Review: We hate to break the news to you but, as doctors R!PT!DE and Ghee-K have officially confirmed: 'You're Dead'. Putting this 'ahhhhhhhhhh' into RIP, mourning will be rolled out in a series of super freaky, ultra sleazy, mega leftfield sound designs and textures. From the regimentalist solider orders of 'Rojah' to trippy, broken-spring finale fire of the title track 'You're Dead', this is one exceptional collection. Time to put your affairs in order.
Review: Bladerunner back on Philly Blunt baby! You already know this one is going to be special. Two massive cuts laced with big V funk and exciting, unpredictable twists, 'The Chronic' is an immense piece of work that's just as much disco as it is jungle thanks to some lavish synth blasts mid-way. 'Straight Up' goes for something even ruffer as the main bassline revs up a storm like a can of coke on your bike's back tire. Grizzly ain't even the word, this is savage. Go on Bladerunner!
Review: Nick The Lot on Low Down Deep... Now this is a treat for the senses! Watch and learn as the Brighton bandit hurls out some of his most disgusting textures and techniques possible. 'Big Bad Bass' sets the scene with its oddball noises and sudden turbo synth thrusts. Unpredictable, weird and never taking itself too seriously, the rest of the EP is a riot and highlights come firing left and right and centre - 'Bermuda Triangle' is one of the most bonkers thing NTL has ever done while 'Waccy Baccy' melts us down to a psychedelic mess for the finale. More than your lot.
Review: Man like Kublai returns to Total Science's label with some of his darkest, dankest, dirtiest designs to date. 'Big Talk' takes the lead with a big old b2b2b in the studio as Kubbie, TS and Minor Forms all get mucky in the action. Elsewhere 'The Imposter' goes for a classic wormy bassline tension, 'Trippin' is pure filth laced over scattershot drums (with more filth thrown in for good measure) while 'Sullied' closes the EP on a pranged out drone tone. Exceptional drum & bass craft here.
Review: 20 years old this summer! Basement Jaxx's anthemic string-drench good riddance anthem 'Good Luck' gets two incredible drum & bass remixes on Friction's Elevate right here. First is Circadian who continues to smash things up post Prototypes with this wild dancefloor turbo boost. Think Breakbeat Kaos with added diesel power, it's an absolute monster. Sri Lanka's IYRE meanwhile brings more of a housey type of touch with big filtered chords and a rising sense of momentum that pays off more and more with every 16. Good vibes.
Review: Melinki and Shodan on Rebel Music? Now this is a serious meeting of the minds! Proper adult tackle, too, as you'd expect. 'Revenant' is all about the boa constrictor like bassline slugging around the gaff, prone to crush at any minute, while 'I Don't Need' takes us more of a rampant junglised spree, all turbo breaks and a gritty sense of urgency. Finally we hit the sonic skids with 'Bleak'. Proper grumbly, grizzly moody drum & bass for late night basements. High grade.
Review: Montenegro-based rework maestro Mitiko (real name Sasha Mitich) has been a busy boy this year, with this EP-turned-mini album marking his sixth missive of 2024 to date. There's plenty to get the blood pumping and the feet moving across the seven tracks on show, from the lightly housed up vocal disco rush of 'Along With You' and the filter-sporting Afro-disco joy of 'Fungi Mama', to the slow-motion disco-funk headiness of 'Ghost' and the build-and-release excellence of the stomping, string-laden peak-time disco of 'Peak At You'. Those seeking mid-tempo thrills are catered for via 'Get Up and Boogie', while 'Latin Hustle' is a memorable revision of a Spanish language dancefloor gem.
Review: The legendary DJ Hybrid is back in business with another top quality collection, unloading four garage-inspired bumpers on this brand new EP. The title track 'Flex Ya Chest' takes centre stage from the off, exploring old school garage vocal overlays and hard hitting sublines to kick the EP off in serious style. Next, a 140 VIP mix of 'Big Four Five', utilising a hard hitting vocal line atop a bed of quivering LFO lines and choppy drum textures, before the super smooth sub notation of 'All For You' gives us another thunderous display in close pursuit. Finally, 'Area Code' ups the pace significantly with a dancefloor-ready rumbler, focussing on fidgeting synth lines and smooth pads to give us a slightly alternative closer.
