Portsmouth producer Kusp is someone we’ve had an eye on for a while. Through a slow trickle of releases for Authentic, Context and now Lynx’s Detail Recordings imprint, he’s slowly been carving a rep as a versatile producer capable of slinging traditional 2-step rollers and bassy halftime growlers alike. As he gears up for his debut album on Detail, we asked Kusp to give us the rundown of his top 5 halftime cuts. Check it out…
Om Unit & Sam Binga’s irregular BUNIT series of releases continues to be an absolute pleasure with the fourth volume now available via their usual Bandcamp store. As with previous volumes this is a complete free-for-all in terms of patterns and influences, vaguely within the 170 arena but certainly making no concessions to D&B formulas or trends.
From grimey trapped-out opener Shut The Window through the absolutely devastating cut-up jungle smasher Self Triggered, out into the spacey, driving weirdness of Never Been To Berghain and finishing up with the extremely acid-infused (and baffling titled) No Chairs, this is scattershot, heavyweight and generally fantastic. Exactly what you’d expect from Binga and Unit then really.
Vinyl copies of this are moving fast so hit up Unearthed Sounds to grab the wax or head to the BUNIT Bandcamp to get a digital copy straight from the source.
Corrupted is in our premiere spotlight today alongside frequent collaborator J. Nomad delivering a wicked slice of bass-heavy halftime beats for his new EP on Halogen Music! Serious groove on this one; check it out and hit up the Halogen Bandcamp to pre-order ahead of the June 11th release.
The Dreamers return to our premiere spotlight with Italian producer Frame back for a second EP, following up his excellent Natural Sound EP from last year. Primitive Jungle brings together classic breaks with a pallet of faintly neolithic soundbytes for a playful slice of D&B that at once sounds faintly retro and very 2018. Wicked stuff! Look for this alongside at all good digital stores from June 14th.
Hex returns to the Dojo decks for the May instalment of the monthly podcast featuring all the best releases dropping this month. Beats inside from Digital, Toronto Is Broken, Amoss, Dexta, Crypticz, Phase & Villem and many more, crossing the styles from dark tech to rolling liquid, bassy halftime to amen junglism and everything in between. Watch out for unreleased dubs from Xorcore and Midik too.
As always you can check out the podcast via Soundcloud below or head to Youtube or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.
Icelandic halftime bass slinger Balatron lands on Portland experimental imprint Sublimate for our latest exclusive, bringing a wicked slow/fast rhythm via heavy kicks and claps and a hyperactive lead synth line. Funky business! Watch out for this coming to all the usual digital outlets as part of the Dat Shii EP – the release drops May 11th.
Eighteen months old and still going strong, Dojo boss Hex is back on the decks this month with another selection of all the best beats from the inbox. Tracks inside this month from Apex, War, Invadhertz, Spirit, Missing, Mark Kloud and loads more.
As always you can check out the podcast via Soundcloud below or head to Youtube or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.
Today’s exclusive comes courtesy of Missing who’s back with another sick halftime cut for Halogen Music. Bass-led 20/20 style business with top sound design and crisp percussion; vibes! Look for this one coming on the Soul Grey EP from April 23rd.
Berlin imprint Through These Eyes return with their fifth release at the beginning of next month and we’ve got the exclusive on lead track Flow! London producer Noh Vae is on the buttons, dishing up a sick halftime flow with hints of the old school D&B sound. Look out for this dropping exclusively on vinyl from May 7th.
Rockwell’s work over the years has set him apart from many other producers; taking a quality-over-quantity approach and constantly seeking out innovation (much to the annoyance of some heads who clamour for more of his early sound), you always know you’re going to get something interesting from a new Rockwell release.
His latest work for Shogun Audio is no exception to this rule, drawing on various bass-music influences for an EP that is at one decidedly drum & bass and still almost completely spurning of its traditions. Roni Size collab Easy rips up the rhythm rule book, keeping the energy and sound palette ravey but refusing to settle into a stale groove. ’09 Track fuses classic dub and more modern dubstep influences for a huge halftime head-nodder, while Inventor recruits Flowdan for vocals on an infectious clash of bashment and jungle.
User rounds off the release nicely by reminding us that Rockwell still knows how to serve up an old fashioned roller, and a decidedly catchy one at that. Crisp breaks, warm bass swells and a weirdly manipulated vocal hook combine for an instantly recognisable track. More essential listening from one of the brightest names in the game; check out the clips below and hit up your favourite store to grab a copy on vinyl or digital right now.