Review: Hold tight Bryan Gee and the family. Now rolling 30 years deep! Naturally they're releasing some absolutely exceptional music to celebrate. Next up in this epic three decade gully marathon are three utter tear-ups. Voltage goes old testament on the jungle slap-about 'Lion Of Judah', Krust and Need For Mirrors' Cloud Lord go ultra trippy and cosmic on 'Ghost Train' while Command Strange and L-Side get pure filthy on 'Angry Tune'. Many happy returns V!
Review: Some dads clean up your mess. Other dads make you mess yourself. Other dads make the mess and expect you to clean it up. We don't even need to tell you what type of fathers Serum and Voltage are, but in case you're unaware of the mischievous influence they have on each other, let's just say they're not changing any nappies tonight. 'Pum Pum Rule' is a splat-and-dash dust-up with some of the funkiest drums the pair have ever programmed while 'Metamorphosis' takes us back to the late 2000s style of tear-up with very messy consequences. Watch out for volume two when they try and tell us about the birds and the bees. Eek.
Review: Voltage on Philly Blunt doing what Voltage does best... Making funky-assed bassline funk at the highest possible level. Tapping into a classic Bristol sound but in his own inimitable and incredibly well produced way, 'Gang Music' nods to the Die school of Bristol rollers and is all about the addictive call and response groove. 'Hornz', meanwhile, is just a little darker and bleepier conjuring up subtle notions of Krust back in his Warhead chapter. References aside, these are timeless and some of the best things Voltage has done solo in quite some time.
Review: Do as he says, not as he does... Number one father for justice Voltage lays down the ground rules with this stinking slab of parental heaviness. You thought lockdown was bad? Just wait until you see what happens under your new poppa's regime: The groaning bassline on "Space Station" will ground you for a week, the pace, tension and growls of "Gyal Chat" will stop your pocket money for three months and the gruffness and ruffness of "Cold Air" will send you to bed with no tea every night for a fortnight. It's not all punishment and gunishment, though; "Spare You" (with MC Bassman) shows Voltage's kinder, softer fatherly side and he lets you drink cider and stay up till 3am watching horror films. Way to go dad-dad-daddio.
Review: Voltage is one of those names that, over the past few years, has seen a growing level of esteem attached to his productions, mostly via the now-supergroup that is Kings of the Rollers. He's back on jump-up stalwart label Low Down Deep 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 for the rollers crew. Where you at?
Review: The bumchin badboy is back, and he's packing a platter of greasy riff pies. But be lively, these are so fresh they're jumping off the plate! "High Frequency" is all about the ping pong ball bassline that ricochets around the mix like a hyper puppy who's been given grown up Pedigree Chum while "Entity" adds instant contrast with grumpy bass guffs and a beat the rolls with absolute perfection and works in pretty much every single mix we've tried. Deeper into the EP we find Souped Up's head chef Serum getting in the mix for two collaborations; "Circuits" is a proper grumpy one with just a smidgeon of BC peppering the mix while "Pitch Forks" gathers the rabble and comes charging out of the gate towards whoever's made the most recent public upset. And by the sounds of that flabby bassline and those graveyard pads they're not stopping until blood is split. Rabble rabble!
Review: Danger danger, high Voltage: one of the most prolific and consistent men in the game continues to assault the game as he levels up to board the Metalheadz mothership. Five tracks in total, each one flagrantly showcasing how rich his references and skills are: "Hold Tight" is all about jazzy touches, "Losing" is straight up star-gazing soul, "Out Of Luck" is all about the melancholic hypnosis, "Mood Swings" plays a deft game of contrast and shade with Hidden Agenda style flurries over some classic breaks while "Never Ready" closes the deal with an iced-out dark side rampage that couldn't be more Headz if it chomped your arm off with gold teeth. Moody as hell.
Review: One of the elite breed of artists who can appear across the board from Shogun to Low Down Deep, verified roller king Voltage returns to his own imprint for two slices of dagger dance bassline fun. With its sandpaper bassline and fiery energy "Hot Knives" hits the throat and gives you a buzz from the toes up while "Resistance" is much more of a gutter-chomping mix treat with its low swinging gnarly bassline hitting well below the knees over a spacious Bristol style jazzy break. Cut to the chase.
