Review: Man like Kublai returns to Total Science's label with some of his darkest, dankest, dirtiest designs to date. 'Big Talk' takes the lead with a big old b2b2b in the studio as Kubbie, TS and Minor Forms all get mucky in the action. Elsewhere 'The Imposter' goes for a classic wormy bassline tension, 'Trippin' is pure filth laced over scattershot drums (with more filth thrown in for good measure) while 'Sullied' closes the EP on a pranged out drone tone. Exceptional drum & bass craft here.
Review: Next up from the ever-ready Liondub International, a throwback filled to the brim with lethal flavours as Conrad Subs touches down to deliver four tracks of pure dancefloor fire. We open up with the unpredictable synthetic twitches and reesey rumbles of 'Rave Report', setting the tone of the project nicely before 'Dough' gives us a more minimal fusion of growling bass notes and sharpened drum designs. Next, 'Big Chungus' opens up the roof for an even harder hitting sub-line, upping the ante even further as we move forward, with Speaker Louis providing some additional work on the well thought out rhythmic arrangements of 'Shots Fired'. Another tidy collection from the Liondub dynasty.
Review: Usually known for more jumpier takes on D&B - especially with his 2Ton project - Corrupted Mind follows up the Jungle Jam single with a full EP of the same gully, uncompromised and blistering breakbeat jungle style. Each cut gnarlier than the last, Nuusic's signature fizzy energy has been reimagined in an exciting way as CM goes in on all the little details: 'Rinse Out' comes with serious tension, 'Murder Tune' is all about the militant percussion while 'War Cry' is just pure bassline aggression. What an EP!
Review: Electronic music superstar Anyma (aka one half of Tale Of Us) unveils his highly anticipated sophomore album, Genesys Part II - which follows the success of his debut, Afterlife LP. Showcases Anyma's evolution as a melodic techno producer, the album features 21 tracks split into two distinct components. The first section chalks up a chunk of original compositions, including standout singles like "Pictures of You" and "Higher Power," along with collaborations with Chris Avantgarde, PARISI, Rebūke, and more. The second segment offers reimagined versions of tracks from both Genesys albums, featuring notable remixes by Eric Prydz, Adriatique, and Cassian. With its diverse range of sounds and collaborations, an impresisve and fully comprehensive second edition promises to be a pivotal moment in Anyma's career, dropping amidst the excitement of Miami Music Week 2024.
Review: Selecta! Sub-liminal bossman Agro rolls his sleeves up and gets stuck into his label vaults, drawing out persys and reminding us just how on it his label has been since morning. Ranging from the twisted bass bubbles and trippy warped sounds of Warhead's 'Tread Carefully' to the interplanetary bleep drama and sweet bubbling subs of Kumo's 'Trick Shot', Agro is explicitly telling us how versatile and timeless his label has always been. With some of these cuts going back to the 2016/17, he's proved it. Get stuck in!
Review: Northern banger brigade GTA are marking a big old decade in the game with this walloping collection of beats across the spectrum. Delivered in 10s over five different themes from classics to remixes to floor-scorchers, the end result is an excitingly varied and feisty 50-strong spread of drum & bass perspectives where vibes range from Conrad Subs' utterly gully jungle vibes on his remix of Sl8r's 'Facking Jungle M8' to the thundering dancefloor wallops of Cliques' remix of the label bosses 'Pico De Gallo'. No strong is left unturned throughout the collection as we're just as like to be refreshed by liquid (Pyxis & Maykor's 'Guardian Angel') as we are flattened by venomous, laser-kissed neuro blasts (ICU's remix of 'Rip The Roof Off') Crash bang wallop what an album.
Review: Buckle up, because Particle is taking us on one wild ride with his latest album "Pyro" on Critical Music. This 10-track juggernaut is a full-throttle excursion through the gnarliest terrain of jungle and drum & bass. Right from the jump on the opening cut, Particle flexes his funky bassline muscles to get things properly greased up. But don't get too comfortable - by the closing VIP remix he's dropped the hammer and has the whole thing redlining in the most deliriously unhinged way. This is an artist operating at the peak of his powers, seamlessly blending classic jungle/D&B fundamentals with meticulously futuristic production chops. There's something for the old-school heads and fresh recruits alike on this album. Longtime jungalists will get misty-eyed over the cavernous subs and proving garage-bred breaks of tracks like "Fooling." But Particle also caters to the new-age barneys on tunes such as "Assassin" and "Needles" complete with enough manic robotic contortions to have you rapidly evacuating your flesh vessel. Not one to rest on his laurels, Particle keeps things utterly weird too. "REM" is a deliciously unhinged descent into stuttering jungle psychedelia. And his link-up with Inja on "The Message" injects a taut, nerve-shredding atmospherics that'll have you sweating through three layers of merino wool. Don't sleep on this one, ravers.
