Juno Recommends Bass September 2020

Review: Holding Hands are back with another crucial summer VA EP and it's another hearty selection. Breaka's "Loose Subs" takes the lead on a bubbling 160 flex with a vibe that's not dissimilar to Zinc back in his golden days. Guava drops the tempo for an acidic two-step piece while Lrds' "Quanda" is an ice cold electro joint with more shuffle than a poker house. Last but not least Dawn Razor shuts down the EP on a deliciously stripped back breaky tip that blossoms with a new element on every 32. Slam Jam thank you ma'am.

Review: After a blazing series of sounds across the likes of Idle Hands and his own co-run label Wisdom Teeth, London-based K Lone reveals even more of his musical depths with his debut album Cape Circa. Beautifully subdued, warm and hypnotic, K Lone carefully crafts a whole narrative using minimal instruments and textures throughout. Vibrating with a timeless style that nods to dub techno and the deeper side of Detroit, highlights include the sweet harmonics of tracks like "Honey" and "Cocoa" to the dreamy lullaby-like charm of cuts such as "Bluefin" and the delicate, trembling finale "Happened". A perfect, ultimately calming soundtrack to these strange, turbulent times.

Review: Four years after they blasted into the disco ether with their debut album Bodies, Canadian duo return with their second album and build on the hooky, big-groove signature they've been carefully developing. While their debut was a wide-cast net that showcased a rich, broad palette, Made Me Feel is a much finer focus on their penchant for disco and house. Warm, jacking and full of the good-time bubbles we're all craving in 2020, cuts like the filtered sample-slapper "It's Coming Down" nod to NY dons like Joeski, "Love Was Real" chows down on the seminal French touch sound from the late 90s while "Flame" is pure, unabashed Dave Lee level funky house. Concluding the O'Neal-style 80s soul of "Ready For Me", it's another impressive body of work from the hardworking duo.