Another month, another massive wealth of new drum & bass! We check out the best of the rest from Conduct, Skeptical, Benny L, Cybin and more… Continue reading
December Roundup
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Tag Archives: Blu Mar Ten Music
Akuratyde – Embrace EP [Blu Mar Ten Music]
After a short hiatus, Blu Mar Ten Music are back with more effortlessly beautiful music, this time from US producer Akuratyde. The Embrace EP occupies the same sort of musical space as artists like Kiyoko or Ulrich Schnauss; glistening pads, an air of melancholy and the influence of ambient and IDM characterise the recordings far more than the influence of conventional D&B, particularly on the EP’s first two tracks. Embrace and Lights In My Eyes both relegate beats and bass to a modest supporting role behind the swathes of reverb drenched chords and lush sonic imagery, creating a sense of distance and longing.
The second half of the EP sees a slight shift towards more beat driven compositions, with Time Left Behind exploring the halftime tempo with crisp but understated percussion under a warm blanket of sub bass and blissful echoing melodies. Sway closes the EP out with what could well be a love letter to Seba or Blu Mar Ten themselves, the release’s most “D&B” track. As usual Blu Mar Ten Music are right on the pulse, bringing us fantastically creative work from a new name we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on in future! Check out the clips below and hit up the Blu Mar Ten Bandcamp to grab a copy right now.
Nausika – Dominion / Echoes [Blu Mar Ten Music]
Blu Mar Ten Music’s output continues to be as varied as it is excellent with a cracking new single from Leeds young team Nausika. Dominion provides a study in minimalism and bassweight; punchy percussion, brooding sub and sparse atmospheres define a tune that keeps things stripped back and allows the percussion to evolve along the full length of the track.
Echoes keeps things deep and crisp, once again defined by weighty sub and precise percussion. As with Dominion there’s a steady and subtle progression to the track, with what feels like a nod to the aesthetic of minimal techno. Tasty stuff; check out the clips below and hit up the Blu Mar Ten store to grab it on 12″ before they sell them all!
Kimyan Law – Daimyo VIP [Blu Mar Ten Music]
The enigmatic Kimyan Law is back! Blu Mar Ten Music’s brightest new talent returns to the label with three great new tracks following on from last year’s rather excellent album.
Album cut Daimyo gets the VIP treatment, switching the rhythm up to a slightly more insistent gait and adding a handful of jungle breaks to the mix. Lavish keeps things on a stripped back tip; airy drum patterns with a hint of swing and a generally pretty dubbed out vibe. The merest hints of jazz can be heard fading through the mix for a little extra shimmer.
Last but not least, Chai takes things even deeper, spacing out the drums into a lolloping rhythm against a backdrop of rich melodic textures. This one is the star of the show for us; absolutely beautiful. Check out the clips below and hit up the Blu Mar Ten store to grab a copy on vinyl or digital now.
Spirit – Life Goes On / 107 [Blu Mar Ten Music]
Spirit is a name you should already be more than familiar with. A constant and innovative presence in the scene for nearly 20 years, both as a solo artist and with regular production partner Digital, Spirit’s productions are as varied as they are plentiful and that looks set to continue based on the strength of this release.
Life Goes On drops in with a playful acid bassline that bucks all the current trends for both liquid and tech D&B, bringing a classic sound but taking it in an unusual direction. 107 goes deeper, powered along by shimmering synths, growling bass yawns and a distinctive ratcheting drum break; this is one to get lost in. Both tracks have that crisp engineering that only experience can bring, and should prove rewarding at home or on the dancefloor.
Check out the clips below and hit up the Blu Mar Ten store to pre-order this one now ahead of the April 13th release.
Marso & Gala – Promise / Monochrome [Blu Mar Ten Music]
Blu Mar Ten welcome a pair of fresh new talents to their ever expanding roster with a new single from Siberian duo Marso & Gala. Promise kicks things off with massive, sweeping, Vangelis-style synths that lead an airy composition set at 170BPM but bearing little in common with most D&B. Gala’s vocals drift effortlessly over the mix, icing a lush cake drenched in ambience and style.
Monochrome drops the tempo to dubstep territory but once again eschews genre tropes in favour of more shimmering melodies and atmospherics. Gala takes a slightly more prominent role this time, with warmer bass driving the tune onwards under her rich, soaring, reverb-drenched vocals. Check out the clips below and look for this at your favourite digital store now.
RQ – Shimmer / Traces [Blu Mar Ten Music]
Blu Mar Ten Music kick of 2015 with a great new release from Kiwi producer RQ. Shimmer combines soft piano, deft atmospherics and interesting natural percussion for a sublime slice of melodic electronica; think Liquid meets Autonomic and you’re halfway there, though that lazy journalistic shorthand doesn’t really do the tune justice.
