Trakker - "Woody The Hood Pecker" - (4:26) 174 BPM
Sikka - "You Know" - (4:56) 172 BPM
SUV & Mood - "Mambo" - (4:08) 175 BPM
Damageman - "Pain Relief" - (4:27) 175 BPM
Stokka - "Venus" - (3:47) 170 BPM
Vytol - "Nelson" - (5:12) 174 BPM
KC - "Bill Kill" - (5:11) 173 BPM
Jaxx - "Hurdles" - (5:11) 175 BPM
Coy & Coda - "Blinded" - (5:44) 172 BPM
Review: Squad up! Natty Dub celebrate 50 releases with this absolutely stinking set from some of their nearest and dearest, closest and bro-sest. Firing from all cannons, every track is a thumper; Saxxon gets his squelch on with "Brockley Fox", T>I is all screams, wriggles and giggles on "Pointless Torture", Sikka delivers one of his best tunes to date in the funk-fuelled form of "You Know", Suv and Mood give us a Bristol kiss with the slinky, hip-twisting "Mambo" and Jaxx nods his cap at the wild west of the mid 90s on the percussion heavy "Hurdles". Timeless, authentic and full of dirty funk - Natty Dub are one of the most true-to-the-core labels doing it right now. Bring on the next 50!
Review: Hailing from Canada, RMS has firmly established himself over the last couple of years as someone at the forefront of D&B's re-discovered love for jungle-influences and bouncy but hard-hitting basslines. Drawing upon those influences, he's back on Original Key for a full-throated five-tracker that kicks off with 'Down' featuring Kumarachi, a heavily weighted sine-based wobbler that pushes on every corner of the range. '90s Soundboy' has thoose wicked juddering bass pulses and that recognizable sense of hardware-based rawness, whilst the junglst vibes are seriously real on 'Mi Fi Tell Yuh'. This release has overtones of Manchester and undertones of the Great White North - proper UK underground stuff.
Review: Last spotted on Euphonique's Subwoofah with the series statement of intent "We Here", Speaker Louis and Grimesy tag up once again for this equally heavy collection on Deep In The Jungle. Four tracks deep, each one a stinker, highlight include the bonafide bludclart jungle ruffage of "Can't Touch", the bounding subs of "Burning" and the full-strength sirens and tidal wave bass surges on the title track. Bad boys for life...
Review: Skore has been on a bit of a roll recently and he's back on Subway Soundz for a stripped back, roughshod single which showcases an interesting blend of the minimal sound with the jump-up side of the scene. This is a style that's been taking off recently and we're very much into it, it's a bit less full-on that jump-up and not as screechy, yet still has the wicked attitude and urban-edged toughness of jump-up. 'Sauced Up' is an excellent example, with an ice-cold demeanour and multiple criss-crossing strands of reverberating bass, an amalgamation of low-frequency textures which just roll out the whole way through. Sick stuff here.
Review: Low Down Deep are regular appearances here for two main reasons. Firstly, they release a hell of a lot of music. Secondly, it almost always hits hard and in good order. So, with that in mind, let's take a look at Sota's three-track single: Bite/Signal/Down. 'Bite' is without a doubt the highlight of the EP, with an infectiously funky arrangement that's grounded in a glitchy sense of progression and movement. It goes hard, but in a way that's not off-putting or over the top. That's the general impression of this EP: jump-up, but not trashy jump-up. Just the way we like it.
Review: Dusky's first outing for Running Back, "Life Signs", was arguably one of their most euphoric and uplifting releases to date, so it's little surprise to find that this much-anticipated sequel explores similar sonic territory. The future anthem is undoubtedly "Metropolis", a shimmering retro-futurist number that layers bleeping lead lines and spine-tingling pads atop a weighty analogue bassline and heavy beats. You get vocal and dub mixes, with the former making great use of a loved-up female vocal snippet that adds to the cut's old school credentials. Elsewhere, "Seed Tray" is a rushing, warehouse-ready stomper smothered in rave-era piano stabs, "Mushroom Samba" adds bleeps to a suitably psychedelic, all-action backing track, and "Fridge" is a nostalgic, retro-futurist romp that defies easy categorization.
Review: Hi Def are one of the most prolific jump-up labels around. We regularly feature their releases and they almost always smash it out of the park, this time being no different. Access All Areas is a fiery EP, featuring Ego Trippin, Filthy Habits and more, that epitomizes the type of jump-up, but also slightly different flavours as well, that, in more ways than one, has defined D&B over the past couple of years - no-nonsense, uncompromising and proudly nonchalant about what you think. It's just pure attitude, dancefloor-based music at its best and music that simply does what it wants, there's no pretentiousness or image-orientated concerns - it's just D&B. Big, big tunes.
