Review: No production outfit keeps a pace of output quite like Vibez '93. The latest four-track record from the shadowy d&b profuser now hears them summon sampled echoes of A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets respectively, culling choice acapella selections from the debut albums Low End Theory and Reachin', exegeting the former's titular theory for a hard transpose into sheller drum & bass. 'Electric Relaxation' and 'Check The Rhime' are blown out across a two-side jazzstep liquescence, while 'Cool Like That' and 'All Night Long' make for finer-brushed summer steps.
Circles Revisited Reboot (Adam F & Pola & Bryson 2024 Reboot) (4:37)
Review: Adam F has been rolling out a series of rebooted classics on his label, 181 Recordings, co-founded with vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw. As a lead-up to his forthcoming album, he's released revitalized versions of 'Brand New Funk' and 'Music In My Mind.' Now, he turns his attention to Circles,' his iconic Drum & Bass track, presenting both a fresh reboot and a new version in collaboration with Pola & Bryson, which has been making waves on d&b dancefloors globally. 'Circles' was a groundbreaking track for Adam F, allowing him to blend his diverse influencesifunk, soul, reggae, and jazziwithin the framework of Drum & Bass, a genre that evolved from hardcore rave and jungle roots. According to Adam F, the track's enduring appeal lies in its deep textures, with saxophone, trumpet, keyboards and synthesisers creating a fluid arrangement that reflects his passion for jazz and his imaginative soundscape. This reboot of 'Circles' retains the essence of the original while introducing new layers and elements, ensuring its place as a timeless piece in the drum & bass genre. It's a legendary track, now refreshed and finely tuned for a new generation.
Review: The Craft Music label is back after a one year break with some fresh new cuts by resident Marco Lazovic. It's an EP inspired by the sound of the English club scene in the nineties and noughties, labels like Good Looking Records and artists such as Mike Millrain. Opener 'Losin Control' sure is a compelling mix of electro and breaks that soars on cosmic lines with euphoric vocals in the distance. 'Come To London' has a distinctly garage feel to it with its crisp broken beats and there is more high energy but melody-rich breakbeat action in 'Dark Gravity' while 'Space Jazzy' is s super sweet and deep jungle cruiser.
Pianos Raining Down (with McDonald & Jannetta - 165 To 134 BPM mix)
Ooh Boy
Sound System Love
Review: Real jungle and jungle techno rufige in full gatefold LP form from 4am Kru. Incognito Rhythm is an ironic name, since the titular track fronting this giant of a record sounds anything but incognito; judging by the full guns-blazing force of its shelling drums and sprayed quad-basses, it might as well have blown its cover, sounding as ballistic as a rubber bullet in a chamber full of springs. After the jungle techno exposition we move forthrightly into classic b-people jungle, with sizzling orchestral rompler workings wedged in with short-form breaks loops to exhilarating effect. The centrifugal mood is broken on 'Deepest Darkest Jungle', on which a much more tenebrous tone is achieved, giving off whiffs of a zoophonic jungle jamboree, the mise-en-scene for a fluting epiphany. The sounds of churlish cheek return from 'High Time' and thereon, after which r&b and ragga voxes predominate and determine the moods of the tracks in question. 'Wutt' is by far the maddest one, refusing at every turn the temptation to settle.
Review: Last spotted raising hell and taking names with Jon 1st on Defrostatica, Arcane (who is also known as one half of the more mainstream-sounding d&b act Kleu) goes full nelson on the breaks with these two choppy choppy bangers on Foxy Jangle. Both cuts focussing on the drums, subs, samples and FX, these are fully timeless trips and sculpted strictly for the heads. Great for losing yourself inside at 3am and even better to mix. Just like concrete.
Review: Club Glow powerhouse and all-round Bristol bass-bin baiting badman Borai returns to his Higher Level label with three new drops of elevated breakbeat science. As well as his work alongside Denham Audio, L Major and Mani Festo in Club Glow, Borai has been busy landing uptempo slammers on Hardcore Energy, Vivid, E-Beamz and Infiltrate in the past couple of years, and he returns to home turf in peak shape.
The A-side lights up with the dizzying break-juggling ruffness of 'Lights On', a surefire call to squeeze the last juice from the party, while 'Bobbi' opens the B side treading an artful line between deep and depraved as immersive tones face off against taut, driving rhythms. 'Sargasso Sea' smooths the proceedings out good and proper in true B2 style with a pitched-down slice of soul-charged broken beat that smacks where it counts, Borai's established instinct for forward-facing melody shining through in the interplay between 90s keys, diva vocal samples and illustrious pads.