Review: Throughout their decade-long career, Alma Negra has combined their love of disco and deep house with percussion, instrumentation and ideas excavated from African, Caribbean and tropical musical cultures. On this EP, they largely ditch the latter inspirations, instead delivering full-throttle revivalist disco sounds where the Basel-based band's organic instrumentation and vocals combine with colourful synth sounds and heady horns. The headline attraction is undoubtedly 'Madrugada', a warming and thickset, subtly deep house-influenced take on the turn-of-the-80s NYC downtown disco-not-disco sound. It comes backed with two revisions - an extra-percussive, dubbed-out Yuksek tweak and the band's own dub disco-goes-deep house 'Dub Mix' - and the riotous, party-starting brilliance of 'Funky Fever'.
Review: Fresh off the presses of Jungle Cakes Records comes the "Survival" EP, a four-track journey guided by the skilled hand of Gold Dubs. No stranger to production, Gold Dubs leverages his years of experience and diverse influences - from bassline to DnB - to craft a dynamic and electrifying listen. The EP kicks off with the aptly titled "Survival," a collaboration with Kalum featuring the distinctive lyricism of Rider Shafique. This track hits hard, both sonically and thematically, with pulsating basslines, warped sub frequencies, and expertly layered FX. Next up is "Infinity" a nostalgic trip down memory lane with a distinctly 90s vibe. Think sharp sub bass, heavy percussion, and vocal samples and synths that evoke a bygone era. Offering a stark contrast, "Bliss" lives up to its name. Soaring, spacey risers and futuristic basslines create a sense of weightlessness, perfectly complemented by the mesmerizing vocal effects. The EP closes with "Too Late," a showcase of Gold Dubs' mastery of the bassline genre. Warped subs, pulsating basslines, and tastefully sparse synths combine with captivating vocal samples to create an infectious groove. This is a track that will leave you hitting repeat and craving more.
Review: The most prolific man in drum & bass, Conrad Subs returns to Ray Keith's Dubplate Dread for the first time since 2020 with a humungous wedge of wallopers. Seven cuts in total, each one of them tailored for those magic 3am moments, big moments range from the gruesome growls and grizzles of 'Octavirus' to the pure raucous shreds and slaps of the title track 'Real Dread', a cut which really does live up to its name. Oh boy, this could well be Conrad Subs' mightiest EP so far, which is really saying something. Real talk.
Review: As Miami Winter Music Conference spins around for another year so does Toolroom's affiliated compilation showcasing why Mark Night's label remains at the precipice of mainstream club music. Bringing with it two full length DJ mixes and exclusive tracks from crew like Alex Kenji, Jerome Robins and Camila Jun, there's also banging numbers from legends like Green Velvet, Nicole Moudaber and Shadow Child next to Low Steppa and Tony Romera! ESSEL kicks off the compilation with the catchy choral loops of "The Edge", with other highlights to mention across some 50 tracks coming from Martin Ikin's drippin' "Make U Sweat", CASSIM's disco-tinged "Wanna Feel Something" and Carly Wilford's "The Dance". Time to dive into Miami 2024 - Toolroom style!
Review: Long live team Alpha Pup, an excellently organised project that have moved onto the third edition of their epic '20/20' compilation series, exploring the most lethal reaches of underground bass music. Featuring hard hitting originals from the likes of Ivy Lab, Dismantle, Rocks FOE, Bakey and more, it's clear that the team have gone all out on this collection, with sounds ranging as wide as the hardcore inspired mysticism of 'Naananaana' from Rohaan, to the industrial techno-flavours of Ila Brugal's 'Cynical'. The whole project packs a punch, but our highlights would have to include both the intense metallic madness of Deft's 'OKURTHEEXPERT', alongside Manni Dee's monstrous 'Wet Slide' creation. Top work all around!
