Dojo boss Hex lands in the premiere spotlight today with a track taken from his new single for Nurtured Beatz! Phosphorus blends growling basslines, halftime drums and sci-fi sampling for a deep, dark workout, progressing to a breakbeat switchup at the second drop. Check it out below and look out for the release coming Oct 23rd at Bandcamp – all other stores follow on Oct 30th.
Hex delivers 90 minutes of the latest D&B, with the latest episode marking 4 years of Dojo podcasts! New beats inside from Klinical, Muffler, John Rolodex, Calibre, Monika, dgoHn and many more.
As always 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.
For those unfamiliar with his work, Nymfo cut his teeth on pretty much every important label under the sun: 31 Records, Innerground, Commercial Suicide, Renegade Hardware and Metalheadz to name only a few – no one can argue with that pedigree. With a long back catalogue of bangers spanning over of decade, the initiated shouldn’t need an introduction, but his latest EP on Dispatch is worthy of one.
Nymfo’s sound largely lurks at deeper end of the spectrum, yet there’s still plenty of variety on offer with this EP. There are stepping tunes like title track Forbidden Planet and Everything Will Be; tracks that roll – albeit unconventionally – like Breach; down right weird ones like Cold Mission; and some signature Nymfo qualities in tracks like Pathfinder with longstanding Dispatch general Hijack MC.
Throughout there is a definite nod to the techstep era of the late 90s and early 00s. The EP feels raw in a way that minimal, techy numbers of the last 5-10 years have often lacked. Perhaps this record will be one of several marker points in the months and years from now that show the pendulum swinging away from technology-focused beatmaking, and back towards focusing on the overall vibe. That focus on vibe helped carve out the techstep style in the earlier eras of drum and bass, and it’s EPs like this that help cement the style’s status amongst the D&B pantheon of sounds.
The Forbidden Planet EP is out now at the Dispatch Store – all other stores follow Oct 16th.
Written by James Austin
Today’s premiere is tense, detailed and brimming over with brooding atmosphere; Australian producer Piglet brings his heavyweight sound to Strictly Deep DnB. Sick stuff! Look for this one coming Oct 16th…
Modu lands on Addictive Behaviour for today’s exclusive with a gnarly breakbeat smasher! Tech bass modulations under an absolutely razor sharp drum line make for a serious slice of dark jungle weaponry. Hit up beatport to grab this one right now – other stores follow in a couple of weeks.
Mexico City crew BLDSMX are in our premiere spotlight today as we present a cut from their forthcoming ArmadaSounds 001 compilation LP! Rainforest brings the deep, jungle-tinged vibes on the appropriately named Duality; love the breakwork and the rhythms on this one. Look for the LP coming Oct 2nd with a whole host of bassy goodness across the 170 spectrum…
Italian producer SD lands on Dispatch Recordings for today’s premiere and he’s taking a Hatchet to the dancefloor! Industrial textures and infectious drums make for a deadly roller primed for maximum impact. You can grab it as part of the Toni Solidi EP which is out today at the Dispatch store!
The iconic and pivotal Valley of the Shadows…where do I start? Produced by none other than Origin Unknown, a duo consisting of Andy C and Ant Miles, this track played a significant role in shifting the paradigm of hardcore toward a darker motif. Heralded as one of the best songs in the Drum & Bass sphere, this iconic tune rolled onto the scene in 1993 (and re-released in 1996 as a stand-alone) from Andy C’s very own RAM Records.
The first edition of Future Music Magazine’s sample CD provided many of the track’s sounds, and likewise provided a bevy of other recognizable samples found across a broad spectrum of electronic and dance music during the same era. From the hypnotizing melody to the entrancing spoken samples, the hardy break to the bold bassline, Valley of the Shadows proves itself a time-tested masterpiece.
Written by Luke Kessler
Another month, another podcast! Hex brings you the usual dose of D&B flavours including new music from Bold Theory, HLZ, Sinistarr, Drumcatcher, Spor, Break and many more, plus a host of unreleased dubs…check it!
As always 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.
Montesco lands on Portugal’s Skalator Music with a slab of grimy tech minimalism. Maximum tension on this one, and those bleeps are so good…look out for the single dropping Sep 25th at digital stores.