Category Archives: Releases

Chromatic – Epic Lunch EP [Celsius]

Posted on by
Reply

Chromatic follow up a slew of signings for Vandal, Utopia, Blendits and more with a diverse selection of fresh beats for Fokuz sister-imprint Celsius. First up, Flight Of Imagination sees the trio teaming up with RV for a big stomping tech-edged roller; the influence of V Recordings classics is fairly obvious here but it’s still an enjoyable skank out.

Open Your Mind continues that trend but heads in even tougher, smashing the amens out hard and fast with a growling bassline throbbing away underneath and some nice old school stabs and vocal cuts.

The true star of this show however comes on the distinctly lighter and more melodic title track Epic Lunch. Apparently made while basking in the warm glow of a steak & ale pie, it’s a blissful little roller in the mould of their triumphant cut for Utopia, Found You, and we think it’s pretty damn good.

The EP is out now at all good digital outlets so check out the clips below and get to getting!

Signs – Clockout / Acid Test [Piranha Pool]

Posted on by
Reply

The latest from Ed Rush’s new Piranha Pool imprint comes courtesy of French trio signs who add another top tier label to their impressive roster of neurofunk affiliations. Clockout builds a massive level of tension on the intro with swelling synths, but the drop pulls a surprising twist; in place of the expected full tilt assault it’s all sub punch and spacey atmospherics. The tune progresses nicely, achieving more insistence with extra percussion fills and bass stabs but resisting the temptation to crank it up too hard; this one should prove a nice mid-set bait and switch to play with a crowd.

Acid Test kicks things off with a weighty 2-step drum line and a hypnotic lead synth melody leading to a more conventional drop; plenty of mid range modulations and general neurofunk energy to be found here. Another top release from a production outfit we’re big fans of; check out the clips below and hit up your favourite digital outlet to grab a copy now.

A.M.C – Southpaw EP [Titan]

Posted on by
Reply

Subtlety can be overrated; sometimes you just want big, slamming dancefloor drum & bass and the latest release from Titan Records boss A.M.C delivers that in spades. The EP draws on blockbuster films for it’s titles, with homage paid to Southpaw, Thor, Die Hard, Raging Bull and Shade, though the temptation to trawl the movies in question for cheesy pre-drop vocal cuts has been resisted.

From the prodigy-esque synth leads of Southpaw to the massive bass stab hammer blows of Thor and beyond, this is crisp, punchy dancefloor neurofunk and entirely unapologetic for it. Certified dancefloor killers! Check out the title track below and look out for the EP on Beatport from July 27th with full release following two weeks later.

A Sides & Makoto – Aquarian Dreams [Eastern Elements]

Posted on by
Reply

London meets Tokyo as A Sides & Makoto team up for an LP several years in the making and packed with rollers. The work here is definitely more D&B traditionalism than out there experimentations but it’s plenty enjoyable if not the most innovative record you’ll hear this year.

Here at the Dojo we found the album at its strongest on the lighter, more melodic tracks, particularly the vocal collabs with Riya and Robert Manos. Makoto’s expertise at crafting dancefloor liquid rollers shines through wonderfully here, with warm bass, tight breaks and uplifting melodies a-plenty. Darker tracks such as Breathe prove tough and relentless but ultimately less interesting than the wealth of melodic tracks.

The LP holds a couple of surprises in the form of the appropriately titled (and supremely funky) Street Level Funk and the audacious, almost cabaret style leads of Hurt My Soul, and there’s a tasty little remix from DJ Marky on the end for good measure. If you’re looking for dancefloor D&B with plenty of melody you could do a lot worse than Aquarian Dreams; check out the clips below and hit up your favourite store to grab a copy now!

Bad Graphics – Progression / Altitude [Ronin Audio]

Posted on by
Reply

Leeds label Ronin Audio bring us their first release, with two experimental cuts from local production duo Bad Graphics. Progression keeps things pretty stark and ominous, switching at will between bassy minimalism and hyperactive break smashing, creating a really nice duality. Over on the flip Altitude keeps the beats a bit steadier, playing around with a fantastically wonky bassline that refuses to pin itself down into an obvious groove, preferring to keep the listener off balance with it’s odd rhythms.

