Review: With previous releases on Nord and Mad Tech, sample-don Boxwork comes through correct with his latest bunch of scorchers for Greenmoney Recordings. Fusing echoes of jazz and boogie together with a hip-hop sensitivity, this is any soulboy's dream. NameBrandSound even puts in a sweet ghetto-juke remix for good measure.
Review: DJ Eastwood, who has travelled below the radar in recent years, doesn't put out much material but he does it's always bound to cause a stir in the bass world. For his latest excursion he appears on Greenmoney Recordings, who aside from Greenmoney himself have released the likes of Boxwork, with two fresh gunslingers. "Red Lock" itself is a pseudo 4/4 Bomb with video game sonics, while "Piggy Bank" is a no nonsense percussive gunshot with nasty bass shells and a rolling groove. Class.
Review: Funk Butcher's sparse, loop-heavy arrangement and frosty atmospheres are the perfect bed for erstwhile Roll Deep MC Trim. Here Trim's on his darkest bent; scattergun thoughts, threats and observations flow wildly with one clear message... He's still 100 per cent uncompromised and he'll never take the pop path. Remix-wise TS Repman focuses on the loopy signature of the original and refuels the tank with footwork diesel. 0-60 in four bars, this one's a cleaver.
Review: Here's the third installment of Alex Phountzi and Leo Greenslade (aka Greenmoney)'s DJ-orientated dub series and it's a belter, packed with bass, beats and, in this case, bongos. "This Is Love" kicks this off in a bleepy fashion, complete with a deep acid house bassline and tough, jackin' drums. "Boomer" is dark with an abrasive synthline, voodoo percussion and a mighty bass drum that provides the 'boom, boom, boom'! 'Lastly "Aaarlin" mixes what sounds like Bollywood samples with intricate tropical beats that's guaranteed to get the party grindin' in no time at all.
Review: The latest from duo Alex Phountzi and Leo Greenslade is something for the DJs - three freshly-minted bass/garage/UKF beats that go into making up Volume 2 of their Greenmoney Dubs series. "Open Sesame" is a bubbly and twitchy mix of purple chords, snare-filled funky percussion and excellent, unyielding bass. "Calling You" comes in on a starker, more stripped down sound, with a mighy electro-Rhodes break that'll push hands skyward with ease while Boomticka is the ruffest of the batch, riding a tropical-funky beat and an electro synth-squall that's simply brimming with club-rocking energy.
Review: The partnership between YoYo's Leo Greenslade and Bugz In The Attic's Alex Phountzi continues to grow. After some key releases and the formation of their own eponymous label, the duo really bring the heat with this new release, exclusive to Juno Download. Former SBTRKT and Redlight collaborator Roses Gabor lends an effusive vocal to this tropical-house delight, which comes replete with fearsome remixes. French Fries drops an icy bass tweak which hypnotically loops Gabor's vocals over some extremely flat bass hits, while the peerless Funkystepz get a real UKF buzz on with distorted booty bass and stacked snares. East Village acid freaks Cubic Zirconia also pitch in with a low down and dirty rerub that rocks the chorus hard over some gloriously psychy synths.
Review: Greenmoney are an esteemed London duo comprising Leo Greenslade (of YoYo Club fame) and Alex Phountzi formerly of Bugz In The Attic. Here they've hooked up with British soul singer Terri Walker for a melodic bassline tune complete with hazy synth melodies and tropical rhythms. Interestingly the tune takes on a more menacing tone when heard in its instrumental form. Boxwork use their remix opportunity to turn the tune into an organ-led, looped house jam and Major Notes deliver a poppy electro-house interpretation that's certainly got the dancefloor in mind.
