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Critical Music
Review: Buckle up, because Particle is taking us on one wild ride with his latest album "Pyro" on Critical Music. This 10-track juggernaut is a full-throttle excursion through the gnarliest terrain of jungle and drum & bass. Right from the jump on the opening cut, Particle flexes his funky bassline muscles to get things properly greased up. But don't get too comfortable - by the closing VIP remix he's dropped the hammer and has the whole thing redlining in the most deliriously unhinged way. This is an artist operating at the peak of his powers, seamlessly blending classic jungle/D&B fundamentals with meticulously futuristic production chops. There's something for the old-school heads and fresh recruits alike on this album. Longtime jungalists will get misty-eyed over the cavernous subs and proving garage-bred breaks of tracks like "Fooling." But Particle also caters to the new-age barneys on tunes such as "Assassin" and "Needles" complete with enough manic robotic contortions to have you rapidly evacuating your flesh vessel. Not one to rest on his laurels, Particle keeps things utterly weird too. "REM" is a deliciously unhinged descent into stuttering jungle psychedelia. And his link-up with Inja on "The Message" injects a taut, nerve-shredding atmospherics that'll have you sweating through three layers of merino wool. Don't sleep on this one, ravers.
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CRITLP 019
29 Mar 24
Drum & Bass / Jungle
29 Mar 24
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CRITLP018S 2
29 Sep 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
29 Sep 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CRIT212S
23 Aug 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
23 Aug 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: Neurofunk was always an enviable art, but for far too long it remained in the strict purview of artists deserting pop drum n' bass - and in turn trying to prove who was the cleverest sound designer on the scene. En Vy's new EP for Critical Music signals we've had an attitude change; this is 'neurofunk' that approaches the sound from a much more measured stance, swapping out all the crazed sound design turns and out-of-place Reese womps for more meditative and critical musicianship. The EP shows off a good ear for subgenre knowhow; 'UFO' has a jump-up feel to it that is nonetheless nicely skippy and pure, while 'Beautiful Dreamer' is by far the standout - with dreamy vocals compelling a tonal lead rhythm to produce an overall sub-heavy dream-vibe.
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CRIT 198
03 Mar 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
03 Mar 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: Is it a small album? Is it a big EP? Who cares? It's Waeys doing bits on Critical Music with his most substantial and explorative body of work so far. Already preceded by big soulful singles like 'Set The Vibe' (with the inimitable flowanastasia) and 'Nothing' (with the equally brilliant Patch Edison) now comes the full showdown as the Dutch don delivers some of his best work to date... The jazzy introspection of 'Familiar Face', the dusty hip-hop feels of 'Five After' and the slower tempo of 'Your Eyes' are just some of the highlights here. What an exceptional release. Big love to Waeys.
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CRITMLP 002
10 Feb 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
10 Feb 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CRIT198S 1
03 Feb 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
03 Feb 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Various
Review: Reload, reboot, re-up... Critical Music shutdown their 20th anniversary sonic shenanigans with this humungous remix collection that features pretty much every respected and hugely talented artist Kasra's label has ever worked with. 23 cuts fresh for 2023, every single track is guaranteed to slap and tickle and dancefloor right the way through to summer, especially the likes of Foreign Concept's synth-twisting take on 'AYO', Particle's contemporary jungle take on 'Grave', Buunshin's emotional take on 'Sane' and Hyroglifics' deep and smouldering take on 'Wingwalker'. All this and so much more, this is why Critical Music are at the top of the game right now. Exemplary.
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CRITLPXXCC
08 Jan 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
08 Jan 23
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Various
Review: Celebrating two decades deep in the game, Critical Music deliver this exceptional 22 track collection from some of the most innovative artists in the bass field. From old label mates such as Sam Binga, Mefjus and Ivy Lab to exciting newcomer talents like Spectral, Able and Cauzer, the entire collection is a blistering jolt of futurism that ranges the full Critical spectrum. Highlights range from the introspective tones of Buunshin's 'Forget About Me' to the dark, tense minimalism of Calibre's 'Verstat' by way of the barbed soul of Halogenix's 'IDGAF'. Here's to another 20 years...
