MAE917 lands in our premiere spotlight with a track that some of you may recognise from Dojo Podcast #40. Deep tech vibes with loads of detail…look for this coming to Strictly Deep DNB very soon!
Premiere: MAE917 – Hex
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Category Archives: Drum & Bass
Premiere: Simstah – 2020
Another top notch release from re:st in our premiere spotlight today with Swiss producer Simstah at the controls. Intricate halftime drum patterns and brooding basslines on this one…wicked tune. Watch out for the vinyl coming April 10th at all good wax boutiques…
Premiere: Rohaan – Burner
Rohaan winds up for the release of his debut LP on Mad Zoo with a fresh single drop in the form of Burner. Trancey lead synth lines combine with weighty sub and rolling breaks for a dark slab of dancefloor hypnosis. Wicked stuff; look for this one today at all good digital stores.
Classic Track: Parallax – Watercolours
In times of hardship such as what we’re currently seeing in the world, a respite, an escape, is sorely needed. Today we dig deep to find a 1997 Drum & Bass gem by Parallax that can offer a breath of fresh air. This delightfully mellow A-Side comes from the archives of Urban Flavour Records, the brainchild of Tricksta, that would eventually evolve into Nu-Directions – a label that featured notable artists including ASC, Need for Mirrors, and BCee, among others.
Watercolours paints a picture of rich tones filled with pleasing, even pensive, auras. Gentle stabs punctuate phrases that emanate vibrant, ambient acuity. This song glides about with an elegant air, aided by tasteful piano and synth runs. A pure bassline and smart breaks congeal into a jazzy groove that breathes a dynamic spirit into the track. And that switch-up in the latter half? A stroke of genius. A much needed escape, indeed!
Written by Luke Kessler
Premiere: Forbidden Society – Dreamcatcher
Crunching bass textures on a dark and minimal new cut from Forbidden Society! Taken from his forthcoming Liminal Point LP, this one strips things back to the bone, with stark drum rhythms punctuated by sharp breakbeat assaults, powered along by groaning bass howls. Watch out for the album coming April 16th…
Premiere: Unreal Project – PTSD
Unreal Project lands on Nurtured Beatz with an epic new slab of tech-edged goodness…PTSD invokes the spirit of classic early 2000s neuro from the likes of BSE and Jade; dancefloor chops and trancy synth pads. Look for this coming to digital stores from Mar 27th…
Premiere: Sorse – Voids
Atmospheric explorations from Locked Concept today as Sorse delivers an autonomic cut in the form of Voids! Deft use of melody and microfunk-inflected percussion make for an emotive musical journey…soft and subtle vibes. Look for this coming Mar 20th.
State of Bass Book Released!
One for the jungle historians…the iconic State of Bass book has been revised and reissued for the first time since it’s original publication. Written by Melody Maker journalist Martin James and originally published in 1997, the revered tome covers the origins of jungle and D&B and explores the social, cultural and musical roots of the genre we all love so much.
The revised edition bolsters the original content with previously unpublished interviews with the likes of Fabio, Goldie and LTJ Bukem, plus coverage of Roni Size’s Mercury Prize win for New Forms. General release is coming in April 2020 but if you can’t wait til then you can grab a copy right now over at the Velocity Press website.
Classic Track: Spider Net – Awake
In the mid-90’s, the sound of Jungle/Drum & Bass was forever changed with the arrival of the Techstep style, showcased brilliantly by Spider Net’s Awake. Spider Net was an alias used only once — for this particular release — by none other than No U-Turn label boss and collaborator, Nicholas “Nico” Sykes.
A fat B side by any standard, Awake is a 1996 jolt of Techstep that stomps heavy and hard. The rough and rude bass here is characteristic of the No U-Turn sound for the time, and is quite honestly one of my favourite sounds in the world. Protean drum sampling establishes a decisively wicked groove comprised of three break flavors. Sparse samplings of complementary sounds provide just enough atmosphere to round out this monster of a classic.
No U-Turn’s catalogue boasts a heap of bangers like these, making it easy to see how the label’s trademark style indelibly marked the scene.
Written by Luke Kessler
Premiere: Dave Owen & Root For The Villain – War Dance
Unchained are back in our hotseat today with a sick new tune taken from their Year of the Rat compilation LP. Dave Owen and Root for the Villain team up on a hefty slice of slow/fast halftime business…jungle inflections and sub boom all the way. Look for the release dropping Mar 13th at all good stores!