Review: Since signing to Hospital last year Krakota has delivered a progressively on-point stream of rollers and bubblers. Hot on the heels of "Ice Hands" and "Ghosts" comes the Bournemouth artist's first fully fledged EP and it's something of a vibe marathon: "In The Area" soothes with soft harmonic basses in a similar way to early Netsky or perhaps Nu:Logic material, "Citadels" is a floaty, cosmic meander through the jungle milky way. Looking for Krakota's harder side? Look no further than "Crash Pads"; all Experience-era detuned synths and swashbuckling amens, it's undiluted rave juice. Finally "Lazy Bones" brings us back to earth with a piano-shaped cushion... Before packing us off to sub boot camp with some very devious but subtle bass dynamics. Krakota's best release to date, without question.
Review: Dominick Martin's Shelflife series takes us back into the very core of Calibre over the past 20 years, finally sharing tracks which were previously only aired in his DJ sets. It's testament to his rigorous approach to the music he released over that time, given how incredible some of these cuts are, but it's also a relief to finally be able to cop the likes of 'Breather', 'Home' and 'I Don't Care What U Say'. The range of d&b on offer here is remarkable too, from moody, heads-down tech steppers to gorgeous, soul drenched swooners, with an unerring quality which lets you know it's Calibre at the controls.
Review: Not too many artists can create a buzz quite like when word spreads of a new album more than Squarepusher. Dostrotime is the first album for Tom Jenkinson in nearly four years, one of his longest breaks between albums. Proceeding the album release, the video for the hardcore acid banger Wendorlan has been making the rounds on the internet. If this is any indication of the rest of the album, then expect some serious heat. Audio samples have been tightly secured to protect leaks online until the release date. This album will be spread over a 2x12 and nicely packaged in gatefold form and no doubt contain some great gallops through the genre spectrum like only Squarepusher can do.
Review: Wilkinson is a big name when it comes to the contemporary drum & bass scene. He is someone whose name you will find on all the line-ups of the major clubs and festivals around the world and is no stranger to bringing the noise to Ibiza, either. He has a multi-genre approach that finds him playing effective and eclectic sets that appeal to all manner of crowds. Back in 2013, he dropped his debut solo album Lazers Not Included on Ram - where else - and set all this success in motion. This tenth anniversary edition comes on yellow vinyl with UK number 20 single 'Dirty Love' and many more gems.
Review: Did you know that Iceland had its own rather influential rave scene back in the 1990s? Whatever the answer to that question, you will want to check out this first-ever collection of anthems from that era which is now on vinyl for the first time. This collection came on Thule offshoot label TMT Entertainment as a CD in 1992 and features memorable and timeless tracks from back then, many of them now with cult status. It's called Alsaela, which translates as "ecstasy" and gives you some idea of what to expect from it. It features a non-stop selection of old school rave alongside some lost and previously unavailable classics by Agzilla & DJ L.S.K and some unreleased gems from AJAX. A great bit of history that still does the trick.
Review: Seminal business: DJ Rap's 1995 anthem 'Intelligent Woman' remains one of the most relevant and iconic jungle tracks to this day and still demands a reload 27 years later. Fully backed up by a harder, more D&B-focused 2020 re-lick, Kniteforce pay respect to Rap and her influence on the drum & bass game with this long-awaited repress. Grab it and invest in a slice of serious history.
Review: Okbron haven't slipped out any information about Theomega around this new release, but at this point the label's reputation is more than enough to draw you in for a listen. Curiosity will undoubtedly be piqued as soon as you hear 'Kaleidoscope' rolling out, but you'll be equally satisfied by how fresh it sounds. Somewhere past pure atmospheric chill and into dexterous backroom d&b, the programming is light as a feather and the mix is beautifully spacious, giving you ample room to marvel at all the angles from this hitherto unknown producer. 'Mystery Train' continues the trend on the B-side - even the flute samples are on point.
Review: Following his latest album Against A Dark Background, the inimitable Dom & Roland continues to forge his own unique near-30 year path with the launch of a brand new label. Fittingly entitled Individual, it kicks off with two exceptional - not to mention uncompromising - cuts. 'Burn Bright' is your quintessential hardcore jungle d&b with big stabs, massive splashing cymbals and iced out atmospheres stretches over the top. 'Being' meanwhile is a hyper jazz jam with brutalist steppy drums, treacle subs and wild blasts of muted trumpet. Far out.
