Juno Recommends Drum & Bass: November 2023

Review: After the success of the first volume, Fabio returns to curate a second round of Generation Liquid featuring the absolute pinnacle of the liquid d&b sound. As a genre which gave rise to a tidal wave of imitators and formula followers, it takes the authority of a legend like Fabio to sift through and present the real deal, whether it's widely hailed classics or hidden treasures that help paint the picture. Soulful, uplifting and driven by d&b's relentless energy, this is another testament to liquid's vital role in the story of breakbeat evolution, featuring legends aplenty from High Contrast to Calibre, DJ Marky to Alix Perez.

Review: Simon Huxtable's Aural Imbalance project remains as productive as ever some 25 years on from the first releases, and now newer labels like Okbron are stepping up to carry his work after taking so much inspiration from his approach to atmospheric drum & bass. Despite Okbron's capacity for reissues it seems these two joints are new transmissions and they certainly have a sparkling finish which speaks to Huxtable's experience and precision in the studio, but there's also a gritty bite to the breaks and some rich depth to the synth work which ensures there's a generous dose of personality in these luxurious excursions into the deeper end of d&b.

Review: Kruder & Dorfmeister's Conversions mix album takes you right back to 1996, when the Austrian duo were taking inspiration from the UK d&b pioneers and giving the sound their own lounge-y twist. For the first time since the mix was released, it's being presented as a partially mixed double vinyl edition, giving you access to some of the seminal cuts which make the mix such an enduring classic. From the easy lead in of DJ Unknown Face's 'Dat's Cool' to the soulful vocal licks and skittering breaks of Omni Trio's 'Nu Birth Of Cool' on to the cosmic jungle of Space Link's 'Time Zone', it's a masterclass through and through.

Review: Wilkinson is a big name when it comes to the contemporary drum & bass scene. He is someone whose name you will find on all the line-ups of the major clubs and festivals around the world and is no stranger to bringing the noise to Ibiza, either. He has a multi-genre approach that finds him playing effective and eclectic sets that appeal to all manner of crowds. Back in 2013, he dropped his debut solo album Lazers Not Included on Ram - where else - and set all this success in motion. This tenth anniversary edition comes on yellow vinyl with UK number 20 single 'Dirty Love' and many more gems.

Review: There's just no stopping Coco Bryce, who casually drops his third LP of the year on MYOR like it's no big deal. As low-slung opener 'High Commander' demonstrates, this isn't a one-trick jungle dump, but an album proper with nooks and crannies to get lost in. There are of course plenty of dazzling breakbeat excursions to savour - this is Coco Bryce after all - but even then his style has a refreshing, dynamic quality which makes for listening music as much as shockout juice. The low tempo beatdowns are just as incredible, full of vibe and bursting with inspiration, proving, as we already said, there is NO stopping our bredda in Breda.

Review: Ready for a reload? Fresh from dropping his almighty debut album Firm Meditation on us earlier this year, Rupture roustabout Double O rewinds time on Nullpunkt for two hefty hits from his discography gone by. 'Love Of Jah' sets the tone. Last spotted around 2011, its soulful hurricane still hasn't died down one bit thanks to those pummelling drums and all-consuming pads. The 15 year old 'Niaibingi' sounds just as future, too. Originally released on Hidden Hawaii on his heartfelt 'For My Brother' EP, it still shakes all bones in a 20 mile radius whenever played.

Review: Rasta Vibez is a focused outlet for fresh twists on the ragga jungle tradition, with a generous dose of feel-good flava thrown into the blender to reach across the divide and get everyone skanking hard. 'My Sound' is an insanely catchy, chirpy flip on the usually moody approach to ragga jungle with raw fire toasting and some anthemic chorus licks to get hands reaching skywards, just in time for the late summer stretch of festivals. 'Another Hit Song' is a rolling workout which keeps things punchy and on-point, teasing the energy on the breakdown before ripping back into the jump-up styles that get bodies popping off.

Review: Dive headfirst into a unique sonic underground experience as Hospital Records proudly unveils the highly anticipated debut album, Streets, Love & Other Stuff, from the dynamic duo P Money and Whiney. This groundbreaking collaboration is a perfect storm, fusing P Money's totemic grime background with Whiney's futuristic drum & bass style, as the pair continue to break boundaries and push the realms of dance music. The collaboration is an energetic one, combining the driving force of drum & bass with the urban lyrical situation of grime.

Review: This new 12" jungle splatter record marks a return for JLM Productions, best known in d&b circles for appearing on 4Hero's Reinforced label in the early to mid-90s, although closer research reveals JLM aka Jamie Myerson to be behind a myriad of releases of different hues for everyone from Josh Wink's Ovum to his own, prolific but unnamed 'own brand' label. Flaunting the artist's longtime talent for atmosphere incantation and breaks wizardry, all the tracks from 'Theia' to 'Translight Velocity' end up achieving the transcendental superluminality its title boasts of.