Chris Coco - "Yawa Ze Asfos" (instrumental) (4:02)
Jake Slazenger - "168B" (3:47)
Global Goon - "Untitled" (4:39)
Ruckus (4:47)
Jodey Kendrik - "Thanx" (5:56)
Gavin Masih - "Unknown Track 1" (6:55)
Monika Subrtova - "Alata" (7:08)
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: Halogenix's label levels up in a major way here as he invites a whole troupe of talents over to Gemini Gemini for some heavyweight underground bubblers, bangers and bliss-outs. Those on the hunt for dreamy deep cuts should head for Fonts introspective stepper 'L.U.V', Azotix's 'Back Seat' and 'Monty & Indira May's 'The Motion' while those looking for something a lot darker and meaner will be all over the pure growlage of Koherent's 'Mercurial' and Quartz's thundering 'Strike Anywhere'. Complete with tracks from the likes of Zar and Verbz, Satl & Styke and En:vy, this is a very promising series from one of d&b's most authentic and consistent operatives. Resplendent in its white splattered vinyl. Join the club.
Review: Vibez 93 offer an eclectic mix of bootlegged drum & bass remix styles on their latest unknown artist EP here. In the ten-or-so minute interval that makes up the A-side, we span hip-d&b to instrumental liquid: 'That Once' functions as a rattling remix version of Beyonce's 'Yonce', acapella culled from her Homecoming Live album. Then 'Teardrop', you guessed it, serves an incredibly well-mixed version of Massive Attack's eponymous pre-eminent. B-siders 'Honey' and 'Who Got Me' move increasingly r&b come d&b, the B1 plot-twisting Erykah Badu's 'Honey' and 'Who Got Me' reworking Alina Baraz.
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: Mark Caro aka Technical Itch has got a brand new full-length on the way but before that, he teases what to expect with this lead single. He is already well respected as a dark arts drum & bass don and once again lays down some blistering amen breaks here. 'Fear + Fantasy' is an eight-minute exhilarator with unending drums and a sinister low end. There is no let up on 'Another Time' although the sone is more of a menacing stepper that takes you through debate urban landscapes, decay and unknown mischief. On this evidence, the LP is going to be crucial.
Review: Warsaw underground favourite Kampinos emerges onto the wider stage here with two standout jungle and drum & bass infused reworks. The A-side features 'Golden Eggs,' a reimagining of Tenor Saw's classic that comes infected with 90s jungle vibes, heavy amen drums and massive bass drops that will rattle yer bass bins. On the B-side, 'Menino De Outro Mundo' blends the Brazilian sounds of Caetano Veloso with samba rhythms and rolling drum & bass beats for a nice fresh fusion. This is an inventive, cross-genre 7" that honours the roots while pushing forward.
Review: If there is a more hyped artist in the world right now than Fred... again we aren't sure who it might be. The lad who grew up close to Brian Eno and has since worked with him in the studio is a global star who has also collaborated with Four Tet and Skrillex, played all over the world, won various awards and dropped several albums now presses up his acclaimed USB to gatefold double vinyl. It is a collection of his early singles that captures his lo-fi, lived-in, diaristic sounds across a range of experimental electronic styles.
Review: Woi and indeed oi, V return to their vinyl-only Legends series where they dig deep into the vaults and pull out key dubplates that never saw the official release light of day. Key dubplates like these two big Bristol bruisers from DJ Die. Both written in 96, Die's Full Cycle rawness and innate sense of groovemanship is present and correct on both sides - the jazzier, busier work-out 'Capers' and the heavier, stripped-back 'Inside' which you can imagine was made in response to some of the game-changing sounds Krust was making at the time. Legendary business.
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: NY breakbeat craftsman 88 Katanas gets explorative on Silent Force with four outstanding jungle adventures. The brilliantly titled 'The Standard Of The Archipelago' ignites the EP with a brisk drumfunk type of flavour that's comparable to Seba. From there we move inland to brutalist terrains... 'Radiant Energy' is a halftime march through thick swamps and woodland, and 'Bit Rot' takes us onto elevated fields where the air is fresher but the ground is very slippery underfoot. 'Subconscious Emotions', meanwhile, takes us back to a much calmer shore where a good looking ship awaits for voyage home.