You can grab this one right now from the Ronin Bandcamp, and if you want to find out a bit more about the label be sure to check out our Q&A with label boss Chimera.

Ed Rush & Optical – Fabriclive 82

Posted on by
Reply

The latest in Fabric’s long running Fabriclive mix series comes from none other than techstep pioneers Ed Rush & Optical. As you’d expect the mix is full of meaty basslines, massive double drops and neurofunk energy, with a few classics sprinkled amongst the mostly up to the minute D&B. There are also some exclusives including a couple of tracks from the long awaited follow up to 2009’s Travel The Galaxy…let’s hope this means we’ll hear the album sometime soon!

You can check out a brief teaser for the new mix along with a previous Fabric promo mix from Optical below; hit up the Fabric store to pre-order the mix on CD now ahead of the July 24th release.

The Event Horizon LP [Hangout Music]

Posted on by
Reply

Two years on from its initial conception, Romanian label Hangout Music is launching a new imprint called The Grey Division aimed at exploring the deeper and less dancefloor oriented side of D&B. They’re not pulling any punches on the first release either, with 11 tracks collected from up and coming producers to form The Event Horizon LP.

There’s a really diverse array of material on show here, ranging from the expected (though enjoyable) deep halftime numbers from the likes of Lefty & Ovh and Dycide through to much more experimental material. Amigo’s Mercury stands out as an evolving, psychedelic synth jam, as does the ominous ambient vibe of Hidden Life’s rather serene Communications.

There’s certainly plenty to enjoy here for anyone looking for electronic explorations on the more eclectic fringes of the D&B world. Check out the promo mix below for a flavour of the tracks and look out for the LP dropping sometime in August.

The Rum Baba – Strike EP

Posted on by
Reply

artwork

Self-styled “Tropical Bass” producer The Rum Baba brings her intriguing blend of electronic shenanigans to the ridiculously named Aluminium Shiny Shin Side Shackout Music (try and say that when you’ve had a couple of pints…) and the results are pretty intriguing. The tracks on the EP career around the genre spectrum, taking splashes of influence from D&B, bashment, dub, soca, ska and who knows what else.

Meatallic and Nuclear prove the most uptempo tracks on offer, with the former providing a kick and sub dominated smasher and the latter serving up a tidy slice of drum-roll heavy D&B shenanigans. The middle of the EP definitely takes it a little easier, with slouching, bass heavy riddims a plenty for your sonic delectation. There’s definitely a hint of the tropical to it all, and it’s certainly a bit different from the usual fare.

Check out the clips below and hit up Juno for the pre-order before the July 31st release date.

Threshold – The Sticky Planets EP [Vivid Sounds]

Posted on by
Reply

Brand new label Vivid Sounds kicks off their release schedule with a four track EP of sci-fi imbued jungle from Threshold. The tracks here have plenty of the old school to them, with crusty breakbeats and entirely unshiny mixdowns making a welcome change from the mass of over-polished modern D&B about at the moment.

Fans of leftfield jungle explorations from 90s IDM composers like µ-Ziq should find plenty to enjoy here; the beats aren’t as chopped up but there’s definitely a similarity in the synth work and the general vibe. Check out the clips below and look for this one from July 24th at digital stores.

Subtension – Binary Vol. 6 [Critical Music]

Posted on by
Reply

Critical’s digital only Binary imprint returns for their 6th instalment and this time it’s Solvakian techstep producer Subtension on the buttons. The EP follows on from Subtension’s last release for Renegade Hardware, further exploring his innovative trap-tech fusion. While the influence of trap and footwork on D&B is already becoming well trodden ground fewer producers are blending it with the harder edged techstep and neurofunk stylings and the result is pretty damn ravey.

There’s still space for a more traditional rollout on chunky low end damager No Worries and closing track What Do You Want provides a pleasant surprise with a hefty dose of disco’n’bass! Vibes all round. Check out the clips below and grab this one from the Critical Store right now.