Once again we’ve been inundated with quality music in the Dojo inbox and despite the bonus extra day February has vanished before we could write it all up! Here’s some coverage of the best of the rest including new music from Alix Perez & Ivy Lab, Calibre, Hanover, SCAR, Bone and more…
Authentic Music are now well and truly back; after a lengthy hiatus from releasing music and a couple of retrospective EP releases, the Czech label returns proper this month with a various artists LP in the form of Art of Deception.
It’s worth noting at this point that I’m not a big fan of compilation LPs. Certain labels have taken in recent years to releasing ever bigger and bigger albums packed with twenty, thirty or even forty tunes loosely bound by rough subgenre and largely lacking in vision or purpose; sure, there are often some good tracks to be found, but who wants to listen through dozens of beats to find the gems? Quality before quantity should be the maxim, but more and more in this ADHD digital age that maxim is being ignored.
Enter Authentic Music, a label that has always striven to provide that all important quality. In the three and a half years of its existence, the imprint has moved slowly but steadily, releasing only tracks which pass the tests of both production sheen and innovation, and thankfully that ethos hasn’t changed for their latest outing.
The slightly old school approach shines through in the release of samplers, a-la vinyl LPs of yesteryear; there might not be wax in the offing, but a handful of tracks have been selected from the main body to lead the pack, and in that fine tradition of samplers they feature some of the LP’s strongest material, with remixes from A-Cray and ArpXP sitting alongside originals from Revaux and Kusp.
Tone-wise most of the album holds true to the Authentic aesthetic; techy vibes fit for the dancefloor but featuring strong sound design and enough of an experimental edge not to be forgettable club fodder. There are some surprises to be found too such as Revaux’s uplifting remix of Mr. Magician and the playful rolling melodies of Dephzac’s sublime Sum Is Wrong.
I could spend time picking out favourites from the selection but with the quality so high you’re better off just listening for yourself. Wicked vibes through and through; hit up Beatport to grab the lot right now.
Czech tech imprint Authentic Music have been pretty quiet until recently, but they’re coming out of hibernation in a big way this month with the release of two compilation EPs featuring some of the best tracks from the label back catalogue. The first one is out right now featuring cuts from Hybris, A-Cray, Bone and Peejay & Panorama, and if you like your beats crunchy and forward thinking it should be right up your street.
Besides the Square One EP we can look forward to the next one (you guessed it – Square Two) dropping from Jan 18th on Juno and Jan 25th elsewhere. Featuring another fine selection from A-Cray, Ower, Definate and Hemoglobin, this is equally worth a look if you missed the tracks first time around.
As if all that wasn’t enough they’ve also released the first teaser of their next project, Art of Deception. Look out for more news on this soon, but meantime you can check out the clip of Revaux’s satisfying chunky Solidify below.
The tenth installment in our exclusive mix series comes from Estonian producer Bone. Fresh from his new release for Authentic music, Bone delivers a diverse selection of D&B starting with deep liquid and building up to a clattering neurofunk finish; the likes of Calibre, Dub Phizix, Aeph and Noisia all make appearances alongside Bone’s own productions including some as yet unreleased dubs. Check it out via Mixcloud below or head to Hearthis.at for streaming and Dropbox for a download.
Tracklist:
Calibre – Sick Of It All [SIGNATURE]
inZtance – Fools Gold (feat. Laura James) [N/A]
Dub Phizix – The Clock Ticks [CRITICAL MUSIC]
Bone – Wonder [N/A]
Cruel Culture & Keosz – Thought [PROTECT AUDIO]
Bone – All I Have [N/A]
Memro – Spyglass [PROXIMITY]
Bone – Unspeakable [AUTHENTIC MUSIC]
Nickbee & Freakbreak – Broken (feat. Mix’ usha) [BAD TASTE REC]
BassBrothers – Bolivian Yeyo [PLAYAZ]
Hyroglifics – Bun Dem [N/A]
Bone – The Block [AUTHENTIC MUSIC]
Conduct – Warning [BROKEN AUDIO REC]
Limtek – Skynet [TAMFREE]
Aeph – Scumbag (Teddy Killerz Remix) [BAD TASTE REC]
Soul Intent – Raggamuffin [LOSSLESS MUSIC]
Bone & Moral Fibre – Crossbite [AUTHENTIC MUSIC]
Noisia – Stamp Out [VISION]
Agressor Bunx – Time (Krot Remix) [TAMFREE]
D_iolax – Soulbreaker [TAMFREE]
Noisia – Running Blind [VISION]
Estonian producer Bone returns to Authentic Music with a second EP following up last year’s Structure EP. The titular Unspeakable shows Bone’s varied sensibilities, with lush atmospherics overlaying darker bass tones and solid beats. Moral fibre collab Crossbite heads for darker territory, with ominous pads characterising the intro before a drop into moving basslines and intricate rolling drums.
The Block makes great use of some unusual percussion to create a really angular, robotic groove, keeping the atmosphere and the growling bass nicely balanced in the process. Last up comes Raspy, a skittering hi-hat fuelled head-knodder with a hint of trap and an infectious vibe. Check out the clips below and head to Beatport to grab a copy of the EP, out now!
Czech label Authentic Music touch down with their biggest release to date in the form of the Gates of Dawn LP. The album features a stunning array of tracks spanning all the styles of drum & bass, with particular highlights coming on Hybris twisted tech refix of Arp XP’s Five Black Forms and Distant Future’s epic roller Changes.
Elsewhere Ower turns in a jazzy slice of dancefloor business with Supermurgitroid, Survey treat us to their industrial blend of minimalist D&B, Bone turns in a wonderfully uplifting roller on the oddly titled Empty Place and Entita delivers a slice of straight up rolling tech on Other Side. The whole album is packed full of fantastic tunes so check out the clips below and watch out for the release from Feb 17th.