Review: Dom of Dom & Roland (Roland being a machine) has remained a drum and bass visionary since the mid -90s. He remains notably the only solo artist to have scored award-winning albums on both Metalheadz and Moving Shadow; in recent years, he's since gone on to record various full-length records, such as a recent album on Overshadow earlier this year. His collaborations range far and wide and have included the likes of Optical, Amon Tobin and more recently Noisia; though his outernational performance style has attracted many more such pioneers along the way, including the likes of Art of Noise, David Bowie, Laurent Garnier, Goldie and Clyde Stubblefield. Now delivering his first EP 'The Stormfront', we're met with a four-hit haul of stonking sound-crushes, future-bleak halftime hack n' slashers, from the opening meteorological portents of 'Stormy Waters' to the closing, impish weirdo snaggles of 'Hallucination'.
Review: Uppers & Downers tap the raw, yet-to-be fully processed talents of Yerevan's Dave N.A., for a stunningly angelic nu-breaks come jungle come acid outing. Having co-founded his local Armenian ABC Community DJ collective, Dave N.A. attests his non-applicability to the normal, formal rules of dance music, declaring himself diplomatically immune to boring tempi, drab beats or morose melodies. Instead, the likes of 'Radiance', 'XL', and 'AIR' subject us to some of the most riveting soundscapes and shellages imaginable, drawing on a frenetic confluence of rave and hard bass traditional sonics.
Review: More moody grooves from this long-standing Northern partnership as they lay down four wide-ranging cuts on their own Northern Front imprint. The first release on the label this year, it's big old statement as they flex across the spectrum. 'Criminal' hits with a Metalheadz headbutt, 'Dominion' swaggers with a venomous bounce that you could imagine coming from a collab between Amit and Total Science. Then we have 'Muscle' which is an exception piece of breaks that nods heavily at the foundation but keeps a contemporary twist. Finally 'Catastrophic Disclosure' closes with a hard, noisy Dillinja dig in the solar plexus. Savage scenes. This is some of Response and Pliskin's best work to date.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
I Need Your Loving (5:54)
I Need Your Loving (Decibella remix) (5:57)
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: 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: Force by name, fierce by nature; Irish jungle craftsman Ricky cooked up this mini album on Tim Reaper's Future Retro back in 2023 and it's getting a new run if you missed it. Kicking off with the iconic tones of Stevie Hyper D (RIP) on 'Sensi', everything is in place for a series vibe marathon as we're taken from fracture to fracture, chop to chop. Highlights include the bone shaking 'Extreme Change', the big rootsy rumbler 'Baked' and the lightnight finale 'Spinning Lucky'. Timeless jungle magic.
Review: As well as this one coming on pink wax, Adam F is also dropping it on nice classic black vinyl. It features his classic track 'Brand New Funk,' which emerged after he acquired a second-hand Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Vocoder, and Clavinet D6 Honerikey instruments of the funk era. This track pays tribute to its predecessors by blending classic funk elements with intense drum patterns, merging the vintage funk spirit with modern sonic complexity. Revived and refreshed, 'Brand New Funk' represents one of Adam F's most innovative and enduring sounds.
Review: Vibez 93 veers heavier than usual on their latest almost weekly jungle top-up, released again on their eponymous label (it's been so long, and yet it's still so not clear, as to whether Vibez is one person or many different "unknown artists"). So too is 'Brain Storm' an ironic name, since most brainstorming is usually done in silence, whereas this is just utterly cyclonic, flaunting an equally apt potential to the compel the body. On the A1, a suspenseful set of whodunit piano plinks pepper an otherwise industrial-strength dose of breaks shreddages. We're barely afforded any time to 'Cool Down' neither, not least since Vibez' idea of downtime amounts to little less than a further set of gnashings by the same backbeat. Only do 'Amigo' and 'Vulkaan', on the B, meanwhile, fully wrangle the listener with the ragga influence that was only teased so flirtatiously on the A, with straight-up taped-and -elaid soundclash samples, and lesional rapid-echo breaks, aplenty.