Review: A year has passed since Voltage took us for a "Ruby" on Logan D's Low Down Deep. During that time he's verified himself as a roller king and teamed up with Serum to get souped up and waggle his fat cobra in our faces. Now he's back with more high grade strains and they're all as smelly and potent as the next. "Sticky Vicky" is all about the staccato sandpaper harmonics, "Barbera" does this cool Q&A between higher and lower textures before dropping into a dreamy rave breakdown, "Labrynth" is all about the squelching farty off-beat bass funk while "Boy" shuts us down with weirded-out scary reverse bassline twistery. White widow... guaranteed to spark up the dance!
Review: Men of the moment Serum & Voltage press the red button on Serum's nuclear new label: Souped Up. The results are as bright, bashy and bad-ass as you'd hope them to be: "8-Bit" hits with a nasty rasping riff that grizzles on the top-end and sizzles on the bottom while "Gunfingers" shoots and whips with an anthemic bass melody that's so strong you feel you've known all your life. Already massive in the dance with those lucky enough to have it dub, this is the way all new labels should launch.
Review: Man of the moment Voltage just keeps the vibes flowing with yet another spotless clutch of underground bash-jams. "Silent Killer" has a Rottweiler bassline that barks with beautiful aggression, "Let Off" is all subs and spaciousness and "Goblin" rolls out with one of those mischievous basslines that's guaranteed to induce smirks and sultry dance moves. Elsewhere expect to have your face-melted by the multi-layered basses on "Barrel Smoke" and prepare for a steppy Ganja Kru style jazzy/bassline finale. Pure D&B electricity - Voltage can do no wrong this decade.
Review: Fresh from mopping up at the Drum & Bass Awards, Voltage lets rip with a VIP of one of his many past conquests.... Release late 2014, "Float Ya Boat" was a staple for many DJs with its tingling harmonic tones and simple-but-deadly bassline. VIP-wise he adds a little melodic complexity and punch in the drums while retaining the breezy rolls we all fell in love with. "Lose Life" is Voltage reminding us of his darker side with its distorted, grunting riff and heads-down mentality. Life-affirming.
Review: Kartoons: One of the most influential jump-up labels of the mid-late 90s, headed by Nicky Blackmarket himself, returns in digital form. Naturally the bossman is at the helm, and he's brought his frequent flyer Voltage with him. "Fusion" shows the label's dedication to the future with its eerie electrical pitch rattling and fluctuating over crisp steppy beats. "Midnight", meanwhile, is a slight throwback to the original agenda-setting days with its classic DJ Trend style riff punctuating every kick. Carnage guaranteed.
Review: Consistency is key with Voltage: no overblown hype or fanfair or 'massive' tracks.... Just proper classically trained dancefloor drum & bass. Here we find him doing the do on his own label Rollaz with four crisp originals. Highlights include the show-stopped bass twist and vocal treatment "Bell Riddim", the techno-like dynamic and pneumatic crunch of "Pulsate" and the instant party jump-up of "Dub Tickles" penned with originator badman Blackmarket. There's a fine line between Rollaz and absolute belters....
Review: Here come the remixes: Dub Damage look back to last year's four-year birthday album with two barn-burning twist-ups. Annix get their paws mucky on Blackmarket and Chapo's already-stunning "USS Enterprise" by switching out the classic Urban Takeover sub rolls for something altogether eviler and sharper. Meanwhile Harvest takes T>I's stripped back stepper "Grudge Fcuk" and injects it with jet engine reese that's so wide and overwhelming you might have to have a sit down after hearing it. No messing around at all on this one.
Review: Having done the damage on Low Down Deep with his debut album, Voltage returns to his fledgling Rollaz imprint with four more uncompromised speaker-slashers. "Invisible Limits" is a great hark back to the early tech-step days with a really boomy, gruff bassline that's more distorted than a night drinking toilet cleaner. "Colours" flips the vibe with a very stripped back jam where every ingredient plays a key role in the bake: the fluctuating bass flickers and the cascading, loose-feeling drums. "Message" takes the lean dynamic even further as subs hum with Ray Keith style menace and a sultry vocal peppers the blend with less-is-more prowess. Finally we come hurtling into "Out There" which sits somewhere between old Dillinja and modern Tyke but with Voltage's own unique style.
Review: Jacksy-juddering jams from a man who knows his way around both a studio. The title track bumps and grinds in the lewd, sweaty way you would imagine. It's joined by five more equally bouncy, summer-primed workouts. Highlights include the "Basement Track"-esque Lafayette Afro Rock Band sampling "Steppy Stones", the twisted ragga vocals and sharp steppy triplets on "Tour" and lean, minimal make-up and the tripped out bass tones of "Bionic". Stabby.
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