Back in stock: Drum And Bass/Jungle

Review: Four tracks of typically heavy-browed breakbeat pessimism from the dark lord Cristoph De Babalon, alternating between pummelling, shellshocked beatdowns and more expansive, misty-eyed catharsis, like a hellish train ride in and out of worming tunnel networks. 'Backward Gallop' is a particularly juicy cut, with surgically spliced breakbeat shrapnel superimposed on washy, pensive pads and snarling FM subs. Track three, 'Die Taufe Der Zombies' - that's the christening of zombies to you and I - is a similarly loose and compelling affair, with churchy murmurings and droopy sub hits coming like a far mardier, more twisted version of T Power's 'Indigo'. Fuego.

Review: Eusebeia and Artificial Red: Two artists together across three tracks on one beautiful 12" Samurai off-shoot label Mind Games are spoiling us silly right here. The magic is evident the moment those luxury drums swoop and dip on 'Sweet Memories'. More jazz than jungle, there's a cosmic urgency laced throughout that sets the tone for the whole EP. Elsewhere 'Peace Of Mind' goes full GLM with its dreamy pads and soft subs before 'Cloud Nine' finishes with a tender ravey hug. Music for the Mind Games, soul games and indeed body games.

Review: Holsten makes a fine impression here with his debut EP on Rupture LDN. It's a drum & bass excursion that operates at the darker and menacing end of the spectrum and opens with the eerie bell hits of 'All Talk' (feat Overlook). Thrilling breaks soon take over as the turbulence synths grow ever more wild and 'Stallion' then mixes up fizzing synth chaos with tight, kinetic drum programming. On the B-side, 'Understand' is another tough drum workout with haunting pads, and 'One Step Closer' shuts down with withering sci-fi motifs and a seriously wobbly low end.

Review: After 16 years as a DJ and label owner, Kasra only released his debut EP in 2018. Now he's dropping albums dripping in high grade collabs. Gardna, Riko Dan, Yaano, Slay, VISLA, Killa P, T Man and Enei all play a role in this gully-fest as the Critical bossman rolls out a session of timeless styles. Highlights include the A.W.O.L style dark stepper 'Platinum', the Digital Soundboy flavoured 'Shatter' and the mesmerising smash of 2023 - 'BB.OO'. Dreamy. .

Review: Law & Auder's latest release, Big It Up/Boomstick, is a two-track EP that showcases their unique blend of jungle and liquid drum and bass. The A-side, 'Big It Up,' is a high-energy track with a fun, reggaeton-inspired melody and plenty of samples. The B-side, 'Boomstick,' is a more atmospheric track with an eerie melody, a big Amen break, and a deep, throbbing bassline. Law And Auder's production skills and their ability to create music that is both danceable and thought-provoking. This record gives major old skool hardcore vibes.

Review: Few things are certain in life; death, taxes, politicians lying and Paradox guaranteeing to slap your very soul with every single release he ever carves. Paradox Music 040 is no exception as 'Soviet' buries you under a savage iron curtain while '7Arc' is just Dev showing off his digging chops as he makes a whole range of breaks and cuts chat and bubble away in conversation. Pure breakbeat magic as always. Big up Paradox.

Review: Myor Massiv dial up two of the heaviest operators in contemporary jungle for a sure shot split 12" which will charge up the dance whichever side the needle drops on. 'Lucky Go Happy' is a chirpy workout from Reaper, getting lyrical with the snare rushes, pinging some sprightly chords around the mix and juggling some diva vocal licks without losing that sharp edge that always marks out his tunes. Coco Bryce brings a more widescreen, techno-styled palette to 'Down The Way' on the flip, but there's still plenty of space for swerves into giddy old-skool sampling deployed with the flair which has made him one of the brightest talents in the field. Jungle by numbers this ain't.

Review: Contemporary drum & bass bringers Response & Pliskin take a break from their pressurised plus-170 numbers for a dreamy foray into atmospheric breaks and liquid jungle. 'Live Ur Life' is a varied EP, beginning with the opening new age breaks of the title track, upon which we're geysered on high over humid rainforests of sound, while an ascendant vocalist - capable of wingless flight and incorporeality at will - accompanies us on our aloe vera-doused journey. Once we approach our quest's mythical, live-giving source, we're met with 'Virtuous' and 'Over The Hill', two raw yet revelatory Pandora's boxes uncovered somewhere deep in the heart of said jungle, and which both channel a dialectically calming yet ominous sound. Closer 'Hate Is Reality' refuses to deny hate as a fundamental composite of our lives, healthily channelling this extreme affect into a measured but heavy amen riffer.

Review: In the realm of electronic music, Silver Fox's Dread by Dawn emerges as a captivating time capsule from the golden age of jungle and hardcore. Originally released in 1993 and meticulously reissued in 2024, this rare gem has lost none of its potency. The album's four tracks exude a haunting and otherworldly atmosphere, characterized by ominous doom-infused soundscapes and unmistakable jungle and hardcore rhythms. Central to the album's allure is its masterful utilization of the iconic "amen break," a drum loop that has become synonymous with the genre. Silver Fox weaves this pulsating rhythm into a mesmerizing tapestry of dark and melodic samples, including ethereal voices and haunting sci-fi elements. The result is a deeply hypnotic and immersive listening experience that transports listeners back to the halcyon days of electronic music's boundary-pushing experiments.

Review: Deep atmospheric jungle is definitely having a moment right now with labels such as Omni Music and Codename RCRDS and Deep Jungle incubating some outstanding art, Kid Drama and DJ Trace's Nine Windows project setting benchmarks and, way ahead at the forefront, Soul Intent doing what he's been doing for the best part of 20 years. Atmospherics is the perfect example. His deepest and most cosmic of albums, the full trip is an epic sci-fi odyssey that sucks you in on an iMax level. These four cuts are some of the most clubbier-minded cuts, especially for the vinyl heads. From the hurricane breaks of the title track to the jazzy rolling drums of 'Dying Star', this is an exceptional snapshot of an incredible album.