Review: Hardhouse Banton has been a force to reckon with in the world of UK Funky since 2008, and even counts Kieran Hebden among his fans, with a storming remix of Four Tet's "Sing" last year. The superbly named Banton Weight EP on Greenmoney Recordings sees the producer continue to hone his style, with three cuts of heavy UKF. "Prep For War" creates a spectral rave siren from an elongated vocal sample, whilst its warehouse techno scale is brought out by reverb laden snares and demonic undertones, whilst the hypnotic stabs of the similarly huge "Miss You" are balanced with an emotive string buildup. Finally "In Da House" offers a much deeper cut, its energy pulsating slowly across its nine minute length with rising synths and snare rolls.
Review: A sprightly bossanova bass number here from Mr ioi, this ignites with a sprightly finger-clicking piano luxury as we spiral towards the inevitable drop. Then boom; in comes a well-rounded and nicely subbed bass melody and your crowd are rocking and bobbing like a bad buoys. Need a tiny bit more texture? Head for the Jazz Remix; complete with swift, brushed percussive patterns, a more gradual build and organic bassline, it's the perfect switch scenario.
Review: A producer known for his sterling, dub slanted Soul Jazz 12"s as well as remixes for Spank Rock, Roll Deep, and Count & Sinden, Kalibata brings his talents to Greenmoney for this excellent double-track release. "Freeown" is a fired-up tropical bass worker that's not made any less punchy by its dubby inflections, while "Skanker" is a dubstep-influenced menace that plies seriously low bass over crisp 2-step snares.
Review: Following the success of his recent 'Freetown' single, Kalbata has stuck with Greenmoney for the follow up. Dubby instrumentals are the order of the day here, with the title track, "It Ain't Like That" channeling deep techy house, adding sinister sound effects and buzzes for good measure. "Barbara" on the other hand, with its off-kilter tropical beats, reveals the vibes that found him fans in the shape of Spank Rock, Roll Deep, and Count & Sinden.
Review: Back in June Greenmoney Recordings introduced us to their latest signing, the queen of Nigerian Afro-soul, Kayefi. Hailing from Ogun State Kayefi (blends a fusion of Ijala (a traditional African hunting chant) with elements of RnB and soul. Her introductory track "Oreske" boasted lush and soulful, widescreen orchestration, undulating rhythms and multi-layered vocals. Now we have a new remix from Jus Now, who turns in a s sultry tropical dub-out for all the deep heads out there.
Review: Greenmoney Recordings are very excited over their latest signing, the queen of Nigerian Afro-soul, Kayefi. Hailing from Ogun State Kayefi (aka Lawal Deborah Olufunmilayo) blends a fusion of Ijala (a traditional African hunting chant) with elements of RnB and soul. This introductory track, "Oreske" boasts lush and soulful, widescreen orchestration, undulating rhythms and the enchanting multi-layered vocals of Kayefi. A dub version is also offered alongside a strong, pared-back tribal house version by none other than London's Major Notes. We definitely can't wait to hear more from this exciting new artist.
Review: Londoner Major Note's impressive "Ashanti Jewels" and "Ashanti Spears" releases have seen the producer building on his hip-hop roots and developing real skills as a tropical bass wrangler. Pleasingly though, as on the sine wave frenzy of "Off Sync", he uses scratches and cuts to pepper his beats. The crazed UKF of "Blow Your Load" and the ethno-house of the title tune both go into making this EP a tasty treat for fans of fresh bass beats.
Review: The ever reliable Greenmoney Recordings returns to the business of releasing music with this incendiary three track EP from Doncaster's finest (only?) garage/UK funky duo, Mista Men. The Cardiac Arrest EP opens with "Baby Charm" and it's pure fire, with stuttering rave stabs underpinned by a rugged UKF beat and occasional lashings of fun bass squelches. Up next the title track goes in on a darker tip - check the menacing drop into the sound of a respiratory machine half way through! - before "Daylight Robbery" rounds off a must-check EP with swirling synths and scattered rim-shots. You'll find a bit of everything on this EP and it's all the better for it.
Review: The first release on Greenmoney's new label, "What U Do To Me" is a sparkling newie from Doncaster's upcoming trio of bass brothers, Mista Men. With a subtly shifting feel running throughout the song, vibing between sung hooks and bubbly lead sounds, it's a future-garage slayer with a sly dubby mix also included, this time from Welsh crew C.R.S.T. With another new MM tune, "Hold On" also thrown in, this is a great start for a label that'll no doubt be making big noises over 2011.