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CRITLPXX
12 May 22
Drum & Bass / Jungle
12 May 22
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CRIT182S1D
25 Mar 22
Drum & Bass / Jungle
25 Mar 22
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: For his latest sojourn on Critical, Serum puts down his cricket bat and gets out his conductor's baton to conduct us through another one of his more cosmic escapades. Think Stephan Bodzin or Marc Romboy but with added 174 energy and plenty more bass. 'Tokyo Rose' adds a little more aggy action to the mix with its stern bass tones and tense string plucks. Watch out for the drop; this ain't no rose-tinted glasses situation. Oof.
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CRIT 168
21 May 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
21 May 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: Enei's evolution over the last year or two has immense and the Russian producer has combined the techy side of things with the jumpier bits better than anyone else, a stylistic blend that he puts to perfect use in this five-tracker. Regular partner in crime Jakes steps up for 'Master Key', and his typically menacing vocal work adds edge to an already jagged instrumental, one which rattles through double bass notes and withering, stabbing percussive touches. It's a proper dancefloor cut constructed for the reopening of gigs, and this attitude spreads across the entire release; from the moody steps of 'Ignit', to the bouncing shards of 'Dirty' and the jump-up infused murderation of 'Lucid' The master is back.
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CRIT 163
07 May 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
07 May 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: Few artists have made as big an impact as Waeys in their first year of getting down to business, and his taking home of Best Newcomer at last year's awards shows just how successful he's been. He's on Critical these days, Snoar is his first full length solo EP on the label and oh boy, what a debut. 'Snoar' is Waeys as we've come to love him; jagged edged jump up textures delicately blended in with furious minimal pace, a hybrid club banger with which says all the right things. The other three tracks are all features, and its 'Rave Tool' featuring the badman Particle that really stands out, with a loping main bass of monstrous weight and width, a deeply satisfying element that ties the whole tune together in true style. Unreal from the young talent.
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CRIT 169
23 Apr 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
23 Apr 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: There are few EPs as hallowed as the Binary series, which has an unbelievable legacy of bringing through some of drum & bass' most successful artists including Signal, Monty, Hyroglifics and Current Value. This time around it's Trex, who shouldn't really need an introduction as the man has been slaying it across Dispatch, Mac 2 and more for several years now. This Binary is a great reflection of his sound, with its focus on sharp-edged techy sounds and rougher, more unrefined dancefloor textures. 'Stress Test' rolls out with abandon, a hugely satisfying number with a bassline that climbs in cascading waves of low frequencies. 'Other Species' is classic Trex, with a choppy vibe that's packed with murderous stabs and menacing tones. Another sick EP from the Critical crew.
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BINARY 022
12 Apr 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
12 Apr 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Played by: Damageman
Review: Two of drum & bass' most creative producers are teaming up on Critical, a label which never shies away from innovation, to bring you an EP inflected with multi-genre tonalities. The pair have made their name in everything from grime to garage to halftime to drum & bass, and its this legacy that's on full display across all four tracks on Ultra Luxe. The title track is peppered with synth wave textures and grungy aesthetics and it lopes along in punchy two-step rhythms, with escalating melodies that swell into serious atmospheric suspense. 'Rude AF' is the rattling jungle roller, a sub-heavy exercise in rudeboy sonics, whilst 'Murda Dem' brings the harsh tones of Slay to bear on another clubland monster. Oh yes.
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CRIT 165D
02 Apr 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
02 Apr 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CRIT 169S1
31 Mar 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
31 Mar 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: This single is a meeting of minds between the new and the more established, as long-term Critical producer Hyroglifics and the upstart AC13 combine to produce a single that's choppy and rough in the extreme. Even the softer of the two, 'Mercy and Misery', rests upon spasms of simmering synthetic sauce, the top line to a classic Hyroglifics bassline, one which just oozes class and sophistication. The flip is clubland readiness, with squelching bottom ends that tear into jagged patterns of rocky force, it's an absolute banger made all the better by a jokes sample. Big ups to the Critical crew.
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CRIT 166
12 Mar 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
12 Mar 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CRIT 166S
05 Mar 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
05 Mar 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: Critical's resident Swiss wizards are back at it with this five-tracker, their first full length EP since Perspectives Vol. 1 last year. It's a textbook QZB, who are absolute geniuses at producing music bedded in techy depth, and who work across the full spectrum from deft, frivolous touches to all-out dancefloor heat. The title track here is the former, with oscillating synth nodes that ebb in and out of the mix, a liquid vibe that's metallic in texture yet remains distinctly soulful. 'Unforgiving' is the opposite, a foghorn-laced tech destroyer with astonishingly good use of space, a track which simultaneously feels stripped-back and full to the brim. 'Silence Rings Loudest' is probably the most creative; imagine a mixture of BOP and Frederic Robinson and you'll be close, as featherweight drums rise and fall in delicate crescendos of nostalgic robotics. Delightful.
