Leeds-based label Transmission Audio’s 15th release provides the follow up to last year’s Dark Matter, Part 1 and sees Australian producer Xsetra returning to the Transmission roster alongside new recruits Stash.
As you’d expect by now the vibes are dark and techy all the way, with highlights coming on the rolling grime of Xsetra’s Cortes Bank and the appropriately vicious Belfast Tension from Stash. Check out the clips below and look for this one dropping from May 10th.
Vandal Records continue their relentless release schedule with a new single from Australian tech producer Lockjaw. The production quality on show here is more than ample evidence of just how far he’s come since early releases for Lifestyle and Mindstorm, with a ridiculous level of precision in the beats and bass.
Chasing Shadows keeps things punchy as hell with stacatto drum rhythms set to an equally stabby bass pattern and plenty of creepy atmospherics. Ions follows suit with more punishing bassy body-blows…in fact this single is so stabby it might as well be called “Knife Fight”! Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital store now!
If you like your D&B grimey and militant, pay close attention! Goreteks, another of Denver’s rising crop of D&B production outfits, bring their wares to Quentin Hiatus’s Free Love Digi imprint and the EP is deadly from start to finish.
No Mercy kicks things off with a stomping halftime beat full of hard snares and cheeky drum fills, while the filtered bass roams in and out of the mix in an entirely threatening fashion. Silence is Golden ups the ante, showering down kicks and snares amongst the sea of dubbed out echoes and distorted bass. This one recalls some of SPKTRM’s best material, and it sounds like the soundtrack to a distopian warzone, brutal business.
Secrets continues the menacing vibe; shades of Amit can be heard here, but with extra grit and angst. The percussion fills on this one really make the track, and the use of space makes the composition all the more powerful. Last but not least, Louder dials back the aggression a little for a tribal, echoing exploration with plenty of dubby twists and turns and a general air of simmering danger.
It’s been some time since producers I’ve never heard have impressed me this much on a first listen. Check out the clips below and go pick this one up now!
Australian creative collective Plasma present their third release and this time it’s dutch tech producer Fre4knc on the buttons. Fans of the man’s style will know what to expect – dark, energetic vibes all the way, with Chain of Command providing the roller while Sinjek heads for deeper, more ominous territory on a half-time tip. Impressively engineered and ominous in tone, it’s another impressive release from a producer who should be in for a solid year. Look for these dropping from April 20th.
If you’re looking for more from Fre4knc be sure to check out his guest mix for Dispatch Recordings below – it’s a fine selection of new beats and classic tracks alike.
Brain Crisis returns to Subtitles with two more tracks pushing his unusual style of 170BPM explorations. Spline collab Mad explores frantic junglistic breakbeat syncopations underpinned by an almost hip-hop style half-time backbeat, dropping down into creepy strings and pitched down vocals in the bridge before building back into a frenetic crescendo of snares.
Camatcho explores similar territory, with rapid drum syncopations via harsh, distorted breaks and rapidfire single hits alike proving the mainstay of the tune under the chopped up vocal line. Check out the clips below and look for this on vinyl and digital right now!
Fearful returns to Diffrent Music with a great new EP exploring dark and experimental rhythms. Since the last outing on Diffrent nearly two years ago Fearful has moved from a duo to a solo project, but remaining member Chris’s output hasn’t lost any of its edge.
All four tracks carry a distinctly brooding vibe, with eerie pads, grimey bass and a general air of tension coming together to create soundscapes steeped in darkness and suspense. The whole EP is strong, but the hard edged percussion and tempo bending finale of The Lurker edge it out as the Dojo favourite (closely followed by haunting Amoss collab Carcosa).
Check out the previews below and hit up the Diffrent Bandcamp for a copy right now.
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It has been too long by half since the last Amoss release; with the exception of some appearances on the Horizons Ten LP it’s been nearly a year since their last output, and longer still since their last release for Dispatch back in 2012. Naturally news of fresh material was, ahem, music to our ears (bad-um-psh) and their latest work sees them at the top of their game.
Lead track Oxide comes with added Fre4knc, a match up that makes perfect sense given both parties tendencies in the direction of dark, militant sounding techstep. Growling bass detail and heavy kicks and snares laid over a backdrop of creepy FX and atmospherics make for a tidy little outing.
Hold Back proves to be all about the drums, with tense, insistent cymbal rolls shuffling between an angular rhythm. Last up, Skittles sounds like a homage to the classic late 90s techstep of Photek, stripping back the bass to dark punchy stabs over a rolling break.
As usual it’s difficult to argue with Amoss and Dispatch! Check out the clips below and hit up the Dispatch store to pre-order this one on vinyl or digital ahead of the Mar 30th release.
Following on from big releases last year for Addictive Behaviour and ProgRAM, Bulgarian producer L 33 drops his latest work for Jade’s Eatbrain imprint. As we’ve come to expect from Eatbrain the release is packed full of energetic dancefloor-focused beats, though it stops short of the tearout mayhem we’ve seen from the likes of Kung in the past.
The tracks on show have much of the precision and rapidity that makes Phace’s work so compelling, though that’s not to say the tunes feel copycatish; a solid homage perhaps. All four tracks should do the damage on the dancefloor with the punchy drums and filtered mids of Digital Sound proving the Dojo favourite. Check out the clips below and look for this dropping at Beatport from March 23rd, with general release to follow from April 6th.
The latest from Nurtured Beatz sees Yung E making his debut for the label, with the tone remaining dark and techy. Cosmic Dust leads the charge with a sci-fi imbued roller that bears a heavy influence from 2005-era Black Sun Empire Recordings. It’s great to hear this sound again, with less focus on tearout neuro bass and more focus on a funky edge through rapid melody and crisp breakwork.
Mindset hits the ground with a more modern sound, swapping the rolling breaks for a stepper’s beat and a grimier, more minimal aesthetic. Last but not least, bandcamp exclusive track Doppler keeps the gully tone but flips the beats to a distinctly more experimental riddim. A fine selection from a producer we hope to hear more from in the future! Check out the clips below and head to Bandcamp to pre-order this now. The release drops there exclusively on Mar 23rd with full release following from Mar 30th.
Minor Rain touches down on Renegade Hardware once again with his solo debut, cementing his place amongst the fresh new faces signed to the legendary label over the last year. The EP features some cracking tracks, combining the heft and aggression of neurofunk with some unusual rhythmic play.
Totem Tube skitters along merrily with rapid fire percussive syncopations punctuating the backdrop of meaty bass and warm distortion. Deformation switches things up, opting for a more traditional D&B break for a by the numbers slice of high octane neurofunk. Last but by no means least Resistor heads back to unusual territory, blending elements of glitch and IDM into a bizarre, robotic tapestry of sound.
Hardware on point as usual! Watch out for the EP dropping at all good stores from March 23rd, and hit up the RH store for pre-order now.