Review: There's no stopping Belgian duo Owl & Clearlight right now. Fresh from outings on Symmetry and Othercide come these two crucial skin-ripplers. "Detached" is all about the electrical voltage textures as the metallic bassline sizzles with disarming iciness and the breakdown decays into a pensive eerie silence. "Forheit" follows suit with a dizzying drumset that's trickles and cascades beneath tripped out whale cries and deep lung bubbles. Unique. Long may this rich vein of form continue.
Review: Longstanding Belgian duo M-Zine & Scepticz serve up a generous four-piece helping, each cut exploring the furthest tendrils of their established late night sound. With their bulbous subs and relentless grooves, both "Consonance" and "Play" hit hard like something Doc Scott would roll out at 3am, all heads-down and no light at the end of the tunnel. "Glimpsed" and "Singularity", meanwhile, take us on much steppier adventures where full focus is squared on the precision percussion and alien bass textures that help move the rhythm forward. Ageless.
Review: Some grans like knitting, cups of sweet tea and saying 'what?' all the time. Other Grans like knitting dense drum & bass textures from both the future and the past, buckets of sick bass and sounds that make you say 'wtf?' all the time. Grans like Aussie troupe Gran Calavera, a four-headed skullish collective with previous on Flexout and Viper. Here they lay down three beauties: "Deludamol" is a dark stepper with strong Dispatch influences to its tough subtleties, "Noted" is a sure-fire slammer with Viper-style weight and presence on the shred-happy bass while "Safe" is the sweet, dreamy roller of the set, guaranteed to get hips flaring. Get knitting.
Review: Rolling Rotterdam rotters Blendits have been dishing out some serious underground flavours for exactly two years this month. A suitable time, then, to look back and reflect on the damage they've caused. 15 tracks in total, we flicker and flux between lean minimal mechanical badism (Young-G's "Shantytown") to big slappy-drum jazz business (Impish's "Friday") and Bop-style glitch jitters (Hydro, M-Zine & Scepticz' "Keep Your Distance"), all the while keeping our eyes (and ears) on the future. A perfect time to fill the gaps in your collection and get up to speed; Blendits mean business.
Review: Proudly releasing their first EP, Rotterdam based outfit Blendits have convinced Chromatic, Bredren, Philth and J Daur to hand over their tunes. Thank god they did. Chromatic's "Inertia" bursts into life with a layer of sci fi bleeps and effects before launching head first into a full-scale bass attack. "Ghost Palace" is the shared nightmare of bass chums Bredren and Philth, who are pure dirt separately and together... it's difficult to say. The bass removed any metaphorical ability. "Le Tricolore" is a soulful, jazzy float through liquid vibes and caramel bass and "Passing Period" brings out the experimental side of Bredren, featuring some beautiful sound design touches and emotive vocals from Janna Salhoume. Showstopper.
Mystic State & Monoscript - "Lingua" - (5:13) 170 BPM
Mystic State - "Rainmaker" - (4:31) 174 BPM
Review: Brought forward by the Rotterdam based Blendits label, Monoscript and Mystic State have played an absolute blinder with sharp-edged "Lingua". Cool and full of restraint, it's a track that's knife-edge and only moments away from losing composure. Deep and dark, it's the perfect antidote for a chart-topping 170bpm hit. "Rainmaker" on the other side is a totally different sound from the pair, taking it back to the old school with rolling vibes and a tasty jungle riddim hidden under ravey atmospherics set to get arms raised high in the air. Both tracks are total fire!
Review: This latest missive from Rotterdam's Blendits Audio imprint is a truly global affair, with a track each from Sao Paulo-based Young:G (AKA producer Felipe Antunes) and Lincoln duo Soligen and Type 2. It's the latter combo that kicks things off, delivering a skittish chunk of deep, murky and tech-tinged "Martyr" - all drifting, subtle chords, metallic hits and pounding rhythms. Young:G's "Shantytown" is more of a straight-up tech-step D&B roller, with foreboding electronic sweeps and intricate sound effects wrapped around a speaker-rattling bassline and smooth jungle rhythms. It also features a rather creepy breakdown, which in our book is no bad thing.
Trex & Ella Jones & Eljay - "Dark Skies" - (5:40) 173 BPM
Wagz & LJ High - "Bad Habits" - (6:00) 174 BPM
Review: Hailing from London, Trex & Eljay feature vocals by Ella Jones on their stunning offering "Dark Skies". The track builds up with a sinister vibe and synths that bring a touch of acid to the party. The tear up bass after the drop comes in unexpected but more than welcome, making sure all dancefloors will be illuminated. Next up, Coventry/Sheffield based Wagz & LJ High bring "Bad Habits" to the table. A powerful roller with fast paced breaks that wink to some of the relentless jungle rhythms from back in the days, it adds a waspy bassline and a sweeping melody to the mix to create an instant classic. Get involved!
Review: A brand new D&B imprint out of Rotterdam's longstanding bass parties, Blendit launch with an impeccable list of talent. Leading with Horizons-approved Dabs, "Lurkbox" is an unnerving roller peppered with harsh steps and classic stabs. With mild airs of neuro weaved deep into the textured groove, it's joyously mean. Hydro, M-Zine and Scepticz follow with "Keep Your Distance". A deeper groove with grittier nuances and a rich, palpitating bassline, it's the perfect foil to Dabs' darkness. Blendit have broadcast their sentiments with crisp clarity, we look forward to hearing more.
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