Review: Two of Bristol's most respected breakbeat scientists Die and Break team up with Mad Hed City (who you may recognise from The Prototype's massive "Pop It Off") for "40 Hurts". A stripped back stepper that tips a cheeky nod to both juke and jungle, its humming subs and eerie bleeps are the ideal bed for MHC's rapid dancehall chatter. Remix-wise Sam Binga slaps us down with a militant drum attack while Skitz gets his digidub on. Just in time for soundsystem season - or the summer as it's more conventionally known.
Review: Wow, well who would have expected a collaboration by two heavyweights in the bass game from different eras? This new Gutterfunk EP has brought together the talents of post-dubstep pioneer Addison Groove and jungle/d&b legend DJ Die; you can already imagine what these three blasters will sound like and, yes, you're probably close. "Standard Affair" is a footwork bomb that's given the extra dose of hypnotics, the former coming from AG and the latter from Die; "Legion Of Boom" is even more clearly a half-way house between the two artist's specialities thanks to some subtle jungle breaks, and "Dr Know" injects a layer of 303 magic to a deep and intricate juke pattern. Militant!
Review: With releases by the likes of Toolroom under his belt, Brighton's Dismantle is fully established now. Whatever traces of dubstep there were in his early tunes, its all about the big room house now, and with his ability to craft epics in that style, who can blame him? Here we get a quick two-track reminder that he's still here and coming for those summer seasons. "Huntsman" is a monster that you'll be hearing everywhere soon: all punishing bass hums, Latin percussion and one huge build up. "Any Key" meanwhile, is a crazy military drum meltdown, guaranteed to make 'em dizzy.
Review: Rewind! It's 2015 and Die's Gutterfunk have dropped a super-sweet summer disco showdown courtesy of Gus Pirelli. Fast forward! It's late 2017 and Fracture's just turned it into a D&B blinder. Retaining all the sweet soul of the original but with added slaps, chops, waspy reese basses, booty-busting 808 shots and evocative use of the vocal, it's a perfect example of how disco is done with a turbo jungle twist. Essential.
Review: Bristol's musical pioneer DJ Die presents his new imprint GutterFunk. Bristol has always been a melting pot full of musical styles, and the label stays true to the rich sonic heritage of the city. This multi genre label is an outlet for genre defying productions, collaborations, as well as a platform to push new talent. With past releases by Addison Groove and Dismantle, their newest addition is mysterious yet already established producer Nuff Pedals. They serve up some nu-jazz/broken beat experiments in the vein of 4hero and Bugz In The Attic on The Second EP: from the fierce and bombastic beat attack of "Hang Glide" or the sleek urban soul of "No Boundaries" feat Maddslinky.
Review: As one of the Gutterfunk forerunners, DJ Die has given himself a legendary placing within the experimental side of the drum & bass rankings, consistently putting together stunning original creations. This new project goes by the name of 'The Archives 1995-2000' and looks through some of Die's more old school material, circulating through vibrant jungle flavours and early roller realities. There's some absolute corkers involved, but for us the standouts have to include the Asian inspired percussive additions and melodic infusions of 'Achilles Heel', along with the original junglist power of both 'Play It For Me' and 'Reincarnations'.
Review: Gutterfunk boss DJ Die has steadfastly refused to name the "already established artist from within the electronic music realm" behind the ongoing Nuff Pedals project. Whoever it clearly knows what they're doing, because this third EP of fusion-focused club cuts is every bit as essential as its predecessors. Our man or woman of mystery begins with the bass-heavy, Kaidi Tatham style broken beat shuffle of "Swollen Minds", before reaching for the evocative synth strings and luscious Fender Rhodes chords of clap-happy bruk head-nodder "Upon Trees". Jauntier dancefloor vibes are provided via the jazz-swung drums and monstrous wobble bass of "Drive By", while "Blue Soul" adds a little UKG flavour to the producer's broken beats and sumptuous electric piano motifs with predictably impressive results.
Review: Things are going to get hot! Saucepots Die and Dismantle return to the taps and let "The Juice" flow once again... As with everything they've blessed us with in the past, each cut is a fizzy melting pot of everything that pops and bumps in system culture. "The Papers" is a turbo dancehall piece driven by a militant steppy drive and precision samples. "Harder They Come" sees them reconnecting with Redders for a vicious necksnap funk up while "One Day" strips things back for a slinky finale bubbler than rolls with a nice acid house style bassline charm.
