Back catalogue: Drum And Bass/Jungle

Review: Chase & Status and Stormzy coming together was always going to be huge. One rules the charts, the other the clubs, and between them they cooked up a massive single that got heard everywhere all summer long, including a special live performance of it in Ushuaia Ibiza. Now you can own it on a slab of vinyl that has been cut nice and loud, which is perfect for the tune - the bass is devastating, the bars from Stormzy are hard, the energy is dark and unrelenting and it's the perfect sort of jungle cross over sound that will continue to be heard everywhere well into 2025.

Review: Everyone's talking and no-one is listening... Unless Chatta B is chewing your ear off with his militant breaks - because then we're all ears over here. Unleashing the ghosts of 93 with big sacks of sheesh and oh my gosh, each of these cuts hits hard with the neck-snap breaks and big hooky samples. 'Watch Out' sets the scene with energy, 'Real Badman Sound' goes full-on rudeboy, 'The Exit' is a big sing-along moment while 'Easy Take It Easy' sends us off into the sunset with mixed sentiments... The vocals are like a sweet rum punch while those rattling breaks on the rhythm are more like a tum punch. Talk to us.

Review: True to the name, on his latest dyst-opiate ear ingestible drug for Sneaker Social Club, longtime breaks-crud experimenter Christoph De Babalon does no favours nor holds no hands of new initiates to his cult craft. This legend's debut EP on the concretist audio graffito label hears Babalon lower the tempo to a relatively slower pace than usual, allowing for a cruddier, tape-hued texture to emerge. The theme is as grave and dangerous as ever, finding a perverse enjoyment in themes of utter hopelessness and despair. The more eclectic heads will roll at the B-side's trickier treats: 'Jaded Memory' uses designer breaks and artificially harmonic belfry yanks to dread-inducing effect, while the closer 'Dearth Mill' hints at themes of depleted resources through its freq-buried, cogjammed breaks.

Review: Billed as a "deep think about AI and junglism" and a "deep dive into tribalism and jungle techno" respectively, Coco Bryce's latest toe-tapper doubles as a mysterious bowling down darkside breakage tunnels, manifested in the twin tracks 'Ritual' and 'Y Do U Think I'm Not U'. Both unsettling, Reese-bound tunes, we can't be sure whether any AI programs were used in the making of these tracks, but they do command that same sense of vanguard mystery that pervades the technological climate of today; facing the deep, neurally netted unknown, perhaps surrendering entirely to it. Arpeggiated bliss kicks in at around the halfway mark of the A tune, whilst primal pan flutes and synth bowls seem to fuel the mystique forever on the B.

Review: Furthur Electronix's first two Furthur Journeys Into compilations tune plenty of heads and shift plenty of copies. The third one keeps the quality levels high with more explorations around the periphery of underground electronics. Chris Coco opens with a soothing synth sound before Jake Slazenger brings crystalline synths and abstract modulations to the mid-tempo '168B.' There is more pace and twisted acid energy to Global Goon's untitled contribution and then old school jungle comes to the fore on the super stylish and atmospheric Gavin Masih cut. Monika Subrtova's 'Alata' is a serene and widescreen ambient synthscape that brings things to a suitably poignant close.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record slightly warped***


Comfort Zone is a producer to watch this year and we present to you Exhibit A, this new EP on Future Retro. He previously appeared on this label on Meeting Of The Minds Vol. 5, and also collaborated with the label boss Tim Reaper on music for Banoffee Pies. This solo outing kicks off with 'Tunnel Vision' which brings real synth beauty and deep cosmic feels to a lithe and soulful minimal rhythm stacked with masterful sound designs and crispy snares. 'Snake Stealer' has more plunging bass and contrasting lightness in the wispy melodies, then Reaper adds his own remix of 'Tune Vision' which is much more brash and in your face. Closer 'Tilted' is another super stylish and jazzy number with nimble bass and lively breaks.

Review: Comfort Zone is a producer to watch this year and we present to you Exhibit A, this new EP on Future Retro. He previously appeared on this label on Meeting Of The Minds Vol. 5, and also collaborated with the label boss Tim Reaper on music for Banoffee Pies. This solo outing kicks off with 'Tunnel Vision' which brings real synth beauty and deep cosmic feels to a lithe and soulful minimal rhythm stacked with masterful sound designs and crispy snares. 'Snake Stealer' has more plunging bass and contrasting lightness in the wispy melodies, then Reaper adds his own remix of 'Tune Vision' which is much more brash and in your face. Closer 'Tilted' is another super stylish and jazzy number with nimble bass and lively breaks.

Review: This new one from Cyberlife might be rooted in techno but it is closer day a much wider world of sounds. The opener for instance rides on a nice loopy minimal rhythm you might find the likes of Batu or Pev' crafting. It comes with a lovely and dubby low end and then 'Endless Waiting' gets a little more light, with sci-fi sound effects fizzing about the mix as a dystopian automated groove takes you onwards with a hint of ancient tribal ritual to it. 'Reflexive Perspective' brings the sort of synths you'd find in some IDM over cavernous low ends and sombre, sustained chords and 'Backpropagation' shuts down with a watery and languid rhythm full of celestial depth.