Review: Rasta Vibez is a focused outlet for fresh twists on the ragga jungle tradition, with a generous dose of feel-good flava thrown into the blender to reach across the divide and get everyone skanking hard. 'My Sound' is an insanely catchy, chirpy flip on the usually moody approach to ragga jungle with raw fire toasting and some anthemic chorus licks to get hands reaching skywards, just in time for the late summer stretch of festivals. 'Another Hit Song' is a rolling workout which keeps things punchy and on-point, teasing the energy on the breakdown before ripping back into the jump-up styles that get bodies popping off.
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.
The Tree Knows Everything Revisited (feat Kirsty Hawkshaw) (8:04)
Circles Revisited (extended) (5:35)
Mother Earth Revisited (5:01)
Dirty Harry Revisited (5:34)
F-Jam Revisited (feat MC Conrad) (5:41)
Aromatherapy Revisited (6:57)
Review: The Colours Revisited red vinyl 3xLP is Adam F's tribute to his 1997 debut, a true masterpiece that bridged drum & bass with jazz, soul and British electronica. Realising the album's continued relevance (especially to younger audiences), Adam chose not just to remaster, but to fully reimagine it. Over two years he's restored vintage soundsidusting off his Fender Rhodes and inviting legendary jazz icons like Julian Joseph for live re-recordings. Familiar voices, including Kirsty Hawkshaw and the late MC Conrad, add a warm sense of nostalgia, whilst new musical solos give each track fresh resonance. A vivid revival of a foundational piece of UK music history.
Review: Seba is a name that has long been synonymous with the cutting edge of drum & bass. He has been active in the game for more than 25 years now and has never let his quality labels dip. He backs up that bold statement here with One, a new album that draws on everything he knows while also looking to new, unknown territory. There are hits of the great sounds he has dropped on the likes of LTJ Bukem's Good Looking Records, Goldie's Metalheadz and his own Secret Operations here with driving beats but also plenty of cinematic sound designs and widescreen synths. It makes for an involving and ethereal work right up up there with some of his best output.
Review: Topping off an incredible year in which he's launched his own label (Weaponry) and delivered three EP troves of deep drum darkness, Seattle's Homemade Weapons presents his debut album Negative Space. Followers of his disarming, physical, rolling sub-heavy sound will know exactly how important this is: the flurried amen crashes of opener "Hawkeye", the cavernous ricochet rhythm shots of "Retina", the heavily pressurised space station pads, micro-traces of jazz and busted drum fury of "Conduit", the gurgling Doc Scott style drones and sense-blurring space between the drums on "Red Herring".... Homemade Weapons has captured his stark signature with slick, subtle detail and created a document that compounds everything we've suspected since he emerged in 2011.
DJ Fresh - "Dancing In The Dark" (feat Buunshin) (3:16)
Heavyweight (AMC remix) (4:37)
Review: DJ Fresh is a legend at this point. Whenever he drops new heat it is worth tuning in, especially when it's a 12" picture disc like this from Breakbeat Koas. The A-side is a collab with Buunshin. 'Dancing In the Dark' is a hardcore gem with pitched-up vocals and monstrous breaks over spin backs, raw bass and thrilling synth lacerations. Then comes an AMC Remix of DJ Fresh's 'Heavyweight' that is just that. It rides on silky breakbeats with a rising sense of tension that keeps you locked until the explosive bass and jump-up drum head to the level.
Review: Eusebeia returns, this time gracing Curvature with his diverse, breakbeat-driven sound following the success of Age of Awareness on Spatial. This four-track EP showcases his mastery in blending atmospheric depth with intricate drum work. A1 'Set In Motion' opens with soft melodic keys and delicate hi-hats, before clean breaks and a subtle female vocal introduce a soothing yet dynamic energy. A2 'In Perpetuum' ramps up the intensity with rasping, hyperactive breaks and chopped vocals. B1 'Flow State' offers melodic layers, while B2 'The Cure For What Ails You' closes with classic amen breaks and deep 808 bass.
Review: Submorphics' Rosebay imprint has been an absolute gold mine for soulful and warm, funky and cosmic D&B and this link-up with the man of the moment Zar is certainly no exception. 'Another Level Of Love' is a surging slab of soul that could be told at any tempo. Gentle keys, balmy (but bold) pads and a scorchio vocal from Aya Dia, this hits the spot on a whole new level (ahem) For a deeper instrumental vibe look no further than 'Western Times'. A lilting, far-away texture sets the vibe while little swirls and jazzy twangs add all the colouring your soul requires. Beautiful.
