Review: Southpoint continue their 2018 hot streak in spectacular fashion by bringing together 9TRANE's long awaited debut EP: 'Mile High'. Since breaking into the grime scene in 2016, 9TRANE has been on everyone's watch list, releasing regular 130/140 belters. This EP consists of 6 tracks, the first of which being a powerful collaboration with Over The Edge's J River, jam packed with witty lyricism and pounding subs. We are also treated to the grimey percussive power of 'Clap Weapon' and the stunning soundscaping of 'Space'. As a bonus the EP also features the 'Mile High' instrumental as well as two top draw remixes, as Dubzta rebuilds 'Clap Weapon' into a breaksy monster and Tik&Borrow send 'Space' for a classy dubstep refurb.
Review: Simply Deep's Aerotonin makes his full Southpoint debut with some absolute fire. First up we're accosted by the rapid wry humour of Luciferian and Jabz as "Spin" hits us with beat after beat, bar after bar in the most full frontal way possible. "S&S" gives us the smoky feels; all atmospheric and swaggering with well crafted synths and a perfect female vocal hit while "League" goes in for the big bounce with a "Pulse X" informed finale: Stampy kicks with venomous bass and breaks/fill that come in from nowhere, this is bare chaos material.
Review: Since their inception Southpoint have championed young bass maverick Bushbaby. Here they unleash his second solo outing, The Illusive EP. A gifted musical visionary who sounds like no other, here he gets to explore his creativity to great effect. The title track features abstract bass patterns and glitchy scattershot beats, whilst "Marble Arch" is slower and features trap influenced beats and a sombre cello riff. Meanwhile "Gameplan" includes gypsy/middle eastern string melodies and dubby breaks, whilst "No Tomorrow" adds classical strings and gentle chimes into the mix.
Review: Phengophobia, the fear of daylight. In our eyes, this name couldn't be more accurate as Bushbaby rolls out his fourth full EP with Brighton based high flyers: Southpoint, and it's a dark one for sure. As a project, this really summarizes how far Bushbaby has come, with 'Hold Up' being the perfect piece of dark bass magic to transform any crowd into an absolute zoo. The infamous vocal presence of Dread MC makes an appearance also on 'Montana', a gnarly dancehall infused stomper, packed with lethal energy. The mood then dramatically alters as the young soundsmith unleashes a phenomenal dosage of electronic soundscaping in the title track 'Phengophobia', showcasing the true depth of his skill.
Review: As ever, we are very excited to see the latest piece of Bushbaby, an artist who seems to go from strength to strength as the years go on. He here returns to his home imprint of Southpoint who continue with their extremely exciting run of 'X Series' releases with this latest banger entitled 'Woman's Touch'. As an overall recording, this original UKG piece is an absolute stormer, perfectly fusing old school garage themes and newer techy production techniques, packed with crunchy drum switch ups and eerie vocal slices. Classic Bushbaby at work.
Review: Bushbaby and Zero team up for a one-track mither on the excellent Soutpoint, an imprint which seems to be coming through with consistently high levels of lockjaw bass on a weekly basis! "Forget It" contains everything you could possibly want from a bass hybrid, with a gnarly flute bass floating and meandering wildly amid a loose 4/4 rhythm that blends two-step, house, and straight-up 90s garage. You get three genres for the price of one, and some devastating drops to conquer all dancers in your path.
Review: Despite being one of Southpoint's 'original family members', the debut release from Brighton's Ceezus and Illa has only just now arrived. The Conquer EP features what they describe as 'three high-powered grime instrumentals', which is only partly true as they draw on much wider influences than grime itself. The title track is full of hip-hop swagger - brassy riffs and rattlesnake percussion - and is given a bouncy 4 x 4 makeover by Tengu and a rabid, doomy and eccentric rework by Aerotonin. Elsewhere they look to ancient Japan on "Ronin" and they chill out on the atmospheric "Wasted".