Review: Every now and then, you just want a release that slams start to finish. No frills, no pretence of trying to be something that it isn't, just solidly banging D&B that gets your head nodding and your feet moving. Banzai has done that here and this single is a run of attitude-packed jump up, all of which would sound fat through a sound system. 'Menace' is a highlight, samples leading you in into a fluttering array of jagged synth-lines and boom-bap drum hits, a vibe that's quickly transferred across into 'Showtime' - snapping percussive hits, moody bass notes and melody that oozes power.
Review: Filthy Habits and Jeopardize - two savagely on-point basssmiths usually spotted lurking around the G13 camp - land on Heist's Co-Lab imprint with this absolute barnstormer of a banger. Running drums, big flabby basses and a drive that can cut through any mix and knock crowds off their feet; both acts' longstanding collaborative history can be felt in every detail here. Tracks like this are built to last. They got the key... But what is the secret?
Review: This release honestly doesn't mess around. It carries a serious sense of potency despite its clear lack of pretentious sophistication, because D&B of this type simply isn't about sophistication, it's about making something so filthy the audience won't even understand what hit them. Everyone on this release has certainly accomplished that here, I mean just have a listen to the rippling sines, percussive naughtiness and bassline badassery that is 'Get Some Juice', a beautifully spacious tune that still manages to make you feel like you've been attacked by a dog. This is a crazy release from start to finish.
Review: Logan D's Low Down Deep welcome Complex to the family with these two stinking wallopers. "Tested" takes the lead with its sharp but sweet sense of funk. All one note hits and octave variations, it's a classic alchemy that will drive the dancefloor nuts every time. Meanwhile "Under The Bed" takes things into darker territories with a creepy sample and a wobbled-out bass so strong it could life up your bed while you sleep in it. Don't have nightmares.
Review: Stompz is one of those names that, over the past few years, has seen a growing level of esteem attached to his productions, mostly via labels like Prototype Recordings and more. He's back on jump-up label Informal, the creation of Dutta, for a fiery little single which brings to the table the sound he'd become known for: stabby, punchy and full of jagged energy. This one is for the rollers crew. Where you at?
Review: Nuusic are going back to their roots this week with a properly wicked four-track jungle release from Veak, a producer who flits around the scene, stylistically speaking, from heavier jump up bits to the type of pummelling jungle he's on here. The title tune is our favourite, with a deathly combination of wobbling sines, smacking snare hits and gilded twists of reese bass. it's a fantastically satisfying track with a level of movement that all the best jungle has. The other three tunes all pop off as well, so be sure to give this one a nod.
Review: Given his track record, it's something of a surprise to find that this is Crackazat's first outing on Freerange. It's less of a surprise to discover that it's a superb EP. Lead cut "Valentine" is little less than sublime: a warm and floor-friendly mixture of bumping US garage influenced drums, jaunty jazz-funk bass, spacey synthesizer flourishes and jazzy piano motifs that veer from poignant and heart-aching to celebratory and rush-inducing in the space of five minutes. "Back Of My Heart" is a bleeping skip through bass-heavy deep house while "I Heard You" is a bluesy and jazzy house number straight out of the top drawer. If that's not enough to get you drooling, Patrice Scott's remix of "Back Of My Heart" is a warm, loose and languid intergalactic treat.
Reprise & Ray Keith - "She's Gone" (feat Nathan Thomas) - (5:21) 150 BPM
Jungle Dub - (6:40) 174 BPM
I Love 94 - (6:40) 58 BPM
Solid State - (6:44) 175 BPM
The Storm - (8:13) 175 BPM
Reprise & Ray Keith - "Arabian Nights" - (6:28) 180 BPM
This Is My Sound (Bonus Track) - (6:15) 189 BPM
Review: Boom! The first BIG drum & bass album of the decade has landed... Ray Keith's long, long, long-awaited album. His first since 2012's I Am Renegade, he's making up for lost time with 31 tracks that cover his entire style and comprise collaborations with likes of DRS and Reprise. As always, Keith covers the board and showcases the true breadth and range of the genre. From the absolute slaughter jams such as "Darth Dred", "Master Assassin" and "I'm A Souljah" to classy sample-based ultrafunkular sweetness ("Don't Look Any Further") and proper songwriting and real heartfelt vibes and sentiments from the bottom of his pioneer's heart such "You're My Angel". The full range, the full flavour, the wait has been worth it.