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CRIT 156
22 Jan 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
22 Jan 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CRITIVY 001
06 Jan 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
06 Jan 21
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CRIT 149S 2
17 Jun 20
Drum & Bass / Jungle
17 Jun 20
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CRIT 143
06 Mar 20
Drum & Bass / Jungle
06 Mar 20
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: Critical's newest addition to their already star-studded roster is Particle, a young-gun on a mission and a producer whose combination of old school sonics, foghorn-era influences and minimal finesse makes him a perfect fit for Kasra's underground institution. His contribution to the renowned Binary series is his first full-length outing on the label and it's fantastic. 'Tape Pack Flex' brings rough drums and a rougher bassline to the table, its satisfying wobbliness kicking off the release perfectly. The broken force of 'the Arrival' is another highlight, as is 'Neptune's blend of modernist and old-school vibes. Wicked release.
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BINARY 018
08 Apr 19
Drum & Bass / Jungle
08 Apr 19
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: Kerching! Hyroglifics returns to the mighty Critical and he's paying out major dividends. Four tracks in weight, a million flavours in scope and width, it's another crucially on-point collection. "Cash Out" is a halftime hurter of sickening proportions, "Never Tell Me" sees him teaming up with fellow Critical family member Enei for a proper chainsaw riff stepper, "Unconditional" reminds us of Hyroglifics' most soulful tendencies with lush breezy, misty atmospherics while "Empty Life" closes with a bit of stinky bassline hurrah. Get your wads out.
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CRIT 124
04 Mar 19
Drum & Bass / Jungle
04 Mar 19
Drum & Bass / Jungle
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CIRC 003S
20 Feb 19
Drum & Bass / Jungle
20 Feb 19
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: When we say 'massive' you say 'collab'... It doesn't get much murkier than Binga and Chimpo. Drawing lines through jungle, grime, juke, halftime and anything else they care to, the northern doublet lay the gully hammer down. From the dramatic aquatic riddim and call/response to the trapped out skittish groove of the title track by way of the ghetto-tech fury of "Drank", the pure prang of "Sassy Riddim" and cosmic hip-hop alien lapdance anthem "Selection Dark", this really sounds like nothing else on the planet.
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CRITSYS 007
18 Nov 16
Drum & Bass / Jungle
18 Nov 16
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: Two of the most rated men in D&B's next generation league, Emperor and Mefjus collaborations are always worth your time. Neither happy to conform to the rules established by peers, both relish in ending tracks with wry skits, both seriously on point with everything they've done in the last few years, naturally this follow up to their collaborative debut "Hello World" is just as firesome. All loaded with heavily sprung bass funk and oddball noises and designs that come in from nowhere, both originals are as original and distinctive as you'd want them to be. Comes complete with two long awaited versions; Emperor gullying the dickens out of "Dissuade" and Mefjus taking a hammer to "SMPL", rebuilding it in his own twisted way. Gloriously dark.
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CRIT 093
04 Nov 16
Drum & Bass / Jungle
04 Nov 16
Drum & Bass / Jungle
Review: Young Signal's making all the right signs and sines right now. Barely 18 and he's already fine-tuning a crisp, spacious sound, variety and detailed mixdown signature. Most importantly... the funk is abundant. There's a natural groove to both "Parallax" and "Ten Paths" that's not dissimilar to Break just slightly darker. Elsewhere "Downfall" is reminiscent of "Oblique" in its icy soulful way but with delicate vocals from Zoe Klinck while "Fearless" takes note from techno with its staccato riff and tippy percussive off-beat clips. Teaming up with equally on-point and hyped act Aggressor Bunx for the finale, "Isolation Cell" hits with the darkest design of the EP Vicious and rattling with an electrified aesthetic. Another surefire sign of a bright future for Signal.
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CRIT 091
14 Oct 16
Drum & Bass / Jungle
14 Oct 16
Drum & Bass / Jungle
