Review: Agro - or Mr Aggravation if we're going to be all formal - returns to DJ Hybrid's Audio Addict with a walloping all-style five-tracker. Ranging from deeper, classically informed jungle shock-outs like "Bust Dis Ting" to creepy, toxic groaning rollers such as the Serum-style "Teasin'" and the loose-pants Full Cyclist wobbler "Culture", once again Agro is cooking up some truly authentic flavours that will work across both the jungle and jumpier sides of the dance. And that's before we even get to the killer remixes. Addictive. As always.
Review: Audio Addict don't tend to put out music that's weak, thin or otherwise not suitable for the dancefloor. Burnzy's Liberation EP is a testament to that, all six cuts do some serious damage and the release overall is certainly on the sharper end of the spectrum. 'On The Spot' is the best of the bunch and it's got a rough, Sofa Sound edge that injects a satisfying level of oomph into the arrangement. 'Take Over' is a close second and its incredibly unique concoction of swirling basses and gargling pulsars adds a wicked futuristic element. Top EP from the Audio Addict crew.
Review: Damageman has been on a bit of a roll recently and he's back on Audio Addict for a stripped back, roughshod single which showcases an interesting blend of the minimal sound with the jump-up side of the scene. This is a style that's been taking off recently and we're very much into it, it's a bit less full-on that jump-up and not as screechy, yet still has the wicked attitude and urban-edged toughness of jump-up. 'Ass Up' is an excellent example, with an Ice Cube sample and multiple criss-crossing strands of reverberating bass, an amalgamation of low-frequency textures which just roll out the whole way through. Sick stuff here.
Review: Now this is interesting... DJ Hybrid is releasing his second album across two EPs on both of his labels. Here we find "Addicted To Audio" on his flagship imprint Audio Addict. A dedication to the foundational D&B bug he was first bitten by, this collection shows his dancefloor side with raw, unkempt energy and riff dynamism; the low-end grunts and wry MC samples of "The Lurker", the logistical shades and euphoric thrust of "Forever" and beehive bassline and sudden flighty switch on "Boom Ting" are just three examples of Hybrid's high level addiction here. Now go and seek the second half "Deeper In The Jungle".
Review: Oh gosh. DJ Hybrid has been bang on point with every plate he's dropped in the last two years. Now the men who've benefited from his bullets in their sets return the favour with this first volume of remixes from last year's album Mixed Origins; Callide takes us right back to early 2000s Fresh-style savagery on "It's Murder", Ray Keith polishes up his amen knuckle dusters on "Run Away" while Benny L adds a whole new level of floating charm to "Bring It Back". Deeper into the collection Livewire and Samurai Breaks take us right back to 92 with new school techniques, DJ LAB lays down some superlative subs on "Boom In 93", Schematic twist "Beyond My Control" into a fuzzy distorted grizzler while finally Section busts up the drums in his faithful twist on "Lost In The Music". Album remix packages really don't come broader or badder than this.
Review: Multiple label mogul, card carrying junglist and all round badman DJ Hybrid shares the parts of last year's piano-laced roller "Love The Vibe" to five expert new-gen speaker smashers; Stompz takes us down a guttural tech-twist path only showing shards of the original's euphoria, Kumarachi goes mental with rattling breaks and dub sirens galore, Damageman maintains the uplifting pianos while switching up the bassline into a stripped back growler, Sl8r brings is signature devil bass while Furniss closes the show with a bass riff so ugly all mirrors in the club will shatter when you drop it. Vibey.
Review: Hailing from Coventry, DJ Hybrid has firmly established himself over the last couple of years as someone at the forefront of D&B's re-discovered love for jungle-influences and bouncy but hard-hitting basslines. Drawing upon those influences, he's back on Audio Addict for a full-throated six-tracker that kicks off with 'Take A Look' featuring RMS, a gently weighted sine-based wobbler that pushes on every corner of the range. 'Rapture and 'Swordplay' have clear Kings of the Rollers vibes, with juddering bass pulses and that recognizable sense of hardware-based rawness. This release has overtones of Manchester and undertones of the South - proper UK underground stuff.
Review: Hailing from Coventry, DJ Hybrid has firmly established himself over the last couple of years as someone at the forefront of D&B's re-discovered love for jungle-influences and bouncy but hard-hitting basslines. Drawing upon those influences, he's back on Audio Addict for a full-throated six-tracker that kicks off with 'On A Riddim', a gently weighted sine-based wobbler that pushes on every corner of the range. 'Madman' and 'Funk Pulse' have clear Kings of the Rollers vibes, with juddering bass pulses and that recognizable sense of hardware-based rawness. This release has overtones of Manchester and undertones of the South - proper UK underground stuff.
