Review: The Chestplate crew have been on fire of late, pushing out some of the most exciting new deep dubstep ideas across the scene which has undoubtedly seen a high energy resurgence over the last 2 years. This time around, Mob Killa joins the crew for a vibrant two-tracker, opening up with the super murky sub designs and vibrant soundscaping of 'Inhale', a stomping sweep through old school, atmospheric stepper ideals. On the flip to this, the more horn-driven designs and sharpened drum slaps of 'Denial' give us a more rough cut feel, making this a very well balanced two-tracker.
Review: Chestplate has served the dubstep scene with some serious integrity over the last decade, acting as a home base for the legendary Distance, but also as a place where similar sounding artists can test against the best. This latest two tracker once again re-affirms Distance's dominance, opening up with the tribal percussion and moody melodic fluxes of the title track 'Display Only'. The flip then sees the crunchy, dungeon-ready rolls of 'You Wouldn't Listen' unloaded, taking into the deeper and darker side of Distance's character. Overall, this is another seriously swampy display.
Review: As one of the true pioneers of the original dubstep sound, it's always a real pleasure to see Distance make his way back onto his home label of Chestplate, especially when he comes bearing gifts such as this one. Making its way out onto the release schedule we see him unveil this brand new weapon by the name 'Oneness', which despite its singularity in release style, is sure to knock the block off numerous ravers once it boots the club. Packing a seriously fizzy punch, the almost hypnotic nature of the heartbeat-like rhythm pulls you in and spits you back out again, with emotive, sweeping pad textures above and a dizzying, electrified bassline below causing an absolute ruckus in its wake. This is a serious creation, make no mistake about that.
Review: Over the many years of dubstep's explosive sonic history, we have always been able to count of Distance's Chestplate imprint to deliver system-bombing masterpieces, which is exactly what we find ourselves exploring here as the man himself returns for an explosive three track display. We begin with the ruckus-inducing reese basses and mechanical rhythms of 'Crawler', which plays the role of a thunderous title track, kicking off the EP with some serious fuel. Next, the more typical drum rolls and shivering synthetic subs of 'The Limit' give us an otherworldly display of system-ready goodness, before the more spacey rearrangement of the 'Untouchable' VIP calls the EP to a close. This is a special project to say the least.
Review: When we examine the list of original dubstep heavyweights that are still out here supplying the systems with top quality originals, Distance comes out near the top of that list every single time. This brand new project is yet another display of steppers mastery, kicking off with the swirling drum textures of 'Blue Velvet', followed by the acidic LFO pushes of 'Rotten Funk' and the urgent string sections of 'Classical', already giving the EP a serious level of musical diversity. From here we continue the high energy approach with 'Crimson' giving us more haunted, sub-heavy energies, before the unique synth squelches of 'Rude Steppa' take us somewhere completely different. Finally, the rattling breakbeat slices and satanic harmonic structures of 'Insider' add to the emotional tension before the title track 'Forgotten Demons' sees us out in a blaze of glory, combining classic Distance synthesis with colourful drums to match. Awesome work!
Review: If there is something we always love to see here at Juno Download, it is legends of the game returning to their old stomping ground as though no time has passed whatsoever. That is why Distance making his return to his very own Chestplate imprint is always an exciting occasion, with 'Survivors', the title track for this one being a gnarly journey through scattered percussive intricacies and powerful subs below. From here, the unique rhythmic arrangements and metallic sound design of 'Crashing Tibet' takes the EP to a whole new level, followed by one heck of a finale in 'Passive'. This one is a grimey chop-fest, maneuvering between power bass stabs and old school 2-steppy clap patterns with infinite majesty. It's a powerful return to say the least!
Review: It's been a brief minute since we last heard from Distance's Chestplate imprint, but boy do they make an exciting return on this one as they welcome the ever-ready Bukez Finezt inside for a super three track explosion. First up the title track 'Eradicate Mankind' sees Bukez get into his experimental back, launching unusual LFO designs amidst a collection of super syncopated drum expressions, before 'The Machine' combines classic eskimo sounds with fiery synthesizer warbles for a fabulous fusion. Finally, 'Jittery Jerkz' hits the middle ground as lethal bass designs march forward upon a glittering bed of well processed and delayed drum samples, showcasing a full spectrum of Bukez's character.
