Review: Time for a little splish splash show as Jedi gets his bathers on and takes us down the 'Hydra'. 'Cold' sees us jumping in at the deep end with a very cheeky sample lurking at the bottom of the pool. 'Georgia' turns on the wave machine and gets wild with its pared back bass/beats combo before the title track tsunamis us all out of the building with its big horn drama and pant wettingly gnarly drop. Finally we head to the changing room for the grizzly blazes of 'Don't Want You'. Swim when you're winning.
Review: Bury dem! Lundy comes firing out of his west country grot hole with some a brace of gruelling bassline bumpers. The provocatively titled 'Fred West' is heavy enough to raze a patio or two and twice as dark as its name suggests. Elsewhere 'Hellbound' is all growls and rolling grumbles, 'P&O' cruises around the higher frequencies for its riff magic while 'Genesis' closes on a big old chainsaw vibe. Lundy - another kindly reminder that there's more to Gloucestershire than cheese.
Review: Dubstomp 2 Bass has become one of the premier destinations for UK jump-up, playing host to a whole bunch of exciting names in the scene over the few years. Now a proper flag-holder for the resurgent jump-up movement, the label is Lundy, one of the big up and comers right now who is landing with a fully fledged album, something you unfortunately don't see that much anymore. The first track - '9' - is playful yet devastating, with an upbeat and funky arrangement that lands hard - very hard. 'Give Hard' is less subtle, with pitched up synths that pummel the top end of the range and a snapping drum line that nails the bottom end. There is such a wide range of tunes here that it would be difficult for us to aptly describe them all, but needless to say that Lundy has nailed this one.
Review: Parasite is on Dubstomp 2 Bass with a stomping four-tracker, the next instalment in the label's border-crossing EP series. This is a full EP, then, and we're very much into it as every inch of this release is characterised by quality and the diversity is great to see. You've got big, riotous rollers like 'Lost Contact VIP' and 'The Lazy Riddem', which will get even the laziest amongst you dancing, but then also more stabby tunes like 'Insect Politics' and the old-school jungle of 'Flora & Fauna'. There are seriously nice tones of old school jump-up all the way through this release and it's a return to the subgenres more genuine, barebones side. Wicked EP.
Review: Welcome to Sussex! Home of the UK's first land-based casino, home of the world's second oldest sea life centre and the UK's oldest purpose built cinema. It gets more sun that any other region in the UK and it's been home to more invasions, too. But right now it's all about L Motive and this heavyweight four tracker on DS2B. Ranging from the turbo-charged groans and shreds of 'No Drugs' to the junglised breakbeat swing of 'Hybrid', if L Motive continues on this gully trajectory he won't just be known in his English county but known the world over. South coast badness.
Review: Straight out of Walsall and straight into our sets and hearts; Jedi has been a jump-up tour de force in recent years, and this humungous five-tracker is no exception. 'Rich & Sexy' sets the tone instantly with its sweeping harmonic bassline sliding up and down the scale. The grit and drama continues throughout 'Let Him DJ' grunts and bumps with a slug-like bassline, 'Energy' is stripped right back to the grizzles and features a sexy vocal sample while 'Don't Run' goes back to the raucous styles of the late 00s with its savage widescreen riff. Last but not least MC Weedy joins the fray for the grand bassline finale. Bang!
Review: Following on the heels of his last absolutely wicked release, Aliman is on Dubstomp 2 Bass for a showcase in how to produce gruff, no nonsense drum & bass that hits you hard and steps over the body. 'Fast Bong' is the perfect example, as he out all the tricks for a raucous jump up tune that growls in its stabs and wobbles in the sub bass. The old school jump up vibe carries on into 'Grass', with an urban edge to the sound that smacks sharply of the pioneering jump up producers of 10 or 15 years ago. Big stuff, and another sick instalment in Dubstomp 2 Bass' Straight Outta series.
Review: Following on the heels of his last absolutely wicked release, Midst is on Dubstomp 2 Bass for a showcase in how to produce gruff, no nonsense drum & bass that hits you hard and steps over the body. It's a continuation of the label's Straight Outta series, where they profile producers from around the UK, and 'Too Many Lives' feat Padman is the perfect example, as the pair team up for a raucous jump up tune that growls in its stabs and wobbles in the sub bass, the MC work laying over the top perfectly. The old school jump up vibe carries on the VIP of 'Area 51', with an urban edge to the sound that smacks sharply of the pioneering jump up producers of 10 or 15 years ago. The rest of the release is equally as on point - big ups Midst.
Review: Spiller has channelled the chaotic energy of the dancefloor for this EP, a musical dexterity which has permitted him to create this absolute fire of a release. 'Virus' rolls out above a set of heavyweight drums and crashing hi-hats, which underpin a complex, chaotic yet precise mash of intertwined bass synths and old-school sampling. 'Dope Shit' opens with a heavy arrangement that's matched in its upbeat drum lines, a serene moment of construction in what quickly turns into a very rough sea full of choppy basses and dirty sonics. Banging, and the other two won't let you down either.
Review: South east UK representing! MidsT returns to DS2B with one of his most accomplished and power-packed EPs to date: 'Straight Outta Maidstone'. Each cut packs its own surprise and sense of character from the emotional oboe flexing on 'Influenced' to the conspiratorial tones and harmonic bassline groans of 'Area 51' by way of the high voltage electricity bass bumps of 'Reazon'. With plenty more packed in besides, this is a massive EP from a very exciting UK new-gen rising dnb star.
Review: Dubstomp 2 Bass are without a doubt one of the strongest jump up labels around at the moment and their output is so damn consistent, with almost a new release every week. This week it's the turn of Jedi, a regular on the label, and, this release is a four-tracker chracterised by its sheer veracity. With crisp drums and a tumbling percussive line, 'Bald Fuck' rolls out in style, hitting punches and stealing packed lunches left right and centre, with a really original, complex approach to make interlinked basses. The madness continies on the other three, and 'Ball Washer' is especially potent, with slicing basslines that cut through the air with untrammelled ferocity. Proper tunes these - no messing around, but then again what would you expect from this label?