Review: Neoclassic acid-from-garage movements from Peter Reilley aka. Persian, a favourite of the UK dance music scene since as long as anyone can remember. For 20 years, Reilly has gone his own way, operating in and on genre after genre, up-peggable as he is adept, blending breaks, digidub, electro, garage, house, and jungle across a repertoire of no less than 50 EPs. Though this release serves as his farewell, as Reilly formally steps back from music production, it beautifully showcases his skill in programming, with 'Questions 2' proving a sleight hand for twinging post-funk leads, and 'Questions 7' bringing unprecedented sci-fi desolations to an erstwhile jam-funky tune collection.
Review: Rua Sound's sellout Foxy Jangle series returns with a ninth (second-to-last!) 12" release: a double A-sider featuring Bedford hardcore hero Wise & Deadly, backed by an equal legend of the UK soundsystem scene, Humb. Observe the obverse side: Wise & Deadly offer a cheeky jungle techno take on a well-known free party anthem, Mike & Charlie's 'I Get Live' (it's almost as if the remixer's name is an unconscious ironising of the OGs'). Meanwhile, with the B-side's 'Shut Up', Humb goes in heavy on the amens for maxmium dancefloor devastation, upending any prior need for four-to-the-floor implants for a shrill, nigh thrillingly unhinged break-stravaganza.
Review: Time to stare right in the eye of Jupiter again as the legendary and un-accidental hero Sonic rolls out his fourth solo studio album Embers on wax. Previously dropping LPs on the likes of Western Lore and Sneaker Social Club, this one comes courtesy of check-on-sight fringe fusionists Yuku and it draws heavily on his roots in the jungle / hardcore primordial soup in the most exciting creative ways. Big synth blasts and steamroller drums ('The Holy Breaks'), ominous tension and rising drama ('Fatal Crash Test') and the all-essential de-climatising end-of-journey meltdown ('The Shadow & The Light') A stunning Sonic trip in all the right ways.
Review: The respected DIY hero Xin Lie's reputation has spread far from his native Bangdung in the Indonesian province of West Java - and this eight track debut album will no doubt add to his international repute even further. Electronica is one of the hardest genres in which to forge an original, distinctive path but Lie does it here effortlessly, from the juddering bass-driven half speed groover 'Parat' and the frenetic, polymetric rhythmic riddle that is 'Ngalengkah', to the tribal percussiveness meets mangled robotics of 'Papait Nu Amis', it never settles into accepted ways of doing things, constantly challenging you to keep up. "Perhaps it's best imagined as the soundtrack to a multi-sensory art installation," Lie suggests, "or a performance staged not in a gallery but in an unassuming house down your street." Fine. Or just a really compelling record, you could equally argue.
Review: Apparel Wax on Apparel Music records has recently started a 7" series of which this is the third instalment of. These 45 DJ friendly records are sure to be hits with house music DJs and fans both. The music does the talking as the tracks are simply called 'Track 1' and 'Track 2'. The first blends jazz, funk into a house instrumental frenzy that has all the makings of a classic late night success. The second one is quite unusual and unique, adding a broken almost jungle beat that goes great with the piano. This gives us some real early 90s UK rave flashbacks! This versatile 7" should go over great with those who hear it!
Review: Marking the 14th chapter in their Swinging Flavors series, Beat Machine Records call on Helsinki's DJ Sofa for a two-track offering that digs into the shadowy depths of drum & bass. A longtime purveyor of intricate, emotionally charged productions, DJ Sofa channels the breakbeat grit of late 90s UK rave culture with a distinctly modern twist. 'Drums For The Lost' is a tense, heads-down roller, its dense percussion and cavernous basslines creating a hypnotic sense of momentum. Paris-based Siu Mata reworks the track into a peak-time pressure cooker, adding a restless swing and rhythmic urgency that reshape the original's brooding energy into something more propulsive. Beat Machine Records reaffirms its ear for boundary-pushing club music.
Review: One of the most interesting artists to have emerged from the Czech and Slovak based crossbreed movements that dominated the first decade of the century on the harder side of d&b, Forbidden Society has evolved and morphed with the times to a much deeper, emotionally-wrought but still hard-assed sound. This seventh studio album (released on Noisia's iconic Vision imprint) is the best version of his fusions so far. From the dark industrial strength dubstep swagger of 'Wish' to the sci-fi hurricane of cuts like 'Deception' and 'Reaching Zero', this is an incredible body of work from an impressive and unique craftsman.