Scared Of Love (feat Ray Blk & Stefflon Don) (3:21)
Summer Love (with Rita Ora) (4:19)
They Don't Care About Us (feat Maverick Sabre & YEBBA) (4:36)
Do You Remember (feat Kevin Garrett) (3:41)
Leave It For Tomorrow (feat Elli Ingram) (4:25)
Adrenaline (feat OLIVIA) (3:58)
Review: Rudimental's third full-length, "Toast To Our Differences", was originally slated for release back in September, but ended up being delayed. So was it worth the wait? It's certainly a colourful, vibrant and expansive affair, with the quartet drawing on a far wider palette of influences than were evident on their previous albums. Check, for example, the title track's glistening, South African style tropical pop, the piano-powered cheeriness of "These Days", the soaring power pop of previous single "Sun Comes Up" and the auto-tune heavy EDM-house stomp of "Scared of Love". Given their superstar status, it's unsurprising to see an impressive cast list of guests and collaborators - Major Lazer, Rita Ora and Ladysmith Black Mambazo included - while this "Deluxe Edition" includes a trio of extra tracks.
Review: The Time Is Now label single-handed ushered in a new era of garage if you ask us. That was a few years ago but the label continues to lead from the fort here with a new EP from Samurai Breaks & Napes who make their label debut in explosive fashion. They are skilled studio talents who are nudging at the boundaries of the current UK bass sound and here they hybridise bassline, jungle and garage. You won't easily be able to fit these into one stylistic box but they will do damage on the floor, from the ghetto restlessness of the opener to the manic melodies of 'Correct Technique' and onto the turbocharged 'FrogMob'. Thrilling stuff.
Review: New York-based minimal electronica artist Brendon Moeller takes cues from drum & bass and lowercase on his latest record for ESP Institute. Like a sonic Hockney painting, just six generous tracks span a curtly two sides on 12", as classy deluges marry with designer percs, conspiring to make a large but radially controlled splash. Every experiential stylistic base Moeller has passed so far, such as IDM or ambient dub, is revisited and checked off, and combined to form a wet emulsion here. 'Vibrations', the highlight of ours, pays special attention to fricative, stimulant audio-exploits in the sound design, with its synthetic mid-claves and potent rubber basses sounding like the reflex responses it predicts and expects from us. No wonder ESP liken the entire record to one big tingling sensation.
Review: There's seemingly no end to ASC's offerings to the drum & bass world and so it continues on this beautifully packaged black splattered yellow 10" from the Waveforms series. 'Waveform 03' is an airy jungle excursion with explosive amens set off against vast expanses of pads, while 'Waveform 04' locks into a sleeker, techier approach where the icy atmospherics have more space to stretch out. No one is even close to the quality and quantity of ASC, and this is yet another essential addition to his huge legacy.
Review: Originally released on the cult V4 Visions label in 1991 & 1994, Ashaye's 'Dreaming' and 'What's This World Coming To' epitomised the essence of street soul, a genre blending soul, r&b, and hip-hop that resonated across London's pirate radio stations in the 1990s. With the surge in UK soul's popularity in recent years, DJs and tastemakers have championed these tracks which has in turn elevated their demand and value. 'Dreaming' has become nearly unattainable on the second-hand market, while 'What's This World Coming To' commands prices upwards of L50. Snap up this fully licensed RSD release however and you will have both tracks for an affordable price.
Review: Their first ever collaborative LP, drum & bass brilliants ASC and Aural Imbalance share Duality, consummating a long working relationship, which has also seen two 12" EP exquisites from 2023, 'Interstellar Transmissions' and 'The Other Side'. But, as this is their first full-length album together, Duality is less floor-centred and works in a relatively conceptual mode, tracking a strong but measured arc from left-right pad sculptings to designer breaks. The cosmic theme of both artists' music is omnipresent as ever, though there's an extra dash of titular spiritualism; we move from the literal celestiality of 'Sunset On Mars', into a B-side's figurative celestiality with 'Seraphim' and 'Prism Of Light'; a steady vibe-shift into angelic, alary buoyancy.
