Review: Souped Up are always innovating around their tried and tested formula, and this EP is from a young artist the team have been pushing hard: Mozey. He's got four tracks here and all of them are wonderful balances of funky, synth-wave patterns and jagged dancefloor destruction, with Serum, Carasel and Current Value injecting that little extra into the mix. 'Simmer' with Carasel is a proper stomper, with a stepping percussive structure beneath a call-and-response format of shuddering stabs and shimmering, shivering synthetic screams. We love the bright, analogue funk on the introduction to 'Flirt', which creates an atmosphere of approachability far removed from its bassline's tendency towards spasmodic barks and gruff shouts. 'Lady Petrol' is a straight jump-up banger, and its position as the title tracks gives away the mission here: dancefloor pressure. Oh yes.
Review: Critical's Binary series gets cracking for a fresh new outlook in 2015. Opening the year with Berlin's Current Value, this is four tracks of techno-infused sonic assaults that have been making an impact in every club brave enough to venture this far into the depths of inky-dark drum and bass over the past few months. "Division" in particular has been hitting the scene hard with its relentless percussion and stressed pads. Often 'experimental' is used as a cop-out description, but in this case it's true, and Current Value has been experimenting with just how tweaked he's willing to go.
Review: Current Value on Serum's Souped Up... Even as recently as a year ago this would have seemed like an odd partnership but right now it feels just right. CV brings dynamics and textures like few others can but much more importantly he understands the funk and groove and when to hold back, too. As a result each of these four tracks is an absolute keeper; "City Syndrome" sparkles with strange spatial textures before flipping into a guttural grainy riff, "Of Truth" hits with a classic old school emotional synth intro before flipping into a growling metallic bassline. "Relinquish" takes us to much darker pastures with a grizzly rolling bassline with "Sluv" ends with foundation tones so rich and evocative but an energy and aesthetic so futuristic and crisp, it's like being in a rave in 1990 but dancing in trainers made in 2090.
Review: Current Value's relationship with the Souped Up crew has become one of the best subgenre cross overs in recent times, with his glitchy Neurofunk sound transitioning perfectly over into Serum's drawn-out, jump-up infused tones. 'Remorse' features Coppa on vocals and it's a naughty, rolling number with a tight sub bass and a general atmosphere of aggressive hedonism and dancefloor orientated funk. Good stuff.
Review: Oh gosh! Current Value hits us hard with his 11th studio album 'Puer'. Released on Serum's Souped Up, it's a no-holds-barred exploration of the jumpier side to his far-reaching range. Big basslines, wily funk, zero-effs-given rave music, it's the German producer at his most playful. Highlights such as the sizzling harmonics of "Contemplate", the deep drones and savage kicks of "Chariot", the rising grainy riff and KO fills of "Pitting" and the reunion with man-of-the-moment Bou on "Running Your Mouth" are just some of the tracks that will melt your skin right down to your bones. And if that's not enough, he's about to drop album 12 on Methlab too. No one's doing it like Current Value.
Review: Doc Scott continues to invite new friends to the fold with another surprise appearance from an artist you might not immediately associate with 31. Following the likes of Serum and J:Kenzo comes German production giant/neuro don Current Value with four supreme workouts; "Bigger Picture" opens with big breezes before dropping into an itchy, scratchy sandpaper funk bass riff, "Major Fracture" has a hook so sharp it could rip holes in the time space continuum, "Reconsider" is all about the latent groove in the rattling percussion while the title track arrests all attention with its unabashed ode to sci-fi. Crucial.
Review: All roads lead to Rampage; one of Europe's biggest bass tickets this season, this year they're celebrating their massive rave with an album featuring some of the best names on the line-up. Once again all bass bases are covered on this second sampler; Maduk adds a little pace to Flux Pavilion's euphoric vocal uplifter "Pull The Trigger", Current Value gets unruly with his heads-down fast lane shock-out "Cyclic" while Upgrade dons his black belt and chops our souls, legs and appendages in half with his grotty choppy stabs. Game over mate.
Review: Mad, bad and dangerous, legendary techstep German D&B-ster Tim Eliot, aka Current Value comes to the fore for part one of Guerilla Files Vol 1. Gird your loins as he goes in hard with the ferocity of a bull in a china shop - we're talking lacerating breaks, breathtaking tempos, pummelling drums and relentless and unforgiving energy in "Therapist", and much the same in flipside gem "Overclock". Gein then takes the reins for another supersonic venture into skullstep debauchery with techno informed beats, punching drums and merciless b-lines in abundance. Not one for the faint hearted.
Review: It's remix o'clock at Dutty Audio Towers as label bossman passes on the parts to a wide range of scene talents: Klute takes the lead with an iced out twist on "Be Yourself" as he manipulates the vocal loop in a different direction. Current Value follows with yet more of his seemingly unstoppable tech science as a wasp nest bassline rattles in 23rd century style. Newcomers Hanzo & Randie bring up the rear with a heads-down neuro take on "Infection" where full emphasis is placed on the sci-fi bass textures. Finally Gydra gets all mechanical and pneumatic on "Inception", giving the original's iconic riff a Blackout style jump-up sense of turbo-charged energy. Feel the burns.
Review: Have you been portal breaching again? We can tell when you've been portal breaching... Your clothes are torn, your face is muddy and there's a strange smell of industrial machinery about you. You know it. We know it. Current Value knows it, and this is how he and major portal-purveyors Let It Roll feel... Dark, turbine-like, loaded with a full baroque choir and every bit as energetic and urgent as you'd expect. "No Halfsteppin'" is equally riled with your behaviour. It might not feel like it with that soothing soulful opener but when the drop plugs into a power source that exceeds the standard 1.21 gigawatts needed to portal breach you'll feel like your skin is melting. Immense. Just like Let It Roll, just like everything CV is doing right now. Once more to the breach our friends...
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