Review: What a week it is for dubstep as we see a number of high profile projects move forward with brand new release drops, including this latest EP from the Chestplate camp, courtesy of Chapman. We kick this one off with the incredible, bell-like soundscaping of the title track 'Colossus', drawing from Asian influences and colourful instrumentation. Next, 'Ghost Stories' rolls into to play with some incredible bass and drum work, followed by the super swingy chunky sub tones and crunchy drum smacks of 'Scriptures'. Finally, 'Lkip' arrives with some unorthodox structural patterns, rounding up the selection nicely!
Review: Opus has been an absolute tear of late, stacking up some top notch releases on some of the most forward thinking label platforms around, including the likes of White Peach, Southpoint and most recently here: the legendary Chestplate. Distance serves us a gem with this one as the unique steppers flavours of Opus run riot across the hypnotic synth swirls and marching kick maneuvers of the title track 'Crumble'. Next we swim into the luscious sub textures and syncopated rhythmic bliss of 'Titan' before finishing up the project amidst the tripletted drum bounces of 'Reach'. Incredible work again from Opus.
Review: As far as 140 legends go, there aren't many who have remained active as long as this man as Distance makes an exciting return to his home imprint of 'Chestplate' for a display in dubstep mastery. The title track 'Awaken' is a twisted ball of distorted delights, fizzing away beneath hard hitting drum launches, before we hear the metallic bass pushes of 'Equate' and the glitchy experimentations of 'Rotation', which provides a really interesting sense of off-beat rhythm. We finish up with 'Setting Scores', an evil grimey shocker, deviating between emotive harmonic structures and nasty reese expanses. Brilliant stuff.
Review: Johnny Foreplay, Apparition and Nostalgia's collective force continues to thrust through 2018; following seismic sessions on Duploc and Dunk N Dirty Dubz comes this precision three piece on Chestplate. Taking us on a perfect trip through the most exciting corners of modern dubstep, the US trio kick off with a powerful rubber ball bass instant reload shockout that is "Hopeless" before getting all weirded out and theatrically dystopian on "Loft Dub" before being bid adieu by "Morgawr" a twinkling rolling wonder that perches high up on the wave scale. Hopeful.
Review: Serious 140 stinkers from Siskiyou as he makes his debut on Chestplate. Three tracks deep; each one muckier than the last, we kick off with "Mirrors", a grunting slo-mo sludge-fest laced with shimmering elements. It's followed by "Bxxed", an even eerier slice of creepy deep dub with an electrified bassline that clocks well over the prescribed 1.21 gigawatts needed for time travel. Finally we hit "Swerve", a tripped-out damager with kicks so woozy you won't be able to drive for at least 12 hours after playing it. More of this please Siskiyou.
Review: If you've caught any of Distance's sets in the last few months, we guarantee you've already been destroyed by this theatrical slice of moody dubstep drama... And probably been counting down the days until you can buy it yourself! Sheer power from every strident element; "Clash" is Distance at his most forthright and hell-raising. "Scratch The Surface" shows us the perfect flip to his palette with its cavernous space, tightly wrapped restrained and lava-like evolution in all its elements. Distance you absolute badman.
Review: Nowadays, if it's dubstep then it's got to be deep and dark - there's no more of that middle ground. Mesck, an exciting talent from LA, is all about that meditative, fear-enducing sort of bass music, and we have to say that he's one of the few to craft it properly. "The Veil" and "Slang Suffocate" are two sides of the same coin, both piling up a noxious little groove thanks to fuzzy layers of industrial bass backed by appropriately off-kilter drums and wayward percussion. YES FAM.
Review: Apparently, this EP is hot property around the dubstep circles; word on the street is that these two slammers have been in-demand for a while, but only available as dubs until now. Sleeper's output is always top notch but, we have to say, these new late-night bruisers are among his very best, and worthy of some true head-nodding. "Seagulls" has got all the right elements for a raucous showdown: a gratuitous amount of low frequencies, a wailing, foreboding texture, and that classic dubstep snare-attack. "French Toasty" is no less powerful in its delivery and, in fact, the bass on this monster is even more poignant, and it's easy to why these two tunes are just so sought-after. Go forth and destroy.
