Juno Recommends Drum & Bass: Best of 2023

Review: Owing to recent appearances at festivals across the country as well as the world, Nia Archives is a rising star of the UK's underground hardcore scene. The Londoner's music fuses elements of grime, garage, and jungle with introspective and socially charged lyricism. Nia's latest LP, 'Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against The Wall,' naturally touches on themes of social justice and self-discovery, a reminder of afterparty headaches and familial estrangement, not to mention the confusion of it all. Tracks like 'Headz Gone West' and 'Goodbye' are energized analyses of mental health and toxically flippant relationships, set against the ever-present backdrop of jungle.

Review: In 2021, the UK's most dedicated publisher of dance music-oriented oral histories, Velocity Press, unleashed Who Say Reload, a comprehensive look-in to the origins of drum n' bass in the 1990s - from its inception as an emerging trace of breakbeat hardcore by DJs such as Fabio & Grooverider, all the way through to latter-day incarnations such as jazzstep and techstep. The book is among the cream of many that have recently jostled for the pole position as 'the' book on drum n' bass. To cement their claim, now comes a new compilation of many of the seminal tracks to feature in the book's 'significant releases' segment. Volume one here, one part of two 12" records, features scene-defining bangers from the likes of Omni Trio, DJ Tamsin, Origin Unknown and Slipmatt.

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: Here comes an exemplary slice of dub/drum & bass hybridization from Congo Natty, who has been helming up slick fusions of these genres since the early 1990s. His first album in eight years, 'Ancestorz' as a title should be indicative enough. The LP explores the indigenous roots and influences of jungle music, from its historic use of African rhythms to samples of Native American flutes. Collaborations with artists as far-flung as Eva Lazarus, Blackout JA, Akala, Maverick Sabre, Courtney Melody and Shabaka Hutchings are all in tow, showing off Natty's love for contemporary bass music and maturer sounds in equal measure.

Review: Perhaps the spiritual successor of the Rage LP that made waves several years back, 'Generation Liquid' is a new series of compilations of soulful drum & bass tracks curated by Fabio, one of the pioneers and godparents of the genre. The 12" celebrates the legacy of his Speed, Swerve, and Liquid Funk events, and channels the spirit of his radio shows, collating works from Marcus Intalex, High Contrast, D Kay, and more. The mood of the compilation is unmistakable, and not one usually trodden in the world of nostalgic drum & bass reissues, with most of these tracks consisting of radio-ready emoters of the more polished kind, rather than the 'realist', 'raw' favourite of the day, liquid jungle.

Review: While many artist bios say an act has 'taken the scene by storm', Rudimental truly did. The Hackney band of well-educated and skillful musicians quickly turned themselves into an internationally renowned live act who transferred the energy and drive of drum & bass into festival and gig environments. Home was their debut album a while decade ago now and two of its first four singles took the number one slot in the UK charts. It was highly anticipated and didn't disappoint with a wide range of sounds from dusty soul to steamy r&b, Balearic bliss and plenty of big beats.

Review: Longtime drum & bass star Sub Focus is still in London, staying true to the city that has nurtured his gradually evolving sound since early 2000s. His past two solo albums were released on longtime stadium d&b pushers Ram Records, but now Andy C's label has moved on to a major, he has followed suit with 'Evolve'. The album features 14 tracks which draw on a unique crock of influences for the normally insular contemporary d&b sound, containing allusions and inspiration from The Chemical Brothers to early hardcore and jungle music. Plus it features cameos from friend CamelPhat, Gene Farris and Jonny L .

Review: Krust has been more than generous in opening up the archives and letting die-hard junglists get access to some of his most prized plates from the glory days of Full Cycle and V Recordings. Okbron have been a great conduit for such wares over recent years, and so it continues with these deep-cover diamonds from one of the genre's greatest. 'I Believe' is a tightly clipped bit of drum flair with razor sharp programming, film noir chops and swooning pads - a truly soulful excursion for those who like their beats steeped in jazz. 'Accepted Meaning' is a rougher breakbeat workout which is just as next level, with bright and bold synth pads that join the dots between Detroit and Bristol in powerful fashion.

Review: Based in The Netherlands, Fokuz Recordings has been a key drum & bass label since before the start of this current millennium. It does a wide range of styles from sold out in a flash r&b edits to rollers for the club. They have helped make the label head Focus a mainstay of the scene and now he's back with another top nugget on nice blue vinyl. 'Take Me As I Am' launches with hyper-speed breaks and ice-cold hi-hats before the lush and romantic 'Do 4 Love' soothes mind, body and soul. 'Long Way Up' is another one with a perfectly pitched r&b vocal sample and sleek beats before the pensive and late night, piano-laced cover of Depeche Mode that is 'Enjoy The Silence.'

Review: In 2021, the UK's most dedicated publisher of dance music-oriented oral histories, Velocity Press, published Who Say Reload, a comprehensive look-in to the origins of drum n' bass in the 1990s, from its inception as an emerging trace of breakbeat hardcore by DJs such as Fabio & Grooverider, all the way through to latter-day incarnations such as jazzstep and techstep. The book is among the cream of many that have recently jostled for the pole position as 'the' book on drum & bass. To cement their claim, now comes a new compilation of many of the seminal tracks to feature in the book's 'significant releases' segment. While Volume one focuses on the central emergence of jungle, this volume of two 12"s focuses on the later chronology of drum n' bass, with an increasing focus on forward-driven, industrial sounds, pinned down by titans such as Wax Doctor, Amazon II, Jonny L and Optical.