Review: Monrroe is one of a spate of new signings taken up by the Shogun team in their effort to stay one of the most relevant, cutting edge drum & bass labels in the game. Monrroe is the ideal candidate for this task, a producer who blends the soulful with the biting and the flurid with the respectable. Endless Change is his first full release on the label and it's wicked, with a combination of vibes and an endless changing repertoire of sounds. Jinadu features on the gorgeously rolling 'Horizon', whilst things get stupidly deep and dark on 'Your Lives', the highlight of the release. An excellent start to his Shogun career for the young producer.
Review: Kumo is landing on Gyro this week with a sophisticated and incredibly fun release, one which, if you hear out live, is certain to get you moving. There's a carelessness and a freedom to these tracks and it creates a tangible sense of kinetic movement. The title track kicks things off in style and it's 'Psycho' that really takes the cake, a winding, subby track that flips between roughshod work and a more rolling, stripped back tip, including powerful, punchy basses all the way. It's a wicked track and definitely the highlight of the release. 'Incarcerated' is another absolute banger but one that's deep and wispy in all the right ways, as stuttering drum lines perforate over monochromatic bassline injections. Sick!
Review: Born On Road roll into a new decade in style as Lupo & Jappa join the fray with this savage slab of darkness. Groaning basslines, soundsystem vibes and subtle MC chatter; "Nuff Girl" hits every spot you need it to. It's backed by more heavy artillery: "Flee" now comes in VIP form with its trippy staccato bass burps, Lupo goes solo on the super-spooked out "Minefield" while Jappa closes down the show with M-Tek on "Tuff". Absolute murderation.
Review: Cor blimey governors! Zero T and Beta 2 don't muck around when they get together, do they? Last spotted on a collab flex on Dispatch last year, here the pair lay the foundation smack down on Headz with this massive six track EP. Tapping right back on the classic deep jazz sound the label has always celebrated and championed as the much as heavier stuff (think Hidden Agenda, Sci-Clone, J Majik) each of these cuts will whisk you away to places you didn't even know existed. The gilded Rhodes on "In My Head", the slinky, lithe bassline of "Misdemeanour", the star-gazing poignancy of "Stacks", the list goes on. Yet another exceptional EP from the mothership.
Review: Filthy Habits? We wouldn't be surprised if Filthy Habits himself had a few of those, not just because it's in his name but because of how downright filthy his tunes are, although they're contrasted on this occasion with the sickening sweetness of its cake-based theme. 'Mr Kipling' is a rush of pitched-up deathy synths that rolls out at max speed and with zero sense of giving a fuck about, well, anything really. The flip side is in the same vein, and 'Keep It Real' smacks of old school Sub Zero with its stabby approach to crafting basses. This is a solid release from a producer who has been on the up recently, and we're looking forward to the next one.
Review: Welcome to "Funk Town" a civilised utopia where the streets are lined with pure bounce, everyone dances with each other to say hello and man like Smooth is president. Leading with a sound and an energy that could smash down walls (rather than build them, like other presidents) it's another ball-busting affair from the Slovenian veteran where highlights include the tear-out gully of "Strictly Vibes", the warm disco-fied bounce of "Funk Town" and the strange wriggly synth squiggles of "Grains". Make yourself at home.
Review: For the 12th edition of Vintage Music's "Selection" compilation series, label founder Sunner Soul has dug deep into the archives and offered up 12 of his most potent reworks. While he built his career on summery, sun-kissed slo-mo revisions and baggy, near Balearic workouts, the material here is almost all energetic, peak-time ready and gleefully celebratory. Amongst the many highlights you'll find the shirts-off disco camp of "Bad Boys Disco", the gently housed-up deep disco-blues of "Couldn't Tell You", the Salsoul-goes-house bump of "Dr Love", the punchy horns, swirling strings and rubbery grooves of "Flying Violins" and the super-sweet disco-house bump of "The Mystery of Loops".
Review: Latte might not be everyone's cup of tea but we guarantee that one blast on these latest hellraisers and he'll most definitely be your cup of coffee. Hot, frothy and enough energy to keep you awake all day, this young newcomer is full of all the right flavour... The aromatic whiffy angst of "Fuming", the nutty grit of "Manners" and the full-bodied badness blend of "Arbzilla" are just three examples. Dark, rich, heavy; just like a good Latte should be. Don't ghost this one.
Review: Gella can really make music and his latest piece of work is out over on Super Sharp Recordings. This single is an energetic piece of jump-up construction that doesn't hesitate to punch you in the face and its exemplified by the A-side, a bass-filled expression of dancefloor hatred which moves in mysterious yet obvious ways. It bangs, basically, as does the B-side, with special mention going out to all the sweet hip-hop samples for their contribution to the excellent 'The Next Shit'. Top stuff
Review: Iron Fist is an appropriate name for the label behind this collection of VIPs and, listening through them, you can hear why. This release is a solid envelope of four tunes which demonstrate a serious understanding of jump-up's nastier end, the type of jump-up which some hate but which inspires a passionate love for the genre in others. Jaydan's VIP of Say Nothing is the best example of this, its pointed, jagged-edged basslines are cutting and penetrating at the same time, snappy drums lie underneath and the whole tune is packaged with effortless finesse. Check out the others for some of the hardest-hitting D&B around.
