Review: First name Conrad, last name Subs: one of the most prolific and consistent newcomers strikes breakbeat gold once again on new northern collective Nuusic. Each cut pokes a different corner of jungle's dark underbelly; "Days Are Numbered" hums with soulful reggae sunlight a la Potential Badboy, "Rumble" is a serious party track with a brilliant use of a classic sample and darked out rolls, "2 Step Flex" taps deep into a ragga vein, "Sweet Sweet" is all about the dancehall vibes while "Footwork" closes the show with a mutoid bassline that goes through various shades of nasty from reverse wobble to crushed lecky pylon. First name Bad, last name Man.
Review: Conrad Subs' jungle number Leave Dem has been on repeat here ever since it came out on Nuusic's recent compilation, The Sound of Nuusic. So we're excited to hear him back on the label with a full-length EP and it's just as good, with a nicely spicy mix of broken and rolling sounds spread across five tracks. Title track is proper down and dirty jungle, with the old school sampling and roughshod vibes to boot, 'In Check' is more of a rolling thing and doesn't mess around, whilst on VIP duties is his Days Are Numbered - what a rework this is. Simple but powerful. Check this one out.
Review: The ever prolific Conrad Subs has an album coming on Nuusic and this sampler is the first glimpse we're seeing of what is certain to be a wicked longer player, especially when bearing in mind the diversity of style on this single. 'Little Vibey Thing' is seriously unique, with a beautifully soulful, modern hip-hop vocal sample that sits above a stabbing bassline and a funky, infectious drum line. This tune is certainly a vibey thing. 'Superior', on the other hand, is a straight jungle banger that doesn't let up from its rollicking amen breaks. Big.
Review: Conrad Subs has been doing his thing for quite some time and ahead of his latest album, this time on Nuusic, he's dropping samplers, and this is the second. It's a superb effort as well and he's joined in said effort by Redders, an MC known for his work with Sam Binga and others, and who is on top form here. 'I Got Somethin' rolls out with a heavy dose of attitude, Redders' urban-tinged style dredging up touches of hip-hop as well as funk and dancehall and he sits expertly above Conrad's bouncing, moody beat. The flip is classic jungle and Conrad excels on this terrain, his penchant for breakbeats shining through amidst a stabby rendition of broken dancefloor pressure. This album is going to be immense.
Review: Conrad Subs has been teasing his next album over the last few weeks and finally it's here, courtesy of Nuusic, and boy what an LP it has turned out to be. Conrad Subs is very confident when it comes to constructing break beats and so it should come as no suprise that they make up a large part of Tides, to excellent effect. 'On a 90s Tip' is an especially potent track, with that classic rave piano sound driving an inch-perfect set of drums and a rolling reece bass. 'Obese' is yet more spectacular stepping sonics, whilst 'Little Vibey Thing' blends R&B vocal infuences with juddering drums and punchy, unforgetablly catchy bass stabs. It's a raw, gritty album and not one to be missed.
Review: Nuusic put out some damn good music. In fact, we're still reeling from their Sound of Nuusic compilation and that was months ago and so this EP from Disrupta is a welcome addition to the ever-burgeoning world of D&B. Five tracks long, Karma is a moody, raw release that would undoubtedly sound fat through a soundsystem. This is especially true for track one, 'Origin', a diving, sub-heavy piece of work that gargles on the stabs and bounces on the hits. 'Fire' featuring Zoro has a cool, steppy beat pattern and even bigger bassline to match. Top stuff.
Review: Hot on the heels of the label's massive 'Sound Of Nuusic' release, the Manchester-based label continues to shine the spotlight on exciting new-gen talent. Talent like Ellm who seems to have come out of nowhere and is already packing premium productions. This debut D&B EP covers the board in style - growling junglism ('Draw Out'), space-age bassline funk ('The Breakdown'), double bass funking badness ('Soundboy') and piano-tickled dubwise euphoria ('Parallax') With skills like these on such an early release we anticipate big things from this young artist. Avoid having a nightmare on Ellm's heat... Do not sleep on this!
Review: Epicentre isn't an artist we're overly familiar with, but we certainly hope to become so after hearing the quality of this release. 'Deng' features MC Haribo, an increasingly popular MC and someone who sounds sick above a minimal beat which is exactly what 'The Deng' is: growling, groaning basses providing the backdrop for a skipping, satisfying percussive run. 'Surely Dead' is on a junglist tip featuring upbeat, ragga sampling and a wobbling bass on the drop that comes out of nowhere from the previously happy introduction. Both 'Jesus Farda' and 'Max Factor' are back on the minimal thing and both are sick as hell, the latter's pulsating back end taking the cake.
Review: Nuusic have had a wicked last 6 months, putting out a big compilation and then lots of smaller releases, all of which blend jungle with more rolling sounds, to great effect. Grimesy is the man of the hour this time around and his EP covers multiple fields, with 'Tribal' as bonkers, steppy banger with a bassline that rips and tears itself around the arrangement. The title track features T-Man and is equally as rough, with an old-school drum sound and a slick vocal overlap, all of which compliment a guttural bassline. The other two are also wicked - shouts to the Nuusic crew.
Review: Nuusic have proven that they're more than capable of releasing tunes which don't mess about but which carry an air of respectability as well, music that's for the dancefloor but that doesn't sacrifice itself for that purpose. Kumo fits in with that trend. The Pinger is a release full of stripped back, industrial sounds but that still actually sounds really nice, a T>I esque four-tracker that's weighted in all the right places. Bonus points for the background bongos on 'Stubbed'.
