Juno Recommends Drum & Bass: April 2024

Review: Just as they were likely originally intended, two of Calibre's said-to-be most coveted productions come remastered fresh from the vaults, and reissued on black vinyl via the sonic conservationists over at Signature. First comes the 2001 remix of Badmarsh & Shri's 'Signs', to which Calibre lends an extra rolling signification, its no-nonsense industrial break and tensing, two-note pads doing most of the legwork here. Then there's the original 'Soul 80', a unique fusion of dub-delayed chipmunky vox splices, modular synth piques, and a massive, untechy breakbeat.

Review: Unstoppable next-gen junglist Nia Archives presents Silence Is Loud, her forthcoming debut album following an introductory onslaught of bangers such as 'Crowded Roomz'.AIn keeping with the contemporary torch-bearer's take on jungle, Archives' sound is cuter and, dare we say, more original than many Terminator-helmeted old-heads would dare allow themselves. Lead single 'Silence Is Loud' demonstrates this as much, with its expository beat drop marking a return to and cogent awareness of, jungle tekno, with its 4x4 undergird topped up by a floaty trip-hop vocal line, its lyrics evoking city reminiscences and staying afloat in troubled times. Promising both banger delivery and sentiment, Silence Is Loud is poised to pave the way for the very next incarnation jungle.

Review: UKJ keeps the flame of old-school breaks and jungle afire with its latest four-track V/A 12", with contributions from label co-boss Junglord, Supa Ape, Sully, OmniRhythm and Simply Dread all in tow for the inflammatory sacrifice. Unlike your usual jungle, these four cuts verge on the insane, thanks to this label's commemorative grounding in the earliest days of jungle in its hardcore breaks and graff-adjacent days. We wager that back then, there was more room for experimentation before the "sound" got standardised and fetishised. Here's a cogent recollection of that time - a time of vocal one-shots, dramatic classical music samples and rave stabs, sure - but above all, just a generally wilder and more rapacious indulging of the promise of what was once called breakscience; Junglord's 'Ready For Retaliation' and Dread's 'Hard To Tell' tend towards UK hardcore on this front, ultrafast breaks-drilling and buzzsawing away, with glee.

Review: Myor Massiv dial up two of the heaviest operators in contemporary jungle for a sure shot split 12" which will charge up the dance whichever side the needle drops on. 'Lucky Go Happy' is a chirpy workout from Reaper, getting lyrical with the snare rushes, pinging some sprightly chords around the mix and juggling some diva vocal licks without losing that sharp edge that always marks out his tunes. Coco Bryce brings a more widescreen, techno-styled palette to 'Down The Way' on the flip, but there's still plenty of space for swerves into giddy old-skool sampling deployed with the flair which has made him one of the brightest talents in the field. Jungle by numbers this ain't.

Review: Heads will know 'As We Enter' as the name of the Breakage tune that set the stage for many more things halftime to come - not to mention a Damian Marley & Nas song released around the same time - so we're more than pleased to learn that one next-gen producer has taken on the name as an alias. However, something in the aura of this release tells us this artist is no debutante; 'Lover To Lover' brings wubbing Reesebound rollage and summery fluting funk together in quick step, with complementary numbers 'So Gone', 'Come Again' and 'Shifting Gears' flaunting a respect for the many different facets of drum & bass, from techstep to early jump-up. This one gets more and more sinister as it progresses; despite the cover, whatever's entered the room feels more elephant than pigeon.

Review: Bristol producer Arcane makes a monumental debut on Over/Shadow here with four tracks that have Brady caused plenty of carnage on global dancefloors. 'Minotaur' kicks off with a flurry of snares that are so snappy they will break your neck. 'Execute' is another dense packed rhythmic workout with blasts of horn, dark bass and drilling drum work while 'Warriah' then floats above then dancelfoor with its paranoid pads and stepping broken beat rhythms. This most high impact and physical of EPs shuts down with 'Spirit Chaser', a more pad laced cut but one that is no less driving.

Review: .Stepping into spring with true style and just the right amount of nostalgic sass, unpredictable Finnish artist Otto Taimela follows a string of techno dispatches with this sublime four track jungle narrative that's perfect the sunnier seasons. With its lively, unkempt edits and jumps, 'Sunflower' has a powerful warmth of a timeless jungle dancefloor tune while carrying a certain amount of nostalgic IDM haze. It's a vibe which is maintained throughout the EP; 'Sunwarmed Window' has a dreamier edge that wouldn't have gone amiss on Warp at any point during the early to mid-90s, 'Sunshine Reloading' rides a much busier drums palette while 'Imagined U' brings us back down to earth with a gentle beatless ambient kiss. Stunning.

Review: Waveforms is as a brand-new label from ASC and Presha who are already well known and respected for their work with Spatial/Auxiliary and Samurai Music. It's a new outlet that will specially tap into the sounds of 90s jungle and serve up new tunes on 10". Tim Reaper has been behind one, and Eusebeia is now on this one on blue-marbled vinyl. A-side cut 'Waveform 05' is a cavernous cut with pulsing bass and spine chillingly ethereal vocals up top while 'Waveform 06' keeps the pressure on with more throwback jungle realness and unrelenting breakbeat pressure.

Review: Waveforms is a brand new label spearheaded by ASC and Presha who the already revered minds behind Spatial/Auxiliary and Samurai Music respectively. They say they are on a mission to dive deep into the menacing world of early 90s jungle and cook up tunes reminiscent of that era and then serve them up lovely slabs of 10" wax. And right from the off the man who never misses, Tim Reaper, transports us back to the driving breakbeats and raw energy of that time with a pair of tunes that layer up a flurry of snares and booming low ends with wiry synths the sense of futurism that still holds true to this day. Sure to captivate old-school heads and new listeners alike.