Review: Exactly a year after the inaugural volume, NC-17 drops the third part of his immense 'Most Violent Year' series. One of the most prolific yet intensely considered bodies of work Dispatch have ever released, each album has gone in on the details and celebrated the whole span of D&B generations while remaining fully future-focused. This collection might well be the most wide-armed as the Canadian artist flips between vibes like the technoid Renegade fire of 'Blood Warden' to the grungier bassline stink of 'Punk Drunk Love' within the first two tracks. Complete with collaborations with the likes of John Rolodex, Exile, Philth and Logam and explorations ranging from Loxy-style percussive grizzlers ('Wolfen') to the wide-armed swagger of 'Romeo Is Bleeding', NC-17 has completed a unique truly special trilogy right here.
Review: Having just released ex Jam Thief Dunk's album, it's seems right and fair that the now solo Jam Thieves gets a turn at the Dispatch controls. Especially when it sounds as good as this. 'Savana' sets the scene - a spacious plain of bass that's hot and intense. It's backed by a crucial collaboration with Nymfo 'Machine Gun' where the kicks hit like bullets, 'Mandrake' goes full on maximal with a caustic decaying bassline and robo-funk drums, 'Mind Control' brings the funk and 'Moonrock' finishes with a blend that's just as much cosmic as it is gully. See you in Herbology class.
Review: Following another exemplary year on the likes of Eatbrain and Ozriders, Russian talent ChaseR returns to Dispatch with his biggest EP for the label so far. Four tracks in total, each one hits with a completely different sound and feel, pushing his signature to broader limits with every bump and grind. 'Adrift' is almost jump-up in its nature, 'Moonfall' is a deeper take on neuro than he's usually known while 'Mental' brings a little jazz flavour into the mix with stunning results. Finally 'Priboi' closes the EP with one of ChaseR's most interesting songs so far. Deep, dreamy but hitting hard AF too; we'll be spinning this one for a long time to come.
Review: The second part of NC-17's ambitious trilogy album concept Most Violent Year has landed and, unlike many sequels, it hits just as hard as the first part. If a little harder. Laced with energy and Virus-style venom from the off, 'Rise Of The Machines' is a hammering intro track that pushes us deep into the rabbit hole. Many highlights follow and they come in all dark shapes and sizes; the elastic bass and twisted warps ' Brutal Violence', the stark chaos of 'Dead Wid It' (with Rebel Music bossman OB1) the curmudgeonly grizzles and growls of 'Lord Of Illusion', the percussive heads-down Dom & Roland style funk of 'Slime Time' (with Philth), the list of violent encounters goes on and on...
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.