Review: Nuusic are a fantastic little label that have really burst out the stocks over the last couple of years, releasing a plethora of music with the common thread of rudeness and an inability to stand still. Kumo is jumping on this heritage with vigour this week, and Born Soldier rolls out across four tracks with a jumpy attitude that we're incredibly sad won't be heard on a danceflloor anytime soon.'Skeng Riddim' is an absolute percy, as a two-step drum pattern takes you in to a funky, flowing hip-hop arrangement with serious bite. 'Born Soldier' is packed out in the lows, straining against itself the whole way, whilst 'Virus' is another naught little roller. This one pops.
Review: Nussic are developing a bit of a reputation for spewing out some of the most venomous beats in the business and their talent for pushing some of the best artists on the jump-up spectrum is undeniable. Motiv is holding up that standard with his debut EP on the label and he's doing it in style, something clear right from the start of this EP. 'Gallows' reels you in with a lovely intro, it's upbeat beginnings quickly regressing to a really sick wall of pure energy that's reminiscent of Kings of the Rollers and insanity more generally. The rest of the release is equally aggressive, 'Fakes' being another highlight. Sick release.
Review: This four-tracker from long-time producer Octo-Pi is impressive in that it manages to do a lot with quite little. Its core components - rolling drums, wobbly basslines - aren't exactly new to anyone, but its the basics of arrangement that give it such an infectious, catchy edge, and which make all of these tracks so memorable. 'The Hurt' gets things out the stocks quickly, with tumbling breaks on the intro that juxtapose the paciness of its main percussive line, and these drums underpin a ferocious set of low frequency oscillations. 'Pogo Stick', featuring Teej, is the only standout, as a choppy arrangement blasts its way along with serious swagger, a weighty number that's dying to be thrown into the mix.
Review: We are thrilled to take a peek at this super sharp new project from Teej which goes by the name 'The Hydro', courtesy of the Nuusic imprint. We begin this four track journey with a darkened plunge into 'Hydro (feat MC Haribo)', which sets the zone perfectly with it's haunted textures and earth shattering sub leads. Next, we are given the pulsating bass patterns and sweeping scores of 'Resonance' before we vacate to the subtle neurotic synths of 'Stygian'. The EP then draws to a close with the rough cut nostalgic breaks and grizzly reese leads of 'Thunder Thighs', topping of a great body of work.
Review: Nuusic are a fairly new label that really don't mess around and their output tends to land on the tougher, more dancefloor orientated end of the spectrum. Rogue by Teej continues that trend, with four big cuts that are definitely set to blow up the dance. 'Question' has a distinctly Serum vibe to it, with a stuttering jungle break and a warped, stabby bassline that contorts itself around every corner of the range. Agro steps in for a stellar remix of 'Hydro' featuring MC Haribo, with a deep sense of rolling funk that permeated its back end - top tune.
Review: Nuusic are a fairly new label that really don't mess around and their output tends to land on the tougher, more dancefloor orientated end of the spectrum. Akuma by Teej and featuring Jappa, Disrupta and Riko Dan continues that trend, with four big cuts that are definitely set to blow up the dance. 'Akuma' has a distinctly Serum vibe to it, with a stuttering jungle break and a warped, stabby bassline that contorts itself around every corner of the range. 'War Cry' takes things more rolling with a wicked, snapping snare and a wobbling wall of sine basses to back it up, bringing a lovely clean feeling that's also on '16 Speakers'. Wicked.
Review: Doe, a deer, a female deer. Ray a drop of golden sun. That's The Sound Of Music, circa 1965. Boh, a banger, an absolute banger. Whey, a drop of golden gunfingers. That's the 'Sound Of Nuusic', circa right about now as the Manchester based label let rip with their third V/A experience. Now an annual thing for the label, it's their biggest collection yet as it's super-charged with blaze-ups from the best in the new-gen game. From Sl8r's opener to Conrad Subs' grand VIP finale by way of cuts from the likes of Teej, Sola, Kuma, Epicentre, Kumarachi, Motiv, Selecta J-Man and many more on-point future headlining names, this isn't just the sound of Nuusic, it's the sound of now.
Review: Not to be confused with the Julia Roberts classic, the Sound of Nuusic isn't a Bavarian epic but instead a UK underground epic of compilation sized proportions, with a whole raft of underground talents offering up a diverse concoction of jungle flavours. With Conrad Subs making several appearances, his stand-out contribution is 'Leave Dem', with a funked-up loping introduction that's seriously smooth but which quickly devolves into a stuttering balance of breaks and reece bass action. There's wicked jungle contributions from Kumarachi and RMS as well as Sheffield upstart Charla Green, whose knock-down breaks carry some serious weight. This is a must-listen for anyone who likes their jungle music.
Review: Nuusic are going back to their roots this week with a properly wicked four-track jungle release from Veak, a producer who flits around the scene, stylistically speaking, from heavier jump up bits to the type of pummelling jungle he's on here. The title tune is our favourite, with a deathly combination of wobbling sines, smacking snare hits and gilded twists of reese bass. it's a fantastically satisfying track with a level of movement that all the best jungle has. The other three tunes all pop off as well, so be sure to give this one a nod.
Review: Vici is a French artist who really showed his true colours for the first time on Hyperactivity Music a couple of years back, and now he's on Nuusic displaying a different but no less excellent side to his productions. Stay True is a four-tracker with guts but that's not afraid to have fun, as he ropes in Matt Tracker and Speaker Louis to explore the dividing line betweeen tough, gritty music and lighter touches of funk and soul. 'Dark Path' falls into the former category with its scattered breaks and stabbing samples, whilst 'Stay True' is a brass-laden roller with wind in its hair and a heart on its sleeve. Lovely.
