Review: Time to "Play"... Aliman is back on Dubstomp 2 Bass with two more fire jams. "Play" is all about the metallic bass scrapes that shatter up and down the spectrum over a heavily swung drumset while "Faster" packs a similar minimal punch but with a much lower-toned bass texture and a more deviant Q&A riff. Is there any stopping this Czech bass shredder? We sincerely hope not.
Review: Hyper prolific Aliman returns to Dubstomp 2 Bass for the first time since 2015 with two turbo-charged riff monsters. "Rock" is as hard as its title suggests; all granite bass, lazery riffage and stripped back pressure cooker drums, this works so well in any double drop scenario you can think of. "Face" is as ugly as its name suggests; more rasping, high-end bass textures, a twisted sense of melody in the riff and a wonderfully weird set of harmonics on the breakdown. Rock and rolling...
Review: Banzai can't sleep so why should we? Brand new to DS2B, the south east new gen artist lays down two powerful dancefloor pieces where the riff is chiselled to perfection and the textures are so toxic and hard hitting you'll feel all slimy inside. "Not Sleepy" grunts with rising high toned staccato laser bass over a sharp, swaggering drum arrangement while "Spacey" takes us on a slightly trippier departure with the basslines flop around like wet fish over more suitably pummelling beats. No sleep till Great Yarmouth!
Review: Calling all proper headcases! New Dubstomp 2 Bass resident Chilly brings a glacial funk agenda to the table and you're going to need to hear this. "Messed Up" (with Falco) lives up to its name with an untamed bass, sudden vocal drops and strange twists in the tale while "They're Here" (with Evil Intention) is an all out laser fest that fires rounds off in all directions with its eyes closed... But still hits the target every time. Icy, spiky and cold to the done... Just how we like it.
Review: Dubstomp 2 Bass are the Birmingham based imprint of madmen who, day-in-day-out, push forth some of the vilest beats known to both the Midlands and the UK more broadly. Chilly is their latest alumni and, judging from this EP, he's graduating with a first in D&B studies. 'Unknown' is the standout tune from the album, a deep and dark roller that sits comfortably within current D&B trends and which hits harder than a train that's just gone off the rails, its knockout snare drum and monochromatic bassline effortlessly moving about the arrangement. 'No More' and 'System' are the naughty kids of the groups and they know it, whilst 'You Don't Know' is another vicious rolling little number. Cop this one.
Review: Dubstomp 2 Bass are the Birmingham based label that have one commitment and one commitment only: getting you out of your seat and onto the dancefloor. Chilly is their latest purveyor of pure heat and he's doing so over a two-tracker, the first of which is classic D2B: a gargling, subby bassline and unrelenting destruction in 170 form. 'Listen' is a tad more melodic but doesn't ease back on the weightiness, its big, soaring bass hits rising and falling all over the arrangement. Unreal.
Review: Dubstomp 2 Bass is another of those very consistent and prolific jump-up labels that just generally tends to release some of the naughtiest cuts from that side of the scene around. Deeb is on the imprint this time and Haunts The Crypt features murky tones on all four cuts, each of them dripping with the type of energy that's made jump-up so popular at the moment. Our favourite is probably 'Haunts of the Crypt', a rolling tune that pushes its way around the range, undercut by a skippy but forceful percussive line. 'Memory' is another highlight, a forceful but creative drum section underpinning a wavy amalgamation of bass force. More good work from these guys.
Review: Derby has given us some incredible inventions over the years including railway roundhouses, the waterworks system and hotdogs but all those things pale in comparison to this new bash-up sesh from DJ Mackz. Straight outta Derby and into our hearts, the whole EP is tailored for proper dance damagement: "Finesse" fuses up a little sensual R&B flavour into the mix, "Magnum Boy" has a classic vibe Mackz midlands jump-up forefathers were best known for while "Freaky Tonight" is freaky 24/7 and not just the night times. Throw a naughty VIP in the mix and you've got yourself a Derby demolition on your hands.
