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Kartoons
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Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: Is it a bird? It is a plane? No it's a whole bunch of 'Flying Saucers' and they're destined right for your yard thanks to bassmonger Krucial who's been ducking and diving on Kartoons - among other labels - for some time now. Four tracks in total, each one flexing that mischievous jump-up funk that Nicky Blackmarket's label is synonymous with, cuts like the title track and 'Get Down' get jiggy with that staccato one note bassline flex while 'They Live' and 'Dream' are more about the big riff energy. Duck and cover!
Decrypt feat Joanna Marshall
Played by: BasskicksUK
Sol feat Ragga Twins
Dope Ammo, Mix Ten, Jasmine Knight & Sublow HZ - "How Did It Go Down" (Sublow HZ remix) - (3:54) 175 BPM
Dope Ammo, Mix Ten, Jasmine Knight & Jamie S23 - "How Did It Go Down" (Jamie S23 remix) - (4:08) 175 BPM
Dope Ammo, Mix Ten, Jasmine Knight & Max Baker - "How Did It Go Down" (Max Baker remix) - (6:24) 175 BPM
Review: Fresh off the factory floor from Dope Ammo and Mix Ten, How Did It Go Down starts with an original number (feat. Jasmine Knight on vocals) and moves rapidly into a series of top class remixes that all build on the original in one way or another. Dope Ammo and Mix Ten's rendition is far from outclassed, however, and the pair have channelled the history of 170 to produce a roller that's both soft in the high ends and destructive in the lows, and we especially love the breadth of its bassline; a proper wallower. Jamie S23, of Drum & Bass Arena fame, steps up and cuts up, a percussive masterpiece that sets a new groove and injects a heady dose of bouncing brevity. Max Baker flips into it a liquid number, AN chops things into jungle sized pieces, and Sublow HZ adds a jug of jump-up energy. Wicked stuff.
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: Phwoar! Dutta on Kartoons... Now this is a serious meeting of jump up jungle minds old and new here. Throw in fellow new-gen firebrand Ly Da Buddah and you've got two seriously troublesome tracks. "Strawberry Dawg" will be a stand-out persy for many funk heads thanks to its dusty old horn sample and drop into hyperactive rave business on the riff while "The 80s" is pure bounce. Like a pair of Reebok Pumps inflated by a car tyre pump, this springy little number will have you bouncing off the walls for days.
Review: Introducing the sounds of Silent Storm & Sense and their Hot Up The Radio EP, a radical attempt to create rolling dnb so splintered and broken you'll barely recognise it. This is pure party music, there's no time for sophisticated conversations about the EP's merits because you'll be too busy dancing to it. The title track epitomizes the extent of the fun to be had here, a punched-out percussive line that underpins a grating but gentle force of progression and energy, perfectly crafted to give you goosebumps in the dance. The metallic quality to 'The Dark is another highlight, and it's safe to say that with these four tunes the duo has firmly placed himself on the map. Big tunes.
Review: Kartoons definitely don't dabble in child-orientated entertainment and this single from Filth Camp, Skeng, is all the proof in the pudding you need to know that fiery beats are whats on offer here. Title track Skeng is the bees knees in this regard, with sick sampling and a bassline consisting of overlapping, interlocking bass notes drawn out over a punchy drum line. Filthcamp's 'Start It Again' is a more junglist offering, with stuttering drum breaks flying all over the shop, clattering into each other with all the groove that originally made jungle a worldwide phenomenon. Proper naughty this.
Review: No one knows if he's a real doctor or not but 9 out of 10 junglists would definitely let him operate on them: it's Dr Meaker and he's back with two proper limb-replacement jams as these tracks are so hooky and vibesome you'll be throwing your entire foot at the DJ and not just your shoe. Rolling deep with fellow physicians Ragga Twins and young surgeon Krucial, "War Start" kicks with a classic early 2000s Q&A riff and some proper gully lyric craft while "Dem Nuh Know" punches with more of a hip-wriggling brock-out funk as Flinty and Deman do the hype thing they are uncontestable kings at. Show us your war face.
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: That's the spirit! Bangersmith Blackmarket lets rip with his juiciest EP in a very long time. Five tracks, five batterings, each cut is based around a hook and designed to do nothing but kick-ass and pop well in any mix. Highlights include the classic early 2000s punch of the title track "Spirit", the cool sub harmonics, fluttering skanks and spring twangs of "Hustlers" and the old-meets-new fusion of the finale track "Raise Them Up" where the higher end bass goes Q&A with more of a classic Bristol rattling bass and the breaks roll for days. Simply spiritual.
Played by: Buck Lee
Review: With more action than a naughty late night anime sesh, Blackmarket's classic Kartoons imprint is enjoying its most active chapter in years right now. Furniss's arrival only serves to heat things up even more with two straight-up floor-worriers. "Something Like This" swings with a subverted drum shuffled, some classic samples and a natural funk while "War" takes us deep in the trenches with a heavy set snare and a groaning bassline that sounds like it graduated from Serum university with a PHD in foghorn science. Moody.
Review: Kartoons chow down on a fresh plate of 2018 with their wildest, most unruly cut since the re-launch. Gritty, barking and unabashed with its raw sense of energy and infectiousness, "Beastmode" lives up to its name in every way possible. Remix-wise German don Bassface Sascha twists up the bassline with such caustic attitude he should really change his name to screwface Sascha while Cue dust off the drama machines and give us a full body workout. Grizzly!
Kre & Basshoven feat Q
Played by: Damageman
Review: Kartoons: One of the most influential jump-up labels of the mid-late 90s, headed by Nicky Blackmarket himself, returns in digital form. Naturally the bossman is at the helm, and he's brought his frequent flyer Voltage with him. "Fusion" shows the label's dedication to the future with its eerie electrical pitch rattling and fluctuating over crisp steppy beats. "Midnight", meanwhile, is a slight throwback to the original agenda-setting days with its classic DJ Trend style riff punctuating every kick. Carnage guaranteed.
