Review: Chameleon Audio had a big year in 2016, instilling their name on our charts as regular go-getters ad quality scouts of new talents in the bass game. This is one of those leviathan compilations where even the most critical of DJs will find something to jump up about, as there is so much damn gear on this badboy! Tunes by the likes of Jacotanu, KXVU, and Policy deliver some much-needed grime lashings, while others like Strap C and Imtek's "Bubble, or even "Shakeup" by Particle, break out the London half-step riddims for the heads. From dub to house, the influences in these things are vast and unmatched. Dig through it.
Review: There really are few labels within the extended garage and 140 crossover zones that are able to say they hold the consistency of releases that Chameleon Audio possesses. The last few years have been a serious worldwind of underground flavour, with the second edition of their 'Colours' series being another welcome catalogue edition. They welcome the likes of Sour F4ce, MoJoe, Jakebob, Khabs, Fork & Knife & more back to the label to showcase the best of their roster with some serious bassweight. The compilation dives perfectly between garage and 140 flavours, with our immediate pickouts including the swampy bass textures and gorgeous percussive pulses of 'War Dub' from Nenkz, alongside the euphoric vocal harmonies of Itmek's 'Lust', and moogy goodness of '80's Fella' from the one and only Tubz. You may even find a sneaky carnival mix of 'Cub Bubblin' from our very own KXVU floating around the ether for good measure.
Review: Based in Walsall, the Chameleon Audio imprint, headed up by MoJoe and Chemist RNS, has been one of the most impressive midlands based movements in recent years. This latest compilation entitled 'Colours' sees them gather together a selection of their finest troopers, including the likes of Chemist RNS, Aranha, Triple S, Particle and more. We also some exciting debuts from the likes of Defiant and Khabs as well as stormers from S3 Dubs with 'Blur' and Sensi with 'Corvus'. For us the standout track of the whole compilation comes from grimey man of the minute Jakebob alongside fellow producer and vocalist: Rakjay entitled 'Sailor Jerry's. The pair get busy on this one as they lay down some skippy UKG flavours and electric vocal flows.
Review: BOOM! Rocking, nu-school d&b sounds from the Chameleon Audio massive, and it's high time we'd heard some fast-moving breaks amid all the half steps and grime-leaning house. It's a family affair on this new comp, Walsall Sound, landing on our charts like a steamroller on speed. Don't get us wrong, there's plenty of darkcore bass in here, too, such as Chemist RNS' cheeky, wobble-friendly "Green Crack", or the supremely smoky haze emanating from the bass of "Duality" by S3 Dubs. Sour F4ace's "Ello" is a sneaky dubstep bullet that would have been received with copious rewinds in the FWD days, and other favourites include "Sandwell St" from MoJoe, a murky swarm of percussive fury, and Zobol's subtly electro-leaning, drum-machine charge called "Lektrojuke". Don't sleep on this lot!
Review: It's excellent to see the team at Chameleon Audio finally getting the previous pieces of their back catalogue onto our platform, this time around we see our very own KXVU land for his 'Lion Cub' EP. We kick this one off with the super skippy drum work and warbling bass tones of 'Cub Bubblin', followed by the evil string drives and menacing melodies of 'Rafiki Riddim'. Next 'Shenzi' lands with a real punchy presence, driven by sinister string leads, before we round the EP off with 'Zira' a more alien-like harmony of gnarly synths and choppy drum slaps. Excellent stuff as per from the cub!
Review: Southpoint's Chemist RNS jumps aboard the new talent scouting grime / bass imprint Chameleon Audio and he's bringing company... Leominster's Jakebob performs lyrical gymnastics over Chemist's spatial Oriental-themed aesthetics. Remix-wise KXVU gets wavy, MoJoe gets cosmic while Sour F4ce murks up the dance with something a little swampier. Complete with an instrumental if you can't handle Jakebob's fork-tongued academic seminar.
Review: Over the years, we have really enjoyed the expansion of the Chameleon Audio movement, with their reach now stretching the full breadth of the country, constantly supplying the grime and dubstep scenes with tasty treats. We have watched keenly in the last few months as the team upload their back catalogue to the Juno store, with the latest edition being this classic collaboration project between Jakebob and Chemist RNS. The 'West Mids' EP played a massive part in both artist's progression, with Jakebob's vocals finally getting their due recognition, along with Chemist showcasing his real mastery with the different sounds that lay at 140BPM. A Classic for certain.
