Dubstep charts

Review: These tracks have received some huge hype just from the plays they have been getting from DJs luckily enough to have them. Now they finally get a vinyl pressing so the rest of us can join in the fun. First up is a three way collab between a trio of well-regarded artists in the UK drill rapper Kwengface, master bass producer Joy O and techno's Overmono. 'Freedom 2' has cut-throat rhymes and two-step garage influences with low-end subs which will destroy the club. The original version features on the flip with a less club-ready and more drill-centric sound.

Review: The Vivid label is yet another one from Burnski who also runs Constant Blanc and Instinct. He is s single handed garage hit making machine and he knows how to tap into the next gen, too. Here he calls upon Peaky Beats for a naughty and nasty three track affair that has retro feels but contemporary style. 'Can't Stop' opens up with a 2-step shuffle and steely hits, then 'Get Ready' gets more free and melodic with some boxing little melodic patterns and oscillating bass. Last of all is the most menacing and dark - 'Wildcat' flips into a dub wise swagger mid-way through that is going to blow up the clubs.

Review: Repress alert! Wednesday: Hyperdub announce a new three track release from enigmatic producer Burial - his first solo work in four years. Thursday: Said records arrive on Juno doorstep. How's that for service (and secrecy)! The news came just a matter of days after the producer's collaboration with Radiohead front man Thom Yorke and Four Tet arrived on record shelves across the UK and promptly sold out amidst a frenzy of hype. There are three new tracks on offer here, namely "Street Halo", "NYC" and "Stolen Dog". First up "Street Halo" showcases the classic Burial sound; subterranean bass gurgles, trademark clicking beats and barely-there vocal snatches. A sweet childlike vocal pervades the sonic mist on "NYC" while "Stolen Dog" closes out with ethereal vocal harmonies buried deep beneath vinyl crackle. Stunning.

Review: Hyperdub kick off the vinyl side to their ten-year celebrations with this weighty four-tracker from some of the leading lights from the label's story. Mala is in a strident mood with "Expected, Level 10" carrying through that extra touch of melody from the Mala In Cuba LP. DVA cuts loose with the leftfield scattershot groove of "Technical Difficulties", reveling in tonal experimentation and jagged rhythmic flair to a stunning end. Still locked into the sci-fi trap tangent that characterised Severant, Kuedo turns out the haunting "Mtzpn" and Helix pops up for a remix of Kode9's "Xingfu Lu" that strips down to bare essentials with a little starlit soul rubbed into the framework.

Review: Although Rhythm & Sound and Basic Channel man Mark Ernestus has worked with or remixed many different artists over the years, we didn't expect him to join forces with D&B scene stalwarts Calbre and DRS. Yet that's exactly what's on offer here, as the Hardwax founder delivers two typically deep, dubbed-out techno outings crafted from portions of the pair's collaborative cut 'Badman', which is due to feature on Calbre's forthcoming sixteenth studio album, Feeling Normal. Both 'Bad' and 'Badder' are typical of Ernestus' ultra-deep and hypnotic style, with snippets of the duo's original instruments, beats and vocals echoing in and out of a warming, all-encompassing, sub-heavy groove. In a word, it's superb.

Review: It's sleepy liminal steppers' zones aplenty on Sub Basics' latest full-length for Temple Of Sound, Rooms In Time-Space. As if imagining a purely abstract, extremophilic lifeworld, seed-generated for the pure purpose of headnodding, the latest incarnation of Sub Basics' enduring dubstep sound reflects the artist's unyielding exploration of a certain form, in thrall to which one simply cannot go wrong, provided one has mastered it. With its considered track titles like 'Basement', 'Wilderness', 'Quantum Zone', 'Observatory', 'Nonlinear' and 'Tangent', a detached, stoic, hard-scientific mood is evoked throughout, as if to liken the art of dubstep that of an oblique graphical process, void of emotive distortions. But that's just the front face of the project; deeper listens reveal an abiding humanity behind the beats, an aspect of our being that never tires of such driving broken propulsions, such immersive post-blast movements.

Review: Just when you thought you had Al Bleek and Damon Drama's Non Plus sorted, they go and make a sharp diversion and take you somewhere completely different. The destination? LOL. And no, that's not a joke. A teaser for their forthcoming album Me Me, the tracklist reads a little like an Alice In Wonderland list of instructions or perhaps a seductive dance; "Squeeze Me" kicks off with sinuous R&B style vocals and enticing synths with a slow, lolhloping half step rhythm, which inevitably drags you in deep like a tidal current of sound, while "Face Me" follows a languid 4/4 drum pattern drenched in late night synths. "Dare Me", up next, mirrors the sonic palette with shimmering, spaced out atmospherics and more glorious, syrup sweet lyrics. Visceral and rather enthralling, it bears the hallmarks of nocturnal dance music with throbbing b-line and infectious, enveloping synth-work, but with an underlying pop/R&B sensibility that shines through the darkness. Crackly, droning atmospherics sit beneath ice cold bleeps on finale "White Noise". A far cry from much of the recent Non Plus output for sure, but a remarkable release nonetheless which we urge you to get your teeth into.