Review: Wow, what a combination of artists this is. The grime tones of D Double E and the production credentials of Watch The Ride, featuring the additional production skills of - take a deep breath - DJ Die, Dismantle and DJ Randall. The latter of these is news in itself, as Randall rarely jumps on the production train anymore. What a tune they've all made as well, as D Double E sits perfectly above a rattling, rolling 170bpm percussive line, a funky double bass provides thee energy and the whole package ticks along very nicely. It's wicked to see Diemantle making rollers as well, yet another rarity in this unique single. Pick it up.
Review: With Addison Groove being one of the most renowned names in UK dance music, his unique, clicky approach to rhythmic bliss is constantly yielding fantastic new originals. We see him land his latest album project on Gutterfunk and what a project it is. The album as a whole boasts a magnificent soundscape, from the experimental funky melodies of 'Rele Dawomey' alongside the wonderful Chouk Bwa, to the junglist switch ups of 'Dreamscape 12' and system basslines of 'Burning Spear'. There is also a touch of classic Addison throughout, through the clicky percussive blueprints of 'Bass Trips' and jukey switch ups of 'Out Of Nowhere'. We also can't get enough of the bubbly grooves of 'Brand New Drop', an inspired funky roller, personifying the organic energy of the project perfectly.
Review: Breaking through on to DJ Die's Gutterfunk label are the hyper-fresh sounds of Yung.Raj, a beatboxing synth chemist to emerge from the sub rosa of India's beat scene. Based out of Hyderabad, Yung.Raj's music had made it onto a few hyped mixtapes (including DJ Die) which now lends itself to a full release on the Bristol label (following Addison Groove and Nuff Pedals). Arriving at five-tracks large, Yung.Raj pays homage to the woozy, lo-fi and crackley sounds that his home city might share with the neighbourhoods of LA. Sultry rhodes and summery vibes shine through in "Stormy Monday" and the title track, with more euphoric, beat centric and experimental funk gettin' down in "Reality Sandwich" and "Cant U C". With an additional downtempo jamsto boot in "Oofie", Yung.Raj's soundworld ain't dead but kickin'.
Review: The beauty about every Gutterfunk drop is that we genuinely never know what to expect, but boy are we over the moon with this brand new 'Works Gutterfunk' V/A selection. We begin with the 80's inspired synthetic drives of Nuff Pedals, who revamps 'Brand New Drop' from Addison Groove into a sunshine-ready roller, before DJ Die, Skuff & Prime Cuts join forces for a moody, organic display of modern rap mastery entitled 'Right About Now', laced with a damage-inducing bassline. The future-bass inspired synthetic structures and pulsating drum crunches of Yung.Raj's 'Fighting You' then switch the direction entirely, before Project Ryan takes it old school with a combination of hardcore and breaksy influences across 'SE4'. It's another successful outing for the Gutterfunk team.
Review: It's always a pleasure to see Gutterfunk back in business, with this new four tracker from Protect Ryan being a welcome addition to their innovative catalogue of underground dance music. We are introduced to the project with 'DJ Weddings & Receptions', a glorious mix and match of nostalgic chord pumps, scattered rhythms and moogy bass pulses, injecting an overdose of energy right from the jump. Next, the sweeping pads and again lively breaks designs on 'Contact' give us a much more typical breakbeat roller, before 'Habitual Stepper' showcases some of the tightest drum processing we have heard in a hot minute, as we hear rhythmic mastery on display. Finally, a much more uncouth addition as 'Fleshlights (Bang Right?)' unleashes a furious display of choppy breaks and acidic synthesis, giving the EP a final touch of unorthodox flavour to round it off with a bang.
Review: Tickle every single ape that you see. From chimpan-A to chimpanzee. Here's the sound to do it to, you won't be disappointed, Chimpo's back on Gutterfunk and he's even more disjointed. 'Screwball Scramble' is a unique and springy piece of work that's part late 90s jump-up, part 23rd century funk, all jungle. 'Double Dutch', meanwhile, will have you doing the Dolittle and chatting the language of every mammal on the planet to its bouncy shimmering drum lead and far-out futurist textures. Outstanding as always, Chimpo is in a league of his own.
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