Review: As we move further into the new decade, we are thrilled to see that the Encrypted Audio team are continuing to keep up the pace, as they welcome one of 2019's standout producers: Cartridge. He kicks off this powerful four track collection with the colourful melodies and smooth grooves of 'Daffodils In February', followed by the incredibly gnarly tones of 'Isham'. Next, eastern patterns are combined with scratchy drums on 'Riot' with excellent results, alongside the final track 'Stubble', which uses chiming melodies and swirling sub textures to round us off nicely. Tidy work!
Review: Liondub's Street Series is one of the longest running and best introductory series' in the business, pulling through some lesser known talent on an almost monthly basis with condense yet expansive collections of music. This time it's the turn of Cool Hand Flex who lays down the gauntlet from the outset with 'London Groove' - a huge rolling number with towering high points that tumble down into jarringly cool low points. It's a bit of a ballad to be honest. 'Sight & Sound' is the other highlight, a pummelling jungle tip with a wobbling sub and deliciously satisfying percussive snaps.
Review: Mella Dee bounces back on his Warehouse Music label with this club-primed release. The title track leads the listener on a journey through 90s minimal techno, with chattering percussion accompanying analogue yelps and a wiry rhythm. The tempo moves up a few gears on "Toast" and "Sidewalk Surfer", with Dee applying roughly the same hardware-driven approach, albeit set to more pace-y backing tracks. "Maplins" resounds to grainy kicks and raw percussive ticks, sounding like it was inspired by Neil Landstrumm's 90s work for Tresor, while on "Rockport Xcs", the singular techno producer delivers detuned chords against a skippy, rolling groove.
Review: Vital Elements has built up a name for himself as someone who never fails to bring out the big guns with his music. It's always heavy, hard-hitting and built on soundscapes and vibes which are deeply urban. His newest EP on V2E is no different and it kicks off with 'Is It Enough', a Serum-esque roller with a bassline that stretches out over the horizon, the only constant being its grinding, coarse nature and the manner in which it constantly mutates and evolves. 'Bass Monster' is equally as rough but less rolling and more fragmented, its structure and nature constantly changes and it keeps the tune sounding consistently fresh. The rest of this EP is absolute vibes, too.
Review: The man, the myth, the sofa-loving animal; DLR dives deep into 2020 with two corkers on Doc Scott's 31. "Banana Bread" is every bit as tasty as its name suggests. There's an old school house vibe to the rising chords and string line as it builds slowly towards to the ruffneck scrappy bassline on the drop. "Busy" is an equally addictive affair. Once again the intro fools you ahead of the twist; dreamy, deep and skippy, no one expects the dark, techno-like groove when it finally kicks in. Go bananas.
Ya Dun Know (feat Diligent Fingers) - (4:56) 175 BPM
Review: Grid Recordings have a bit of a reputation for spewing out some of the most venomous beats in the business and their talent for pushing some of the best artists on the jump-up spectrum is undeniable. Shadre & Salvage are holding up that standard and they're doing it in style, something clear right from the start of this single. 'Stay Put' reels you in with a lovely introduction, it's synthy beginnings quickly regressing to a siren-like wail of pure energy that's reminiscent of Kings of the Rollers and insanity more generally. The rest of the release is wicked as well, as the flipside 'Ya Dun Know' features the vocals Diligent Fingers over a choppy bassline and funky synth work.
Review: Vision are just full of surprises right now. Straight off the back of Noisia's "Armajet" OST comes this gully-AF quartet from Machinedrum and EDM/trap producer Holly. Neither artist is known for making drum & bass (although you can hear elements of it in many of their past productions) but it sounds like they've been bending breaks at 170 forever. From the rave tension of "Berry Patch" to the glacial textures and experimentalism of "Bramble" to the underwater Rockwell soul "Goji" and the Salvador Dali style bass of "Yangmei", this is the absolute business.
Review: There aren't many people better to remix your track than A.M.C, the man who recently dethroned Andy C as the Best DJ at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards and who is just generally an absolute beast at both production and spinning. He's on remix duties for K-Motionz and the result is a penetrating, deeply heavy wall of pure fire, one which jumps out the gun with the momentum of Usain Bolt and which matches him on sheer impact. 'Gunshot' is exactly what you'd expect - wounding - and A.M.C. has flipped this one into a DJ weapon we assume he's been getting ample use from.