Review: Ex-Roll Deep MC Trim is using his original tongue-twisting style to gain deserved popularity and support for his new sound. Joining the East London based Butterz collective, Trim presents "I Am" with two remixes from Preditah and LV. ''I Am'' is Trim on a more laid back vibe than usual, and it appears to be working as the EP receives vital support from names such as Benji B and Logan Sama. Trim's deep vocal patterns are scattered over a bouncing platform of rubbery modern percussion and sophisticated jazzy brass; almost a genre of its own, it's no surprise Trim is getting some serious attention. On remix duties are young Birmingham producer Preditah and Hyperdub / Keysound residents LV, who keep up the skippy vibe of the original. Finally, ''Notice Now'' on the flip is a new Trim vocal on D.O.K.''s ''Chemical Planet'' tune, which first appeared on Butterz in 2010.

Review: Yuku come correct with this special blue vinyl remix 12". Two vibes per side, both Traka and Granul go under the knife. On one side we have Serbian crew Traka under scrutiny as Commodo flips 'Yosai' into a menacing slab of tension while Muqata takes the Killa P-fronted 'Start Taking Note' into a brutalist sonic rainbow. Flip for two remixes of Turkish maverick Granul; Jtamul turns two-step inside out with stacks of eerie space on 'Deformity' while Iskeletor turns 'Interconnected' into the twisted, halftime heaver of your dreams. Stark sermons!

Review: Basel-based experimental labels Amenthia Recordings and A Walking Contradiction join forces for their first collaborative release here in the form of the Flash Crash/Hack Crash EP. Both labels are known for pushing boundaries within their close-knit creative circles and this one features Agonis' heavy stepper and Konduku's whirlpool of low frequencies on the Amenthia side, while Lemont continues the low-end, tripped-out vibe. Varuna represents A Walking Contradiction and delivers swampy, slow-motion sounds in their signature style. This release embodies both labels' commitment to daring, unconventional electronic sounds.

Review: TRACKLISTING:
A1: Photek & Kuru - Fountainhead (DJ-KICKS)
B1: Photek - Azymuth
B2: Photek - No Agenda

OVERVIEW:
"There are mavericks out on their own, the fearlesss creators operating on the very fringes of their respective scenes - Photek is just such an artist."- DJ Mag

"Photek has sweated over every little drum sound and fill resulting in a complex and subtle sound that is a million miles away from the nasty sound of commercial dancefloor dubstep."- DrownedInSound.com

"Easily more creative, more experimental and more thought out than his counterparts. A revolutionary musician and composer."- Sputnikmusic.com

Photek stands mercilessly on the edge. A sonic scientist, pushing both his sounds and fans' expectations to the outermost limits since 1994, he floods the footnotes of electronica like MP3s clutter up your hard drive.

2011 saw him drop a series of sounds that reflect the truest perception of him. Driven by his years of studio discipline; sharpened by an acute awareness that he'll be received by the heads that know him well and ears that don't know him at all.

Destination tomorrow: Photek's decorated past and diligent work ethic leads us here. The new music you've heard from Photek in 2011 is yet another chapter in a life spent overdosing on sonic nuances and boundary testing. In the past 12 months his new material has been remixed by the brightest young stars of dance music - Boddika, Falty DL, Addison Groove and Breach to name a few. In turn, Photek has remixed for the likes of Moby, Jess Mills, Distance, Ray Lamontagne and was part of Daft Punk's Tron Remixed package - for which he has been nominated for a Grammy. His newly re-launched label, Photek Productions, has this year released the 'Avalanche EP' which garnered international support from tastemakers such as Benji B, Gilles Peterson, Skream, Annie Mac, Zane Lowe and more, and the 'Aviator EP'. The single 'Closer' was also released on Pinch's pioneering Tectonic Recordings in June, adding to the gathering noise that you can't ignore - Photek is well and truly back and you can be sure that whatever sound he drops next, it won't fail to get the world's attention... Watch out in 2012 for his installment in the highly influential DJ Kicks compilation series on K7 Records and his long awaited new artist album.


PRESS: Album reviews running in Clash, DATA TRANSMMISSION (+ Interview), HYPONIK, FACT, DEFECTED, RESIDENT ADVISOR, MIXMAG (+ Classic Albums feature), MUSIC OMH (+ Interview), SPIN (+ Interview Feature), TRAP MAGAZINE (+ feature), DJ Mag. Updates to follow.

Review: London trio Damos Room serve up their take on dub-inspired bass music on this new EP which emerged from a rare collaborative session in Elijah Minnelli's loft. 'Commencement' opens with a deep, droning bass groove that's topped with a stream of conscious muttering to create a moody and hypnotic sound. 'Mineral Blend' brings a laid-back dancehall vibe with dreamy echoes of past sessions and remixers Gonjasufi, Lewi Boome, Dome Zero and Polyop individually infuse the tracks with dub techno, acid and experimental twists best highlighted by Gonjasufi's haunting transformation of 'Commencement' into a misty, immersive bit of sonic menace.

Review: Repping Sugar Records and Tanum Sounds, Winsome comes through with three really interesting perspectives. 'Tab' is a unique and highly springy piece of work as it works and wriggles its away around some well sculpted table drum hits and sub plunges. '24gb' takes us down a much dreamier pathway, sitting somewhere between Indian Ropeman and Chicken Lips. Finally 'Who' closes this stunning EP with a faraway drone. Intense.