Review: One of New Zealand's most outstanding dubstep producers Akcept has the honour to follow up heavyweights DBridge and Nomine on Youngsta's very own Sentry Records. The Tempa-affiliated legend established his record label earlier this year and is dedicated to present nothing but the finest content spanning across from different genres and styles he truly loves. Nevertheless this next and third instalment, due to release on the 6th of October 2017, holds down two brilliant 140 bpm clashers once again. Both "Dreader Than Dread", a rather dub influenced single, as well as "Howl" which covers the lower end, are a legitimate and respectable nod to the soundsystem culture.
Review: The stars have aligned on this one: Youngsta's impeccable Sentry imprint has meant the business since it launched last year with dBridge and it's got hotter ever since. Now battered and bruised by two Caspa workouts, the message is even louder. "Gutter Riddim" is a powerful groaner with warped bass and slight trap elements in the rolling drums while "Hot Head" plays with our senses with a vicious angular drop that suddenly explodes into the wobble fest of your (wet) dreams. Stinking.
Review: For us, this is without a doubt one of the hardest 140 two track drops we have seen on the platform this year as the team at Sentry unveil an eastern inspired work of brilliance from North London's Cimm. We kick off with Eagle Eye, which takes vibrant, organic eastern style string melodies and layers them demonically with gritty bass notation with incredible affect. We are also gifted 'Old Scratch', which switches the motive to a more dubwise arrangement, without losing that eastern melodic tint. This one brings out more typical dub elements such as super wavy delayed chord progressions, lazers and crunchy drum creations.
Review: When we heard the news that Cimm had an album on the way, we could barely contain our excitement. When we then learnt it was to be featured on Sentry, our expectations tripled, and boy does Cimm deliver! The project takes the name 'Unknown Caller!!' and is a perfect embodiment of what today's deep dubstep scene represents, from the irresistible sub pressures of 'The Corner' alongside Rider Shafique to eastern-dub hybrids of 'Blue Sapphire' and lower tempo bass quakes of 'I Am Jack Travis'. The collaborations are fruitful on this one, as Cimm also invites Youngsta, Mr K, SGT Pokes, Riko Dan and Animai to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the strongest dubstep projects of the year.
Review: Prepare to be thwacked with some serious expressive dubstep heat on this one as the futuristic groovemeister known as Dayzero teams up with Sentry for an awesome two track drop. We begin our journey on this one by sallying into 'Sunday On Spaceship', which as you can imagine from its title is a trippy dubstep expanse, alternating between colourful glitch-like arpeggiators and a bag of other super creative sounds, creating the perfect balance between madness and creativity. On the flip we land on 'Down By Law', another scattered embrace between the weird and wonderful, led by Asian-inspired string plucks and unpredictable bass splutters. Fire!
Review: Have a word... Youngsta's launched a brand new vinyl-only label and DBridge launches it. Need we say more? Both "Fashion Dread" and "Digital Dread" are Darren White at his darkest and most stately - elephantine production, moody and misty and ultimately soaked in beautifully warm bass, both cuts have been doing the rounds on dubs for almost two years and have been in demand since Youngsta debuted them. Simply massive.
Review: Recovering from the damage caused by Caspa's "Gutter Riddim" earlier this year, Youngsta's Sentry returns with a rightfully-hyped newcomer Gramz. Following a strong range of flips and self-releases, here we find the UK talent in full vinyl mode with two ridiculously on-point 140 jams. "Dip Dip Potato Chip" is every bit as tasty and filling as it sounds. Trippy, slurring and woozier than a disgraced celeb, this one sucks you right in and doesn't even bother to chew you up; it just swallows you whole. "Illa" takes the freakiness to even more refreshingly vital levels with its pitched ghetto vocals and drill-like snares. As with all previous Sentry releases, this is nothing short of essential.
Review: We see here another for fantastic drop from Icicle, a name who has been synonymous with well produced bass music over the last few years, be that in the drum & bass sphere or on a slower, more stripped back flex. We begin the with a title track 'Raising The Dead', which combines a selection of demonic synth movements with grizzly sub textures below and shuffling hats. This is followed by the intensely metallic drum designs and ascending bleeping melodies of 'NT', before the stompy bass growls and subtle breakbeat inflections of 'Shout Me' take ahold. When then finish off on a more relaxed tip as the crunchy yet spacey tones of 'Noughties Riddim' close the EP off perfectly. Very slick stuff!
Review: Tempa regular Nomine has pretty much taken over on the old dubstep front these days and, in our eyes (and ears), he's the man still truly pushing the buttons when it comes to dark, meditative bass sketches for those sub-bass junkies. "Stomp" and "Slip" land on the young Sentry imprint; the former, as the name implies, is a slow, minimalistic bass bullet with a single-minded beat that bangs away with utter disregard for any notion of 4/4, whereas the latter twists the bass hert into a wilder, more wobbly sort of framework for the heads - watch out for dem melodies circling the airwaves too!
Review: Now most of us will know of SP:MC for his heavy hitting work within the dubstep scene, always providing either a crispy new vocal assist or punchy original piece of production in the 140 zone. However we here see him expand into a more garage sounding area as we leap into this fantastic new project, courtesy of Sentry. We kick off with the smooth percussive pressures and groovy rhythmic twists of 'Vintage', which packs a serious punch. On the flipside we are given 'Slugfest', another tasty helping of crunchy drum designs and more organic sounding percussive twists.
Review: What a time it is for dubstep, with a number of legends making reappearances, it was only a matter of time before two of the founding fathers of the sound returned to where they belong. We have to give massive props to Sentry who unveil this brand new two tracker from The Others, kicking off with the neurotic bass rolls and unpredictable drum designs of 'Shaolin'. On the flip side, we are tuned into more production magic as the super techy sound design of 'Feedback' emerges, dripping in electronic magnificence and unique themes. We couldn't be happier to see The Others back in business.
Review: Sentry Records has put together some serious releases over the last few years, showcasing the latest and greatest in dubstep and its surrounding genres. We are therefore introduced to and absolutely storming compilation here as we reel off bangers from the likes of dubstep legends such as Caspa, Truth, Sukh Knight, Youngsta and more. For us, the highlights of this incredible compilation are quite clear, kicking off with the stunning production of 'Judas' from Nomine, who brings forward his uniquely metallic sound design on mass. Another absolute heater we couldn't forget is the spooky yet satisfying 'Crocodile' from Dayzero, packed with wicked drum flavours and haunted overtones.