Review: Exclusive - and free - to Junodownload, we're very proud to host this incendiary EP from Southpoint as they join us for a full takeover showcase. Having established a spotless reputation in bass circles as they fuse the tendrils of all the genres that matter; grime, UKG, bass and all creative spaces in between. This EP is yet another perfect snapshot of where they're at: Ceezus brings some conscious thought into the lyrical danger of the brilliantly titled "Juno", ChemistRNS cooks up a sassy UKG throwback with "Ciara" while James Mannion maintains the classical two-step and UKG vibes with a harmonic, pranged out riff. It's down to Mofaux to close the deal with "What's Going On" with a toxic brew of swinging kicks, loose amen fills and gangster voices. Southpoint? On point. There's a reason the likes of Marcus Nasty, DJ Cartier and Dappa rate the label as one of the best new imprints in the game right now.
Review: Futurepast alchemist Chemist RNS makes his debut on one of 2016's runaway label success stories Southpoint with a collection of uncompromised grime instrumentals. Following the sterling strong-arm sounds he's developed on Chameleon and his own Bandcamp, each cut on "Bang Bang" really does hit hard... "What Do You Mean" does the spacious spooky haunted house style that's just screaming for some MC presence, "Alpine Lake" turbos up the drums with added kicks and switchy snare hits while the title track bangs with a unique and tripped out Amazonian twang. High fives on the remixes, too - both MoJoe and Triple S pay complete respect.
Review: Whilst Britain has voted against remaining in the EU, it's positive to see integration is still on the agenda for British musicians. Here the Southpoint crew present their first compilation for our listening pleasure. Distinkt is up first, driving the hi-hats and ragga vibes on 4 x 4 monster "Babylon", next with into exotic, orchestrated RnB/hip-hop territory with Scruloose's "Flukes". Elsewhere Bushbaby's "Yh Man" is a minimal drum machine jam, KXVU's "Assassinuit" is a moody and percussive grime instrumental, James Mannion then rocks up to deliver the aggressive shuffle of "Madness" and Familiar Face provides the boomy trap closer "Lengman Riddim".
Review: Starting out in the music biz can be a daunting task, but up 'n' coming Brighton bass imprint Southpoint are already putting themselves on the map with this impressive label comp. Boasting a selection of southeast talent, there are six fresh jams here to enjoy. Highlights include the dub-infused 4x4 growler "Babylon" by Distinkt, the heavy, heavy badness of James Mannion's "Badness" and the ominously regal sounding hip-hop of "Lengman Riddim" by Familiar Face.
Review: Founding Southpoint crewdem Drax comes correct with this deliciously trippy and singular six track mini album/mega EP hybrid. As always, it's laced with a faraway charm with many references to the fair east in its tonal and textural treatment. At points mind bending chaos (the wild Brainfeeder style IDM jitters and chops of "Meka"), at others delicate, honest and emotional (the smoky barbed post love song "Move On") and others pure 23rd century dancefloor (the spring "Strain") this is Drax at his deepest, most detailed and most direct.
Review: New boy Bass peddler Drax (not to be confused with Thomas Heckmann's Tecno project) has been bubbling under the surface and building a reputation for himself in all the right circles Southpoint have managed to secure his services with these five curbside bangers, and the lead track "Frostie" draws the first weapon with a classic sort of grime approach, which allows "Leave" and "Locked" to both work on the same sort of aesthetic with a deeper focus on the half-step beats and additional harmonics. There's a couple of remixes, to boot; Beanzo turns "Frostie" into an even icier affair thanks to the help of a more penetrative beat shuffle, and JFO morphs "Leave" into an early-days Skepta kinda flex. Big.
Review: Bristol beatsmith Drone continues his rich vein of sparkling, feels-fortified instrumental grime with his Southpoint debut. "Signals" rides on an ominous reverse bass texture before slipping into a comfortable swagger that's more hip-hop than it is grime. "Target" adds the spooky factor with eerie sweeping synths and ghostly pitched vocal elements before "Fruit Punch" provides the EP KO: big stabs, chop-slapping claps and a kicks that could flatten a family of mules. Game over.
Review: It's been a little while since the Southpoint team returned to their original homeground of 140 music, however this latest collection from Dubzta demonstrates their dominance perfectly as the Welsh wizard lets loose over four fantastic originals. We kick off with the title track 'Frontline', which combines junglist drums and potent subs to create some seriously nostalgic energies. This is followed by the eskimo-inspired synths of 'Strange' and heavily syncopated swinging melodies of 'Triples'. Finally, we step it down a gear as we descend into the slower, more rapturous electronic expansions of 'Who's There', a gnarly trappy roller, perfect for finishing this one off!
