Time for the first Dojo podcast of 2017! Hex is in the mix again with an hour of the best beats from the Dojo inbox representing liquid, jungle, dancefloor rollers, neuro bangers, halftime steppers and everything in between. New music from Dub Phizix, Samurai Breaks, Tim Reaper, Cyantific, Blu Mar Ten, Kid Drama and more…check it out.
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.
Whether it’s in their capacity as label curators or as artists in their own right, we’re big fans of Blu Mar Ten here at DNB Dojo. In a time when so much music, drum & bass included, is a packaged commodity designed to appeal to a very specific marketplace and lacking or devoid of originality, BMT stand as a beacon of the creativity and inspiration that makes the best music so exciting. If you subscribe to the adage that 99% of everything is rubbish, then these guys are the 1% of the 1%.
Enter Empire State, the team’s seventh studio album and their fourth for their own Blu Mar Ten Music imprint. Picking up pretty much exactly where Famous Lost Words left off, the album plays like a love letter to all the facets of D&B, focusing on the deeper and more melodic side of the music but with some unashamed dancefloor rollers thrown into the mix. More experimental tracks like Monologue and Fall From Grace dial back the beats, allowing Blu Mar Ten’s knack for shimmering synth work to shine through, while straight up rollers such as Immortal Beloved provide that uptempo euphoria the duo do so well.
Robert Manos makes a welcome appearance on the effortlessly crispy Keep It Together, while the rest of the album’s vocal-led tracks feature the enigmatic strains of Kite, a female vocalist that we can literally find nothing about anywhere. The pair clearly have a talent for spotting gifted singers; as with Agnė Genytė’s contributions to their previous LP, Kite lends raw emotion and a less obvious style of delivery to the vocals here, and the album sounds fantastic for her presence.
Empire State probably won’t convince the naysayers of the merits of the more melodic end of D&B, nor is it packed full of cutting-edge, genre-bending or trend-setting material. If however you want an album featuring some of the most finely crafted D&B and a ton of depth and feeling, Blu Mar Ten deliver in spades. As always. Check out the previews below and hit up the BMT Store to grab a copy on vinyl or digital now.
When you think across the biggest names in the scene, it’s hard to find one both as well regarded and as prolific as Break. The Symmetry boss somehow manages to churn out a breathtaking quantity of originals and remixes, all possessing his trademark crisp drums, warm but punchy basslines and organic musical flourishes. If there were an award for the hardest working man in D&B, we’re pretty sure it would go to Break every year without fail.
This year sees him celebrating 10 years of Symmetry Recordings and for the occasion he’s put together a cracking new LP of material featuring collabs with many of the label’s familiar faces and some solo material to boot. Alongside big, stomping slices of dancefloor tech like Total Science collab Betamax and solo cut Ain’t No Turning Back there’s space for a take on the 20/20 sound on Inside (written with Spectrasoul), a reggae infused roller on Overdub and a couple of distinctly jungle-tinged beats like the cracking closing track Not Forgotten.
While none of the tracks here are particularly breaking the mould or pushing the envelope, the love, care, and detail that’s gone into their production shines through and the presence and vibe is absolutely undeniable; another fine album from a scene legend at the top of his game. Check out the clips (and a wicked 30 min promo mix) below and hit up the Symmetry store to grab a copy right now!
Today’s exclusive comes courtesy of prolific Ukrainian producer and longtime Dojo favourite Fade. Taken from the forthcoming Chemtrails EP, Rush Hour builds tension with a hypnotic melodic arpeggio before dropping into a hard hitting neurofunk assault. With a cheeky halftime switchup in the second half, this one is sure fire dancefloor devastation. Yes Fade!
Fade:
Facebook → www.facebook.com/fademusica
SoundCloud → @fade
Twitter → twitter.com/Fademusic
Faded Music:
Facebook → www.facebook.com/fadedmusic1
Youtube channel turned record label / clothing brand Inspected are back with another tidy neurofunk selection in the form of the Glados EP (for the non-gamers out there that’s a Portal reference).
There’s a fine selection of dancefloor bangers on show here – Malux is on hand with a big morphing bassline on Rubix, Posij turns in a sparse but groove-heavy roller on the screwface-inducing Killer and Billain brings the heat as usual with his signature high-precision, high energy relentlessness.
The star of the show for us though is Culprate’s fantastic halftime VIP of Diablo; pitching down the iconic intro of the original and replacing the full-roll assault with a swaggering 20/20 style drum & squelch riddim, this one is rude! Check out the previews below and hit up your favourite digital store to grab a copy now.
Our latest exclusive Premiere comes courtesy of Derby’s Precise as he drops a relentless dancefloor smasher for Joe Nebula’s Back2You Recordings; East Midlands represent!
This one isn’t gonna win too many awards for originality but if you’re looking for a dangerously aggy weapon then this hits the spot like a sledgehammer! Hit up the Back2You Bandcamp to pre-order this one now ahead of the August 22nd release.
Precise:
SoundCloud → @precise-2
Back2You Recordings:
Facebook → www.facebook.com/Back-2-You-10263…3130528/?fref=ts
SoundCloud → @joenebula
Twitter → twitter.com/joenebula2
We’ve been keeping an eye on Revaux for the last couple of years since hearing their releases for Slinkie Music and more recently Authentic, so naturally we were excited to hear their latest offerings for London’s Lifestyle Music!
The Frostbite EP keeps it punchy and concise, showcasing the Revaux sound across three new tracks. The material definitely keeps things dancefloor friendly but manages to retain a keen balance of atmosphere and melody alongside the rolling beats and bass heft; faceless throwaway fodder this is not. From the detailed punch of Head First through the deeper and more melodic Frostbite and out into the gut punching bass of Stand Off, Revaux are on fine form here!
It’s always a pleasure to hear dancefloor D&B with crisp sound design and at least a smidgen of soul, and that’s exactly what’s on offer here. Check out the clips below and hit up your favourite digital store to grab the EP now!
When it comes to hyper technical, dancefloor-focussed neurofunk there are many pretenders to the throne but few live up to the standards set by Germany’s finest. Phace’s latest work for his and Misanthrop’s Neosignal imprint finds him on top form, delivering another pair of dangerously weighty dancefloor smashers.
So Excited follows in the footsteps of previous Neosignal smash Sex Sells with a tongue in cheek vocal on the intro and playful melody (something often lacking from the polished but soulless neuro found elsewhere). When it drops it’s a chaotic blend of gut-punchingly hard drums and serious bassline distortion which defines so many Phace productions; absolutely deadly.
Over on the flipside Lit Up swaps the rolling break of the A for a more angular beat and staccato bassline but once again the vibes are utterly relentless. Not for the faint of heart! Check it out below and hit up your favourite digital store to grab a copy right now.
Time for another exclusive DNB Dojo Premiere and this time it comes from AudioSketch, Random Movement and Soul Trader Records!
Soul Trader continue their impressive run of releases with the debut LP from up and coming producer AudioSketch. One of the album’s best cuts comes in the form of Come For Me and Random Movement has been recruited to refix the original, turning in a sublime dancefloor roller with soul and bass heft in equal measure. Wicked stuff!
Look out for this one dropping on the 1st LP Sampler on Feb 22nd with the full album due in March.
We’ve been a little less active than usual with the posts this festive season so for our very last post of 2015 we’re rounding up the best releases this month which might otherwise have slipped the net. Read on for new beats from Trilo, Was A Be, Sikey and more… Continue reading