Drum & Bass Recommendations Best Of 2011

Review: Breakbeat warriors Deekline and Ed Solo team up again, and this time they've gone for it. Not content with producing some of the nastiest, wobbliest breakbeat around, they've decided to turn their hand to drum & bass and another release on Jungle Cakes. Lead cut "King Of The Bongo" is a cheeky exercise in bootleg jump-up buffoonery - the sort of tune that boasts a grin a mile wide and a happy dancefloor to match. Flip "Stickybuds Guaranteed" opts for a slightly more old skool jungle approach, mashing up skankin' MC and familiar pop vocals. It goes without saying that both tunes feature stupidly heavy basslines.

Review: Bassbin worriers Ed Solo and Deekline return to their Jungle Cakes label for more natty and eminently danceable vintage riddims soaked in recognisable vocal hooks. Barrington Levy's "Under Me Sensei" has proved an inspiration to the jungle and drum and bass heads for many years now and the duo manage to eek further fun out of that distinctive vocal on "Sensei", which deviates nicely between rolling rhythms wrapped tight around booming sub bass and nicely poised steppah breakdowns. The flip brings the junglist flavour to the iconic "Ghost Town" which song purists might recoil in horror at, but there has always been a playful nature to these Jungle Cakes releases - drop this at the right moment and the dancefloor will respond in suitably enthusiastic terms.

Review: The mighty Dutch trio team up with Neosignal's Phace for one of the roughest rides since, well, the last Noisia release! "Program" builds from a "Desert Orgy" style intro, full of scraping SFX, industrial beats and ominous melodic progressions into a full throttle aural assault with tense percussion, accelerating drops and rambunctious drums. "Regurgitate" sees Noisia going solo for another sterling affair; a sonorous, instrumental intro paves the way for a tough tumultuous main tune, replete with a reverberating, chopped up vocal which sounds like it's trapped beneath the smashing beats, thudding subs and crushing bassline. Magnificent.

Review: Kasra's Critical Audio is once again the showcase for the distinct production talents of Russia's Enei, serving up Stonehead, a four track selection presented across this heavy weight double 12 pack. All the hallmarks of an Enei arrangement are here, as the title track sets the mood with rigid click clacking rhythms dextrously rippling over beams of aggressive dark side bass. This sense of aggravation is matched by the vocal sample that literally barks at you. "No Fear" operates on a similar level, Riya's vocal contribution aligned with the tight stepping syncopation. Those seeking some sort of classic drum and bass solace will find respite in the amen heavy tear out sensation of "Moving Fast" and Jubei's rattling refix of "Cracker".

Review: Majestic album from Calibre, who has long been heralded as a genius in D&B circles. His sixth studio album does nothing to dispel this belief and signals a return to his early noughties heyday when he knocked out sublime and understated but fully formed musical gems for fun. "Condition" has a slightly sunnier disposition than his 2010 long player Even If, but still retains the beautifully melancholic touch that has become Calibre's trademark. Standout tracks "Who's Singing" and "Mirage" are both haunting lessons in liquid and the tougher edged "Garbage Man" and "Schlager" are built for maximum impact. A must have.

Review: Considered a true stalwart of the scene, Fierce has been a long time champion of the tech influenced strain of D&B. With the excitement bubbling about his brand new "Oblivion" long player, he harks back to the heady late 90's heyday of his seminal No U Turn label on "Fury", a moody beast with choppy drums and a rumbling bottom end. Meanwhile, man of the moment SPY contributes "Bloodshed", a nasty number with a searing bassline and horror movie strings. Not for the faint hearted.