Described by renowned label manager Steph MEDi as “music you can feel”, Deep Medi Musik was birthed in 2006 by the legendary Mala, and has gone on to become one of the most essential labels across the entirety of the electronic music spectrum, nationally and internationally. It’s safe to say these industry linchpins are wholly integral to the makeup of UK culture and society as a whole, on both a musical and artistic level. Mainly specialising in dubstep, dub and grime-etched sonics, they’re arguably one of the most well-known, highly-thought of imprints around, with their roster and famed discography filled to the brim with instantly-classic names, cuts and picturesque memories. Alongside the omniscient Mala, the likes of Kahn, Commodo, J. Sparrow, Silkie, Skream, Loefah, Kromestar, Goth-Trad, Compa, Tunnidge and more have supplied cutting-edge releases, with the vocals of Killa P, JME, Teddy Bruckshot, Lady Chann and Cessman playing a vital part along the way. Home to countless seminal, acclaimed releases over the years including Sir Spyro’s ‘Topper Top’, Gorgon Sound’s ‘Dread’, Mala’s ‘Changes’, Kahn’s ‘Abbatoir’, Egoless’ ‘Empire Of Dirt’, Loefah’s ‘Disco Rekah’ and Kromestar’s ‘Kalawanji’, Deep Medi continue to cement their foundational, forward-thinking status as one of the most important labels in history.
Review: The mysterious Old Apparatus' debut release on Mala's Deep Medi was filled with almost exactly the kinds of sounds you would expect from their name; grainy, creaking dubstep that betrayed its modernity with such aged sounds. Their second record, Zebulon, has a similarly antiquated feel to it, but the addition of vocals has given the whole thing a more human feel. "Zebulon" is led by a female vocal that has a folk ballad quality to it, giving the whole thing a uniquely creepy pastoral flavour, whilst the clattering, smoky percussion gives a nice mechanical contrast. "Hammerhand" features MC Mowgli on vocal duties, with his measured aggression working nicely against the track's stretched out string melody. Old Apparatus do not disappoint with this second release; there are few producers currently producing such classic dubstep sounds with such an imaginatively dark palette.
Review: Mala's Deep Medi Musik stands up to the quality test once again with this superb offering from Commodo. Kicking off with a disorientating tribal drone and soft, tripping beats pattering away like some kind of mesmerizing chant, "Uprising" is a deep, deadly riddim which just oozes late night vibes. A delicate sweep of oriental strings interjects at times along with some rumbling sub bass for power. "Saracen" too takes us on a journey into the deep, dark and dubby with warped bass groans, crisp breaks making sense of an unnerving soundscape. Excellent.
Review: For us, Chad Dubz has been one of the most consistent names across the dubstep sound for the best part of the last few years, so to see him make the leap upwards to the legendary Deep MEDi imprint is no surprise. He arrives with a dazzling album display, featuring 9 captivating original creations, exploring the full range of the Bristol-native's musicality. Opening up with the introspective sounds of 'Universal Vibration' alongside the legendary Warrior Queen / Bozanna Evans, we also see a collection of other heavyweight vocal presences step forward, including D-Los, Logan, Riko Dan, Killa P & Magugu. Even with this star studded display, Chad still manages to impress on his solo creations alongside this, with the blippy beauty of 'Forever', dubwise mastery of 'Love Is Everything' and drippy soundscapes of 'Om' all bringing something refreshing to the table of this very well thought out LP. Fantastic work from Chad Dubz, as always!
Review: South London soldiers Dub Mechanics unveil their debut release, which comes courtesy of Mala's Deep Medi Musik and boy, are you guys in for a treat. Giving us a lesson in bass science, "The Clash" is a well rinsed favourite of many a dubstep DJ with powerful subs and massive stabs setting the tone for the piece and grinding bass underpinning the proceedings with malicious intent. This one's a killer, in every sense of the word. The accompaniment "Highest Strain", in stark contrast, is all about the hollow clip clop beats, sweeping atmospherics and sparkling melodies and is quite the polished, hypnotic roller. A sublime release here that Deep Medi fans will not want to miss out on.
Review: One of dubstep's meanest minimalists, Cyrus returns to Deep Medi after his excellent Manhatten Blues EP earlier this year with more of that oddly funky drum programming. "The Calling" employs the odd eerie tone here and there, but really it's the gentle building up and dropping down of the beat that takes precedence. "Visions" is more rolling in its snare deployment, but uses even less to furnish the beat. It's certainly tracky stuff, ideal for the DJs who want to work their mixes good and proper.
Review: This album from serial electronic music experimentalist Ulrich Troyer is surprising on many levels - not least that it's been released by Mala's respected Deep Medi Musik imprint. Fiercely downtempo, Songs For William sees Troyer turn his hand to dub with mesmerizing results. Troyer has previously eschewed more traditional musical forms in favour of white noise and breathtaking ambience, but here he gets the formula just right. The combination of dubstep/dub techno style atmospherics, unassuming dub rhythms, analogue pulses and soft-focus electronic melodies is judged perfectly (see the Kraftwerkin-dub vibes of "Driving To Cologne", or brilliantly titled "Shoegazing Muff"), resulting in an album that's simultaneously calming, beautiful and steadfastly otherworldly.
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