Lockjaw – Bounce / Hollowed Out [Vandal Records]

Vandal Records continue their absolutely excellent run of releases with two new techy stompers from the rising talent of Lockjaw. Bounce builds tension with claps on the intro before dropping into a rhythmic smorgasbord of heavy beats and stabbing bass; serious groove meets serious heft.

Hollowed Out keeps things moving along with some serious midrange aggression as filtered synth stabs aim for the jugular; dangerously dark vibes! Once again the percussion provides a varied selection of rhythms to offset the meaty bass and the production sheen is impressive to boot. Check out the clips below and grab this from your favourite digital store now.

Noisia – Purpose EP [Vision]

It’s difficult to imagine that anyone can have missed this given the massive pre-release hype via UKF, Noisia’s Facebook feed and many other channels, but in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks and haven’t heard the news, Noisia are back with a brand new EP of hefty neurofunk.

Featuring 8 tracks including new collaborations with Phace, Prolix and Evol Intent, the tunes all display the classic Noisia hallmarks of incredible sound design, monstrous bass and general production sheen. Some of the more dancefloor-oriented tracks like Asteroids and Stamp Out veer close to jump up territory, prioritising bass heft over notions of subtlety, but thankfully this isn’t the case everywhere. Evol Intent collab Long Gone proves surprisingly restrained, with atmospheric pads providing just as much of the tune’s character as the heavy snares and bass swells.

Other highlights come on the eerie techstep groove of Leopard Slug, the predictably robotic but nonetheless immensely satisfying workout of Purpose with Phace and the hefty reese and rolling breaks of Running Blind, which brings back warm memories of the classic 2005 era neuro sound which made Noisia stars of the scene. Overall if you like it hard and heavy you can’t go wrong with the Dutch legends! The release is out now on Beatport and you can pre-order a rather deluxe 4xLP package direct from Noisia’s own store – watch out for this shipping later in the month.

All Cities Vol. 2 [Vandal Ltd]

Vandal bring us the 3rd release on their “Ltd” imprint with a varied selection of D&B from four up and coming production outfits. Soul:motion delivers deep liquid vibrations and minimal melancholy on Reminisce, while Joakuim heads for gritty roller territory with ominous pads, rolling beats and some tasty but not overplayed bass growl.

Over in the back half of the EP Tim Reaper explores the old school sound with classic breaks and IDM-esque melodies layered with a big slab of sub bass. Last up, Roygreen and Protone veer off into experimental territory with Laser Cats, a mellow tune with an unusual percussive groove that brings to mind the Autonomic sound, though with a touch of the jazz that we’re used to from the duo.

Check out the clips below and look for this at your favourite digital outlet from July 7th.

Need For Mirrors – Food EP [Horizons Music]

Need For Mirrors return to Horizons for a follow up to their excellent Rotor EPShe kicks things off with rolling breaks and a wonky, squelching bass riff. It’s difficult to tell exactly what the titular feminine persona of the track might be up to, but it’s certainly something energetic. Food takes the octane down a few pegs for a deeper vibe, all sub and tribal vibe over another crisp, rolling break.

Oscillator 3 flips the vibe once again with bizarre vocal echoes, bass stabs and surreal FX punctuating a tight kick/snare riddim. Pedestrian meanwhile has a really ominous tone to it with the bassline stalking along through the tune like some strange, menacing character not quite on screen. Last but by no means least Kink comes in as a digital-only bonus providing another stripped back subby roller.

Check out the beats below – this one’s out now on digital and the vinyl will be available very soon via the Horizons store.

MJD – Lifespan EP [Lifestyle Recordings]

MJD returns to Lifestyle recordings with four tracks of dark, industrial techstep showcasing the producers talents for rhythm and bass. It’s difficult to pick between the tracks given their consistent quality and tone, but particular highlights come on Tracer (which brings to mind Ulterior Motive’s early work like Featherweight) and the angular beats and creepy atmosphere of Crimmerean Dreams.

Lifespan and Vacuity meanwhile provide more straightforward but still worthy slices of rolling neuro-tech goodness. Check out the clips below and watch out for this dropping from June 26th at all good digital stores.