Review: A trio of dirty house dons from Yorkshire, Mista Men continue to keep things bubbly on this latest EP of grimey/funky house bangers via the Greenmoney label. Switching styles nicely between deep tropical beats ("Pantha") and jacking, full-pelt techno ("Kranky"), it feels like no style is beyond MM's grasp at present. Check out the minimal Miami spank of "Sweatshop" as proof of that - a brilliant mix of classic Detroit textures with fast 808 beats that DJ Assault would most certainly approve of. The floaty textures of "I'll Still Love You" rounds off very solid EP.
Review: Greenmoney Recordings return with a short but sweet one-tracker from fresh label signing Queenie, a vocalist who's previously worked with Stay+ and Baxta and who makes her production debut on this release. "And Every" is the perfect combination of underground UK house, rhythmic inventiveness and low end bite, with sweet vocals, weighty drums that recall Canadian producer Kevin McPhee and the kind of garage swing of a classic Zed Bias record - an auspicious debut!
Review: On its original release earlier in the year, Queenie's debut single, "And Everything", picked up support from Annie Mac, Redlight and chart-topper Duke Dumont. Here it gets a serious seeing-to from Maddslinky, Walter Ego and Queenie herself. The Maddslinky version ticks all the right boxes, offering a charmingly alien fusion of bassbin-bothering sub, fluid, low-end synths, woozy vocals and dense, loose percussion. Sheffield's Walter Ego takes the track further towards bass-influenced deep house territory, contrasting vocal cut-ups and pinging cowbells with hazy chords. Queenie's own VIP take is arguably the stand-out, delivering tough, stripped back garage percussion, pitched-down vocals and heavy bass.
Review: Emerging London duo Tomb step up with a fruity Greenmoney mission... And, like all the best fruit bowls, they mean multi-flavoured business from the off. "Grapes" is a nagging bassline-led groove that's reminiscent of Spooky's work but with less UKG and triplet influences, "Kiwis" is essentially bleep techno wearing a dubstep tracksuit while "Cherries" is a wonderfully clattering house hybrid driven by big live drums and expertly diced vocals. Finally we hit "Mangoes", a Jamie xx style sleazy beats jam, all spacey, smouldering and soaked in processed vocal rhythm devices. Nutritious.
Review: Alex Phountzi and Leo Greenslade's Greenmoney imprint deals only in the finest UK-driven house music. Newcomer Toyc makes his debut for the label after an impressive string of EPs on various European imprints, including Bristol's Crazylegs. "Shuffle", as the name suggests, stutters its way through broken beats and some seriously mutated basslines, while "Flip" goes even deeper into the wormhole thanks to a truly abrasive artillery of low-end frequencies. RS4 remixes "Shuffle" into a straighter, tighter house groove which sits on the boundaries between deep and tech house. On the strength of this we look forward to more Toyc business!
Review: UK soul singer Terri Walker has always had good creative ties with the Greenmoney crew - Leo Greenslade (YoYo Club) and Alex Phountzi (Bugz In The Attic), but on "Feel Right" they've really upped their game. It's a short and sweet seductive disco funk pop gem and totally deserves to seriously bother the charts. For the clubs Funk Butcher delivers a suitably deep garage house bomb of a mix and Boxwork go straight for the commercial jugular with a classy funky house peak-timer.
Review: New from Greenmoney Records - an unusual choice given that they're the brains behind the excellent UK bass label Sound of Sumo - UK duo Kry Wolf smash it with these two new cheeky electro-wonk beauties. "Off The Reel" is a quirky mix of straight and simple jacking house drums and some militant, Oizo-like bass stabs and cowbell rolls, while "Scream" goes a bit more maximal with some distorted bass and "Percolator"-style synth bubbles over a mean house beat. These strongly deserve a good few listens.