Review: Seminal sounds! It's time to rewind, once again, to this cult favourite from 92 - 'Dubplate'. Immortalised in remix form by Total Science some years later, here we find revivalist crew Kniteforce revisiting the entire original XLR8 EP. Four cuts, each one smouldering away at a different tempo with its own rules, 'Dubplate' takes the lead with its smorgasbord of samples of ideas before 'Most High' swings into the mix with soft skanking harmony, 'Bachelor Rock' gets busy on that woozy hardcore vibe and 'Oxford 0865' shuts down the EP with a much slower b-boy flavoured adieu. Get cracking.

Review: ASC can't really do any wrong if you ask us, whether crafting suspensory ambient or laying down killer jungle cuts. It's the latter which he does here for the Spatial label in the form of this great looking multi-colour splatter vinyl. 'Infinity' has you adrift in the cosmos on dusty amen breaks, then '2097' is a tight and kinetic number with mystic lead and yelping vocal fragments. There is yet more deep space mystery to the melodies of 'What Lies Beneath' then humid closer 'Rainforest' has watery droplets falling down physical drum breaks that make you move your hole body.

Review: Big Bud originally released Faceless/New Vision back in 1995 on Underdog Recordings, offering up a weighty variant of atmospheric d&b that he made his own. As you might expect OG copies of this mid-decade change hands for some hefty sums, but fear not because Vinyl Fanatiks are on hand with a spanking new pressing on pink vinyl no less. A side 'Faceless' is a laser-focused roller with tightly clipped breaks and strafing synths, but 'New Vision' is the real gem which gets more intricate in the drum programming, drawing on less heavily mined percussion and more artful synth work to make a truly standout cut.

Review: dBridge's Exit Records continue to celebrate 100 releases with this exceptional VA that runs the whole gamut of their sonic scope. From the opening cosmic b-boy breakbeat ballet of Fixate's 'Dead End' to closing ambient echoes of Dub Phizix's beatless score-like finale 'Wasted' via the technoid stampede of Addison Groove and the electroid neon swagger of SertOne, this captures everything Exit has consistently stood for. Genreless, forward-thinking fusion. Here's to the next 100.

Review: On Tell Me, Skeptical capitalises on the freedom afforded by his own Rubi label by dialling back his established d&b sound and presenting a half-time trip into downtempo territory. That shouldn't be mistaken as a softening of his production chops, because there's still massive amounts of weight as he warps snarling bass around stark drums on 'Tapestry'. 'Atomic' goes further into a minimal, dubbed out sound with carefully executed low end growl which carries the torch from DMZ's earliest soundsystem meditations.

Review: All hail King Krust, a true totem of d&b innovation from his earliest days right up to the present moment. The Irrational Numbers series on Wonder Palace is doing a sterling job of combing back through his monumental legacy as a key protagonist in the Bristol-rooted Full Cycle crew and there's so much heat a third double-LP volume doesn't feel anything close to excessive. On this edition we're getting treated to unbelievable workouts like his Gang Related production 'Rukus' and the widescreen scope of 'The Resister', a staggeringly visionary slice of hi-tech soul from 1993. There's just so much invention and expression on here, rightly confirming Krust's place in the d&b hall of fame.

Review: Critical Music welcome back Halogenix for another masterclass in upfront d&b technique from one of the best doing it right now. This is a sharply focused two track release, with the A-side playing on a time-honoured love of martial arts cinema through its speech samples about the titular 'Viperstyle'. The track itself is a snaking, tightly packed affair with some serious depth etched into the grainy bass distortion. 'Lana' heads further out with even more audacious low-end acrobatics to get a dance swerving sideways from the front to the back.

Review: Things are getting pretty vibey at AKO this month as Verb swaggers into the mix with two utterly gorgeous slabs of timeless jungle craft. 'Things We Do' references a classic r&b cut with teasing vocal echoes that slide in among the rampant widescreen breaks. 'Turn It On' cranks up the heat even more with rising filtered chords and belting soulful vox cuts bringing a powerful house feel to an otherwise raucous vibe. Knock-out soul music.

Review: Whatever Dr Banana turns its hand to it seems to be golden. For their next outing they have dug into the archives of drum & bass legend Sky Jose and turned up a "selection of ruffneck cuts" that are damn fine. 'Nice'n'Tight' saris with a mix of pretty hard edged breakbeats, but they're softened by liquid chords and vocal soul. 'IPPON' is a high tension outing with plunging sub bass and soaring vocals tugging you in tow directions at once and 'EEE' is crashing jungle madness with wild and jittery breaks daring about all over the place. 'You Push The Wrong Button' is a final physical dancefloor assault with a sweet blues hook.

Review: Digital's Function label welcomes Tim Clay to the fold, a debutant producer who has spent most of his life committed to the craft. 'Sweet Dubplate' springs to life with the kind of breakbeat science which can only come from a true student of the craft and it's rounded out by an inherent soul which makes it land all the deeper. Clay then tackles Digital's 'Total Control' and flips it into a hi-octane monster with sharp angles and devilish details etched into it, before rounding the EP off with the blistering title track. This is a masterclass in jungle craft from a dedicated disciple, whether it's his first release or not. Tim Clay - you heard it here first.