15 Yearz of Fokuz – Episode 2 [Fokuz Recordings]

Fokuz continue their 15 year anniversary celebrations with another three 12″ releases of crisp, rolling D&B. Plate one sees Spearhead boss BCee delivering two beautiful slices of his trademark uplifiting liquid funk, with Praying Man ticking all the lush melodic boxes while Magic Mirror goes in deeper with blues guitar on the intro and a slightly more muted tone.

Scott Allen graces the second single with a rolling slice of dubwize, replete with horns, reggae vocals and warm sub bass vibrations. Soligen & Type-2 provide the flip, showing their appreciation for classic hip-hop style loops on the intro before dropping into a hefty combination of jungle-style breaks and big gnarly bass hits. Danger!

Last but by no means least, the third piece of wax sees Lynx getting his remix on, turning in a jazzy relick of Enei & Intelligent Manners’ Midnight Runaway. The sheer funk and groove on show here is impressive to say the least, and as ever Lynx pushes the boundaries of what drum & bass can be. Finally Amaning & Dramatic turn in a disarmingly simple blend of rolling breaks, sub bass modulations and piano riffs to close out the triple pack.

As with part one Fokuz have truly outdone themselves both in terms of quality and originality. Check out the clips below and watch out for the 12″s dropping each week starting June 30th. There’ll also be a full CD and digital release dropping June 7th. Don’t sleep!

Inception Vol. 1 [Back2You]

Back2You present their 7th release with a varied selection of outings across the electronic spectrum. Trimer opens the salvo with an aggressive slice of dancefloor techstep, heavy kicks and growling bass characterising the tune. Drum Force 1 switch things up on Hear No Evil with a jazzy, uplifting roller, though for me the Revolver & Leona remix provides a deeper and more varied take on the original.

Taking the tempo down a notch, Joe Nebula & Rachel Wallace team up on a slice of chilled out dubstep in the form of Life After Life. Once again though the remix takes the cake as Planet Boelex turns in a super deep ambient rework, drenched in soul and reverb. Check out the beats below and head over to Bandcamp to grab the release now.

Bcee vs. Soligen & Type-2 – No Doubt EP [Celsius]

Celsius return with another pair of liquid rollers from their ever growing catalogue. Spearhead Records boss Bcee delivers the rich, deep, melow sounds of No Doubt on the A side, while Soligen & Type-2 head for slightly tougher territory on the flip, blending a heavy hitting break and twisted bass with a soulful vocal sample and soft atmospheres for a nice bit of “liquid with teeth”. Check out the clips below and grab this one on vinyl and digital now!

I Am Legion Remixes [Division]

I Am Legion return to your speakers after last year’s debut LP with a tasty selection of remixes spanning the electronic spectrum. D&B-wise Russian neuro badmen Teddy Killerz turn in an absolutely disgusting remix of Make Those Moves, dBridge gets on the controls for a psychedelic D&B refix of Loose on the LeavesWarp Speed Thuggin’ gets the Phace deutsche-robotik treatment and Alix Perez turns in a heavy hitting new mix of Dust Descends.

Outside of the 170 realm there’s a deadly grime rework of Farrda from the genre-hopping Perez, a top-notch wonky trap-ish cut of Jelly Fish from EPROM and a big chunky electro remix of Choosing For You from Nightwatch. Something for everyone then! Check out the beats below and grab this one from your favourite store now.

Gridlok – Motion Picture [Free Download]

It’s always interesting to hear what D&B artists get up to creatively when they’re not rinsing the 170+ tempo range and Gridlok’s latest album explores distinctly slower territory. Blending his knack for heavy hitting beats and bass with a ton of atmosphere and a healthy dose of hip-hop, the LP explores a grimey, industrial sound across 13 brand new tracks.

Highlights include the creepy dub and interesting percussion of Daisy, the lurching offbeat psychedelia of Seasick and the sheer head-nodding hip-hop groove of Big Sound, but honestly the album is a stellar listen from start to finish. Best of all it’s absolutely free! Check out the clips below and download via Soundcloud.