Review: After a very impressive 2017, the Audio Addict collective are back with another heavyweight release package to kick off 2018 with a bang. After a fantastically well received release of DJ Hybrid and Haribo's heavyweight collaboration 'Raised In The Jungle', the Audio Addict imprint have put together a phenomenal selection of six official remixes. Our favourites have to be smooth subs of Swerve's rollers rework, the techy arrangement and vocal manipulation of My Selectas redesign and Drop Out's classic hip hop remix, complete with scratches and vocal breakdowns. This is a great start to the year for Hybrid's ever impressive imprint.
Review: One of the savviest axis-flexors in the D&B / jungle game, DJ Hybrid has an all seeing eye across the soundboy spectrum with his two labels and mixed-style signature. Here the full focus is on his flagship label Audio Addict with his first exclusive-powered mix album that covers all the crucial corners. Every track rattles and shakes with energy and subversion: the jungle chaos of his own "Mix & Blend", the iced-out atmos and toxic drop of Swerve's "Massive & Crew", the gunshot bass holes caused by Lost Dynamics "New Funk", the jaw-dropping ruthlessness of Ray Keith's take on "Badboy", the list goes on... DJ Hybrid levels up once more.
Review: Euphonique lands on Audio Addict with a fiery EP. Kicking off with 'True' is crunching halftime drums that skitter away into a drop of rattling percussion that fills up the range in a full-throttled run of high quality energy. 'Siren' carries on the trend of pummelling kick drums and suspenseful ambience, with a sick vocal lead and wicked little drum switch ups. 'Gangster' brings the pulsating low-frequency wobbles at the bottom of the range as skippy, pacey drums lead out over the top - you'll recognise the sample on this one. The ragga vocals on 'Booyaka' smack of that classic Manny sound as a Serum-esque switch-up bumps into stabby bass bounces that scream character. 'Killah' ties things up with a clean drum line and diving bass pulses and yet more sublime wobbly action - a real stinker to finish off the release.
Review: You can say a lot of things about Uncle Grav but one thing is undeniable; he brings you down to earth with his every nature. It's the law. Making his debut on DJ Hybrid's ever-on-point Audio Addict imprint here he delivers some serious matters of the day: "Space Exploration" is hookier than Serum's riff-filled coin purse, "The Life Stream" groans like its OD'd on a fog horn collection while "Chasing Clouds" flips for a breezy uplifting Hozzy-circa-2007 vibe. Audio Addict badman-in-residence Kumarachi joins the fray for the finale: the warped and weirded-out bassline bender "Get Up". Get down more like. Time for a slice of good life (stream).
Review: More down to earth flavours from the fast-rising new-gen soundboy Gravit-E as he returns to DJ Hybrid's Audio Addict label with six provocative stinkers. Sitting pretty in that fertile melting pot between tech, dark, jungle and jump-up, each cut will appeal to DJs across the board. You need highlights and you need them quickly, right? Deep heads will enjoy the rippling poignant drones of "Wormhole", fun lovers and 23rd century disco steppers will slurp up every last drop on "Sexbot" while "I Can't Feel Your Love" will sweep kick you off your feet with its purring bassline and sultry rave vox. And that's only half of it. Don't sleep!
Review: Gravit-e have taken a short hiatus but are now back with Make Some Noise over on Audio Addict for a riotous EP, a four-tracker that is arguably their best work to date. An act that can cross sub-genre boundaries with ease, they've chosen not to do so here and instead have presented five slices of pure, vibrant energy in a fashion akin to Break or DLR. The title track is a serious stepper with a twisting, fluctuating bassline that ducks in and out of the drums and just sounds absolutely amazing. 'The Game' is pacier and steps things up a notch, with raw drums, filtered-out sonics and a sense of devilish progression. This whole EP is just full of killers - absolutely wicked.
Review: Audio Addict don't tend to put out music that's weak, thin or otherwise not suitable for the dancefloor. Hexa's End of Line EP is a testament to that, all four cuts do some serious damage and the release overall is certainly on the sharper end of the spectrum. 'End of Line' is the best of the bunch and it's got a rough, Sofa Sound edge that injects a satisfying level of oomph into the arrangement. 'Ivory' is a close second and its incredibly unique concoction of swirling basses and gargling pulsars adds a wicked futuristic element. Top EP from the Audio Addict crew.
