South African producer Krispy is in the hot seat today with a wicked new track dropping next month on The Dreamers! Taken from the second of the label’s Dream Cycle compilations, All of a Sudden brings together appropriately crispy (ah-ha) breaks, smooth atmospheric textures and deep sub for an uplifting liquid workout. Look out for this alongside 24 other high grade deep tracks dropping at digital stores September 20th!
Such Music are back with a fresh single from Belgian artist Hiraeth, previously known as Orion. The producer continues his trend for deep, rolling D&B with buckets of soul on The Fall of Babylon, harnessing a classic reggae vocal sample amid deep synths and evocative strings for a top-notch laid back roller. This one is out today at all good stores!
Chase & Status’s ambitious new RTRN II JUNGLE project is gathering pace just now, and the latest news to emerge comes by way of a 10 minute documentary explaining the concept and nature of the project. Not content with merely returning to the roots of the sound, the team are going a step further and have travelled to Jamaica to record original roots and dancehall records that they can then sample in order to create original jungle music.
As ways to celebrate 15 years of a musical project and the influences of the sound that gave them a career go, we think you’ll agree this is pretty damn exciting! Give the video a watch below and look out for the first single dropping Wed 29th…
The arrival of a new album from Kiwi liquid maestro Tokyo Prose last month took everyone by surprise; in a world where even EP releases are often stage managed and teased one track at a time over a period of weeks, to find out that a full album was in the offing and the first tracks were available instantly was a breath of fresh air. But when the artist and the material are as good as this the hype is unnecessary.
Tempting as it was to jump in with an instant reaction review, this one seemed worthy of a little contemplation…so with the dust now having settled and Wild Grace having been on rotation fairly regularly for a month, how does it stand up in the cannon of Tokyo Prose?
The first thing to note here is that Tokyo Prose hasn’t lost his gift for understatement; as the only artist besides LSB who really gets close to Calibre in the evocative roller stakes, the “less is more” aesthetic of previous work is present again here. Moving piano chords and crisp breakbeats reign supreme, and any temptation for over-editing tracks has been ignored in favour of smooth progressions and disarming simplicity of form.
Wild Grace lives up to it’s title too; the tracks conjure a sense of natural beauty through soft, mostly organic instrumentation and a deftness of touch. Highlights include Trick of the Light, Innate Motion and Impressions, all of which tread that fine line of mellow yet uplifting, beautiful but not cheesy, a kind of muted euphoria that is at once imbued with a sense of speed and also a sense of stillness.
If we have a complaint, it’s that the vocal work on this album doesn’t quite live up to the standard set by 2014’s Presence; whereas the Riya and Zoe Klinck collaborations of that LP are among the highlights, the instrumentals are definitely the tracks we’re more drawn to at Dojo HQ this time around. Overall though it’s still a stunning collection of music from an artist we’d love to hear from more often. Wild Grace is out now on vinyl and digital at all good stores.
Greazus’ label Aufect are back in our spotlight today with a beautiful new tune from fellow Canadian producer rOhmz. Combining a deft sense of melody and melancholy with a keen ear for sound design, Vagarious contrasts deep wobbly sub with quirky percussion and soft, hypnotic hints of piano and synth. Think Tokyo Prose crossed with Kimyan Law, and worthy of those comparisons! Look out for this coming Aug 30th at all good stores.
It’s that time again; Dojo boss Hex is on the 1s and 2s with all the latest D&B, Jungle and 170 selections! This month’s mix features new beats from Benny L, Safire, Taelimb, Allied, FD, DJ Kid and many more, plus Hex’s new remix for Detached Audio so watch out for that one.
As always you can check out the podcast via Soundcloud below or head to Youtube or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.
We’re extremely honoured to be premiering a true D&B epic today! Taken from Kusp’s forthcoming LP for Lynx’s Detail Recordings and featuring the vocal talents of Kemo, Through The Rough channels the vintage sound of producers like Bukem and Goldie to conjure a 7 minute jungle epic, and it is an absolutely majestic track. We can’t wait to hear what else is in store when the album drops…meanwhile you can grab this single from your favourite digital store from Aug 27th.
Soulvent are back with their latest bundle of liquid goodness and we’re pleased to present the premiere of Origins. Slovakian producer Silence Groove makes his debut on the label and he comes correct with a deep liquid roller straight from the Calibre school of D&B; crisp drums, simple but effective hooks and warm bassline goodness. Hit up your favourite store to grab this right now!
Johnathan Thomas is back this month with a solo EP for Samsara Beats, and we’re hyped to have him back in the Dojo spotlight for a premiere of Clarity! Going in deep with influences from the atmospheric sounds of 90s Good Looking Records, this one is all about soft textures and crunchy breakbeats. Blissful! Look for the EP dropping Aug 27th at all the usual digital outlets, and on cassette via the Samsara Bandcamp.
Today’s premiere comes from Brazil via French label Weapons of Choice as L-Side remixes fellow countryman Simplification’s dirty roller Awesome Days. Amping up the bassline scuzz and swapping out the drums for a devastating assault of chopped up amens, this one does exactly what it says on the tin! Sick tune! Look out for this alongside other remixes from Bou, Redeyes and Jayline; the EP drops Sep 1st exclusively at Juno.