Review: Fresh from his Nine Windows project with DJ Trace, Kid Drama re-links with old friend Garvo for two high grade funk-ups. '1759' takes the lead and features a flabby bassline that's deliciously unhurried and almost melts into the spaces between the kicks. Meanwhile 'Nitrosurge' takes things to a darker place with tense, rippling technoid snarls and a groove that nods very emphatically and respectfully to the early Virus sound. Get gassed up.
Review: Kid Drama brings the feels once again with 'Warm'. Understated as ever, each of the three cuts oozes that special machine soul he's be sculpting since the days of Instra:mental. 'Warm' kicks off on the restrained 160 flavours with swooning pads breathing heavily over the laid back breaks. 'Sinking' takes us deeper into the mood with some wonderfully crafted Headzian breaks while 'Always' closes with a subtle sense of triumph. Made for mixing, juiced for the journey. Keep it warm.
Review: Forget Pendulum, forget Clipz, the D&B comeback of the decade has to be techstep pioneer DJ Trace. Following his return last year on his own legendary DSCi4 imprint with the crucial "Zone" EP he's now flexing his stripped back funk on Kid Drama's spotless CNVX label with four more warm, elastic steppers. Each one is characterised by a unique groove element in the bassline; the hypnotic warps of "Opaque", the pitched toms on "Kyoto", the swampy wetness of "Substance" and the spine chilling atmospheres of "Nest"... Each cut fine tunes but still raw and heavy; no one does the business quite like Trace.
Review: Kid Drama is one of the most highly regarded producers in the game, his style spanning from heavy, rolling cuts to ambient, spacious steppers that are best consumed whilst not sober. His latest release on his very own CNVX imprint is just downright quality from start to finish. The title track features Rhyme Thyme on a blackish roller that moves and sways with unnerving ease, the vocals sitting sparsely on top and each drum hit perfectly placed to cause some serious damage. 'Mirrored Lake' is along the same lines but takes things in a much steppier direction, 'Troublesome' is equally amazing and 'Kid' rounds off the release in style: a pulsating bassline that swerves off into the ether, only to come back once more and bite you. The production ability is clear - Kid Drama is the king.
Review: Convex Industry's unruly little brother CNVX makes its first stance of the year with this all-star-cast EP. First up is dBridge's far-from-average "Average Echo". A neat contrast to his screwface adventures with the freshly reformed Bad Company, this track is a lesson in fine drum tuning and spacious bass placement. Loxy & Resound's "Heritage", meanwhile, lives up to its name (even down to its stately six minute length) as it taps into drum & bass jungle's deepest roots, digging up all manner of Headz references along the way.
Review: Just when folks started to think it was safe to come blinking out into the streets again, Skeptical returns with an absolute hurter of a minimal battering ram. Working with Instra:mental's Kid Drama for "Versus #1", the percussion becomes so industrial there's a chance it may actually be scaffolding. Combine it with Kid Drama and Consequence's B-side "Versus #2" there's potential for nightmaes next time you go to be (lay off the cheese), while "Versus #1"'s meticulous logic, relentlessly powering through static and dubby undercurrents of hard rolling drums.
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