Review: Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated releases of 2020, legendary UK producer DJ Krust makes a comeback with his first release in 14 years, and rather surprisingly on Crosstown Rebels - of all labels. While we all know Damian Lazarus' established imprint is anything but drum and bass, it is well known that he was an early champion of the sound, long before his tenure at City Rockers in the early '00s when he embraced 'electroclash' - but that's another story. It's clear that Krust created some of the most seminal records in the genre throughout the nineties and noughties, and he is back in fine form on The Edge Of Everything, having explored radical new philosophies and creative processes. Minimalist arrangements as heard on tracks like 'Constructive Ambiguity' hark back to his signature sound of the aforementioned period, while he also explores more experimental minded beats as heard on 'Antigravity Love' and proper darkside rolling drama exemplified on 'Deep Fields Of Liars'.
Review: Italian producer Donato Dozy rightly has a cult following as he has a fantastically well sculpted style whether making ambient deep techno or as is the case here, drum & bass. He opens up with the pulsing loops of 'Mai', which always hints as some sort of big rhythmic explosion that never quite comes. 'Dusty Bones' is a flurry of sci-fi sounds, tribal drums and frosted bass that leaves you in a spin. 'Sanza High' is a DJ Python style half stepper with menacing bass and 'Tao' is a more traditional drum & bass beat with trademark silky synths.
Review: Suburban Architecture share the fourth in their 'Architecture Dubs' series of limited edition 10" vinyl releases, which hears some of the most revered names in mid-90s golden-era drum & bass deliver remixes of newer Suburban Architecture material, in homage to that most innovative of periods. It's an impressive feat, not least since most of the time, it's the newcomers remixing the works of the veterans, and not the other way round; and that's what makes this record such a great flex. 'The Drifter', from SA's 'Turning Point' EP, first hears a dedicated, flauting remix from Ray Keith on the A, while Moving Shadow favourite DJ Harmony brings a thoroughly filterpassed amen-packed version to the B1.
Review: Vibez 93 returns to the fore with a prime quartered cut of meatiness and freshness in equal measure. The 'Gorilla' EP opens with a reappropriation of Drake's 'Fair Trade' - on which the Canadian rapper denounces every first-world rapper's qualm from false equivalences to fake friends - pairing these with cleansing liquid breaks, musical Rhodesy ghost notes and quaking 808 basses aplomb. 'It's Love' recalls Orca with its fricative breaks and a barely filtered-in but effective vocal sample, while B-siders 'Mug Ya Self' and 'Gorilla' rework choice cuts from The Streets and Little Simz respectively, proving the UK's enduring efficacy on the now global d&b scene.
Review: The Wagram label loves putting together a good compilation and that's what they do here with a focus on drum & bass. In particular and early on, they opt for a rather sweet and soulful sound, a deep take on the green with liquid grooves and warm, glowing pads next to angelic vocals. Plenty of the names you would expect appear from Goldie with a stone-cold classic to Nookie and Kid Loco. There are more edgy jungle vibes later on from Soulja, steppers from Roni Size & Reprazent and raga styles from Congo Natty Presents Conquering Lion.
Review: For whatever reason. Part 3 of this EP series from Bungle on Moscow's Okbron Records dropped before this one, Part 2. Either way the drum & bass veteran has won us over again with two of his signature laidback rollers. They come with nice synth sequences and silky smooth drum breaks that manage to be powerful but comforting, certainly on 'Memory Lane' which also has the hint of nostalgia you would expect. 'Sun Step' is more stripped back, with smeared chords and more frosty textures up top and low, booming bass down low. Both are high-quality cuts.
Review: 'Born With It' by Mungo's Hi Fi, featuring Aziza Jaye, Gardna, and Eva Lazarus, is a high-energy anthem blending UK Garage and 90s rave vibes with a powerful dose of Drum n Bass. Aziza Jaye's searing vocals, Gardna's dynamic delivery, and Eva Lazarus's fierce dancehall attitude create an explosive party track. On Side-2 'Back in the Dayz', adds nostalgia with a deft rap over rave-infused breaks, sure to evoke memories of old-school rave scenes. This 2024 12" vinyl, eco-friendly and pressed in Scotland, includes unreleased instrumental versions and a dub mix of 'Back in the Dayz', making it essential for summer festivals, clubs and sound system parties.
