Back catalogue: Deep Dubstep

Review: War Remix brings together Bukkha, Dubbing Sun, Kol Ee and Family Tree Sound for a deep, bass-heavy reimagining of reggae and dub. The track is built around atmospheric grooves that flex with a blend of electronic textures and organic instrumentation and there's an undeniable urgency in the mix, with each artist adding their own layersiwhether it's the skittering percussion, dubbed-out vocals, or deep sub-bass that keeps everything moving forward. It's a remix that feels grounded in the roots of dub but pushes into new territory, a space where tradition meets innovation. Expect a sound that hits hard on the dancefloor but leaves room for introspection too. This release adds something fresh for fans of experimental reggae and dub, with enough of the old school to keep it connected.

Review: Dark dubstep allstar Dayzero first came to out attention with 'Allca', where they pitted themselves alongside contemporaries Gantz or Coki in their unique displays of wonk and lo-fi production techniques. 'Pages' and 'Sen' continue this charge; watery, knocky and psychopathic, both tunes sound like a tank trudging through sludge. Militant and gritty.

Review: Since launching in 2014, Portland's ZamZam Sounds imprint has offered up a string of beautifully packaged seven-inch singles from a mixture of big hitters and rising stars from the global bass music scene. Their latest missive comes from Dayzero, a Japanese dubstep producer best known for his outings on Wheel & Deal, Sentry and, most recently, Vomitspit. The two tracks here are weighty, intergalactic and otherworldly, mixing dub style rhythms with the kind of angular, razor-sharp sub-bass motifs more often associated with dancefloor dubstep. Both cuts are quality, though it's rolling A-side "Orbit Dub" - all lolloping dub beats, wobble bass, metallic effects and paranoid aural textures - that really stands out.

Review: ZamZam is proud to present two exclusive tracks from Hungarian/Bristolian producer Peter Simon aka DJ Madd (now residing in Tokyo). Known worldwide for his infectious brand of roots/reggae-heavy dubstep, he has released on crucial bass-centric labels such as Moonshine, Black Box, the legendary WAR series of white labels, and his own Roots & Future imprint. DJ Madd is regularly featured on Rinse FM and BBC Radio, and has been championed by influential DJs from Mary Anne Hobbs to Skream and Breakage. "Lone Soldier Dub" showcases Simon's mastery of space and bass-weight in the service of classic dub principles. A gorgeous synth melody reminiscent of 1970s sci-fi future dreams opens and frames this instant, epic classic. The dynamic interplay of spacious reverbs and ricocheting percussion echoes, isolated skanks and absolutely massive low end are mesmerizingifamiliar in their simplicity and structure, but beguiling and hypnotic in their subtlety and system-pushing sonic clarity. A martial riddim drives "Thru Hell Dub" like a transport through a stricken, vaporized battlefield. Simon's signature gargantuan bass and syncopated, razor-sharp percussion build and release tension while a haunted synth figure accompanies us through the bleak landscape of war. As usual DJ Madd's restraint is as powerful as his control of frequencies and intuitive sense of what makes a great sound system tune. Heavy wares for your next dub dance. Edition of 500 copies in hand-printed sleeves.

Review: Zam Zam Sounds keep up the pressure with their fifth transmission so far this year (and 20th overall) and welcome Berlin-based soldiers Dub War and Infra into the fold with If It's Not The Police. Formerly a duo consisting of Benny Ill and Bill Robin, this 7" is the first release with the latter working solo under the guise and also his first collaboration with Marius Braun aka Infra. As with previous Zam Zam drops, the roots of dub culture are retained with If It's Not The Policea with a vocal cut backed by a dub rendition. Deep studio science and sound design paired with classic dub aesthetics, dubstep bass-weight, and halftime garage swing are very much in effect here and we hope this is the first of many collabs between the pair.

Review: While much of Dubkasm's output tends towards the warmer, cheerier and more soulful end if the digital reggae and digi-dub spectrum, the Bristol duo's ZamZam Sounds debut is a far weightier, hazier and more spaced-out affair, informed more by a blend of floor-focused UK steppers and dub techno. In its original A-side form, 'Mighty Designer' adds fluttering lead lines, echo-laden flutes, feverish aural textures and eyes-closed spoken word vocals to a punchy-but-bouncy beat and a raw, stabbing bassline. The flipside 'Almighty Version' is a more skeletal, dub style affair, with a more metallic-sounding rhythm track ushering in a bolder and more sub-heavy tweak of the bassline, echoing electronics and all manner of trippy, hallucinatory flourishes.

Review: It would be fair to say that Sphearic, the label helmed by occasional Mental Groove artist Jerome Doudet AKA The Dude of Strosphear, is Thailand's foremost outpost of electronic bass music. Admittedly, it's a small field, but it's still something to boast about. Here the "Dude" kick-starts 2018 with a tasty seven-inch featuring two tracks constructed alongside local turntablist DJ To Ru. His on-point scratches are woven in to the fabric of both "Bailan Break", a stuttering and punchy dubstep roller rich in redlined bass and exotic Thai instrumental flourishes, and flipside "Uchu Daikaiju No Ballad". This hot-stepping cut is closer in tone to experimental instrumental hip-hop - check the classic MC vocal samples - but happily retains the weightiness of dubstep and a hint of Far Eastern exotica.

Review: Two of Lion Charge's biggest floor-flatteners from 2014 get the version treatment; "Electrocution Dub" enjoys a sugar-sweet VIP that retains the all the sun-kissed melody and charm of the original while D Operation Drop's "Rockin' Da Nation" undergoes the ruthless chops of Sound Control as they twist more emphasis on the bulbous bass with paying respect to Idren Natural's rhythmic vocalising. Full charge ahead.