Review: Vibes 93 is having a whale of time rinsing out all kinds of upfront drum & bass and jungle, but this takes the fun to a whole new level. The Dutch producer isn't making any attempt to mask the source material on his summer-scouting new release, calling on hip-hop and r&b legends for vocal samples in the midst of straight-up, feel good rollers. Eschewing his rowdier, underground material for something more universal, this is the kind of record which will bring a massive swathe of people together for some proper moments, but more to the point it's done with panache.

Review: There's no need to explain the importance of Krust to jungle and drum & bass - the Bristol pioneer set new standards and has a legacy overflowing with next level invention and shock-out grooves. This compilation on Wonder Palace makes the case in no uncertain terms, taking a broad view over his work and delivering some stone cold classics alongside harder-to-find bits and pieces. What's apparent is how Krust build's vivid worlds within his tracks, not least on the widescreen classic 'Brief Encounters'. There are deadly rollers like 'Set Speed' and 'Maintain', dreamy deep-divers like 'Jazz Note' and so much more in between. If you want seven seminal joints from a true master, this comp has got you covered.

Review: Okbron's services to the jungle industry should be celebrated as they continue to tread the line between reissues and fresh material from established legends and emergent talent alike. Reaching back to 2020 and the early days of the label, they've hit on a winning streak with Good Looking veteran Big Bud, notching up four 12"s thus far and now reaching a fifth. There's no need to assure you of the quality on this 12", this is Big Bud after all, but slip 'Silver' onto your platter and you'll hear a masterclass in ambient d&b from one of the true architects of the sound.

Review: Goldie's timeless remains a drum & bass benchmark, but also one of the most seminal albums in all of electronic music. The man behind it celebrated its anniversary last year with various different projects and now follows that up by handpicking a selection of remixes to take his most treasured material. There is a mix of old school dons and new school talents from all over the world here, each adding their own unique spin. Searchlight, aka Irish drum and bass producers ZeroT and Beta2, are signed exclusively to Goldie's Fallen Tree 1Hundred label and bring some lush jazz and broken beats to 'State of Mind' and later 'Sensual' while Metalheadz tastemaker J Kenzo brings dark, minimalistic and tribal sound to his Tribute remix of 'Jah'. These are just some of the many standouts.

Review: South London d&b brothers Sean and Mark Roberts created Probe-One after growing up on pirate stations, inspiring Sean to buy a deck and mess around himself. It goes that the siblings were frustrated at the drip release of d&b cuts and took the initiative themselves. 'Aether' and 'Expanse' clock in at just over 15 minutes combined, the long and winding ambient buildups giving way to ginormous breaks on 'Aether', or receding into a more atmospheric direction circa the Playstation 1 'IDM' era. The A-Side is for the breakbeat inclined, filled with intensity and volume against its ethereal synth waves. Side B is for the late-night Pulse FM listeners, the gentle percussion of dawn breaking - it's almost relaxing if such a thing were possible.

Review: It's never easy keeping up with Vibez 93 and his all-out assault on the D&B scene, from the roughest jungle cuts for the underground through to canny crowdpleasers like this record right here. 'Video' is a no-nonsense flip of India.Arie's 2001 soul classic, with a righteous lyrical message which sits perfectly atop some fresh and funky breakbeats. 'Westchester Circles' meanwhile doffs its cap to Adam F's none-more-iconic 'Circles' and its source material, 'Westchester Lady' by Bob James. No prizes for guessing the reference material on 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine '23', but this is a different version to the Roy Ayers classic which is going to be peak festival fodder this season. Then cap it off with a perfect slice of sunshine rollage in 'Brasilia' and you've got a record primed for tonnes of fun wherever it gets dropped.

Review: It's time to sweat it out once more with the latest from the label of that name absolutely going for the big time with some classic vocal stabs defining the rip-snorting opener. And that is the extended mix of Luude & Bru C's 'TMO (Turn Me On)' (feat Kevin Lyttle) which is a big drum & bass anthem with ragga vocals, unrelenting and steel plated drum funk and naughty bass. A slightly more sweet and soulful Borai & Denham Audio remix also features as do Luude & Mattafix's anthem and festival friendly jungle anthem 'Big City Life' and similarly epic and accessible 'Oh My' with Issey Cross and some blissed out keys from one of Moby's classics.

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: The ingeniously named drum & bass duo Sci-Clone have been going for nearly three decades. Only now do Jason Cambridge (aka. A-Sides) and jazzer Nathan Haines join forces once again to present their debut album, Radio Therapy. Perhaps the album's gestation period can be explained by its home on the most coveted originators of it all, Metalheadz, who must still have plenty of people knocking down their doors. 17 tracks of wild production instinct and a floor-shaking lack of compromise make for an unprecedented space-bound trip, as Cambridge draws on his taste for breaksy atmosses, and Haines on his virtuosic muso's knowhow, to produce a string of new jazzstep originals from '1980 One' to 'The Girl In Blue'. The B-side, meanwhile, celebrates legacy releases from the duo from the 90s, such as 'Whole Half' and 'Point Of Departure'.