Review: Smashing into the harder end of the scene in 2009, the Fourward chaps have been hard at work for years making the world inside your headphones a scarier place to be. Heavily influenced by the likes of Ed Rush & Optical, Noisia and the Bad Company crew in general, the guys have become known for their knock-em-sideways brand of drum and bass terrorisation. "Foot Soldiers" is no exception, giving the electrical-storm atmos, a workout through devastating drums and an even deadlier bassline. "Tingod" ramps up the fear factor, rolling out good and proper.
Review: The first fruit to be plucked from their highly anticipated debut album Expansion, Austrian four-piece Fourward fine-tune their crafty balance of tech grit and digital funk with "Sequencer". Turbo charged with harmonically-honed layered basses, polished with just the right amount of vocal element; the elements come together with a pacey sense of white-knuckle funk that adds serious hype to the imminent album arrival.
Review: It's a biggie: Vienna quartet Fourward deliver their second album and they're not pussyfooting around. Whether they're flexing their fuzzy, gritty muscles (the Jakes-fronted "Bites The Dust", the vortex-ripping bass rolls on "Belly Of The Beast", the twisted mania of "Sequencer") or they're dipping into more experimental pastures (the rolling halftime pumps and textured vocal layers of "Empty Soul", the AI-style future space anthem "Over") or teaming up with another Austrian heavyweight with obscene tech funk (the Mefjus collaboration "Everytime") the whole collection works well in three ways: the dancefloor, your headphones and their position in the premier D&B league.
Review: Friction knows how to throw a party... Their "100" celebrations started in March and they're still going strong three months later! A chance for the label's artists and friends to stretch their skills and signatures, there's been some really exciting, subversion work throughout the series. This final piece in the puzzle is no exception; "Fourward" deliver their funkiest track to date, Karma gets all soulful, Total Science get all drifty and ethereal while Break simply reminds us why we love him. All four cuts glistening with long-lasting gold, Shogun can carry on celebrating their 100th release for as long as they like as far as we're concerned.
Review: Unstoppable Austrian powerhouse Fourward do the damage once more: "The Storm" sees them teaming up with Friction's MC of choice for a shadowy tear-out that avoids neuro's dramatic dynamics and retains a certain sense of restraint throughout. "Mashed" has a stronger techno feel to it thanks to the use of FX and sonic manipulation as the main riff. Fourward have dropped nothing but unadulterated heaviness since singing to Shogun, this single does well to show more complexity and depth to their output.
Review: 12 years deep, 100 releases strong, Friction's Shogun imprint continues to spread the strong words with what's shaping up to be a very exciting series of exclusives. For the first EP we hit paydirt from the off as Ulterior Motive play the consummate robot charmers on "Radian". Cousins in crime Icicle and Proxima follow with a dagger-sharp tete-a-tete two-stepper while Technimatic provide essential contrast with the rainbow soul "Transference". Finally Alix Perez returns to Shogun for a cheeky minimal twist of Friction and Fourward's "Battle Scars". Gold on gold on gold, Shogun aren't messing around with their 100 series.
Review: Eatbrain are a Hungarian neurofunk institution of instantly recognisable proportions, a household name in the world of big basslines and one of the main labels holding up the banner for the growing central and eastern European obsession with the subgenre. Even for Eatbrain, this release is exceptionally strong and the diversity within shows the broad church that neurofunk has become. 'Sweetface is the more archetypal of the bunch, a pummelling roller that moves and sways with engineered precision. 'Ability' holds up the sky with Coppa on vocals over an incredibly unique percussive structure that works undeniably well. What a wicked release.
Review: Fourward, who we've seen collaborate with Austrian duo Body & Soul in the past, steps up for a solo release in anticipation of his album on Citrus. It's souped up, high octane D&B all the way here, as Mindscape takes to the helm for his remix of "Wishes", which is synth-coated, rip-roaring tear out straight up. "Stuck" is a more tech-y number, with ticking breaks, industrial bellows and distorted synth lines all over the place. Approach with caution!
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.