Kwengface vs Joy Orbison vs Overmono - "Freedom 2" (3:30)
Kwengface - "Freedom" (3:19)
Review: These tracks have received some huge hype just from the plays they have been getting from DJs luckily enough to have them. Now they finally get a vinyl pressing so the rest of us can join in the fun. First up is a three way collab between a trio of well-regarded artists in the UK drill rapper Kwengface, master bass producer Joy O and techno's Overmono. 'Freedom 2' has cut-throat rhymes and two-step garage influences with low-end subs which will destroy the club. The original version features on the flip with a less club-ready and more drill-centric sound.
Review: Just when you thought you had Al Bleek and Damon Drama's Non Plus sorted, they go and make a sharp diversion and take you somewhere completely different. The destination? LOL. And no, that's not a joke. A teaser for their forthcoming album Me Me, the tracklist reads a little like an Alice In Wonderland list of instructions or perhaps a seductive dance; "Squeeze Me" kicks off with sinuous R&B style vocals and enticing synths with a slow, lolhloping half step rhythm, which inevitably drags you in deep like a tidal current of sound, while "Face Me" follows a languid 4/4 drum pattern drenched in late night synths. "Dare Me", up next, mirrors the sonic palette with shimmering, spaced out atmospherics and more glorious, syrup sweet lyrics. Visceral and rather enthralling, it bears the hallmarks of nocturnal dance music with throbbing b-line and infectious, enveloping synth-work, but with an underlying pop/R&B sensibility that shines through the darkness. Crackly, droning atmospherics sit beneath ice cold bleeps on finale "White Noise". A far cry from much of the recent Non Plus output for sure, but a remarkable release nonetheless which we urge you to get your teeth into.
Review: Yuku come correct with this special blue vinyl remix 12". Two vibes per side, both Traka and Granul go under the knife. On one side we have Serbian crew Traka under scrutiny as Commodo flips 'Yosai' into a menacing slab of tension while Muqata takes the Killa P-fronted 'Start Taking Note' into a brutalist sonic rainbow. Flip for two remixes of Turkish maverick Granul; Jtamul turns two-step inside out with stacks of eerie space on 'Deformity' while Iskeletor turns 'Interconnected' into the twisted, halftime heaver of your dreams. Stark sermons!
Review: Ex-Roll Deep MC Trim is using his original tongue-twisting style to gain deserved popularity and support for his new sound. Joining the East London based Butterz collective, Trim presents "I Am" with two remixes from Preditah and LV. ''I Am'' is Trim on a more laid back vibe than usual, and it appears to be working as the EP receives vital support from names such as Benji B and Logan Sama. Trim's deep vocal patterns are scattered over a bouncing platform of rubbery modern percussion and sophisticated jazzy brass; almost a genre of its own, it's no surprise Trim is getting some serious attention. On remix duties are young Birmingham producer Preditah and Hyperdub / Keysound residents LV, who keep up the skippy vibe of the original. Finally, ''Notice Now'' on the flip is a new Trim vocal on D.O.K.''s ''Chemical Planet'' tune, which first appeared on Butterz in 2010.
Review: Alex Green and Damon Kirkham's debut album has been a long time coming. It follows an action-packed decade that's seen them morph from drum & bass punishers to dubstep fusionists and, more recently, bass music experimentalists. With such experience behind them, it's perhaps no surprise that Resolution 653 is an eclectic set. What's more surprising is the expansiveness of their approach. Within the album's 13 tracks lies glass-clear electronic futurism, brain-warping acid tracks, murky dusbtep, slo-mo 4/4 sweetness, hard edged electro bounce, off-kilter IDM and, naturally, 140 BPM bass bangers. As a summary of where British bass music's at in 2011, it's unsurpassed.
Review: Given his rapid ascent from pioneering 'purple' producer to major player, it's perhaps little surprise to find that Joker's long-awaited (and much hyped) debut album sees the Bristolian youngster mixing typically funk-laden synth-step jams with moments of soaring dubstep pop and hip-hop funk. While it's the latter that have propelled his rise, it's the former on which he built his career. It's notable, then, that the best moments on The Vision are those that draw most from his early purple work; the contemporary P-funk of "Level 6", cyber-funk of "Milky Way" and gorgeous Herbie Hancock-does-Purple grooves of closer "Magic Causeway" are amongst the best things he's done.
Pretentious Friends (feat Busdriver - Call by Pillowtalk)
Shipwreck (with Thom Yorke)
Evil Twin (vocals by Otto Von Schirach)
German Clap
Berlin (feat Miss Platnum)
Grillwalker
Green Light Go (with PVT - additional synth by Siriusmo)
Humanized (feat Anti Pop Consortium)
This (with Thom Yorke)
War Cry (guitar by Sascha Ring of Apparat)
Review: Over the years, Modeselektor have forged a reputation as fearless innovators, neatly sidestepping genres and frequently confounding critics. Given their tireless touring schedule and the fact they run two prolific labels it's perhaps no surprise that it's been some four years since the last full-length Modeselektor album. Monkeytown flits effortlessly between skittish 140 BPM bass music, clandestine electronica, sludgy hip-hop and even warehouse-flavoured tropical rhythms (see "German Clap"). There are some real standouts, including a dreamy, slo-mo pop outing with PVT, two collaborations with Thom Yorke and a droning Anti-Pop Consortium hook-up. Must-check.
Review: Making their debut on Warp, Hudson Mohawke and Lunice proudly cross their beams to rain down a sick and slick kind of future-crunk, aptly demonstrated in in the introductory nature of bass-rich teaser "Top Floor" with its juke leanings and menacing posture. There's a detuned nature to the recognisable bleeps and wails on offer here while the beats remain crunchy and steadfast. "Higher Ground" is more overt in its use of juke to create a twisted kind of hype, while "Bugg'n" drips and drops in a loping vat of sub bass and slow-mo strangeness, leaving you with one of the oddest takes on the contemporary mess of electronic beats.
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