for unearthing the unusual yet palpable within their catalogue, a theme they once again find themselves subscribed to as Bloomfeld unleashes this outstanding 'Larp OS' LP drop, exploring the vast swathes of the unknown regions surrounding electronic music production. From the almost post-bashment style arrangements of 'Need More Sky' to the icey percussive flutters of 'Osmosis' and euphoric, techno-inspired arrangements of 'Where Were U Rly Born', we find ourselves being thrown left, right and centre with this outstanding collection. Our highlights would include the super swingy synthetics of 'Bad Idea', which really does send us down a wonky avenue indeed, next to the post-dubstep style arrangement of 'QR vs PIN', which again packs a mega punch.
Review: The Infernal Sounds team always seem to bless us with colourful, yet very traditionally dubstep-sounding releases, with this latest batch from Chief Kaya falling perfectly into that very enjoyable bracket. We begin with the weightiness of the title track 'Supreme', a bulbous exploration into potent LFO maneuvers, from the electrifying warbles to the face-slapping pulses. Next, the more unusual synthetic sounds of 'God Mind' send us down a much more eerie avenue of sound, as distant, haunted melodics play a very powerful roll in this crunchy bubbler, before 'Psyche' once again ups the ante with a dizzying display of hard-hitting bassy goodness, flipping between foamy atmospheric smashes and clippy percussion, giving us a wicked outro track to enjoy.
Review: As always with the Slimzos Recordings crew, we know we are in for a very lively time as they welcome the enigmatic production techniques of Efflex inside for four original grimey sizzlers. From the jump we are transported into the heights of grime's most notorious periods as the urgent strings and horn-driven kicks of 'On The Move' open us up to a very enjoyable collection, followed by the system-busting reese textures and hypnotic arpeggios of 'Escape'. The mystic yet highly melodic woodwind sweeps of 'Rumble' are then thrust into view with more fantastic results, before 'Lurking' gives us one final dash of goodness to enjoy, reverting once again to epic string lines and alternating bass structures, giving us a fabulous sense of nostalgia throughout!
Review: It's always a great pleasure to see the legendary Frenk Dublin making his return to Dub Communication, as he this time arrives with a full length 10 track album drop, dripping in original dubwise flavour and futuristic production techniques. Frenk Dublin is a master in his field, a truth we hear displayed across the full breadth of this collection, from the moody chord shifts and dubby fx of 'Divide & Rule', to the post-tech drum rolls and stuttering synthetics of 'Tranquility' and shimmering pad textures of 'Geo'. The whole project is a sonic journey from start to finish, that simply must be listened to in a long play format to be able to grasp the magnitude of spaciness that we are able to delve into. Our highlights include the skippy rhythms and bubbling synthesizer runs of 'Ace', next to the more tech inspired maneuvers of 'The Expansion', showing Frenk's versatility is not to be played with!
Review: It's always a good time when the Pond Life Party team come to town, this time inviting the enigmatic Joedan inside for 5 original stompers, entering with the gnarly wobbling basslines switches and shuffling shakers of 'How Much', setting the tone quite directly for the rest of the project. Next, Styn & Kontent join the parade as we dive into the swampiest textures out there in 'Roll Up', closely followed by a surprise Window Kid appearance on 'Ratty', a dizzying dubstep original. Styn & Kontent then return for a second appearance, this time on the grinding low ends and intricate rhythmic twists of 'Doe Or Die', with 'Wavey Levelz' then giving us a final taste of original dubstep flavour as a cascade of LFO-driven bass manipulations are let loose atop a moody backdrop.
Review: The Locus Sound team have once again struck gold with this set as Ma Barka arrives in style with his latest box of bassy goodness, delivering three LFO-driven originals, destined to delight dances nationwide. We open up with the gut-punching kick drums and gnarly LFO stutters of 'Sizzle', which through a combination of wooden-sounding snare slaps and smooth transitional phases give us a masterful display. From here 'Killsound' then deploys a behemoth of bass-driven madness, focussing on minimal clicky percussion and industrial sounding backdrops, before the the skippy rhythms and more metallic bass punches of 'Ha Um' round us off with a slap!
Review: Objekt has a real knack for unveiling a spicy new creation, with this incredible new two tracker giving us another quick blink into his mind's production eye. We open up with a proper gnarly roller in 'Bad Apples' gently swivelling between pulsating synthetic drives and almost industrialised dancehall style drum loops, all pushing and pulsating towards a seriously cool cascading crescendo. On the flip, we dive into an even more abstract creation as 'Ballast' delivers an explosively blippy design, focussing on stuttering glitches and big room 808 bangs, giving us a solid B-side alternative. Exceptional work here!
Review: It's been a brief minute since we last saw the In:Flux Audio team in action, but it seems as though their time in waiting has not been wasted, with this monstrous display from SHVA giving us some potent industrial heat. We open up with the woofer-busting bassline drones of 'Solid Ground', which drifts between gnarly, growling synthesizer swipes and minimal sub crunches, all below a thick landscape of intricate percussive taps. Next to this the dizzying synthesizer pulses of 'Defendor' give us another precise creation, focussing on unpredictable atmospheric pulses and cleverly worked reverbs, before diving into the remixes. First up, No Remorse sends 'Defendor' to the chopper, unleashing a chomping synthesizer line throughout the heart of his remix, before label owners let loose an abstract rethink of the same track, giving us delicately arranged percussive melodies to send the stems somewhere completely different. Amazing stuff!