Review: Well, it was only a matter of time before this one came together as Earthnut's recent run of form continues with a long awaited debut Southpoint EP. Having released some of the most popular UKG tracks of the past few years, the STPT team invite the creativity of this fantastic production duo to run wild across three scorchers, beginning with the glitchy arpeggios and hard hitting horn stabs of 'Sea Anomaly'. Next, we move into the alien-like chord shifts and digital atmospheric designs of 'Estrella Breath', before rounding up our journey through this one with the aquatic melodies and sweeping LFO textures of 'Maybe So Really'. Incredible stuff!
Review: Long time label affiliate Eclypse makes his Southpoint debut with three on-point grime trips. "Don't Talk Crud" is all about the orchestral stabs, sharp drops and precision depth plunge bass notes. Complemented by a vocal version with an angry and to-the-point Danny Jaqq and a tricked-out technoid version from 9TRANE, it's the gully gift that keeps on giving. It's backed up with two more fire jams: the sci-fi shakes and steps of "Cosmic Ray" and the all-out bounce and snare-rattling power of "Gasoline", both of which are crying out for MC damage themselves. Southpoint just keep getting sharper.
Review: Southpoint's sizzling with frayed bass naughtiness once again with latest young member Freddie Martin. As proved by recent cuts such as "Carnage" (on Southpoint) and "What" (on Saucy), Martin bounces in the fault lines between bassline, breaks, garage with a low end mutant that never sits still. "Limbo" slams, "Feel" twists a gurgling gutter kicking jam into a vocal daydream while "The Truth" sees him teaming up with fellow Southpoint success Bushbaby for a balls-out breakbeat sandpaper bass jam. Trust us; you'll be feeling this.
Review: Fresh from being cited as an artist to watch for 2018, Frederick Martini (to use his full title) teams up with one of 130 music's most in-demand and sharpest mic-men MC Dread for an absolutely savage breakbeat/dark garage stepper. Gritty, energetic and loaded with some psycho bass textures; they didn't name this "Carnage" for nothing, capiche?
Review: Habouchi lands on Southpoint with a four-tracker that sits perfectly into the contours of the UK's currently flourishing bassline and UK funky scene, an impressive display of production diversity that covers ground both melodic and riotous. 'Eden' featuring Jovian & Lou displays both, with an introduction rooted in melodic construction and textural suspense and with the vocalists nailing their vox, it builds to a delightful climax before spinning out into the back end, a patchwork of low frequency shudders convulse, covering the bubbly but also the fearsome. 'Syncopation' featuring Benjammin on MC duties is equally as wicked, with less of a build but more attitude and a serious amount of vocal flair. Sick EP.
Review: Brighton's Southpoint label, run by Josh Gunston and Jay McDougall, only deal in next level stuff. Hamdi is right up their street: a producer who refuses to accept the rules of traditional bass music. Here he introduces us to three of the freshest electronic dance jams around. The title track kicks things off in fine style - all erratic stop-start footwork rhythms and off kilter mangled bass. Also Moony takes it into sparse 2 step territory whilst "Tengu" makes it all speedy and paranoid. Elsewhere "Dizzy" is a blistering 4 x 4 attack and "Fierce" is a merciless techno-bass meltdown. Boom!
Review: As one of the most exciting talents on the south coast, Hamdi returns to his home label Southpoint for a superb body of work, showcasing his adaptability and production prowess by exploring a multitude of musical themes across just three original recordings. The title track 'Dictatorship' is a straight grimey missile. Having received support from the likes of My Nu Leng and Spooky, this one has already been proven to mashup a dance with its gritty lead synths and monstrous drum design. Next up, Hamdi's bassline genes come out to play on the 4x4 stomper 'Low' before we land on the more experimental tripod sounds of 'New Wave'. On remix duty, Southpoint newcomer Kotei gets involved on his second EP placement, sending 'Dictatorship' to the shredder with his uniquely grimey synth design and choppy drum layering. The Southpoint storm continues!