Spread Love (feat Pete Simpson - Full Length mix) (6:59)
Spread Love (feat Pete Simpson) (5:53)
Contact (5:18)
Review: After its recent appearance on Hospital Records' 25th anniversary compilation, Makoto's superb D&B cover of Al Hudson & The Soul Partners' 1978 disco classic, 'Spread Love', has been released as a single. It's well worth picking up, specifically for the A-side 'Full Length Mix', which ekes out the life-affirming, mood enhancing pleasure by another minute or so. It's a terrific version - as is the original mix, which you can find on the flip - and features British soul man Pete Simpson, backed by a big group of backing singers, belting out the loved-up lyrics atop swooping disco strings, warm synth sounds, booming bass and skittish D&B beats. Bonus cut 'Contact' is worth a listen to, featuring as it does floaty ambient intros, aggressive post-jungle beats, wavy vocal samples and some seriously bowel-bothering sub-bass.
Review: When it came to following up their surprise 1994 hit album "Amplified Heart", Everything But The Girl's Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn decided to rip up the rulebook and do things differently. Previously, their music has been considered, downtempo and - whisper it quietly - Balearic. 1996's "Walking Wounded" retained their inherent beauty and sense of melancholia, but updated their musical blueprint to include far more influences from (then) contemporary dance music. As this half-speed re-mastered reissue proves, they largely hit the spot, with warm deep house cut "Wrong", the sparkling drum and bass pop of the title track and the similarly minded "Big Deal" standing out.
Review: Incoming! Clipz is subtly dropping his debut album but in true Hugh Pescod style, he's not settling for usual convention. His debut album as Clipz is a remix LP as he deconstructs Richard Russell's collaborative concept album Friday Forever and rebuilds it into a diesel powered, borderline cantankerous jungle album. These are three of the many highlights; the Dope Dragon style brukage of 'Walk Alone', the deeper piano-licked roll-out 'A Dream I Never Had' and the dubby, Bass Bin style bubbler 'The Night'. And this is just the tip of the version iceberg. Serious Saturday Specials fever.
Review: As one of the instigators of the UK 2-Step sound that paved the way for the seminal movements in Dubstep and Grime, Zed Bias, aka Maddslinky, is a true pioneer and stands as one the Godfathers of the UK Bass scene. With a prolific career spanning more than two decades, we're honoured to welcome him into the Unchained family with his debut release on the label.
His powerful 4-track EP echoes both cutting edge modern electronic as well as the nostalgia of UK dance history. All tracks wander into upper BPM territory and sonically span very wide ground; whether this be "Beijing", a track sure to carve itself a place in classic anthem history; or "DoenCa Tropical", a tune which draws new broken-beat boundaries around the 160bpm ethos.
Two tracks feature collaborations with Strategy and Bugz In the Attic's G Force - both music defining legends in their own right.
Spanning both the Drum'N'Bass universe and thought-provoking left-field bass, we hope this fresh release has you covered from club to couch.
Review: Now well into its eight year and still on a mission to bridge the gap between drum and bass and classic dub and reggae, the Rasta Vibez label now has a firm place in our affections. This one from the in house crew kick off with a tune packed with wellborn samples over a variety of beats from high speed drum & bass to digital dub and back again. 'Warning' then builds the tension with a blistering, speaker busting drum & bass on slaughter speckled with lasers, ragga tones and and samples.
Review: Since he first landed on our radar via Vivid a few years back, Yosh has dished out enough high grade garage and breakbeat gear to fuel the scene on his own. Not only a prolific producer, he's also got a razor sharp flair which edges him in front of a crowded scene, and now he's back to Vivid to show us exactly what he's about with a 12-track double-pack, his biggest release to date. In one sense you should know exactly what to expect - elevated steppers and deft rollers, but the fundamental appeal of Yosh is all those ear-snagging traits which make his tracks sparkle, and you never know what they're going to be until the needle's tracking in that groove. Now you can enjoy that sensation 12 times over - a good deal if ever we saw one.
Review: There is no more iconic figure in the world of drum & bass than Goldie. In fact, he has pretty much transitioned to natural treasure in the years since he operated at the genre's bleeding edge as a DJ, label boss of Metalheadz and producer. His Timeless album, now a hard to believe quarter of a century old, was his big breakthrough and took d&b into new realms. The epic title track will always be the benchmark by which all others are judged by the whole flow the record, precision beat work and lush synth sounds have rarely been bettered.