Review: Hospital Records' latest outing is a welcome return to releasing from DJ Hazard, pioneer of ostentatious jump-up drum & bass (of the second, not first, kind; heads will know there might as well have been two movements bearing the name, with the blurring point between them somewhat indistinct, yet the former more definitively jungly than the latter). Here we get stuck in to a four-track lesson in the jump-up sound that most know today: rolling basslines, eerie atmospheres & crunchy drumwork galore. From the opening horror film-sampling 'Behind The Mask' - on which wheezy leads and syncopated snaps steep and wring the mix to a high twisted heaven - to the mid-section sonic dentata 'Drill Bit' and 'Cloud Drift' - on we're met with an illicit power-driven (hopefully just dental) procedure and a clouded liquid miasma respectvely - and to the final 'Break The Silence' - which brings an anti-violence hip-hop sample to a playful excruciation of imp-bass and spit-snare - this is everything befitting of a contemporary Hazard EP, a sure health hazard if we know one.
Review: The latest full-length LP from Aural Imbalance continues serenely on the heels of an already well-travelled career. Now seeming to avow the often almost eternal sounding nature of breaks and drum & bass, a title like Infinity Spectrum implies that this is a career that could happily go on forever, were we not mere mortals. As ever, the album is interstellar in theme, each track doubling up in function as names that could also easily denote distant star systems or galaxies; 'Aurealis' and 'Alpha' are standout cuts in this regard, pitting rolling pitched 808s, rattling arps, and nebular pads together, behooving the ever-central breakbeat that sets us off on a journey to find some glistening lost alien artifact. Though there is a destination, it really is about the journey; by the time we reach the C-side, 'Slow Motion' ups the sonic sulphur content with a detour through an airier, major-keyed gas-planetary iceworld, while wondrous scoped-out rollage judderer 'Apparation' proves that even space provides its own mirages, its own fata morgana.
Review: The man, the machine, the legend! Anile makes his return with two utterly outrageous remixes of LSB's classic 'Potshot'. First up comes the d&b version that plunges you down to submarine levels before pull you up too quickly and giving you the bends. Need something a little slower with more swing but hits just as hard? Jump on that garage version. Holy moly. Welcome back Anile!
Review: Xylitol is the alias of producer and DJ Catherine Backhouse, also known as DJ Bunnhyhausen. Building on her slowly snowballing status as a co-host of the radio show Slav To The Rhythm, which focuses on vintage central and eastern European pop and electronica - as well as co-writing a book on Yugoslavian pop culture - Backhouse's debut album 'Anemonies' is the essential musical component for aiding the task of stomaching her many multifarious outings. Taking as her cue the art of illustrating molluscs, anemones, cnidaria and other aquatic creatures, Xylitol uses Anemone as an album-form outlet for the exploration of fizzing, extrambient jungle missives; tissued, papillary hardcore. The name Xylitol is an indication of what's in store for you here: impeccably reasoned intellibreaks, and piqued, pitched-up samples, both of which invoke childhood pelagic fantasy; virtual underwater verde. The whole record is an odyssean island hop, and we thoroughly recommend it.
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: A man of many sounds (and even more swanky tracksuits) Voltage takes time away from the Kings Of The Rollers to unleash an album that no one saw coming. Kicking off with an 80s flavoured freestyle jam 'So Close', Rouen Wilkins takes time to guide us through his influences and showcase sounds and styles you might not expect from him... The Josh Wink style acid breaks of 'Moonshine', the sultry space-bound jazz of 'Endless Dreaming', the 90s piano house-meets-drum & bass vibes of 'Keep On Dancing' and the Burial-esque tones and textures of 'Consciousness' are just some of the excellent off-piste highlights from an artist who has more cards up his sleeve than you may realise. Balance is everything
Supersonic (VIP) (feat Skrillex, Josh Pan & Dylan Brady) (4:39)
The Hole (part 1) (5:02)
Closer (2:32)
Review: After they announced their decision to call time in 2020, Dutch D&B heavyweight trio Noisia are drawing a line under their project with this authoritative final statement, Closer. Pulling together some of their final studio experiments, which were originally intended as a follow up to 2016's Outer Edges, there's a lot to take in. The devoted Noisia fanbase will be savouring every last drop, from the collabs with Camo & Crooked, Skrillex and The Upbeats to the last standalone drops from one of the most inventive forces ever to grace drum & bass. Giving the release the ceremony it deserves, this edition comes on silver vinyl across four LPs. A definitive kicker from a group we'll never see the likes of again.
