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V Recordings
Various
Back2Back EPPREORDER
L-Side & Acuna - "Heavy Drop" - (4:12) 174 BPM
Alibi & Sl8r - "Framed" - (4:16) 172 BPM
A-Audio & Unkoded - "Dip Out" - (4:55) 174 BPM
DJ Andy & Dunk - "Say Something" - (4:31) 175 BPM
Played by: DJ Ollie
Review: Heist on V Recordings! Need we say any more? Probably not but for the sake of hype, respect and pure love for the music we'll tell you how much this EP should mean to all jungle and dnb heads... Heist is a long time legend who's about to celebrate 20 years in the game and V Recordings have been on this, shaping and guiding the sound and culture since day one. This is a long-overdue match in banger heaven and it's full of heaving workouts. Highlights include the swooning emotion and slamming beats of 'Just Called' and the jazzy too-and-froe of the title track 'Harlots'. Vibes!
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: Command Strange is feeling the pressure of these turbulent times right now and is asking for a hug. So if you see him, please 'Hold Him Tight'. A collab with fellow V familia Beat Merchants, it's a sweeping ravey roller with delicious RnB vocals to sweeten things up even further. The tight embraces continue with two other mighty slap-downs... 'Obsession' hits with stern, striking drama while 'Last Dance' heads direct to the dancefloor with a booming bass, a creepy topline and offkey pads and a ridiculously venomous bassline. You dancing?
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: Sl8r and Samurai Breaks... Now this is a collab you could write home about! Who knows what your mum or dad might reply with? To be honest we don't really care, we're busy raving it up as the two lads pay homage to the northern rave scene with a savage sense of funk and timeless rave energy. Looking something with more of a classic bluesy vibe? Then look no further as Sl8r's also provided the beautifully funky breakbeat rinse-out 'Homegrown'. Think the playful, sample-sizzling funk of early 2000s Hozzy and you're not far off. Find a bridge and take something to it!
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: As always with the legendary V Recordings, we are in for a certified thrill ride here as we dive head first into a wash of bassy goodness from both Melinki & Macca as the pair unveil their brand new project. The title track sees them jump immediately into a three way collaborative endeavour however as the knuckle dusting bass riffs and crunchy sub thrusts of 'Bad Trip' sees Alibi join the party for an explosive introduction. From here, 'Murder Situation' then looms upon the horizon, slicing together sizzling reesey synthesizer textures with high intensity drum skips and constantly shifting backdrop for a very tidy sonic experience. Finally, 'Raptor' is set loose, a blooming soundscape of 80's like synth slides, cascading into a thunderous chorus of booming 808 pulses, all tied together with some tidy breaksy sampling. Exceptional work.
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Played by: BasskicksUK
Played by: Change of Pace
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Played by: BasskicksUK
Review: From the brilliant cover art through to very last snare, Chimpo has gone beyond the call of duty once again with this understated collection floor shakers on V. 'Hydraulics' is a rubber ball bass jam that relentlessly bashes and slaps, 'Show Ya' with Sl8r is all about that dreamy jazz affair while 'Hill An Gully' is all types of naughty with its wild drums and bashy switches. 'Mix Up' closes the EP on a nostalgic one. No trouble here.
Review: Massiveness from one of V Recordings' most consistent artists in recent years - Russian badman Command Strange. Four tracks, four straight up dancefloor slap-abouts: 'Welcome To The Future' (with Alibi) goes straight in with its tightly knit percussion and hardcore stabs, 'Blossom' brings the soulful vibes while 'Krusty Fingers' is all about deep dark dubby vibes. Throw in a massive L-Side remix of 'Brand New Style' (with Singing Fats on mic) and you've got yourself an absolute killer EP. Full Command!
Review: V maintains the Brazilian heat right here with a celebration of all things BBQ from Alibi's Level 2. Bubbly, bruised and covered in bassline sauce; 'Bite The Bone' is a dedication to those times when you're chatting away too hard in the yard and you end up chewing your drumstick right down to the bone. The jazzy, sweet and sour 'Hot Foot' bubbler, meanwhile, is for those times when a charcoal flies out and you step on it without any shoes on. Allow those wonderful purring subs to soothe it for you. Tasty.
