Review: It's rare we see the high profile combo of Danny Byrd and Hospital not pull of some exceptional results. This brand new track entitled "Salute" is an example of how to turn a drum & bass dance into a zoo in three simple steps. First of all, the vocal presence of MC GQ plays as the perfect host for the track as it rolls out with fantastic drum arrangements beneath. When you couple this with lethal sub weight and emotive horn-like synthesis, it's hard to not find yourself moving to this one!
Review: Word! It's the return of the Byrd and he's back in fine fettle for his fourth longer. Taking things back to his high energy, break heavy jungle influenced roots, the entire album is loaded with unassailable thumpers as the title track "Atomic Funk" and fellow slap-about sessions such as "Lizard Steppa" and "Devil's Drop" set the rampant choppy tone while vocal moments such as "Money Calling" and the badboy switching "Starting It Over" add a little soul to proceedings. With stacks of disco and funk deep in the mix (such as "Better Life" with Maduk and "Holy Star" with MC Foxy), this is full spectrum of Danny Byrd at his realest, happiest and gulliest.
Review: 25 years! The big H celebrate a quarter of a century in the drum & bass game with this phenomenal collection of remixes, reboots and revisitations by some exceptional names from firing new talent to the sagest of OGs. From Dillinja's remix of Urbandawn's 'Come Together' to Makoto's flip on Nu:Tone's classic remix of Lenny Fontana's 'Spread Love' via L-Side's immense remix of B-Complex's 'Beautiful Lies' and A.Fruit's dusty jazz take on the early 2000s 'Beautiful' from Phuturistix, the whole Hospital rave rainbow is covered by one of the best talent line-ups outside of their festivals. Whiney to Winslow, Remarc to Ray Keith, this is a fantastic document that reflects both Hospital and drum & bass on the widest possible level. Happy anniversary!
Review: New State have the honour and privilege of unveiling this extremely hard hitting original collection from the living legends: Stanton Warriors, with their new album project 'Dance Floor'. The album from start to finish gives an excellent showcase of what is going in bass music worldwide, with a selection of originals from their in house label: Punks and more. From listening through, our highlights have to include the subtle, techy flavours of Foundry's 'About Your Love' remix, featuring Lily Mckenzie, along with the punchy collaboration with Taiki Nulight entitled 'Beat Up' and of course Left/Right's spooky rethink of the title track 'Rise'.
Review: This compilation arrives with a rich heritage of V Recordings compilations behind it, and Planet V has for a number of years been the flagship series for Bryan Gee's label. Edition four comes to a whopping 73 tracks and includes a mix as well, and all the familiar V faces are present, from Alibi to Paul t & Edward Oberon. All of the tunes have already seen the light of day in a previous form, and Disrupta and Duskee's 'Deep Thoughts' is one of the standouts, as Disrupta lays down a minimal yet funky beat for Duskee to rap lyrical over, something he does with serious presence. New gun SL8r makes several appearances, including on the excellent 'What U Need', which bounces along in a synthscape of serious depth and texture, its funky nodes nodding to the beat of a vintage blend. Crossover outfit Think Tonk also shine with 'Tom & Heavy', an offering unique in its stepping, breaksy percussion and one which oozes soulful class. There are dozens more to have a gander at, so take your pick.
