Category Archives: Releases

Famous Lost Words Remixes: Part 3 [Blu Mar Ten Music]

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Blu Mar Ten unveil the third and final instalment of their Famous Lost Words remix EP series with new mixes from Ulterior Motive, Nuage and their latest signing Kimyan Law. Ulterior Motive make In Your Eyes very much their own, swapping out the frantic amens of the original for a slower paced half-time beat. The twinkling atmosphere of the original is largely gone too, replaced with ominous bass growls and a spooky, pitched down version of the original vocal.

Nuage turns his hand to Famous Lost Words, channelling the autonomic spirit for a glitchy, slouching remix with tons of the lush pad work I’ve come to love on his productions. The real star of the show here though is Kimyan Law’s absolutely beautiful re-imagining of Half The Sky. An insistent beat combines with a soft chiming melody that has either been crafted fresh or has been re-sampled from the original beyond recognition, and the atmosphere of the track is dialled right up to 11. The result is effortlessly emotive and hauntingly beautiful, and I can’t wait to hear his debut album when it drops later this year.

Check out the clips below and head over to the Blu Mar Ten Music store to pick up the release on vinyl or digital now.

Chimpo – Out An Bad EP [Exit Records]

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Exit Records continue to push the experimental sounds on the edges of 170BPM territory with a brand new EP from Manchester MC/producer Chimpo. Restless Leg Syndrome kicks the EP off with rapid fire footwork infused beats and vocal snippets, paired up with a cheeky rave stabs and hefty sub hits – bouncin’ stuff. Haymaker heads for darker and slightly less frantic territory with warm bass growls and a half-time rhythm, while title track Out An Bad sees the man providing vocals in his usual playful style over a tasty beat which owes some of its stylings to the LA Bass scene.

The EP also finds space for two collaborations with Diffrent alumni Fixate, both of which play with a fusion of dub, soca, trap and hip-hop to pretty stomping effect. Overall fans of the “slowfast” 170 style currently gaining traction in the scene will definitely enjoy this EP; check out the clips below and grab it on vinyl and digital from your favourite store now.

Urban Survival Kit Part 1 [Future Sounds Of Sofia]

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Future Sounds of Sofia are a relatively new Bulgarian D&B team who, having spent the last few years running events and bringing all manner of underground talent to their native land, are now branching out and starting their own label. Their first release showcases 13 tracks from Bulgarian producers spanning a variety of styles, from upfront tech and neuro to deeper minimal and liquid tunes.

Familiar names make the roster by way of tracks from Cooh and L33, who both contribute slabs of hefty, rolling tech funk. Similarly banging beats are available from lesser known producers such as Smartech and Ogonek, who contributes an interesting track bringing together melodic elements with an absolutely rattling drum/bass underpin.

Deeper vibes come from Presize’s minimal drum workout Initial and Underspawn & Robustus’ jazzy liquid roller Scotty & The Sun God, the latter of which stood out for me as a nicely polished slice of deep yet dancefloor oriented beats. You can hear clips of some of the tracks below so check it out and head over to the FSS Bandcamp page to pre-order the album on CD or digital, dropping October 6th.

Kaset – Final Stop / Surface [Free Love Digi]

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Free Love Digi’s latest offering from Denver producer Kaset touches down with a bang. Final Stop proves a no-nonsense dancefloor roller; crisp breaks, hefty sub and some nice bass distortion keep the tune moving along at quite a pace.

Over on the flip Surface takes the energy down a notch and cranks up the atmosphere. More frenetic breaks drive the tune along as creepy pads wash over the tune and a moving, almost talkative bassline lends the tune some bite. A tidy balance of dancefloor sensibilities and musical flourish – nice. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite online store from October 6th.

Clarity – Hell’s Gate [Samurai Music]

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Samurai warm us up for the impending release of Clarity’s debut LP with a 3 track EP featuring the man’s deep, dark riddims. Hell’s Gate sees T Man take the mic for a gloomy stepper imbued with an appropriately confrontational vocal, while Engineering brings on board regular partner in crime Overlook for an exercise in atmosphere and percussion precision. The bongo rolls and rumbling sub give this a really hypnotic vibe.

