Back in stock: Drum And Bass/Jungle

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: Lyon musicologists Macadam Mambo allow The Jaffa Kid ampler extra space to flex their experimental side. Though prior releases by the artist have verged fuller in the direction of jungly, 'A Teq Approach' hears the artist abstract and remould their breaks and ambiances to delicious degree, mechanising but breathing new life into an otherwise mostly single-tempo approach. Off the back of an almost daily production output on Soundcloud comes this 12-track album, where gestalt breaks are heat-set, cast into all tempos; 'A Calm Momentum' recalls the best of Skee Mask after his move away from techno proper, while 'Different Text' brings a hermeneutic otherness, interpreting constellated skies of detuned arp-bliss and hoovering, soundscaped lows. A choice selection for fans of of AFX, ERP, Drexciya, u-Ziq or Luke Slater.

Review: Ahead of his album Lucidity, Mind Games serve up a powerful starter course from Kloke. A head chef of the choppage for some years - and often spotted in the kitchen with the Donnie Tim Reaper - here he's really running us through our paces with four superb pieces of work. 'Supernatural' hits with an eerie 60s sci-fi vibe yet still sounds centuries ahead of us. 'Rorschach' is a Krust-like stepper that slices into your mind and soul with every snare while 'All Worlds' does powerful things to your heart with those Orbital-like voice-ian synths. 'Fazed' closes the EP with the most interesting and unique drum arrangements. What a way to tease us for the album!

Review: Old-school jungle lives on through Minos, a UK producer channelling the rough-edged drive of 90s pirate radio on his latest for Jungle Slapperz. Punchy breaks and grimy low-end define these four stripped-down weapons, with enough swing and bite to work across new-gen and heritage sets alike. The raucous snap of 'Mr.clash' sets the tone, all rude edits and turbocharged momentum, while 'Love Tune' injects a splash of warmth with its filtered pads and romantic vocal licks. 'You&I' keeps things tightly coiled, its tension built from flickering amen fragments and a subtly teased bassline. 'Watch The Ride' closes the set with a knowing nod to era-defining mixtapes, trading in tension, swagger and grit. Nostalgic but not pastiche, Minos proves that jungle's golden DNA still has new futures to offer.

Review: It's a nearest and dearest thing; Polish craftsman Offish calls up his pals from around Europe for this epic collaborative free-for-all. Taken from the full digital album that comprises 13 bleeding edge slabs of timeless brutalism, this vinyl sampler highlights its extremes with these four powerful cuts. 'Eviscerate' (with Forgiven Soul) nods to the Quarantine sound with strong elements of Digital and Spirit (RIP) while 'Mushrooms' (with Greg Lvov) is an immense and hypnotic weave of percussive elements. Elsewhere the ominous dubbed out minimalism of 'Look For Patterns' (with NonRev) set us up for the disarming depths and cosmic charm of 'Cautionary Tale', making this this is an exceptional trip for DJs, dancefloors and listeners alike.

Review: First released in 1995, Outside's second album The Rough And The Smooth marked a major leap for UK big beat and bigger brain Matt Cooper, who at 22 years old wrote, produced, mixed and engineered this second of six eventual LPs for Dorado. Between dub, jungle, hip hop, Latinate rhythms and modal jazz, Cooper played keys and drums, with help from top names like Jhelisa, Imaani, Greg Osby, and Cleveland Watkiss. From the intricate steppers funk of 'Journeyman' parts 1 and 2, through to the Nu Yorican pulse of 'The 29/8 Steps', and the lush violin-driven jungle on 'To Forgive But Not Forget', it's an unforgettable record, with Cooper unperturbed by its recent time out of the public ear (perhaps for sheer faith in his music's longevity).

Review: Longtime drum splicer Rob Submerse left four whopping great holes in the Future Retro walls with these last year, now they're back for another bout. All driven by super tight and choppy breaks, there's a big focus on the drums in each track (making them instantly favourable for DJs who like to keep things busy) The delightfully titled 'Sega Shoreline' eases us in gently with gamey pads and Balearic pianos, 'Lost Tape' goes much trippier and 'Subspace Highway' scores high on the woozy stakes. Finally 'Double Jump' wraps up business with more wild pitched drums. Timeless.

Review: It's never easy keeping up with Vibez 93 and his all-out assault on the D&B scene, from the roughest jungle cuts for the underground through to canny crowdpleasers like this record right here. 'Video' is a no-nonsense flip of India.Arie's 2001 soul classic, with a righteous lyrical message which sits perfectly atop some fresh and funky breakbeats. 'Westchester Circles' meanwhile doffs its cap to Adam F's none-more-iconic 'Circles' and its source material, 'Westchester Lady' by Bob James. No prizes for guessing the reference material on 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine '23', but this is a different version to the Roy Ayers classic which is going to be peak festival fodder this season. Then cap it off with a perfect slice of sunshine rollage in 'Brasilia' and you've got a record primed for tonnes of fun wherever it gets dropped.