Review: In 2013 perhaps it's only right that we should be able to choose the gender as well as the genre of our music. But what makes a track either female or male? Let's look at it metaphorically. First track "Be A Man" expels endless energy rattling through seriously melodic synths as they dip and weave through the ups and downs of what has the makings of a dancefloor smasher. "Be A Woman" on the other hand is a far more delicate affair; B Complex-esque techy noodlings fuse with emotive atmospherics to create a track dense with texture and emotion. Which one are you?
Review: Liquid funk newcomer Loving Soul brings two fresh, summery sparklers to the plate with "Easy" and "Love Us". "Easy" starts smooth and chilled with more than a hint of Brazilian sunshine breaking through the clouds. Building up to some heavier percussion and fluid bass, this track also pushes that summertime feeling to its fullest with vocals taken from the classic Commodores hit "Easy Like Sunday Morning". Gotta love those Lionel Richie vibes. Collaborating with fellow liquid newcomer Sunset, "Love Us" uses vintage strings with a Motown feel to build a crisp, beautiful slice of drum and bass blue sky.
Review: Often when young talent is allowed to break through the thick icy surface of the drum and bass scene, the music they produce can be put down as variants of either side of the spectrum - either soulful vocal-based liquid or seriously hyperbolic jump up forged to spin heads and destroy dancefloors. What Brazilian label DNBB have here is a gorgeous little slice of brand new talent, showcasing the inventive minds of the next generation of drum and bass. Hudik begins the surge with "Parting", a synthy swell of atmosphere that booms and dissipates into a teetering crest of breakcore beats. Newcomer Flokos brings the Brazilian soul with smoothly funky "Nu York", and Kalum, already a favourite with the YouTube liquid crowd, teams rap with smooth rolling vibes. Upcoming talent Danny Lo hangs up his usual jungle beats for RnB tinged smoothy "Special Lady" and Brazilian drum and bass obsessionist Mystific plays with warm guitar licks and static to create a vintage soulful sound. An instant classic.
Review: Kicking off some seriously devastating riddims all tinged with Neurofunk, Brazil's own Sound Energy is riding against the flux. Distinctly different from the Brazilian DnB tradition of warm, rolling vibes, in "Element", SE favours big waves of electricity dashing over big, bouncing bass and tribal percussion. Analogue synth sounds pulse hypnotically around mysterious stepper "No Stress", while "Another Love" brings some Brazilian sunkissed flavours to the mix. Acoustic guitar smooths out a warm textured roller with inflections of brass in just the right places but vocals warped just enough to keep that unique edge. A real grower.
Review: Getting straight to the techy neuro nuances, "All Night Long" twinges and tweaks as it gathers momentum around a lynchpin of dirty female vocals and winding, grinding chorus laden with filthy bass Interface would envy. "I'm Yours" combines old school rave vamps with auto-tuned vocals and frantic percussion to create a roller perfectly in tune with the liquid scene's growing use of trance and breakbeat influences. Driving forward without losing intensity, it's the set builder that keeps on giving. Using both tracks to explore various influences from the full spectrum of dance music, the Temptations EP is an electric mish mash of sounds and textures. One for the crate.
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