Review: Oh gosh! Every Welcome To The Jungle collection is a big deal but this latest edition from Euphonique and Dazee is a whole other rain forest. 96 tracks and a mix that weighs in over two hours, this is the sound of two of the most foremost and inspiring Bristol-based DJs going IN in every single direction. Loaded with a great range of classics, exclusives and left-of-centre vibes, highlights across this massive collection include Aries and Euphonique's massive 'Amen', Dazee & Jinx's 'Shake It Up', Sweetpea and Chickaboo's 'The Jump Off' and the recent skat-dancing fire-up 'Skip De Du Dat'. And that's not scratching the surface. This is an epic collection. Essential.
Review: Melinki and Shodan on Rebel Music? Now this is a serious meeting of the minds! Proper adult tackle, too, as you'd expect. 'Revenant' is all about the boa constrictor like bassline slugging around the gaff, prone to crush at any minute, while 'I Don't Need' takes us more of a rampant junglised spree, all turbo breaks and a gritty sense of urgency. Finally we hit the sonic skids with 'Bleak'. Proper grumbly, grizzly moody drum & bass for late night basements. High grade.
Review: The Southpoint train continues to drive forward, welcoming some of the best and most exciting new garage and breaks talents in their already well established hall of greats, this time seeing ODF arrive for a fiery debut drop. We open up with 'Riddim & Flow', a powerhouse speedy g slapper, diving perfectly between high energy drum shakes, square-wave bass notation and tight rhythmic designs. On the flip to this, a major switch up as 'B-Side Bubbler' delivers a much more old school feeling, combining broken-beat drum work with moody subs and a clean finish, giving us a near perfect switch up from A to B.
Review: Super prolific Sevin returns to Fokuz with more woozy soul workouts. At points laid back and hazy, at others absolutely off the wall, once again he's baked a collection of back pocket essentials to throw out and surprise your dancefloor. Highlights include the grizzly subtle wonk on 'You Something', the total and utter lunacy (and precision satire) of 'Generic', the sexy saxy Random Movement flavoured jazz fest 'Rainy Days' and the wonderfully slinky, springy finale 'Boomerang'. Rated.
Review: Oh gosh! Whether you're massively into Deep In The Jungle but you've got a few holes in your collection that need filling, or you've just started getting into this side of the music, this 60+ anthem collection is an amazing resource for all modern day junglists. Curated by bossman DJ Hybrid, this collection takes us back through the label's history and cherry picks an amazing array of peaktime wounders, bruisers and bubblers. To pick one or two highlights from such a generous collection doesn't feel right so let us advise you to take in that tracklist, press play and totally vibe out to some of the best jungle bangers made in the last 11 years. Mad love to the DITJ crew!
Review: Paris-based producer Vitess continues his flow of music following releases on Up The Stuss, LOCUS and Shall Not Fade, in addition to his own Retro Futura imprint. Vitess' latest five-track special, Visions, for Rossi's HOMEGROWN label provides the artist with a second appearance there - making himself known with the stand out track on this EP, "Blue Vision", somewhat already anthemic in its appeal thanks it synth-driven energy and dancefloor operandi. Turning up the sultry disco fever and French touch vibes in "Jami Rocaille" - other numbers like "First Night" so richly remind us of The Ones "Flawless", while "Big Sound" throws in some dubbier house action. And for that bassline and acid session check out "Drive Me Crazy".
Review: Off the top of our heads, we can't think back to a release that the Vitamin D imprint has felt disappointing, with the ever-present garage skills of both K-LONE & Wilfy D arriving here for another tasty double single drop. Firstly 'On The Down Low' sees the pair utilise classic R&B style vocals over a smoothened 2-step combo of fluttering chord lines and tightened sub-bass. On the flip to this, 'Nobody' gives us a slightly different feeling, giving the vocal textures a much more affected, choppy feel, topped off with a groovy combination of bubbling organ and piano chords, giving both tracks a tidy balance indeed.
Review: 2024 was always going to be a year of surprises, and the latest release on Rekids is testament to that. Man Power hooks up with the Paris-based Louisahhh for an unexpected anthem in waiting. The title track is an expansive deep house track. At its heart is a pulsating bass combined with Louisahhh's freeform narrative about the state of the world. As befits such a modern classic, Rekids has commissioned Deetron to deliver three remixes. The dub version is a joyous UR-style deep techno version, while the main version follows a similar trajectory, powered by thunder claps and outer space tones. Keeping the audience guessing, Deetron also delivers a 'Drum & Bass' version that focuses on high-paced techno, while the 'Bleep Tool' ends the release to the sound of glistening tonal bliss.
