None60 wind up to release a big new compilation at the end of the week entitled None of the Above, and we’re hyped to have the premiere of new Oliver Yorke track U No! Chanelling the autonomic spirit with a deep, halftime vibe, unusual percussion and rich synth work, this is a meditative trip down the leftfield side of 170BPM vibes. Wicked stuff. Hit up the None60 Bandcamp to grab the LP, and snap up the limited 12″ sampler which features this track!
Dyl returns to re:st with a top notch EP of his abstract, ultra-deep 170BPM soundscapes this month, and fans of his hyper-minimal sound should as usual be all over it. To celebrate we asked the man himself for his Top 5 D&B influences…read on for some classics from the vaults!
Today’s exclusive lies at the very edge of what might traditionally be considered drum & bass, blending influences from footwork, IDM and the Autonomic sound for a deep, mellow, hypnotic outing. A winning hand indeed…out to Øska for a seriously unique track!
We’re very pleased to welcome Leeds producer Solo back into the Dojo spotlight for today’s exclusive as he drops a lush new remix for Alberto’s Walk With Us EP on Jupiter Sounds. Putting aside the more jungle-tinged sound he’s usually known for both as a solo artist and on his productions with Redpine, Solo dishes up a deep, halftime stepper with more than a hint of the autonomic sound; crazy synths, tons of reverb and a wicked groove on this one. Check it out and watch out for the release at all good digital stores from Nov 13th.
Kid Drama’s CNVX imprint has always been an eclectic outlet; from the IDM-esque melancholy of his Mikarma alias, through beats from dBridge, Resound and Abstract Elements, the label certainly doesn’t like to be pigeon-holed. All of which brings us to the imprint’s latest offering, a quirky and sublime slice of autonomic pop courtesy of Drama himself and vocalist Alia Fresco, who you may recognise from her collaborative project with Loxy and Resound, The Levels.
The production here is stripped back to the barest essentials, minimalist arrangements that bring to mind The xx, albeit entirely lacking in indie-rock guitar twang. This use of space gives Fresco ample room to breathe, and her voice fills the tracks beautifully. From the brooding reflections of Ordinary Thing and Guys Like You through the more uplifting Let You Go and into the absolutely electrifying Break Me Out, the EP is powerful, gripping and original; a pure blend of autonomic aesthetic and heartfelt lyricism. My only complaint is that at 15 minutes, it’s nowhere near long enough. Give us an album!
The Alia Fresco EP is out now on vinyl and digital via CNVX.
Air Mass (the deeper sister imprint to Mark Kloud’s well established Ground Mass) are back with their 2nd release this month from Serbian producer Alg0rh1tm. Weaving complex sonic tapestries combining cinematic soundscapes, glitchy microfunk-style percussion and a hint of the autonomic aesthetic, the 170 sound doesn’t come much deeper or more hypnotic than this.
The EP drops via the Ground Mass Bandcamp on Nov 29th and the label have kindly given us five digital download codes to give away! To be in with a chance of winning one all you have to do is like the DNB Dojo Facebook page and send an email to competitions@dnbdojo.co.uk with your name and the subject line “Air Mass Competition”. We’ll draw the winners on Tuesday Nov 29th – good luck!
It’s always a pleasure to come across a new producer and be instantly enamoured with their work, and our discovery of Beatnok via his Binary Lust EP provoked exactly that reaction. Hailing from Detroit but with more of a taste for dBridge’s autonomic stylings than his native city’s famous techno, Beatnok’s productions come across as deep, detailed, and emotionally articulate; a relative rarity in the sometimes over-clinical world of 170BPM music.
The first thing that makes the tracks here stand out for anyone familiar with the wealth of halftime out there is that this isn’t cookie-cutter “gritty” minimalism; the drums hit hard when they need to and the synth sections certainly sound foreboding at times, but the tracks carve their own style somewhere between the darkness of artists like Clarity and the softer synth action of the original autonomic series.
While undoubtedly influenced by both the early autonomic records and the more recent Heart Drive / Pleasure District releases, Beatnok has harnessed both the spirit of experimentation and the effortless use of space and reverb which make those records such a joy to consume. The sound is sparse enough to allow the elements to breathe without being so minimal as to be dull, and the progressions feel natural, avoiding the tedium of obviously DJ friendly buildups and breakdowns. Armchair listening for the discerning D&B aficionado, and so good for it.
You can check out some all too brief previews of the EP below but it’s really best experienced in full, so go grab it from the label’s Bandcamp for the bargain price of $4; you won’t regret it.
The latest work from Kid Drama for Exit Records sees the man otherwise known as Jon Convex dipping his toes back into the more conventional D&B arena, kicking his new EP off with a distinctly Metalheadz-esque tech roller; super-crisp breaks and a simple array of dark bass stabs bring to mind classic tracks from the likes of Photek, and the groove is unarguably tight.
Appropriately for a release entitled Covering Ground the next track changes tack completely, bringing together glitchy, microfunk style percussion with shimmering melodies for a much more liquid-y number. Skeptical’s collaborative influence can definitely be heard in the drums while the IDM-style melodies of Convex’s excellent Mikarma project float above.
Up next comes Wasted Time, a track that could easily have been at home on the original run of Autonomic releases, playing with the halftime template and unusual synth sounds under a silky vocal from Alia Fresco. Last up, Consequence hops on board for the brooding, cinematic explorations of Shutter.
It’s great to hear Kid Drama collecting a relatively diverse array of material on this release and Exit is undoubtedly the perfect outlet for his aural excursions. Emotional and evocative as always; check out the clips below and hit up the Exit store to grab it on vinyl or digital from today.
Another month has slipped by and another quality selection has crossed the Dojo inbox, so it’s time for the best of the rest, or as Deficit put it last time “Its like Top Of The Pops but better”. Read on for the latest from Inception Audio, Eatbrain, Syncopix, HLZ and more…
Regular readers may well have picked up on the fact that we quite like Bay 6 Recordings. In fact we’d go so far as to say it’s one of our favourite small liquid imprints around right now, and that’s in the face of some fairly stiff competition to boot. 2016 felt like the perfect time to resurrect our ‘Get To Know’ label showcase feature, so for the first of many we present the finer points of the Bay 6 discography. Continue reading