Review: What a combo: roller king Bladerunner co-signs Newcastle newcomer Nectax with these two crucial collabos on his label Hi Resolution. Both tracks flexing both individual artists sounds, there's a big sweeping sci-fi edge to the basslines; "The Fall" is a little deeper with its soulful vocal, bashy fills and dynamic drops into soaring metallic bass tones while "Badlands" doesn't just blow the doors off, it fells the trees, treats the wood, builds the doors then blows them off again. Savagery of the high collabo order. If Nectax isn't on your radar yet, he ruddy well should be now. Badness.
Review: Saxxon has had a wicked past year or so, first with the release of his debut album and then his top-notch EP on V Recordings. Now, he's on Natty Dub for a four-tracker that sits comfortably on the intersection between jungle, jump-up and darker bits, a nice concoction of influences that come together for wicked results. The title track is fresh and creative, with a skippy, Serum-esque drum line and arpeggiated synth nodes that climb and fall in tandem with each other, forming a hypnotic main melody. 'More Dangerous' takes things into darker territory, as does 'Insomniac', and 'Jungle Brothers' combines furious percussion with a ratline sense of force. Big stuff from Saxxon.
Review: Fresh from releasing their first album, Natty Dub label bosses Cabin Fever and Patman clears space in the schedule for a five track showdown of his own. Lean, spares and muscular are the power words of the day as Saxxon fuses classic late 90s jump up with future jungle and modern production touches. Highlights include the balance of atonal bass burps, the apache break and jazz chords on "Junction", the Sub Zero style bass plunges and classic gaming samples on "Street Fire" and the paranoid low end stretches and twisted soul sample on "Proceed". Complete with a cheeky 40 minute mix, Saxxon is spoiling us right here.
Review: Dub Force teams up with longtime Ray Keith cohort Bladerunner on this latest slice of junglist action from the Liondub crew. No surprises here as we are taken deep in with the familiar "Jah Jah is coming" sample offset with some seriously hefty bass pressure and liberally sprinkled hectic amens on "Jah Jah Dub". "Give Me Your Love" slows the pace with hammond organ, reggae chops and dubwise samples all framing a Lover's Rock style yearning vocal and oscillating bass. One for the jungle soldiers.
Review: Saxxon and Teej on Nuusic... Do we need to say any more at this juncture? Everything about this one bangs hard with uncompromising, grubby, rabble-rousing funk and energy as the two hugely respected craftsmen link up for the first time. 'Soundkill' has an energy and vibe that's not dissimilar to the early 2000s Bingo Beats style with its ricochet elements and funk stabs. Meanwhile 'Akuma' sees Saxxon getting stuck in on a previous Teej joint with deadly effects. Killer sounds!
Review: Remix time! Following Dope Ammo's huge foundation-celebrating VA last year come the all-essential remixes of some select tracks and boy are they are the business. Keeping each rebooted rave classic fresh for 2023 come Georgie Riot, Bladerunner, Dope Ammo and Isaac Maya; each one adding their own unique twists to the already massive, euphorically charged anthems, whether it's Bladerunner whipping up a beautiful dreamy twist on 'I Need Your Loving' or Isaac Maya's grizzled switch on 'Together', or any of the other halcyon flavours in between, you'll be bringing people together for a long time to come with these!
Review: Bladerunner presents some high fidelity drum 'n' bass in the tradition of Goldie's Metalheadz sound on his new offering "Take Me Away" where angelic female vocals contrast the most fierce and rolling amens and the gnarliest bassline you'll hear this year. Courtesy of his imprint Hi Resolution, where 2020 was a banner year for the UK artist, with anthems such as "Bassline Terror", "Don't Break It" and "The Fall" (with Nectax) cemented his status within the d 'n' b scene.
Review: London label further crank up the expectations regarding their upcoming Rise of the Soldiers compilation with a second digi sampler featuring the collective talents of Saxxon and Bladerunner. A strong figure in the UK drum and bass scene for over a decade, Bladerunner makes his presence felt with the taut jungle rollage of "Into The Fire", a collaboration with DNA. Saxxon meanwhile goes solo with the rugged darkside business of "Radio Raheem" that has some superbly programmed drum fills. The Soldiers' uprising will be strong on the basis of these Natty Dub samplers!
Review: Pow! Bcee and Bladerunner on one sweet release? This is the stuff D&B dreams are made of. The two respected players complement each other perfectly; Bcee's depths and soul coupled with Bladerunner's rolling ice and heritage heaviness is an instant win. "Moonstruck" starts all airy and wafty before a bulbous bassline bombards the blend with raw power. "Crash" goes deeper into the bass cosmos with a rich, warm string section that's countered neatly by booming subs and a shiny metallic bassline that purrs with subtle menace. A match made in drum & bass heaven.
Review: Back on Grid, Serum returns with Dread Recording's Bladerunner for a double-dose of D&B winners that can only be described as tight! The clean and punchy drums on both Walk The Walk and Warriors are a marvel, while slick atmospherics float over the top of the mix beautifully. While Walk The Walk has little touches of jungle nestled in between the beats, Warriors brings the bass and some hypnotic futuristic keys. Anyone who heard their last collaboration Snake Fist will rightly be very excited about this release..
Review: Random Concept calling an EP "Floor Fillers" is like Mr Kipling naming his new range of cakes as 'tasty'... We can't think of a release on the label that hasn't filled the floor! Stating the obvious is just one of the label's strengths, they can also put together a serious all star cast, as proved right here: Jayline's "Tommy Knocker" flexes with a vocal power that's reminiscent of DJ SS and Warren G's work together, Filthy Habits continue to dominate with a powerful jump-up ripper while Saxxon does a really trippy trick as a jazzy riff comes out of a radio tuning sample before leaping into a demonstratively dark bass riff. Elsewhere we find bong-busting Blackley doing the funky triplet thing on "Botanical", Modified Motion add a little bounce to the collection with a blend that's highly reminiscent of Moving Fusion back in the day while RV and Garry K close the show with an eerie stepper, all stretched out hollow bass and cheek-splintering snares.
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