Transmission Audio continue their tradition of dark, minimalistic techstep with a pair of precise new beats from Automate. Who Am I and Way of the Undeground both excel in crisp, varied percussion, deep sub and textured mid range which embellishes the tunes nicely without swamping the other elements. Check out the clips below and watch out for the release dropping Feb 15th at all good digital outlets.
Rusty K follows up his recent release for Breed 12 Inches with a devastating new 12″ for Close2Death Recordings. AC-130 provides a huge gabba-kick imbued maelstrom of bass and beats, twisted midrange riffage punctuated by half-time drums before a jump to full-speed in the back of the verse.
As you might guess from the name The Savage is no deep liquid number either; hip-hop style beats on the intro give way to a big synth lead and a massive full roll drop; maximal stylings for maximum neurofunk destruction. Check out the clips below and grab yourself a copy on vinyl or digital now!
Automate Tech are back with their 6th release featuring two heavy hitting beats from Italian neuro badman Neve. Oku sees him teaming up with Future Roots with a track that keeps you guessing on the intro – hints of classic Black Sun Empire in the lead and heavy hitting drums give way to a glitched up segue while the huge sub drop sneaks up on you from nowhere!
Anaesthetic proves equally deadly with pounding kicks and snares leading the charge on top of a morphing bassline and some great fills…this one’s all about percussion. Anaesthesia via kick drum body blows perhaps?
Check out the beats below and watch out for this one dropping from March 3rd at all good digital outlets.
Protect Audio continue their trend for D&B of a dark and minimal aesthetic with their tenth release from QBig & Zenith B. Exiled Mind excels in it’s precise and varied percussion, atmospheric sweeps and understated bass hits. Meanwhile Matador turns the heat up just a little, with an insistent bassline and more of those crisp beats blending to create a nice energy.
Check out the clips below and watch out for this one touching down at all good digital outlets from Feb 4th.
It’s always a pleasure to get sent great new tunes from producers and labels you’ve not been previously aware of, and the latest work from Austrian producer Dead Battery fits exactly that description! The young producer has cooked up two new tunes for Montreal based bass label Kannibalen and they’re a bit of a treat.
A-side The Devil’s Signature is a relentless assault of beats and bass, building with a cheeky horror-movie sample before dropping the hammer with an absolutely fearsome rolling break and a fearsome midrange reese. Over on the flip Just For Now delivers a melancholy roller with deep sub and crisp breaks punctuated with beautiful piano and some well placed subtle bass growls.
Check out the clips below and grab the release from your favourite digital outlet now!
Silent Witness returns to Dispatch Recordings for a solo EP packed full of rolling techie goodness. The titular Arc Light kicks things off with a big bad bassline and a precise break withsome lovely hi-hat work.
Lost keeps the energy flowing with a rapidly moving bassline that has a hypnotic, faintly technoid quality to it. Out into the digital exclusives, FMB strips things right back, letting sci-fi samples breath in between the sparse beats and bass swells. Last but not least Aura lulls us into a false sense of security with a beautiful guitar led intro before the bass and beats smack down for another lesson in who to write rollers.
Pre-order your copy from the Dispatch Surus store and watch out for the release from Feb 3rd.
Man of the moment Nickbee continues his excellent run of releases with a pair of atmospheric techsteppers for Vandal Records. Terra Formation blends Nickbee’s ear for beats and bass with eery atmospherics and a memorable yet understated lead hook.
Night Stalker lets a scuzzy reese bass take center stage over metallic snares laid down in a helter skelter beat patter, with a hypnotic synth lead coming in as the beats break down into an obviously techno influenced pattern before breaking down into nothing for the bridge.
Watch out for the release at all good digital outlets, out now!
It’s been a while since our last Classic Track retrospective, so we figured what better reason than the re-release of possibly the most iconic track from the 90s Techstep era? Bad Taste Recordings have gone back to the original DAT tapes for a brand new digital remaster of Bad Company’s legendary tech roller The Nine, preserving the flavour of the original but adding a wee bit of extra crispness to the sound. Check it out below and head to the Bad Taste store to pick it up on vinyl or digital now!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QJm1tzKrhs]
Russian producer Eastcolors follows up his contributions to the ProgRAMmed EPs with a new single for the RAM sub-imprint. Toys shows a great flare for combining dancefloor sensibilities with more musical elements, lush chiming chords taking centre stage on the intro before giving way to clean breaks and weighty sub.
Creeper takes things a bit darker with a jungle influenced break and heavier filtered mid-range characterising the tune; this one is definitely the beast to the A-side’s beauty. Check out the beats below and grab the release on vinyl and digital now!
When the likes of Om Unit, Doc Scott and Fracture are giving you props you know you’re doing something right. That’s the case for Jaquan, who’s latest freebie Telepath shows an aptitude for the kind of heavy hitting halfstep that has been rocking dark basement rooms in the D&B scene for the last few years.
The tune is a masterclass in hefty yet simple bass and intricate percussion, and is moody and deadly in equal measure. Check it out and grab yourself a free download below.