Review: 2024 was always going to be a year of surprises, and the latest release on Rekids is testament to that. Man Power hooks up with the Paris-based Louisahhh for an unexpected anthem in waiting. The title track is an expansive deep house track. At its heart is a pulsating bass combined with Louisahhh's freeform narrative about the state of the world. As befits such a modern classic, Rekids has commissioned Deetron to deliver three remixes. The dub version is a joyous UR-style deep techno version, while the main version follows a similar trajectory, powered by thunder claps and outer space tones. Keeping the audience guessing, Deetron also delivers a 'Drum & Bass' version that focuses on high-paced techno, while the 'Bleep Tool' ends the release to the sound of glistening tonal bliss.
Review: Nick Curly showcases his mastery of the underground house scene with the "Come Right Back" EP, released through Cécille Records! Hailing from Mannheim, Germany, Curly's influence spans two decades, with his imprint 8bit shaping the city's distinct sound. "Come Right Back" kicks off the EP with Curly's trademark swinging drum groove, fused with a filtered disco loop and choppy stabs, crafting a dance floor-focused workout. On "Arkum", Curly delves into deeper, darker realms, blending organic percussion and gritty bass stabs with tension-building strings and spoken word vocal chops, resulting in a loop-driven, subtly unfurling peak-time tool with its subtle intricacies.
Review: Paul SG's soulful stable just keeps on serving up the good stuff as two long time members of the Jazzsticks crew roll up with two no-nonsense dancefloor gems. Carter dusts off his keys and trumpet for a silky smooth strut into sunset on 'Outlined' while Decon takes things back to darker, stripped-back ravey edge with some classic stabs and vocal samples on 'So Simple'. Two very different vibes for two very different times of the night; one crucial single. Big up the Jazzsticks massive.
Review: As always, the Deep, Dark & Dangerous crew are out in full force with this latest drop, welcoming the ever-ready sounds of Isded inside for four swampy stompers, destined to set dances alight in the murkiest of settings. We open up with the haunted LFO slams of 'Dig It', a super potent roller that leads us nicely into the hypnotic sub designs of the title track 'Swang', setting the tone nicely across the first half of the EP. from here, thing get even more minimal as the creeping melodies and clunky percussive pips of 'El Affair' give us another smokey backdrop to admire, before the hyper-wonky synth work of 'Shitfire' closes off the EP with a blast. Another collection of heaters for the DD&D crew.
Review: After a flurry of activity in 2023 for Suara, Sleaze and Planet Rhythm, long-established producer Axel Karakasis returns to his own imprint with Source Of Data. Fans of tough, lean techno will find much to love here, particularly "Objective", with its combination of tight claps and powerful, looped bass. But the release also yields surprises by following other paths: "Asphalt" sees Karakasis venture down a Millsian route, guided by dense, visceral kicks and an atmospheric undercurrent. On "Inner Voice" he also pursues a more unconventional approach. While the track is based on tough kicks and a cacophony of nagging percussion, it is also swathed in swirling atmospheric synths.
Review: Kerri Chandler continues to mine the untapped depths of his musical vaults and here serves up a third dose of previously unreleased gems. Chandler first offers up 'Let It (Give Me Back My Love)', a typically joyful, hip-swinging and effortlessly groovy chunk of vocal deep house featuring Abbie Lee, before reaching for fluid piano motifs, super-soulful male vocals (possibly his own) and Kenny Dope style broken house beats on 'Another Dawn'. 'The Bassline (Kerri's Dark Mix)' is a moody, percussive and infectious slab of early morning house, while 'The Breeze (Original Mix)' is a drum machine driven box jam that deftly showcases Chandler's immense skill as a beat programmer.
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