Spearhead Records is a UK-based liquid drum & bass label, founded in 2005 by Steve Jeffery aka BCee. From smooth, sunset-kissed sounds to deep, lighter-raising productions, Spearhead has rolled out countless smile-igniting bangers like Netsky’s ‘I Refuse’, LSB’s ‘Loop Of Love’, S.P.Y’s ‘By Your Side’, BCee & Charlotte Haining’s ‘More Than Words’ and Villem & McLeod’s ‘Let It Breathe’ (feat Leo Wood). Future Retro is Spearhead’s sub-label.
Review: Missing has teamed up with Trex for this one, a five-tracker on the omnipresent Spearhead that takes rolling sounds and cutting, junglist tones and lays them out with sleek elegance, an impressive feat considering the raw vibrancy of the base elements. We especially love '2 Infinity', a spacetime continuum of a tune that glides through the universe in a nonchalant yet dancefloor-focused manner, a bassline heavy and melodically sound number that has proper perked our ears up. It's a signal on how good the others are, all of which are worth your time.
Review: Last year Bcee and Charlotte Haining released a superbly soulful vocal album, and the time has come for it to get the remix treatment. The lineup for this album is immense, as LSB, Technimatic, S.P.Y, Mitekiss and loads more step up to put their own spin on things. The Shogun duo Technimatic kick of proceedings by shoving a rocket inside 'History', with one of their trademark euphoric buildups, a lead that moves delightfully into an explosively rolling exercise in soulfulness. Deadline nail their remix of 'Almost There', and S.P.Y's flips 'Remind Me' into a growling dancefloor number. There are too many corkers to list here - check em out.
Review: Sweetpea has been doing the rounds for a long time now, first as a DJ and now as a producer, and this EP on Spearhead represents the next evolution of her sound. It's a majestic, mature piece of music that takes sweeping, dramatic soundscapes and cuts through them with percussive precision. 'Undercover' features the gorgeous vocals of Shady Novelle, and her haunting notes provide a melancholic touch to what is a rippling wave of a tune; brilliant work here. The legend that is Chickaboo jumps on 'The Jump Off' and her spoken word touches on the intro lend a nostalgic feel to the incoming wave of bass force and reggae-influenced stabs. Sweetpea has nailed this one.
Review: Spearhead are back with another compilation featuring some of their music from the past, as well as a handful of brand new cuts. The final track on the release - The Vanguard Project's remix of 'We All' by L.A.O.S is the highlight, a brand new outing which rolls out a euphoric string section to great effect, a hands-in-the-air anthem which will make want to be in the rave. Phaction's remix of 'Mirror Image' came out last year, and we've been in love with its cascading drum section and adrenaline-fuelled vocal magic ever since, a truly wonderful number that's bright, shiny and full of pure vibes. Wicked compilation.
Review: The Spearhead boss is back collaborating with Charlotte Haining after their superb joint album last year, and the motive on this one is in a similar vein: gorgeous rolling liquid that pulls on your heartstrings. Tempza is in the building for this particular cut, and him and Charlotte make an impressive team as they both sit above Bcee's luxurious beat with serious style. Lovely stuff.
Review: Two of Spearhead's most consistent liquid beatmakers are back on the Norfollk-based label and they're doing so with their signature funky style in tow. Their sampling and ear for musicality are unrivalled, and this release seeks to channel the legacy of soul music through a format of drum & bass. The first track - 'Whisper - is firm in the percussion but frivolous in its sampling, with a stabby brass note interspersing its otherwise quite barebones approach, a less-is-more methodology that's replicated throughout, including the title track 'Clarksdale', which is just effortlessly smooth. 'Deliteful' amps up the funk, whilst SoulMotion jumps on the remix for track four and makes things super deep. Lovely stuff.
