DRS – The Puppeteer / Emergency [Soul:R]

Soul:R warm up for the impending arrival of DRS’s sophomore LP (following up 2012’s rather excellent I Don’t Usually Like MCs But…) with a new single showcasing the first of the album’s wares. Jubei provides production on dancefloor stomper The Puppeteer on the A-side while Marcus Intalex brings the dubby vibes on Emergency on the flip. Check out the tracks below and grab them exclusively from the Soul:R Bandcamp now; full release following from Jan 19th.

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Clairvoyance Vol. 1 [Rush Records]

Leeds based liquid imprint Rush Records celebrate their 20th release with a 12-track compilation featuring a host of new tracks from the extended label family. There’s plenty to enjoy here, with highlights coming on the deep, understated melodies of Monrroe’s Elation, Altered Perception & Imprint’s melancholy Heartbeats and the unusual, autonomic-esque riddims of Solo’s Sun. Check out the clips below and head to your favourite digital store to grab this one now!

Kritix & MC Coppa – Traction [Mayan Audio]

Kritix return to Mayan Audio with a stomping new single featuring the vocal talents of MC Coppa. Drop It provides a decent slice of synth-led neuro action but really it’s all about Traction on the A side here – no holds barred D&B energy flows through this tracks veins in ample quantities! Head over to the Mayan store to pre-order this one now, and watch out for Beatport release from Jan 12th with full release following from Jan 26th.

Skeptical – Imperial EP [Exit Records]

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Having contributed releases for both Mosaic LPs, collaborated with dBridge and of course played a part in the seminal Marka single, it seemed only a matter of time til Skeptical dropped a solo release for Exit. Fans of all things dark and minimal in the 170BPM sphere will be glad to hear that that time is now, with young Skeppy dropping four new beats for dBridge’s esteemed imprint in the form of the Imperial EP.

The titular Imperial opens things up with a tight, percussive groover with a tribal vibe; with the exception of some fairly sparse strings this track pretty much entirely ignores melody in favour of a wall of sub bass and a hypnotic drum line, rattling away in a trance inducing fashion. Don’t bother listening to this on a pair of iPod headphones; you’ll need some fairly serious speakers to give it a fair hearing.

Playground Chat Back keeps the minimal aesthetic but strips the beat back and plays with some pretty robotic bass hums; once again the low end heft is definitely gonna induce a few screwfaces in the dance. Instant Reflex ups the energy a bit with tons of movement in the bass samples and massive kicks and snares driving the track along nicely, while Delusions of Grandeur closes things out with a growling, angular half-stepper. Watch out for these dropping January 19th on vinyl and digital, and arm yourself with some low end weaponry!

Oliver Yorke – Into The Void EP [Vandal Ltd]

Oliver Yorke delivers the latest release for Vandal Records’ LTD imprint with a four track EP of spacey, atmospheric, experimental D&B. Into The Void provides the perfect intro, with trance inducing melodic touches and intricate beatwork building suspense as to what the rest of the collection might hold. On Your Mind keeps things deep, with pads and reverb laying the ground work for a twisting, echoing journey set to a half-time riddim. You could get lost in this one with ease.

Celestial Shadows provides the EP’s darkest track, focussing on rumbling sub and gnarly bass growls over a backbone of intricate percussive touches, though the temptation to turn this into a dancefloor smasher has been avoided – this is still a pretty deep composition, even with the extra bass weight. Last but not least, Cerebral heads back into space with arpegiated melodies and a splash of the autonomic vibe.

Overall this EP has incredible depth and vision, especially for a producer in a relatively early stage of their career. Check out the clips below and look for this dropping from Jan 12th.

Mortem – Midnight Analogs [Demand Records]

Demand Records kick off their 2015 release schedule with a brand new single from Polish producer Mortem. Midnight Analogs takes center stage, blending techno style analogue synth lines with a soulful vocal snippet, crisp breaks and bass with a nice edge down into a tune that refuses to be pigeon-holed into a standard category. Liquid with teeth? Tech with soul? You decide.

Y.O.U on the flip takes things in a similar direction, with squelching, modulated bass grooves layered under a crisp break and some lovely atmospherics. Check out the tracks below and look out for this dropping from January 12th.

Digital – Respek Da Foundation EP [Function Records]

Digital has lined up a tidy little three track EP for the relaunch of his Function Records imprint, featuring a new solo offering from the prolific producer alongside a collab and a very long awaited remix.

First up Digital teams up with Manchester producer Response for the tight, subby, jungle-infused riddims of Silver Lining, sure to delight old school heads with its percussion alone. Next up, the much sought after Dub Phizix remix of Deadline finally sees release, providing a nice spin on the original with those famous synth stabs backed up by a very Phizix drum and sub combo. Last but not least Digital goes in on a cheesy raved up banger in the form of Forever.

Not a bad wee selection really! Check out the clips below and look out for these dropping late February.

Touchwood – Ad Astra EP [Reserve Audio]

Czech label Reserve Audio return with a fresh new EP from Touchwood. The tracks blur the boundaries on the edges of 85/170BPM electronica, taking in spacey melodies and a hint of jazz, and bring to mind some of the releases on the (sadly now defunct) Space Cadets imprint.

Starglider lives up to it’s name with lush synthwork and a generally “out there” vibe, while Zen Garden heads into that loungey downtempo territory that The Flashbulb has turned his hand to so well in the past. Mothership brings a darker and more ominous tone to the table, with bleepy melodies over a backdrop of growling bass and intricate percussion. Last but not least, Back in 1995 provides a love letter to the classic “intelligent D&B” of Good Looking and the like.

Overall this is a really enjoyable listen – if you like your electronica a bit on the cerebral side or just want a change from the endless dancefloor bangers, definitely give this a listen. The tracks are available now at the Reserve Audio Bandcamp and all good digital stores.

Kiril – Disturbed Images / XXX [Alchemic Breaks]

Alchemic Breaks return with their second release from Italian producer Kiril who brings two rough and tuff tracks to the label. Disturbed images harnesses the power of classic jungle breaks with a some tidy percussive reinforcement on the kicks and snares and a throbbing bassline that drives the track along underneath a siren wail lead.

XXX takes things to more footwork influenced territory with a cut up, pitched vocal snippet dominating the intro before the drop nails in with a a plethora of bass and beats set to a decidedly wonky riddim. Fans of Sam Binga and the new school of wierd and wonderful 170BPM beats will definitely be vibing on this one. Check out the clips below and look out for the tracks dropping at all good digital outlets from January 10th.

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Top Tracks of 2014

Following our run down of our favourite albums of the year, we felt it was only right to put the spotlight on our top tracks. These are the ten tunes that haven’t left our record box since their release…

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