Review: Longtime Swamp81 member and master of both sides of the mic, Manc murker Chunky takes his production chops to a new tripped-out level: "Tolk To Meh" is a bad dream stepper, all weirded out noises and beats so spacious you could park an Ford Cortina between them. "Who Is That" sits somewhere between UKG, funky and a dark alley; sweet-shuffled beats galvanised in molten spookiness. Close your eyes and it could easily be Zed Bias... Comparisons in this game don't get much higher.
Review: Cousin is a hyped duo Sarf London duo aka Mia Mouse & Mani Festo. Aside from their own projects doing art and design and stuff, they also make some bass music with an urban edge. Here they drop a two-track banger on 81 (a spin-off of Swamp81), which is all about the atmospherics. The title track sees distant vocal snippets riddled with steppy, anxious beats. Digital B-side "4got" however is perkier with moody vibes giving way to some swingy ghetto bounce.
Review: It's been a while since we heard of such a match made in heaven as this as we see Manchester's Hypho touch down on the legendary 81 UK for four tracks off pure bass-driven class. We kick off with a potent collaboration with BeatBoss champion Rakjay, who delivers some wicked vocal leads on the moody 'Round Ere', followed by the eerie bass tonality of 'Yinliao'. Next, Rakjay returns again on vocal duty, bringing poetic twists above a fantastic arrangement of subtle sub expansions and rolling drumwork on 'Graft', which is chased up by the crunchy tech infused breaks of 'Module', rounding this one up in style.
Review: The latest stop on Lamont's concurrent ascendency in the world of leftfield bass prodigies is none other than 81 UK. Here the label enables him to deliver a searing two-track reminder of why he's boss in bass. "Titanic" is an apocalyptically doom-ridden ghetto joint, all sparse beats and creep FX. "Eyes Closed" on the other hand, is an intense sonic melodrama set to some seriously serpentine trap rhythms and taut orchestral flourishes.
Review: It's only right to expect the unexpected when opening up a brand new Lamont project, and where better to find it than on the infamous 81UK imprint. We begin our journey into the unknown with a trippy percussive showdown in 'Humans', before the retro glitches and grooves of 'XIX' take the reigns. Next up we slide into the grimey title track which goes by the name of 'Detached', focussing on tight rolling drum beats and wailing synth delays. Finally we dip into 'Dope', another catchy funky infused glitchfest, perfect for sending the dance into an absolute daze.
Review: Oh my goodness, if you're a fan of old school grime, dubstep and of good music in general you'll love these tracks. Both on different tips 'Ar Kid' is violent and twisted and will have blasting those gun fingers to the warping dubstep drops and catchy hook which will have you becoming fully fledged hype man. 'Ships' is one of those track with that magical balance of complex simplicity, between the clicks, drips and whirls there's so much space in the track allowing you to focus on Kwam's exceptional delivery.
Review: London bass house specialist Mickey Pearce returns to Loefah's Swamp 81 with a new collection of floor pulverisers; the sort of tunes that make trends and break necks. "Warm Barzz" itself is on the docile side, but "Loop W" rapidly enters the abyss in what is surely one of the oddest drum loops we've heard from the man. "Sticky Fingerprints" is a lo-fi kinda number with eerie background sonics but still a prime cut for the dancefloor, while "Loop X" is completely broken, a mass of percussion held together by the darkness below it. Large.
Review: Paleman is back on Loefah's Swamp 81 with two dread sides of bassweight and much like his previous efforts for the label, this is true UK hybrid business of the highest calibre. We use "highest" in every sense of the word as the title track "Like O" is a smoky, gun-toting piece of rudeboy minimalism straight from the gutter. "Dining & Bar" is similarly icy and broken but the vibe is more docile, less paranoid and enjoys a softer kind of 'high'.
Review: It's been a rapid rise for Paleman, conquering Swamp 81 in a short space of time and getting snapped up for remixes by all manner of respected entities, and here Calum Lee kicks up the dust on 81 with the anthemic parp of "Beezeldub". With those plastic horn blasts calling out, any dance worth its salt is going to lose its proverbials, and that's before the stripped and weighty core of the track kicks in. It's a cut perfectly toned and buffed for maximum club response, and it sits in a neat contrast to the more esoteric fare of "Newun". Where the lead track demands attention from the off, this second jam snakes in with a tricky rhythm and plenty of oddball, dubby effects for a more subtle and largely percussive effect.