Traces provides a worthy flipside, harnessing the spirit of golden era GLR/Intelligent D&B with more lush synth work. The entire first half builds the suspense before the classic breaks kick in for the second half providing that ever vibrant contrast between soft, melodic elements and tough, distorted amens. Deeper beats as usual from the BMTM camp – check out the clips below and grab the release from your favourite digital outlet now!
Best Albums of 2014
2014 has been a great year for D&B and another great year for LPs, so with the year drawing to a close we thought we’d run down our favourite full length releases this year. In no particular order…
Kimyan Law – Coeur Calme [Blu Mar Ten Music]
Kimyan’s debut LP impressed us greatly upon it’s initial release, and it’s an album that has only improved upon repeated listens. Blending influences from D&B with elements of soul, world music, ambient and plenty more besides, this is one of the most musical releases this year and a great start to what should be a promising career.
Tokyo Prose – Presence [Samurai Music]
Samurai’s reputation for quality and depth is legendary, and the debut LP from kiwi producer Tokyo Prose fits that MO perfectly. Featuring some excellent collaborations with the likes of Synkro, LSB and Lenzman, the album features a coherence and flow that many LPs lack, and some of the finest deep liquid tracks of the year. Essential listening.
Cern – Under Another Sky [Dispatch Recordings]
Cern’s LP slipped under the radar here at the Dojo on initial release, but thankfully we got the chance to catch up with it over the holiday season. The level of atmosphere and depth on show here is stunning, not to mention the precise engineering, intricate drum programming and overall detail that Cern has brought to the table. The album is an unapologetically dark, experimental release, with few (if any) of the tracks aimed at the dancefloor, and is all the better for it.
Future Beats: The Album [31 Recordings]
31 Recordings late entry to the 2014 LP battle has garnered near universal acclaim, and with good reason; few other compilations bring such a breadth of styles at such a high quality across such a massive selection of tracks. It’s great to see the label supporting new producers alongside old hands like Calibre and Klute, not to mention pushing the envelope with truly innovative sounds.
Ulterior Motive – The Fourth Wall [Metalheadz]
Last but by no means least, Ulterior Motive’s sonic journey through their experiences of Drum & Bass has provided both dancefloor anthems and deeper vibes. Tracks like Tape Pack and INTA-National have been killing floors at raves across the world since the LPs release, and the duos range has never been stronger.
Kimyan Law – Coeur Calme [Blu Mar Ten Music]
The wait is finally over on an album I’ve been keenly anticipating ever since the first glimpses of the young producer’s music surfaced a couple of months ago – Kimyan Law’s debut LP for Blu Mar Ten Music is upon us. It’s pretty tough to take in the depth and breadth of the album at first listen; the tracks vary in energy and tone, but there is a calm, soothing quality to the music and an intricacy to the sonic textures on show here which places the guy ahead of many producers with plenty more years in the game.
The use of natural (or at least, natural sounding) instrumentation nearly exclusively in preference to synthetic sounds gives the music more shared ground with the likes of Four Tet’s early material than with much of contemporary D&B, and that’s probably also what makes it sound so fresh – the influence of D&B has been melted down here and distilled with a pinch of soul, a hint of ambient, a splash of world music and little dashes of a dozen other styles, and used to paint a vivid aural picture, and one with a softness that the loud mastering and hard snares of modern electronica seldom achieve.
The use of space and reverb is masterful, allowing the compositions to breathe without sounding quite as ghostly as some of Burial’s work. The instrumentation is crisp and clear, but the elements aren’t fighting one another in the mix; each chord or drum beat has been carefully positioned to complement the other parts of the track, and it shines through wonderfully. I have no doubt that this LP will be on heavy rotation over the coming months, and no doubt that it’s impact and enjoyability will grow and grow on repeat listens. Check out the clips below and pre-order your copy from the Blu Mar Ten store now.
Kimyan Law – Run Ames / Eclairage [Blu Mar Ten Music]
Blu Mar Ten Music present the debut single from 19 year old talent Kimyan Law, a producer with a talent for evocative, understated beats that have a hint of the cinematic to them. The tracks represent the first glimpse of his Coeur Calme LP, due next month.
Run Ames sees the producer teaming up with vocalist Robert Manos on a stark, moody slice of D&B; insistent beats, simple but satisfying bass reverberations and Manos’ vocal take centre stage, with the merest hints of melody echoed over the mix. This “less is more” approach is a stark contrast to the usual “fill every frequency” maximalism of much of today’s electronica, and the overall effect has much more impact through the clever use of dynamic range.
Eclairage meanwhile brings together soft, natural percussion set to an unusual, lilting beat and paired with a pleasantly natural chiming melody. The track is drenched in reverb, lending it a distant melancholy, as though we’re hearing a faint reflection from some other place or time. Once again there’s a mastery of minimalism at work here, allowing the different elements of the track to breath, and the results are stunning. Check out the clips below and grab this one right now from the Blu Mar Ten store.
You can also find a “Slumber Session” mix from Kimyan below, featuring a mellow selection with tracks from Massive Attack, Burial, Stray and more.