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: It's finally landed! Paul T & Edward Oberon's debut album has been anticipated by many since huge anthems like 'Moon In Your Eyes' and 'Take My Breath Away' stormed the scene in recent years. Both veterans in the D&B game, an album was always going to be an exciting concept and the pair have more than delivered with an epic spread of flavours (ranging from the gritty jump up thrills of opener 'Somewhere Else' to the soulful charms of 'Wake Up') and also an all-star cast of vocalists from Fats to 2Shy to Cleveland Watkiss to A Little Sound to Riya and beyond. The whole album is a powerful bop but essential highlights include the chicken dancing bass silliness of 'Rockin Me' and the soaring euphoria of their latest Serum link-up 'Strange Days'. One of the biggest albums in D&B this season.
Review: Ignoring the Lord's Prayer every gosh-darned day, Sl8r leads us directly into 'Temptation' and we wouldn't have it any other way. The title feeds us to the brim with our daily bread thanks to its classic space jazz Headzy feels while 'Hasbulla' delivers us from evil with its scorchio high voltage reese and perfectly rattled snare. Elsewhere the deep subby bubbles of 'System' forgive us our trespasses while the sweet and soulful vibes of Sl8r and Patch Edison's 'It's Amazing' forgive those who trespass against us. Arguably one of his best EPs to date, this is the sound of one of Manchester's most exciting young talents levelling up once again. Sl8r be thy name.
Played by: Amplify
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: Just when you thought Sl8r couldn't get any funkier, and Slay couldn't get even sharper, along comes 'Danger' and it's naughtier than ever red light district in Europe combined. Straight up rudeboy rudiments; shoulder rolling juicy funk with such natural bars, 'Danger' is a summer anthem in waiting. And if that's not quite enough badman sass along comes Chimpo and joins the pair for another jazzy, light-footed-but-heavy-bellied bumper 'Falling'. Pure juice!
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: L-Side's debut album came out some time ago now, and this is the long awaited remix EP, featuring some of the best artists in the game giving L-Side's tunes the once over. Break steps up and nails it as per usual, taking those perfect vocals and stretching them over a punishing bassline; thank god we're back in clubs soon, because this is going to kill it. Dogger & Mindstate work their lounging piano magic to great effect, and Spirit takes the essence of drum and bass and rolls it out with a monstrously stabbing bassline. Alibi close things on a head-nodding, subby note that will have you moving for sure. Sick.
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: T.R.A.C is one of V's resident dons on the mic and the NYC-based vocalist's 'Life In' album was a sensational display of his talent as well as that of the label. The remix album has been a long time coming and it's jam packed with some of V's best broader talent; Need for Mirrors, Command Strange, Danny Wheeler, Saxxon and more. Maverick Soul delivers in a big way on his remix of 'Welcome to the Stateside', a seriously funky number, as do Artificial Intelligence on 'Pursuit', which they keep true to its roots but make even more melancholy - a proper roller. L-Side nails his take on 'Roarganic Symphony', which is dripping with soul in a departure from his often cutting style. Big LP from the crew.
Various
Mr Joseph & Illmatika - "Already Know You" (feat Sherona Knight - Dogger & Mindstate remix) - (4:34) 174 BPM
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review: This compilation arrives with a rich heritage of V Recordings compilations behind it, and Planet V has for a number of years been the flagship series for Bryan Gee's label. Edition four comes to a whopping 73 tracks and includes a mix as well, and all the familiar V faces are present, from Alibi to Paul t & Edward Oberon. All of the tunes have already seen the light of day in a previous form, and Disrupta and Duskee's 'Deep Thoughts' is one of the standouts, as Disrupta lays down a minimal yet funky beat for Duskee to rap lyrical over, something he does with serious presence. New gun SL8r makes several appearances, including on the excellent 'What U Need', which bounces along in a synthscape of serious depth and texture, its funky nodes nodding to the beat of a vintage blend. Crossover outfit Think Tonk also shine with 'Tom & Heavy', an offering unique in its stepping, breaksy percussion and one which oozes soulful class. There are dozens more to have a gander at, so take your pick.