Review: Time for some proper, authentic dubstep: District returns to Chestplate with three straight up slabs of bass power. "Drowsy" starts with a slouchy funk to the beat before dropping into a fat, fuzzy 2008 bassline that refuses to hold back its playfulness. Both "Street Knowledge" and "Locking Up" are much darker, deeper creepers with lava basslines oozing down the volcanic halfstep drums. The former is all sci-fi and pranged out, the latter peeps down into the dungeon without resorting to type. Drop them after 3am and you'll be nothing short of knighted.
Review: Although Leon Switch hasn't always dealt in dubstep, we can safely say that his productions have always contained a strong element of UKness, and whether they've been d&b or pure bass, they have certainly landed on the hardcore continuum. Switch returns to the Chestplate label here, and he's back with two gun-toting monsters, the first of which, "Intrepid", sounds like Freddie Kruger's idea of what dubstep should be. "Overlook" packs a similar punch of horror, but this time it's deeper and murkier, a sludgy bundle of low frequencies barely held in place by a minimal percussion bounce.
Review: Fresh from his recent cameo on Tuba, LA's premier dank scientist steps aboard Distance's trusty Chestplate ship for more deep sea sonics; "Dead Language" is a creeped out slammer with pneumatic drums and some really interesting sample use on the fills. Looking to go darker? Jump straight on "Anti-Social". A real flattener of a track thanks to its incessant kicks and subverted laser gun samples, gloomy ominousness seeps from every element. Finally we hit "Undertone". The intro features more prominent chords and musicality before dropping into a lean, stripped back drum arrangement that's so paranoid it will have you setting up a new neighbourhood watch vigilante splinter group within minutes.
Review: Distance returns with a sentiment every single one of us can sign up to. He's not all chats, either; "Long Live The Groove" is a swaggering, sweaty slab of swinging bass music that develops momentum on every bar. Really juicy, funky stuff, there's a reason this has been kept on dub for so long. "Can You (Dub)" follows, and it's all about the drums. Fine-tuned and polished, there's a sense of liquid movement to the rhythm as strange designs and eerie cries drive deep into your ears. Finally we hit "Straight Up". The name says it all; a moody bass hook that doesn't quit, toxic subs and a weighty halftime drum arrangement... It's straight up badness, as you'd expect from the Chestplate bossman.
Review: Proof that deep dubstep can be just as balls-out-heavy as any shred-up bro-down, "Alpha House" is an outrageously naughty track thanks to an obese bass sound that dwells, lingers and grows increasingly paranoid over a slinky two-step drum arrangement. "Inorganic" develops the darkness furthermore with an intricate riddim that nods deftly at the future-garage style of breakbeats. Essential for all alpha DJs.
Review: Dubstep producer Alex Fox - better known under his Sleeper alias - is remarkably productive; amazingly, Lander is his 11th single since the beginning of 2013. Here he returns to regular home Chestplate for another three-track bass assault. The title track wallows in the space Fox creates between its sparse elements. While little more than a collection of electronic noises, cavernous sub and a crunchy rhythm, it sounds unfeasibly roomy. The same could be said about the delay-laden "Stronghold", whose reverb-heavy hits and military snares work in perfect cohesion with Fox's intense bass. This dub-wise approach is intensified on "Crucially Dubbing", with ricocheting electronics and breakcore-influenced glitches spinning between the left and right channels.
Review: Already a tried and tested tear-up on vinyl, Chestplate finally code up Leon's "Deadlock" EP for the digital heads. Complete with a stark political message, "Deadlock" swaggers with an anchor-like kick swing, pad textures that breathe like an asthmatic robot and midrange bass snorts that scuff up and down the arrangement. "Persepolisia" takes us on a darker trip where a series of basses rev up alongside each other in pole position, all vying for your murkiest attention. Finally the Kryptic Minds cohort climaxes with "Lelyss". Operating around the 90BPM half tempo axis, there's a crisp, snake-like mentality to the synth bass that bounces like a tightly coiled spring amid a spellbinding brew of airy pads. Heady.
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