Review: Tides is the brand-new studio album from Hybrid Minds; a veritable challenging of the status quo and drum & bass orthodoxy with the best-produced, most pristine sonic vanguard yet. Presenting 13 incredible tracks, including the hits 'If Love Could Have Saved You', with venbee and 'Lights', with Charlotte Plank, get ready to sit back and enjoy the sonic journey that Tides takes you on, transcending listeners beyond the genre's more typical environments with their own unique Hybrid Minds take on the drum & bass style. This edition is primed for the tuntable, coming to a shortened 2xLP splatter-vinyl edition.
Review: The fledgling Detach label continues to show it means business with a new 12" in a lovely screen-printed sleeve. Romanian artist Dyl is the one in charge and has been serving up consistently excellent and innovative sounds now for serval years. All of these cuts mix up great sound design with languid rhythms - the first is eerie, with watery droplets and glassy tinkles hanging in the air, while 'Glasshouse 2' has a percolating rhythm down low. 'Glasshouse 3' gets a little more dynamic with a shimmering low end and freaky abstract life forms and 'Glasshouse 4' layers in more intense and ever-shifting synth lines while the closer sounds like it's roaming through a deserted factory long after it shut down.
Review: Cold Diggin' kick off a new series here that is designed to acquaint you with the talents of 'The Dude Ya Love To Hate. We can't find out much information about he, or she, or them, but can only assume more is to come given this 7" has its own catalogue naming convention. This first limited one-off pressing comes on one-sided black vinyl with a silk screen print. 'I Like Your Stye' is raw and irresistible jungle, library and funk fusion from front to back. A great one to cop, and a great new artist to keep tabs on for sure.
Review: Heads will know 'As We Enter' as the name of the Breakage tune that set the stage for many more things halftime to come - not to mention a Damian Marley & Nas song released around the same time - so we're more than pleased to learn that one next-gen producer has taken on the name as an alias. However, something in the aura of this release tells us this artist is no debutante; 'Lover To Lover' brings wubbing Reesebound rollage and summery fluting funk together in quick step, with complementary numbers 'So Gone', 'Come Again' and 'Shifting Gears' flaunting a respect for the many different facets of drum & bass, from techstep to early jump-up. This one gets more and more sinister as it progresses; despite the cover, whatever's entered the room feels more elephant than pigeon.
Review: Tek-notic drum & bass from audio astronaut ASC, whose practice assembles at the chair of a group mooting of cosmically-minded artists, Eusebeia and Aural Imbalance also included in said the Situation Room panel. 'Next Time You Fall' brings us arresting breaks hypnotics and relentless thruster pulses as ever, with 'Fear Of The Deep' packs a chiming sound palette, and 'Concentric Circles' having a wonderful ride-symbolic quality about it, its crosstick rhythms and jazz polytimes wringing the best out of an otherwise choppy and minimal scape. 'Say It' mirrors the EP's titular, lettered urgency, spurning jungle's often dirty commands for a contrastingly seductive piece.
Review: Coventry-based Whiney returns to drum 'n' bass institution Hospital Records With Bubblers: Part Three' marking the last edition in a series. Teaming up with North London-based MC Subten on 'Headlines', a grime-infused stepper, followed by 'Freedom Dub' which is an intelligent liquid roller. B-side cut 'Yesterday' will hypnotise you with its rich tapestry of synth textures while his immaculately programmed rhythms maintain the energy levels. Legend Laurent Garnier is said to be a fan of the young producer's work, and a track like this is a good example why. This might be his last Bubblers EP, but it's definitely not the least.
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