Review: Spearhead always nail their soulful, rolling drum & bass and this single from new talent Terror, featuring Espa, is exactly that: funk infused, heartfelt music. The original strolls in through the intro on soft beds of piano touches, creating an atmosphere that rises into euphoria on the drop, with jazzy brass and big, stepping drums. The Bcee remix stretches things out and injects new melodic elements, with its bassline especially being taken up a notch to add just a little more bite. The last track is an acoustic version, a more common sight these days and a welcome one at that, as it gives Espa's vocals space to really shine through. Wicked single.
Review: There are only a handful of producers in the scene who can match Bcee's output in terms of albums, and the Norfolk-based owner of Spearhead Records is landing on his own label with his eighth album, a ridiculous achievement by any stretch. This time it's a new formula, though, as Life As We Know It is a collaborative effort with Charlotte Haining, who forms an integral part of this albums soul and characteristic, her superb vocal talent providing the top layer to Bcee's production underbelly. As usual, the instrumentation is gorgeous and 'Almost There' has an introduction which is soulful in the extreme, as gentle piano touches collide with Charlotte's voice and slowly builds into a true drum & bass ballad. 'Little Bit Lighter' featuring Etherwood is beautifully bouncy, 'The Hills' rolls out amidst fluttering harmonies, and DRS joins on the melancholic 'Love For The Fallen'. The message of the album is matched for our current moment of flux, and it marks a massive achievement for both Bcee and Charlotte.
Review: With some massive Metalheadz dubs causing hype this year, Phaction super-charges his golden vein of form with this powerful package on Bcee's Spearhead. It's an all-star cast, too; the equally unstoppable Bristolite Charli Brix links in for the dreamy title track, Riya adds her gilded tones to two tracks - the subdued waves of "The Fall" and the skippier sunshine charms of "Obsession" with Hugh Hardie. Elsewhere we go deep on "Cherished One" and sign out with an exceedingly naughty take on Technimatic's 2013 Spearhead jam "Mirror Image". Premium dude, premium.
Review: Jolliffe is an artist who has been steadily breaking through in recent times, with releases on Soulvent and others, but this is his first ever full length outing on the liquid leviathan that is Spearhead. Liquid-focused Spearhead may be, but this release takes things into deeper and darker directions as well, with a focus on chopped up percussive force and moody sub basses. 'Creep in the Dark' is especially heavy, whilst we're big fans of the rambunctious funk of 'Amen Syndicate' featuring Siege MC, whose bars just tie up this tune in excellent fashion. Wicked.
Review: Spearhead are coming out with a huge compilation that seeks to be a statement of intent for 2020, combining a load of new tracks with some of the choicest cuts from the Spearhead back catalogue. There is old school talent like Need For Mirrors, Bcee, Carlito & Addiction & Saikon, as well as recruits from the new school like Whiney, Black Barrel, Monrroe and Walk:r, all of whom have done a wicked job walking the Spearhead stylistic line between hard and soft. Need For Mirrors' 'Zxana' is the ideal example; it's stripped back and minimalist in its percussion but expansive in the low-frequencies, with a hypnotic feeling of movement and a seriously solid piece of sound design. The rest of the LP is typically epic as well, so shout out to the Norwich crew.
Review: The Vanguard Project combines Bcee and Villem, two long-time liquid titans who have their debut LP as a duo out very soon. A self-titled piece of work, The Vanguard Project brings 12 new tracks alongside 14 classics from their joint back-catalogue, a sprawling release which dips its toes into virtually every flavour imaginable. 'Everyday is Stolen' feat. DRS was the first single to be released and we can see why, a standout track that beautifully combines his talent for spitting with singing. 'The Unknown' and 'Wicked Man' are both perfectly weighted jungle tracks, full of soul and bursting with the character of music which packs edge and funk at the same time. Dynamite MC and Leo Wood also both feature, the latter is a regular on Spearhead now and 'Elevate' is a driven, bass heavy track that frolicks with vocal touches and funky guitar flourishes. Unreal stuff here from two legends of the game.