Persian & DJ Texsta - "Well Well Well" (D Ross dubplate mix)) (5:21)
D-56M - "Homage" (feat Decarlo) (5:11)
Persian - "Parvaaneh" (Retwist) (6:53)
Persian - "Questions" (edit 6) (5:01)
Review: D Ross is in fine form on his dubplate mix of the low slung, swaggering and rude as you like "Well Well Well". It's bass lead garage with an infectious appeal that will make whole warehouses march. D-56M's "Homage" then sinks into more murky techno territory, with wiry electronics and sludgy bass taking you into the unknown and then Persian's "Parvaaneh" slows down a notch further, with dubby chords and twitching synths sinking you into a dream state. He closes out this most interesting and varied of EPs with "Questions", a techno track with dusty breakbeats and deeply buried acid that is fresh indeed.
Review: Ajit & Kate's mutations continue! Having hit us hard, deep and powerfully over the years - especially on their incredible Grassroots album a few years back - the longstanding Belgium-based couple go back to the very roots and essence of soundsystem culture: dub. Fusing aesthetics of the longstanding sound and drawing on its eternal influence that has always been there in every Untouchables record, each track highlights a different characteristic of dub. 'Onward Forward' flexes that infectious halftime swagger and groove, 'Living In Sacrifice' celebrates the more meditative, time-transcending elements of dub, 'Dubbing Siren' is all about that hypnotic immersion while 'Dread Box' is pure dub. A beautiful homage; this sounds exactly as you'd want a new Untouchables record to sound and adds a whole new twist. High recommended.
Review: After a wild Hyperdub stopoff shared with Tim Reaper, Kloke (Andy Donnelly) now goes solo. Described as a case of "jungle vitality" by the releasing label, this is an artist playing Mindgames: 'Supernatural' and 'Rorschach' ascribe silkiness and scratchiness to the drum & bass shellout shape respectively, proving the breadth of this guy's sound. An essential emphasis on memory is invoked, with its yearning cry poking through skeletal mixes, and otherwise oppressive sci-fi sound design. 'All Worlds' is the closing experiment, where water-falling, melodi-cascades sizzle over and about pocket-sized, but still huge beat-punches.
Main Ingredient (feat Liane Carroll - Hugh Hardie remix) (4:06)
To Be Me (Conrad Subs remix) (4:35)
Review: A double LP of d&b goodness, London Elektricity has had an illustrious career through over three decades worth of jungle and d&b traversal. Tony Colman, also the founder of Hospital Records, is passing the torch on this new release to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his atmospheric, breakbeat-laden 'Billion Dollar Gravy' with a batch of remixes from fresh talent and new sounds. BDG itself sees a modern, hardcore d&b remix from Watch the Tide and 'Cum Dancing' gets blown out by Mozey after a gentle intro akin to Machine Girl's 'Reporpoised Phantasies' EP and 'Neon White Soundtrack Part 1 'The Wicked Heart'. The roster includes Zero T, Whiney & Unglued, Dogger & Mindstate, Kimyan Law, Hugh Hardie and veteran Hospital stalwart Logistics.
Review: Four cuts of timeless hardcore jungle from respected and rising Aussie break butcher 12 Bit Jungle Out There. Hugging you like it's 92 but booting you like it's 2032, each track is littered with edits, twists, turns and superb stretches. From the ragga-fronted bubbler 'Dutty Gunman' to the rave-echoed 'Desire & Love', there's a hearty party spirit that's so good for those choppy, blast-em-up mixes. Trust us, he's has been squeezing his Octamed super hard for this one!
Review: By 1997 Photek had already marked himself out as a wild card in the rapidly evolving d&b scene. He'd had three years to carve out some frankly dizzying displays of break editing wizardry and such was the innovation on display there just had to be an album coming. Modus Operandi smartly stepped to one side of the dancefloor, offering a smoky reflection on where jungle and d&b had got to, highlighting the compatibility between half-speed downtempo and breakneck drums and bringing inherent jazziness to the forefront of the beats, which avoided all the usual cliches. It's a masterpiece which hasn't dulled with time and here it's getting a heavyweight reissue across three slabs to ensure the loudest cut. All the better to blow your mind with, all over again.
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