Review: CYBERMISSION is back on INDEX:Records with a collection of tunes that were written in Berlin between 2021 and 2022. They all offer up signature styles that fuse the delights of luminous IDM-pop with uplifting electro rhythms. We're told that themes of self-discovery, deep romance and the bittersweet memories of what we've lost all inspired the creation of these cuts and that shows in their inescapable emotions and storytelling undertones. Both introspective yet designed to get you to show outward energy, these are five fresh and original cuts to get your new year off to a flyer.

Review: Premade heavyweight Obscure Shape and classically trained musician Conrad team up; Berg Audio proudly welcome them as a new duo addition to their roster, together under the name Urban CC. Throwing back to real-deal minimal-ambient techno of a steezy kind, something between Maurizio, Move D and Ghost, 'Pegasus' and 'Marly' cycle through fluttering dub techno and 1-2-step garage respectively, the latter bringing an eyebrow raising combo of yearnsome garge vocal science and pulsewidth techno shots, post-drop. 'Hadban' sneaks a cheeky drum & bass bullet train onto an otherwise techno-centric platform, marking Sleepnet-style vocal etherics and sold-on-us liquid. 'Shagya' finally restricts the mix, with a dubtech-house full of beeping, filtered vocal shouts; a Strictly Rhythm-meets-Chain Reaction contraction.

Review: The Clamps might sound like he's a punk band from the late 70s, but sonically this French artist sounds zillions of miles in the future. A man of stark dynamics and a powerful sense of extremities, he's taken neuro to some incredibly dramatic and emotional places on this album. Featuring collabs with the likes of Tryst Temps and Eluun, From Dust To Dawn tells a powerful story over 16 tracks. From the sheet metal slabs of cosmic brutalism ('Moirai') to the outright euphoric ('The Bill') to the wildly futuristic ('Veilwhisper') this is an immense body of work that really deserves an elevation to vinyl. Don't sleep on this.

Review: London's Clive From Accounts is back with his most expansive release to date in the form of this bumper full-length, amusingly entitled 'The Best of'. The album features the energetic lead single 'Save Me' which is packed with organ stabs, soulful vocals, steel pans and a touch of acid to get things going off. The second single, 'Heavier' delivers a dark, weighty club track with Riko Dann's toasting and other highlights include the melancholic 'Konsumu Suru' featuring Japanese vocals by Maya Kuroki and violin by Jessica Roch, the Middle Eastern-inspired 'It Began' and the classic drum & bass vibes of 'Spectrum.' Versatile stuff from Clive.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Don't worry, Coco Bryce hasn't suddenly gone all happy hardcore - although we bet he'd smash it if he did - other vocals also talk about needing your loving. And this one is a hooter. An emphatic refrain over some loose rattling breaks gentle chords, there's a subtlety and weight to this that hits all the right spots. Imagine DJ Sofa's style and you're in the right raving space. Decibella joins the party with her own take on things which adjusts the euphoria levels a tad and switches up the drums and percussion. Maximum vibes from all concerned. You need this like the sunshine. Everybody's gotta learn (about wicked jungle records) sometimes!

Review: The late great Cosmic AC's vast catalogue again yields some posthumous treasure with part two of the For Now album. It's another record that is as sophisticated as it is adventures with plenty of painstakingly crafted but effortless smooth breakbeats on 'Larvy' topped with pensive synths. Elsewhere there are logic-defying rhythm structures on 'Snood', hooky synth shimmers and more raw textures on 'Wisconsin Desert' and jazzy, cosmic motifs on the wonderful 'Setting Sun'. This is a high-class mini-album full of next-level sound designs and turbo-brain drum patterns. It makes for a compelling listen wherever you may be.

Review: Amon Tobin's debut album under the Cujo alias is a sprawling, complex work that spans 21 tracks and blurs the lines between multiple genres. First released in the mid-90s, it introduced a unique blend of live instruments and innovative sampling that would go on to shape Tobin's entire career. This is first time all the tracks have been compiled together, providing a complete version of the album that had previously been scattered across different editions. From the moody, atmospheric 'Cat People' to the intricate jazz influences in 'The Brazilianaire', the album captures Tobin's knack for combining breakbeats with more experimental sounds. There's an almost cinematic quality to the compositions, with moments of ambient calm giving way to punchy, layered rhythms. The sheer variety of ideas packed into the album is remarkable, from the driving percussion of 'Traffic' to the rich, textural complexity of 'Cruzer.' Even now, nearly 30 years on, the album still feels fresh and ahead of its time, illustrating Tobin's pioneering approach to electronic music. This reissue is a fitting reminder of the innovative work that laid the foundation for a remarkable career.