Review: Silent Force Records unleash a brand new series SFR Titans and its down to the mighty giant Sicknote to launch it. Naturally he tears the series a new one before it's even started. 'Craw' takes the lead as Sicky links with old mate and long-time collaborator Escher for some tense, emotional volatility. For 'Lates' on the B-side old Notey chops goes solo and takes us proper darkside. Think 'Angel Fell'-era Dilli with a slice of old Digital and you're in the right armshouse. Titanic.
Review: Oakland culture hub Cone Shaped Top, boost Tomu DJ's sophomore album to the world and it's an absolute bounty of flavours, ideas, textures and tales. At its most urgent and fast-paced, it takes the form of dubwise, reggae influenced drum & bass ('Tortfeasor'), at its most stripped back it's the hazy psychedelic rock of 'Window'. Elsewhere we're struck by lo fi house ('Flowers'), ESG-style post punk funk ('New Groove') and full-on psychedelic soul ('Distant Memory'). And that's not even half of this beguiling adventure. This really is an exceptional body of work.
Review: No one did bedtime stories gorier than Brothers Grimm and no one hits the contemporary rave game harder than Kniteforce. Especially when big names like Floyd Dyce (look him up) and J Majik are involved like they are here. Taking a 1992 Production House banger and flipping it into a timeless floor burner, J Majik goes for the jugular with drum switches and a big breakout into the classic dub sample. The original B-side Field Of Dreams also goes under the knife, this time by Kniteforce regular Stephano who whips up an almighty hardcore storm. Sweet dreams!
Review: Launched late last spring via an EP of nostalgic, spacey and sub-heavy breakbeat science, Shadow Child and DJ Haus's collaborative Rhythm Force series returns for a third instalment. This time round, the long-serving duo have opted to explore bowel-bothering bass of vintage UK garage and the late 90s drum and bass explorations of liquid superhero LTJ Bukem. Check first 'Night Lights', where twinkling electronics, glassy-eyed pads and rewind sound effects ride a crunchy two-step breakbeat and powerful sub-bass motif. 'Icy Moons', meanwhile, offers a lusciously spacey and rhythmically breathless take on the post-jungle early d&b sound, naturally underpinned by a seriously weighty, speaker-shaking bassline.
Review: JLM opens the EP for Spatial with 'Consensus Reality', an uplifting track driven by lush keys and filtered breaks. The melodies are woven from a range of harmonious elements, while crisp apache breaks are expertly introduced, showcasing JLM's signature style. 'Salva Veritate' shifts to a darker, more intense atmosphere. Whooshing synths and dense soundscapes are layered over hefty 'Hot Pants' breaks, with tuneful 808 basslines and blippy sub-melodies adding texture to this suspenseful track. On the flip side, 'Hotspot' starts with mellow, jazzy keys before bursting into life with juddering snares and smooth 808 basslines. Dreamy strings and pads sweep through the mix, creating a paradox of energy and calm. The EP closes with 'Nova', a soothing track featuring soft, flowing synths and delicate beats. Subtle effects and cosmic breaks aplenty - an exceptional release.
Review: Young Dutch talent Leniz hits the big wax with this special collection for Fokuz. 'Whirlwind' sets the scene; ebbing and flowing with the surging urgency of a Special Ops or Alaska joint, there's a powerful sense of atmosphere that runs through the whole EP. Elsewhere 'Forgotten Glory' continues that hazy but heavy push of emotions but in a more introspective, gentle way. Flip for two stunning remixes of 'Whirlwind' from Voyager and Querry Veldt. For the former goes warm, jazzy d&b while the latter is all about those spacey breaks. Hold on tight!
Review: The Tequila Grooves label drops its first vinyl release here and it comes in the form of serval remixes of Dos Buratinos's Control U. 'Control U' (Ant To Be remix) channels 90s Future Sound of London and jazzy broken beats and jungle before the extended mix brings languid rubbery rhythms under colourful synths. Things get all steamy, deep and seductive with the romantic sax tones of the LPO Deep & Sensitive remix. Last of all, the LPO dub remix takes all the energy out of it and layers in pensive chords and free flowing jazz melodies.
