Review: We were lucky enough to come across this UKG-patois combo whilst looking through the forthcoming shelf and what a release to find as Blasta joins forces with Steps for a true shellout. Going by the name 'Vibe', this one is a real party starter as highly energetic lyricism laces intense 4x4 beats and vibrant sub sounds, bringing a seriously punchy set of grooves from the off. On remix duty, up steps DJ Dappa for a funky overhaul, bringing lovely key and organ riffs into the picture alongside some smooth breakbeat backing.
Review: It's time to get stuck into some fresh juicy UKG, and what better way to do that than in the company of Downplay, one of the finest arms of Slime Recordings. They bring forward the bubbling sounds of Burnie for three groovy original creations, with the skippy drum structures and catchy vocal slices of 'Cloudy Soul' immediately catching our ears. On the flipside, 'Caramel Colour' adds a really nice contrast, with a more relaxed drum structure taking the lead rhythmic role, topped with smooth chord progressions and luscious vocal lashings. This one also comes complete with a vibrant Kobe JT remix, as if this really couldn't get any smoother!
Review: Even though it would appear the summertime has well and truly passed, Deadly Habitz is here to supply us with some heated spice as he unveils his new three track EP with Downplay. We kick off with the spacy haunted arrangements of the lead track 'Do It All Again', which is driven by warm sub pressure and expertly arranged vocal manoeuvres, before dipping into the darkened synth designs and old school drum skips of 'You Got Me'. We then round up the project in real style as Royal Flesh appear in time for a stripped back super skippy rerun of 'Do It All Again', which brings forward unpredictable chops and flavoursome slices.
Review: As one of the primary recording outlets for the well respected Slime Recordings team, Downplay have been on a fantastic roll of late, topping it all off with this latest offering from Fork & Knife. As a producer, Fork & Knife is extremely versatile, but often sits in the space between grime, funky and garage, a perfect way to describe the title track for this one which goes by the name of 'Risky Business'. Following this we fall into the more glitchy drum rhythms and colourful percussive patterns of 'Porsche 928', before we finish up with the smoothened out more subby 'Won't Mix' of 'Risky Business'. Very tasty stuff indeed on this one!
Review: Now this is a release we have been seriously looking forward to, as Downplay introduce Jack Selecta to their roster, an artist most actively known for his managerial and written involvement with the UKG scene. However, this EP shows he's capable of swinging with the best of them as we kick off with the super unique bass tones and vocal overlays of 'Dust Off'. Next, more of those juicy bass stabs for all, this time combined with constantly expanding bass synthesizers and crunchy drum maneuvers. We are then treated to a wicked remix from MKII of 'Dust Off', putting the finishing touches on a fantastic debut.
Review: We have been watching the rapid emergence of MKII with quite some interest, as the seemingly new face has put together incredibly well received drops with both Four40 and Southpoint in recent weeks, followed up by this fantastic project with Downplay. We kick this one off with a look at the super groovy title track 'Give Me', which combines funky melodic plucks with crunchy UKG drum flavours with fantastic results. This is followed by the emotive harmonic structures of 'Looking' For', before we finish up the EP on 'Movin', a rolling moogy belter, packed with well designed vocal slices and perfectly processed drum additions.
Review: Having heard a tonne of great things about this producer, we genuinely couldn't wait to get stuck into the futuristic sounds of Mykroboy as he presents his brand new 'Open Arms' EP. We kick off with the title track 'Open Arms' which is an immediate chill zone, pulling together soft xylophone based melodies and groovy UKG style drum performances for a heavenly combination. Next up we have 'Horizon' which continues along the garage themes, this time incorporating spacious synth textures and Asian inspired plucked melodies, creating another genius piece of soundscaping. We finish up with the unusually named 'Deja Vu', an incredible piece of electronic harmonisation, meshing together dubbed out piano melodies, heavily reverberated vocal expressions and subtle tripletted drum work, resulting in a masterpiece of a composition.
Review: Not a week goes by these days where we aren't greeted by a gift from our friends over at Slime Recordings, who this week return to their super popular 'Downplay' imprint to bring us some original UKG heat from Nat Fanuel. We kick this one off with the loud, sharpened drum sounds and warped melodic synth patterns of the title track 'Doin', before taking a little trip over to the B-side as 'Selecta' is deployed with a bag of nostalgic, electronic energy. On remix duty we are very excited to see Nekst touch down with a tasty, old-school choppy relick of 'Doin', adding some additional dashes of spice to proceedings.
Review: The vibes around the UK garage scene are at seriously high point at the moment as we witness an influx of high quality 2-step drops, including this absolute fire ball from the Downplay team. They here unveil Sine Step, who baptizes the release with the lethal reese-like tones of 'Go', engulfing us in flaming drum grooves. Next, everything is stripped back to a degree as the wide sub LFO's of 'I Can Do' bundle into play, topped with some smooth vocal slices and crunchy drum arrangements. We finish up this project with more experimental bass structure of 'Unrest', which employs quirky broken beats blended with more sharpened synthesizers to cause a ruckus inna rave.
Review: As fast rising artist coming through the ranks of a UKG sound, the Manchester-based DJ & producer Yemi recently debut with a single on Strictly Flava. Now arriving on Slime Recordings with the most-accomplished Luv U EP, woozy house chords, two-stepping drum and percussion sequences hook up with classic strands of jazz, house and clever MC sampling that across three tracks brings in soothing and sultry vibes for the well informed dancefloor. While still a mellow trip, all tracks ooze a '90s R&B feel that are melodic, warm, soulful and full of house vibes! Classy.