Review: Pure Belgian darkness: Dubfield makes his debut on DS2B with four powerful laser-lashed shock-outs. All based around the higher end of the frequency spectrum and all tailored to complement any double drop scenario, these are pure dagger tunes that will cause en mass bass faces. Highlights include the croaking infectious bounce of "Key Of The City" and the total data drama of "Computer". Don't crash this one.
Review: Dubstomp 2 Bass are the Birmingham based imprint of madmen who, day-in-day-out, push forth some of the vilest beats known to both the Midlands and the UK more broadly. Dubfield is their latest alumni and, judging from this EP, he's graduating with a first in D&B studies. 'Computer VIP' is the standout tune from the EP, a naughty and dark roller that sits comfortably within current D&B trends and which hits harder than a train that's just gone off the rails, its knockout snare drum and monochromatic bassline effortlessly moving about the arrangement. 'Key Of The City VIP' and 'Destrruction VIP' are the naughty kids of the groups and they know it, whilst 'Valkyries' is another vicious rolling little number. Cop this one.
Review: Don't panic! Don't be alarmed! You're not having a flashback, you are hearing the bassline talk to you on Evil Intention's latest chisel toothed stepper "Afraid Of Us". Croaky, alien and swampier than a night out with your nan, it's a devilishly warped jam from an act who continually live up to their deadly moniker. "Seeing Things" has less of a talking bassline and more of walking bassline... Walking right into your house and stealing your worldly belongings, that is. Vicious, unrelenting and nastier than a traffic warden with a hangover, Evil Intention are not messing around.
Review: And now for something completely different... Evil Intention has been pounding us with rawness and tongue in cheek gully grottiness for quite some time now but this is a whole new level in mischief. "The Knights Of Nee" is a total riff crusade laced with just as much ridiculousness as it is heaviness with "Master Of The Clit" reminds us all to be tender and considerate lovers... All the while skanking to brittle broken glass bassline business. Full intention from Evil Intention, this is a whole new level.
Review: When the tracklist reads like a who's who at Burning Man you know you're in for a good old shindig. "Freakish Minds" lives up to its name with its turbo-charged skin-melting riff while "Hot Bitches" teases and pleases with a quirky harmonic Q&A hook. Finally we have two of the most important characters in this weird old game we call rave: "Disc Jockey" brings relentless riff fire while "The Sweetie Man" brings fear to everyone's faces by way of a twisted vocal sample. Freakishly twisted.
Review: Some people have the best intentions. Others have thoughtful intentions. This guy only has evil ones. And if he's having them while flinging out toxic sandpaper funk bangers like this we're not going to argue. "Welcome Home" is straight up ruff persistent fury. All scratchy and warped and grimy. "You Are" takes us more on a laser tip with broken glass stabs and a general sense of mischievous spikiness that's perfect for double dropping. Here's to being evil!
Review: You don't get many bovine-sampling bangers in the jump up these days, but then you don't get many creative individuals like Birmingham's Evil Intention. "Cow Moos" is a trippy piece of danger with freaky textures, haunted laughs and a rattle snake bassline while "Be Prepared" is an all-out laser blazer. Cows moo, dogs bark, lions roar and humans raise their sharpest gunfingers to Evil Intention. It's the law.
Review: Very fitting for today's darker jump up dance floors. 'Use The Force' is our favourite of the two tracks, with it fat oscillating sub and occasional, ticking drums. We expect to see some screwed up faces when this drops. 'Check This Out' uses a collection of familiar sounds to create a grotty dancefloor vibe.
Review: Our Brummy new comer is hitting us hard again with this two track EP of crashing, jump up. 'Fuck What You Heard' is an aggressive, energetic cut of twisting slab filth. Gritty, choppy, glitches make up the main soundscape, borrowing influence from the techy side of the spectrum. 'Don't You Just Love It' is a more usual take on the sounds of the modern floor, a vox sample, oddly pitched melodic distorted bass, and reversed percussion. Another face screwer.