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: It's the anthem that just keeps on giving. Tim Reaper & Kloke's shattered break sensation 'Foundation' dropped five years ago, it still slays dances to this day and is one of the best drum tracks you can hurl into a mix for instant riotous results. Countless collabs later, the pair return to VIP the track up in their own way. Reaper keeps those drums intact and goes extra on the atmos and pressure whole Kloke eases up on the pressure entirely with a fresh set of pads and a re-chop of the breaks. Both totally revitalise the timeless track that didn't even need update in the first place. Cop this!
Review: One of the most keenly watched of the new generation of d&b producers, Eusebeia's latest release is jungle at its most consideredirich in detail but never overworked. The A-side ' Purity' moves with an unhurried ease, its breaks sharp but not intrusive, its melodies bright without being overbearing. There's a lightness to it, but it never drifts too far. On the flip, 'Artificial Red' strips things back, letting the low-end do more of the talking. The rhythm feels looser, more drawn-out, but still precise in its movement. Both tracks sit comfortably in that space between introspection and momentumipurposeful without feeling like they have a point to prove.
Review: Five years has passed since J Majik made an impressive return with Full Circle, an album that dug right back to his Reinforced/Metalheadz roots with uncompromised futurism. Lo and behold these cuts still smack just as hard now as they did in 2019 (and would have absolutely melted us back in 94) 'The Crow Knows' is total sonic brutalism with it thundering drums and powerful sense of tension. 'Codebreaker' is a much colder slice of the jungle pie. Big elongated pads and a general feeling that aliens are about to land at any minute. Majik doing magic things.
Review: More magic from Majik as he looks back to his evergreen 2019 opus which saw him take things right back to his Reinforced foundations. The title track is an ice cold slab of futurism that essential provides the blueprint for jungle's most dynamic aesthetics. 'Eclipse' meanwhile goes for the heart strings, rips them out and turns them into an orchestral string section as a huge score-level sample is laid gently over surging, urgent break. Abracadabra.
Review: One of the most consistent archivists in the modern jungle game, Harmony has been responsible for bringing countless dubplates back to life after decades of sitting in dusty old lofts and garages but in more recent years he's also been crafting his own fine line of timeless jungle including these two bad boys from 2022. Reissued by popular demand, 'Stop That' is pure drumfunk until the funk lick on the breakdown while 'Poison Arrow' goes for more of an ice cold futurism strike. Both absolutely slap through a rig. Peace, love and lots and lots of Harmony!
Unglued Vs Pola & Bryson - "Warning" (feat Cimone) (4:06)
Changes (feat Askel & Elere & Javeon) (3:38)
Unglued Vs Solah - "Take Me Under" (3:57)
Unglued Vs Lens - "Crunchy Nutter" (3:22)
Unglued X Waeys - "Music To Smash Your Head Against The Wall To" (4:16)
Dusty 45 (3:32)
Unglued Vs Alibi - "Dubbin Out" (feat Sweetie Irie) (2:27)
Unglued Vs Urbandawn - "Staccato" (3:45)
Unglued Vs Duskee - "Minimalizm" (2:38)
Summer Breezin (feat Paige Eliza) (3:33)
Little Giggler (feat Elsie) (4:56)
Review: A rare full-length jungle LP comes to perhaps one of the few labels that can do it justice - Hospital Records - courtesy of multidimensional sound supplier, Unglued. His second album for the label, What On Earth details Unglued's unique and idiosyncratic take on an otherwise party-starting drum & bass strand. With a no-holds-barred pop sound throughout, which unabashedly takes after motifs UK hardcore and breaks, the Brighton-based producer radiates a supremely positive sonic charge, an ionic versatility. 'Take Me Under' is the grr-ing, juddering pop Reeser, but then there's also a sense of humour evinced in certain titles, like 'Little Giggler' and 'Music To Smash Your Head Against The Wall To'.
Review: Australian cultivator of bass ShockOne unveils his third studio album Organism Algorithm. A defining moment for the longtime producer, this third studio project follows his formidable rise to fame from humble beginnings in his native local Perth scene and hears him again continue to flesh out his signature taste for ethereal vocal numbers and heated, but no less crystalline bangers. From the knife-edge vocals of 'A Dark Machine' featuring Reija Lee, to the oozing stereo growls of 'Til Dawn', this is an album no basshead will want to miss.
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