Last but by no means least, Hours delivers more ominous, tribal rhythms, with reverb-drenched pads and echoing gongs washing over crisp hats and an insistent kick/snare line. Check out the clips below and head over to the Samurai Store to grab the release on vinyl or digital.

If you want more from Clarity look no further than the latest episode of the Samurai Music podcast where you’ll find an hour long mix showcasing tracks from the EP alongside other selections from the experimental end of the 170 spectrum.

Programmed V3.0 [ProgRAM]

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ProgRAM are back with another fine selection of dancefloor focussed D&B for the third of their “Programmed” EP series. Slang Banger turns in an old school floor shaker in the form of Rip Slinger – distorted 808 hits, monstrous reese bass and huge tearout amen breaks are the order of the day on this one. Track two sees Audio teaming up with Meth for a tidy remix of Eastcolors Murderer; not their most remarkable work but a solid roller nonetheless.

Noel turns in a similarly solid roller with tons of groove on Defence, leaving Kelle to round out the EP with a sharp, angular belter in the form of Extortion. Frenetic, head banging rhythms on this one! Check out a mini mix of the tracks below and grab the EP exclusively at Beatport now.

Coleco – Induction EP [Inflect Audio]

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Bristol producer Coleco returns to his own Inflect imprint with a five track EP spanning a varied spectrum of uptempo electronica. Induction and Typtamine both explore the 170BPM domain, with the first characterised by weird rhythms and metallic snares while the latter goes in hard with a heavy hitting drum beat and big old school bass stabs; the influence of early Renegade Hardware shines through here.

The back end of the EP lowers the tempo for dubbier vibes; Micro provides a solid slice of deep, bleepy dubstep while Twenty One And Beyond experiments with the “purple” synth sound popularised by Joker. Last but no means least, Cluster combines funky soca-style drums with all manner of unusual FX and more than a hint of dub. Check out the clips below and look for this one at digital stores from October 1st.

Icicle – Problem / The Edge [Shogun Audio]

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Icicle teases his forthcoming LP for Shogun Audio with a pair of MC-led beats. Problem combines the unusual style and delivery of Manchester MC Skittles with a heavy combo of kicks, claps and bass growls; the influence of grime and hip-hop clearly flows through the veins of this tune.

Over on the flip The Edge sees Metropolis (better known as one half of Foreign Beggars) lending his vocal weight to a more conventional slice of up front tech D&B; all groove and swagger, and sure to move a dancefloor. Check out the clips (and the rather impressive video for Problem) below and look for the single dropping September 28th, with more news on the album sure to follow.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNNtGFHe-jE]

Andy Pain & Z-Connection – Take It / Horizon [Diffrent Music]

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Diffrent continue their quest to bring weird new sonic manipulations into the world with a pair of new beats from frequent collaborators Andy Pain & Z-Connection. Andy Pain goes in on the slouching swing of Horizon, drawing on hip-hop and deep, downtempo electronica for a soft, shuffling beauty of a track.

Z-Connection amps things up on the flip, bringing together frantic jungle-breaks with a hint of the footwork aesthetic and some rapid fire vocal chop ups. Fans of Fracture’s recent output will love this one. Check out the beats below and head over to the Diffrent bandcamp to pre-order a copy; the release drops there from September 27th with full digital release to follow on October 6th.

Klax – Binary Vol. 2 [Critical Music]

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Critical continue their Binary series with a brand new three track EP from Brighton trio Klax. The boys only have a small handful of releases but with output on Renegade Hardware and now Critical expect big things in the future.

The EP showcases a knack for clean but hefty techstep, with crisp drums, dirty bass and plenty of groove. All the tracks are well worthy of your attention but Cornerstone stood out for me for pure weight and vibe; rolling business! Check out the clips below and grab this from the Critical Store now.