Review: He's only been flinging out fire for a few months but already Evil Intention is so hot he could be banged up for arson. Pure riff simplicity with all the spiked out drama you'd expect from a man with such a name, "Hot One" flips between nasty bass textures and a classic horror style string sample while "Free Love" is a much warmer affair with a bassline that goes from zero to frogger in the blink of an eye. Intentionally filthy.
Review: Most people think that if you need to chill you need to listen to some ambient music or have a cheeky kip in a floatation tank, maybe both, but Evil Intention has some better advice... Wrap your ears around some snake-like venom bassline vibes. Strong enough to chill 1000 Winstons, once again the Brum badman causes murderation. More fatalities can be caused deeper into the EP as "Don't Be Shy" ripples across the spectrum with trippy gurgling bass, "Responsibilities" throws us into a metallic tube, seals both ends and rattles us at 170 shakes per minute before "Switch" concludes business with rapid fire breaks and a bassline so grotty you'll need a shower after listening to it.
Review: Based off the name and artwork on this release, it doesn't seem like the Birmingham-based lads behind Dubstomp 2 Bass are particularly romantic souls. Evil Intention definitely isn't at the very least, Bloody Valentines being not so much an ode to Saint Valentine as it is a co-option of his name to serve an a altogether darker purpose. The title tune samples the classic nursery rhyme before flipping it into something glitchier, more funked-out and certainly less innocent. The rest of the release proceeds mostly in that same fashion- big stuff for your date this year.
Review: Dubstomp 2 Bass are the Birmingham based imprint of madmen who, day-in-day-out, push forth some of the vilest beats known to both the Midlands and the UK more broadly. Falco is their latest alumni and, judging from this EP, he's graduating with a first in D&B studies. 'Notification' is the standout tune from the album, a deep and dark roller that sits comfortably within current D&B trends and which hits harder than a train that's just gone off the rails, its knockout snare drum and monochromatic bassline effortlessly moving about the arrangement. 'Overthinking' gets light and 'Colliision' is the naughty kid of the groups and knows it, whilst 'Declared Hostile' is another vicious rolling little number. Cop this one.
Review: It's clear what vibe Falco and Skamm are going for when you see the artwork for this release: a medieval scene with ravens in the foreboding, stormy sky and a pitiful peasant hanging by his arms, waiting to die. That's the vibe here: mortal, scary and pitiless. You can hear it in the tunes, too, with the title track pulsating out the murky vibes faster than you can say 'lets ave it'. The other three tracks lie in similar territory, the grating injection of force on 'Vitalized' sitting up there with the best of them. Another EP worth picking up from the Dubstomp crew.
Review: Dubstomp 2 Bass is an extremely prolific label that seemingly has a release out every other day, which makes it more impressive that all of them seem to hit the nail on the head. That nail is on the shape of messed-up (in a good way) jump-up, something Hamses clearly excels at making. 'Declare' doesn't have the tightest sound design in the world but I can't imagine Hamses really cares all that much, instead he's made a rough and heavy dancefloor tune that'll go down well anywhere. 'Refract' opens up with some menacing, suspenseful synths on the introduction which quickly flip into a wave of distortion and dirt, wrapping themselves around the drums in an injection of funk. Sick ep.
Review: Hot on the heels of his Raw Motion single earlier this month - and having a pretty prolific year in general, let's be fair - young Instag8 returns to D2B with two of his murkiest muck-flinging pieces to date. "Dangerous Killer" is a real low swinger. Knuckle scuffing bassline, rolling loose drums and precision spoken samples; it's a case of total murderation. "Jungle War" is similarly impressive. Once again, the mood is sinister, the arrangement is minimal and soundboys will get hurt when these are dropped. You've won the battle... Now win the war.
Review: UK next gen basssmith Itmek makes his debut on Dubstomp 2 Bass with four eyewatering slabs of savage. Big singalong riffs, punishing drums and raw energy runs throughout with highlights including the pranged out tribal slaps of "Hot Stepper", the iced pad breezes that whip up goosebump storms on "Spray & Pray" and the high toned harmonics on the "CTRL" riff. Concrete jump up through and through; one blast of this and Itmek everything alright...