Review: Hitting us like clockwork, every three months since last October, Exit 100 EPs have been an exceptional journey into the label and everything it's stood for since launching 21 years ago. Over the last two EPs we've had all kinda of beat wizardry and boundary burning but for this one it's all about the cutting edge drum & bass. Each cut is a highlight but Loxy & Resound's 'Tyranny' is a direct trip back to 97, Skeptical & Kid Drama's 'Scorn' is a hearty homage to Krust and Mark System's 'Chinook' is every bit the take-off tune you'd expect from it title. Get to the chopper!
Review: In an industry where the term 'veteran' is bandied about far too freely, Colin Curtis is the real deal! His DJing career goes all the way back to legendary Northern Soul club The Golden Torch in the late 60s. In the 70s, he was a resident at Blackpool Mecca alongside Ian Levine, where he became one of the first DJs to introduce the more modern sound of jazz-funk to the scene. By the mid-80s he'd become an early UK champion of house, too, but these days it's on the jazz-dance scene that he's most revered - and here he serves up a 26-track connoisseur's collection that shows why. Ranging from straight-up jazz and soul to soulful house and leaning heavily towards the Afro- and Latin-flavoured, some of these cuts are recent offerings, some date back as far as the 70s, but on jazz-dance floors, all will go down a treat.
Review: Over the last few years, Martin 'Atjazz' Iveson has spent a fair amount of time mentoring Peacey, a young producer with oodles of talent. That much is proved by the rising star's expansive debut album, a superb 16-track set that combines sizzling colo cuts with a string of inspired collaborations. The Edinburgh-based artist sets his stall out via the luscious horn arrangements and immersive ambient electronics of 'Play It By Ear', before drifting between head-nodding R&B loveliness (Oveous hook-up 'Love In The Forest'), sensual and seductive, soul-flecked deep house ('Hold Me Back' with Clyde and Atjazz), mid-tempo boogie-soul ('Playground' with Rona Ray), dubby and dreamy downtempo grooves ('Last Night's Dream'), deep and techy, spoken word-sporting dancefloor workouts ('Culture Bandit' with Vanessa Hidary) and jazz-funk influenced excellence (LaRoye collab 'In The Distance').
Review: The Dutch production duo Makez returns to their soulful house roots with a new four-track EP on Heist Recordings called "Midnight Time." This release showcases the versatility of Makez, seamlessly blending introspective grooves, infectious club anthems, and atmospheric soundscapes. The EP opens with "Closer," a laidback, jazzy collaboration with vocalist AVA LAVÁ featuring lush textures and rich instrumentation that sets a mellow, moody vibe. Next is "Running From The Noise," reuniting Makez with vocalist Life On Planets after their previous hit "Downstream." Life On Planets' emotive vocals mesh perfectly with Makez's trademark deep house rhythms, creating another potential dancefloor gem. It then gets into higher gear with the acid-tinged, 90s-inspired techno groove of "The Answer." Powered by a male vocal hook, acid basslines and classic 909 drum programming, it's a high-energy cut primed for peak-time club plays. Closing out the EP is "Gratitude," which ventures into deeper, more introspective territory with haunting strings, glitchy vocal samples and distorted synth textures layered into an immersive sonic landscape.
Review: Monty Luke's Nightdubbing project on Rekids was designed to showcase the Black Catalogue boss's deep love of dub-infused house and techno. This 13-track album combines previously unheard cuts with nine tracks previously showcased across a pair of EPs of the same name. It's a fantastic set all told, with highlights including the smacked-out electro-dub headiness of opener '40 Acres and a Terrabyte', the extra-percussive deep dub-house hypnotism of 'Bob Molly', the after-hours friendly minimalism of 'Star Storms', the Detroit-goes-dub techno pulse of 'New World/Old Future', the classic dub techno warmth of 'Dark Paradise', and the dub-wise deep house dreaminess of 'Avantgarde Dancehall'. Throw in a handful of tidy ambient and digital dub tracks, and you have a genuinely superb long-player.
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