Review: Calum Lee aka Paleman returns to Loefah's new 81 label, the more spontaneous, more digi-centric Swamp 81 offshoot, and as usual the man brings with him an air of innovation to the whole bass sphere. That's because "Yrs Ago" is a tune that could easily be played out in a techno set and, much like Boddika's recent output, it subtly ties the lines between many futuristic genres and sub-genres - a total winner! "Animus" is bleaker in texture and hollow in structure but nonetheless at the cutting-edge of UK bass music. Both tunes offer something less penetrable and more impressionistic that the majority of Paleman's compatriots in 2016. Excellent and highly recommended.
Review: Mickey Pearce first appeared on Swamp81 in 2012 with two releases that featured between a stride of other records from Boddika, Falty DL and label boss Loefah. This new Instructions EP is his first release since his Numb Nut (Soft Brain) / Socks Off 12" and this time he delivers a complete and varied four-track EP. "Jam 01" is the most experimental production which sounds like a bit-crushed and hacked up sample of someone cutting their hedge, while the title track is rough and broken with bleeps designed for basement clubs. "Loop For D" is a deep and melancholic production with 808 bass drums and skittered snares adding a footwork vibe, whereas "Jersey" is grizzly and deep as it is funky.
Review: As one of the most exciting dance music producers to emerge out of Milan in recent times, Piezo teams up with the notoriously innovative sounds of Swamp81 for a super creative four tracker. The title track 'El Sangre' is a futuristic techy roller, focussing on unpredictable industrial percussion and spooky atmospherics to create a fascinating musical journey. Next up we have the minimized lo-fi arrangement of 'Keera' which folds into the icey percussion of 'FKN Intercom' perfectly. Finally we finish the EP up with another industrial banquet in 'Rash'. This one brings together bubbly percs and electronic leads with great results. If you are looking for labels pushing the the tech boundaries, look no further than the Swamp.
Review: For some years now Pinch has been solidifying himself as an innovator within the walls Bristol?s underground music scene. Here we see him back in action alongside the ever creative Swamp81 imprint with two absolute bombshells. To start, Walking With Shadows is a serious journey through electronic sound design, with rolling drum arrangements taking the lead amidst a shower of well-crafted distortion and atmospheric wonder. On the flip we delve into a more percussive angle as AHH FFF SSS combines techy elements a UK funky themes together for a box of rhythmic bliss.
Review: It's always a pleasure to see new 81 land in the store as Loefah's ever-evolving imprint continues to surge forwards, showcasing the latest bassy sounds on the market. He here brings in Sumgii who provides five sumptuous scorchers, kicking off with the subtle synth drives of 'Absurd' and spacey percussive lines of 'Chunks'. The synthesizers arrive in force on the next one as 'Skanker' showcases some post-purple soundscaping, followed by the grizzly dubstep subs of 'Dark Side Burns' before we round up on 'Wollop', which packs a serious spooky punch.
Review: Swamp 81 present their first ever V/A compilation and it's a solid family affair as the label's oldest and newest mates contribute some of their starkest, darkest, stripped back designs. Freshman Chunk brings forth some brilliant broken minimalism in the form of "Oun_C" and the off-beat oddities of "Tolk To Meh", legit don Zed Bias is present with the gurgling, warped-bass broken beat slinker "Chokehold" and label OG Mickey Pearce is all about the technoid fusion on "Warm Barzz" and slugged-out wriggler "Jersey". Elsewhere Paleman dishes up three mean pieces of iced soul in the form of the metallic stepper "Newun", the spiritual spatial UKG subversion "Dining & Bar" and the star-lit classic electro jam "Animus". Complete with serious pressure from Cousin and Lamont, this is a stunning statement of where the label is at and, of course, where it's taking us in the future.
Review: Bass hero Zed Bias (aka Maddslinky) has been delivering some sizzling jams on a host of like-minded labels of late. Now's he's hooked up with 81, a sub-label of Swamp81, and he's taking no prisoners with two raw cuts of nasty electro - the minimal sleaze-bounce of the title track and the dark tropical claustrophobia of "Chokehold". Restless electronic beatmaking at its best.