Review: One of the most consistent and hardest working platforms for new-gen D&B talent in the last 10 years, DJ Hybrid's Audio Addict has a golden tracklist for breaking new names with the likes of Kumarachi, RMS, Agro, Section and Mr Hybrid himself all coming through the label. Now comes the new chapter. A new logo, a new approach with larger V/A releases that celebrate the most exciting names emerging but the same mission applies: to devastate your sets with the most contemporary and up front examples of this thing we call D&B. It starts right here with this crucial six-pack. From the moment Newcastle's Hexa opens with an electro-flavoured growler "Flourish" to the moment T Zone closes the EP with the dramatic strings and foul bassline of "Killers", this is the sound of Audio Addict kicking into a new decade stronger and more consistent than ever before.
Review: Audio Addict are one of the most prolific labels in the game and an imprint which we regularly feature in these pages, mostly because of their penetrative ability to get the heart pumping with some dirty jump up. This is the second instalment in their New Addictions series and it's a percy, with contributions from J Select, Kamoh, Erbman , Burnzy and Joely and T Zone. J Select comes out the blocks straight away with 'Glitch', a giant, cavernous stepper with oodles of space in the arrangement for its multitude of coarse basses to blow you away. Erbman has the other highlight, with a growling, wobbling underground of sounds below its skipping drum line. Big stuff.
Review: Audio Addict don't tend to put out music that's weak, thin or otherwise not suitable for the dancefloor. Kamoh's Meddling Kids EP is a testament to that, all six cuts do some serious damage and the release overall is certainly on the sharper end of the spectrum. 'Meddling Kids' is the best of the bunch and it's got a rough, Sofa Sound edge that injects a satisfying level of oomph into the arrangement, there's a serious vibrancy in the bass-drums relationship and it's a pleasure to listen to. 'Looking For Something' is a close second and its incredibly unique concoction of swirling basses and gargling pulsars adds a wicked futuristic element, all of it underpinned by a creative, stepping percussive line. There's a wicked variety here and everything feels accurate and well-placed - well played to the Audio Addict crew.
Review: Audio Addict are here with their first release of the new year, a four-tracker from Konz. This label always - repeat, ALWAYS - bring out the goods with their tunes and this release is no different, sitting very nicely in the modern, up-to-date brand of attitude-filled D&B pioneered by the likes of Serum and Bou. 'Bloodpath' exemplifies this perfectly, with a rough and diving bassline that will definitely sit well with the discerning D&B head. 'Peter The Pusher' is another creative cut, its spooky bassline definitely setting it apart form others.
Review: Danger danger danger: Kumarachi returns to Hybrid's Audio Addict with his largest body of work since his debut album Flashback released exactly a year ago, it's clear the young talent is still on serious rampage. Five firing originals deep, each cut is anchored with deep groaning bass weight and superb drum arrangements and clarity with highlights blurring your senses on every track... The filthy swing of "Flow Drop" with Octo-Pi, the electroid sizzles of "Straight Up", the tripped-out bass textures and subtle jazzy stabs of "Open Door" with Agro, the pure positivity and breezy soul of "Played Out" and the murkier, dark-dream shaker "Return To You" with US G Jaybee. Primed with an outstanding Section remix of last year's successful Liam Bailey-fronted banger "4am", this really is an exceptional package. Sleeping on this is a mug's game.
Review: On-point future feels from Audio Addict pillar Kumarachi as he teams up with Shy FX and Chase & Status collaborator Liam Bailey: "4am Where Are You" is an all-out vocal soul record with the big hooky emotion. Armed a warped, slightly trippy edge to the musicality, it's a subversive twist on a classic formation. "Shifting Sands" is more of a heads-down roller that pummels with same disregard for your health as Renegade Hardware tracks did around the early 2000s. Again, with some creative techniques applied to the vocal aspects, it's clear a lot of attention has been invested. More of this please Kumarachi.
Review: If you ain't misbehaving, you ain't worth saving... Hybrid's Audio Addict return to the ravey series they set in 2016 with another hard-slapping six-piece. Do-no-wrong Kumarachi reminds us why he's boss with a stuttering jungle roll and demonically pitched vocal samples, Conrad Subs calls on everyone's favourite macabre aged WWE wrestler by way of twist think break devilry while Hybrid fine-tunes his 20/20 vision with a stinking halftime romp. Elsewhere Riffz lashes out on the razz snares, the mysterious Scartip skins us alive with his rim shots and Habitat strips things back with some beautiful time-stretched drum work. Be good now.
