New releases last four weeks: Deep Dubstep

Review: A heavyweight ensemble of drum & bass minds take on Break's most recent set of productions, pushing them deeper into system territory. The Bristol veteran revisits his own material alongside a dream team of remixers including Skeptical, Calyx, Mefjus and The Sauce, each adding distinct bite and tension to the originals. Alibi's flip of 'Headshot' is all murky propulsion and low-end snap, while L-Side draws out the yearning in 'Gunshot Love' with Liam Bailey's vocal laid over thick, heaving bass pressure. Charli Brix floats through Break's own icy rework of 'Lost', while SP:MC cuts through the dense, noir-streaked paranoia of Skeptical's 'Box Clever' edit. Clean but rough, emotive yet primed for damage, this is high-grade d&b from a cross-generational cast who know exactly how to thread vocals and subs without compromise.

Review: Something very special here from Irish label Woozy as Carre makes her debut on the label with three beguiling works of dub. We're talking real subby, rich, ploughing dub that pushes forward low and slow. 'Meltdown' is more trad hypnotic dub with all the echoes and ripples while 'Crawler' stomps along with a technoid like wink while 'Season Seven' takes us into more broken beat territory. All springy and spacey. Throw in a really classy classic dnb remix from dBridge (which is a bit of a rarity from the big man) and an experimental twist from NVST and we really are melting down. What a trip.

Review: Sheffield artist Commodo - long a mainstay of Deep Medi and Black Acre - hooks up with Turkish dubstep producer Gantz again here to explore heavy low-end percolations on Ilian Tape's revered ITX Series. 'Left Hand Path' has earth-shattering kicks and scraping hits that are coated in lo-fi and grain pads for ultimate subterranean menace. '89! Gloom' is a more nimble rhythm with a slippery lead line bringing extra movement as the low-end throb keeps you locked. 'Shake And Lurk' closes out with some brighter melodic intrigue to bring a ray of optimism to the glory but brilliant bass.

Review: After impressing on the White Peach label with their debut album Between Surface, Glume & Phossa return with four deep dubstep rollers that go big on melody. 'Gold Fang' has a smattering of percussion sprinkled over the cavernous sub bass, while broken kicks roll deep and some enchanting melodies bring light up top. 'Hard Times' is a more maximal jam with squeaky lines and jacked up drums bringing the energy. 'Shift' then slips back into an undulating and fat bassline wobbly with edgy chords keeping up the suspense and 'Crypt' brings gauzy textures and hulking great big hits.

Review: Sneaker Social Club is one of the more low-key UK labels but its output is high-class, and often explores myriad forms of bass music with a retro glint in its eye but plenty of future intent. The four-piece collective Legion is Trends, Boylan, P Jam and D.O.K. and now they return to follow up their debut 2021 release on Artikal Music. The EP opens with 'Rastaman,' a raw half-step dubstep track with eerie atmospheres and heavy bass, embracing minimalist and high-definition sound. 'Souls' pushes a jerky groove while maintaining the EP's spartan mood and 'Sister Abigail' amplifies the sinister Legion sound with metallic dissonance. Closer 'Play That Vibe' channels a 2010s dubstep techy feel. This EP is a ruthless yet finely tuned masterclass in sound design and arrangement.

Review: UK producer Mantra is one half of the label and events series Rupture and a regular on Munich's Ilian tape. He masters deep and atmospheric techno again here right from the off. 'Locked In Locked On' is a mid-tempo and silky roller with dub-wise swagger and crispy breaks, 'Levitation Dub' then rides a more propulsive rhythm with chords infusing it with warmth and 'Ruffhouse' then kicks off with more prickly rhythms, shooting synth motifs and rugged bass. 'Big Munch' brings some jungle energy to close a sophisticated low-end exploration.

Review: After over 15 years and 60+ vinyl releases, Pugilist launches his own label, Ruff Kutz, with the debut EP Monumen laying out his diverse production style and melding of techno, dubstep and 2-step influences. The A-side title track delivers a 10-minute journey of soulful techno drenched in dubby chords, Latin percussion and melancholic pads. On the B-side, 'Mannequin' offers a laid-back half-stepper with staccato sub bass and delicate chords, while 'Run It' presents a hazy 2-step groove with hypnotic bass and off-kilter rhythms. This new imprint marks a significant step in Pugilist's career and is likely to reflect his subtle and ever-shifting evolution as well as a commitment to quality, not quantity.

Review: False Aralia the new label from from Brian Foote (Peak Oil, Kranky, etc.) returns with a second release on the self-titled label and once again explores an experimental and hugely original approach to minimal house, dub and techno. It is unconventional to say the least but always inviting with warm, dubby pads, fragments of melody and undulating rhythms all bubbling away in loose, freeform fashion. These late-night sounds tracks are inescapably immersive and cavernous and they cocoon you in sound as if you're back in the womb. It's a magnificent place to get lost and sink in.

Review: Plenty of lad argot might rightly refer to the state of being blackout drunk, but few are so evocative and spot-on than the word "trollied". Right too that it should work its way into this fresh collaboration between Tunic and Sentient, neither of whom are newcomers but whose twin efforts are news to Dub Colony, fresh outta Bern, Switzerland. 'Trollied' and 'Dread' chart the course of a regrettable night at 140bpm, with high-brushing womp basses and nauseating bumps in the night, while 'Synapse Flare' and 'Shallow Grave' veer more experimental, their sludge-muffling sound design and triplet wois offering the listener a fork in the road between a return to full cognitive function or early death.

Review: False Aralia is a new self-titled label from Brian Foote (of Peak Oil, Kranky, etc.) that launches with "a series of recordings growing in all directions" and that draws together the work of artists from North America who are centred around the studio practices of Izaak Schlossman. Zero Key is the first 12" and it opens with a blend of spread synths, dubby undercurrents and microhouse rhythms. Pained vocals drift in and out of focus. There is a hallucinogenic quality to some of the sounds and an aquatic feel to the way the subtle and supple grooves unfold. It is otherworldly music that is rooted in real-world emotion.