Review: One of drum & bass' hardest working servants is back in the Dispatch kitchen with this EP, as M-Zine takes his penchant for dirtiness and cooks up a storm across four delightful cuts. This particular incarnation of his sound is rough, with an old-school tonality that leans into the sounds of dBridge and others. 'Devise' is possibly the most unique, with a repetitive structure that bores a hole into your brain and lays the most gorgeous of eggs, a soulful yet devastatingly sharp concoction that is simply the definition of cross-genre goodness. 'Permeate' does just that, with a devilish, gruff bassline that spreads its tentacles throughout the whole track in super fashion. What an EP.
Review: Madcap and the late Andy Skopes' Trouble EP on Dispatch exemplifies why this label is so legendary, and why Andy's premature passing was such a tragic loss for our scene. His music is living on, however, and him and Madcap have rolled out a true piece of dancefloor precision on this one. The title track is pure magic, a ducking and diving number that drops to effortless depths in its quest for low frequency excellence, a vision aided along by MC Fats' typically deft vocal work. There are superb breaks on 'Scatter', and fractiously deep jungle tones on 'Empty Soul' that's paired with a hauntingly melancholic vocal sample. Unmissable.
Review: Those who remember Dabs' Wormatic LP know that it was an absurdly good release, one which distilled the Dispatch ethos and expanded the boundaries of what it could mean. Now, the remix EP is upon us and Dispatch have roped in a series of the scene's best to put their spin on Dabs' work, a tall order considering the sheer brilliance of the original. The first is from HLZ, whose knack for relentless rolling beats is on full display on 'Sleepless City', whcih just goes and goes and goes without any respite - a proper Dispatch number. The Nymfo remix of 'Eardrum' is just as potent, with an unreal use of space that injects funk and anger in equal measure, all of which rests on an infectiously skippy percussive line. There's glitchy neuro-infused experimentalism from Hybris, dark techstep from Kyrist and more - oh yes!
Review: A couple of years back now, Amoss & Fre4knc graced Dispatch Recordings with one of the EPs of the moment, a joint collaboration across four stinkers which in many ways set the bar for how dirty drum & bass can be. Their rough and tumble approach is gritty yet packed with precision and they've upheld that high standard on the second edition, with another four absolute creepers to add to their collection. The drum work is utterly sublime, especially on 'Question Answer', which dives into funk like you've never heard it before. 'Dagger' is reminiscent of 'Animal Rain' from Volume. 1 with it's moody sub-bass, and it captures the general approach conducted here: filthy, full of clarity and sublimely well produced. Unbeatable.
