Deep liquid maestro Dominic Petrie returns with the first in a new mix series entitled Modus, exploring the deeper more experimental side of D&B. The mix features a tidy selection from the likes of dBridge, ASC, Instra:mental, Data, Morphy and Photek and is all drawn from Dom’s extensive vinyl collection. One for the heads!
It feels almost redundant to be reviewing this but just in case anyone has somehow slept on what is definitely one of the best compilations of 2013, then feast your ears on Mosaic Vol. 2. Bringing together some seriously deep and innovative cuts from thirty different producers and spanning four plates of vinyl for the wax enthusiasts, Exit have truly outdone themselves.
Among the standout tracks (and this is a tough choice given the quality on show from all concerned) are the glitchy madness of Rockwell’s *)*[808], the lush halfstep liquid of Synkro’s The Way and the classic Fist Level 2B from Insta:mental (only been waiting three years for this one guys…)
Elsewhere Kryptic Minds deliver a fantastic slice of moody halfstep with Burnt To Ashes (a rare return to the 170 tempo since their exit to Dubstep realms several years back), Om Unit and Sam Binga collab on some deeply hip-hop/footwork influenced business, and Fracture & Dawn Day Night bring us the sounds of the ghetto on Sick Wid It. Check out clips of every track below and watch out for this one dropping on digital July 29th with vinyl following on August 5th.
Shogun bring us another eclectic selection of remixes, this time of tracks from Spectrasoul’s recent LP Delay No More. dBridge delivers a respectable leftfield 170 rework of Momento with some nice filtering on the main break and James Zabiela delivers an appropriately catchy house reflex of The Curb, but ultimately the highlights are found in the other remixes on show.
DLR turns in a tidy remix of Sometimes We Lie, fusing the soulful elements of the original with a beat and bassline combo that’s techy enough to move a floor without overpowering the tune. Next up the ever innovative Rockwell gives Echo Park the glitched up trap/juke/hip-hop treatment, creating a fantastic blend of synth euphoria, hip-hop back beat and hench bass stabs. Methinks Mr Rockwell has been listening to a lot of EPROM lately, not that it’s a bad thing!
Lastly CMX (nee Commix) turns in a superbly weird rework of Away With Me, dropping the tempo way down and creating a break from distinctly unconventional samples. In the wake of the ludicrously smooth Calibre remix of this tune that dropped last year, it’s good to see other producers taking a totally different direction. Look out for the EP dropping July 22nd.
dBridge & Vegas’ True Romance is undoubtedly the best flipside in my vinyl collection, not to mention one of D&Bs most iconic and recognisable tracks. Despite being from a period where some might argue the genre was in something of a slump, the track showcases the Bad Company production talents without the savagery of earlier tracks like The Nine, and would ultimately point towards the musical direction dBridge explores now. Elegant in it’s simplicity, from the warm bass to the crisp, clean, unvaried break and instantly identifiable from the chiming melodic chords, this is a track that just never gets old.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXBv3JycDg]
US label Pushing Red continue their run of excellent house and techno releases with a new 12″ from Consequence (who fans of the deeper side of d&b should remember from his albums on dBridge’s Exit Records imprint). As we’ve come to expect from his releases, regardless of their specific style or tempo, the tunes are steeped in atmosphere and somehow always have that ‘Consequence’ sound.
A side Atrium kicks things off with an ever-so-slightly swung beat over a classic techno-bass groove, making great use of weird arpeggios and little details to give the track a really full sound while retaining that hypnotic effect that the best techno always achieves.
Over on the flip Box Rituals lays down a slightly more tribal beat, with an insistent kick drum layered behind a percussive smorgasbord, giving the beat heaps of texture. Soft pads combine with this more intricate beat to create a more ambient slice of music, and one you can easily lose yourself in for a few minutes.
Look out for this one dropping on March 3rd.
So much great drum & bass has come into the inbox this month, it seemed like a good time for another roundup post!
First up, Ingredients have been going from strength to strength with their recent releases. The 29th label release saw them release a quality wee EP in the form of Mis En Place Pt. 1, featuring some great tracks by Villem, Mark Recoil and Foreign Concept, alongside my pick of the EP, dBridge‘s smooth remix of Kodo‘s The Jackal.
Not content to rest on their laurels, the label are gearing up for their 30th release with a 12″ from newcomers Ruffhouse, with a very tribal feel to it. Fans of the recent Loxy & Resound album on Exit should definitely have a listen to this.
Shogun sister label SGN:Ltd are back with another beauty from Technimatic (formerly Technicolour and Komatic) and as we’ve come to expect from this duo it’s smooth liquid vibes all the way. Unfinished Business leads the release but it’s She Knows It on the flip that really caught my attention.
Utopia Music‘s 10th release sees legendary producer Break teaming up with Fields, label owner Mako & Villem on a heavy techy roller. The deep atmospheric intro lulls the listener into a false sense of security before the drop, all clattering toms and low end growl.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXyDs1UdFGc]
French label IM:Ltd are back with a new EP featuring a versatile selection of tracks from a number of relatively unknown producers. You can check out the whole EP below; my picks of the bunch are Nuage’s Above Time (a lovely piano lead deep roller) and Atmospherix’s In This Life, which features some beautifully crisp breaks and a warm, simple bassline that proves just irresistible.
Critical are back with another deep release, this time featuring collabs with the vocal talent that is Riya. A side Injustice sees Riya teaming up with Sabre for a beautiful deep roller while the b-side switches production to Foreign Concept for an autonomic style melancholy half stepper. Essential purchase as usual from the Critical stable!
RAM‘s new sister label ProgRAM are back with another chunky dancefloor number from Kove in the form of Iodine/Open Ground which does the business exactly as you’d expect.
Last but not least, Lifted sister label Breed 12 Inches are back with an absolutely phenomenal release from Memtrix, who at the young age of 16 is already setting the world of drum & bass alight. Mind Control and Slipper both deliver some seriously heavy neurofunk business…one to watch for 2013, definitely big things coming from this guy!
MCs in dance music; often a contentious topic. And one that has been prominent in the drum & bass scene in recent times, with the rise of MC-led (or at least MC-imbued) tracks, particularly in the wake of the huge success of Dub Phizix’s smash hit Marka. So despite the excellent track record DRS has in the scene, I must admit I was a little ambivalent when I heard that he was doing a full length album of solo material. Would there be the necessary variation here to justify a solo LP, or would this merely amount to 14 similar tracks chucked together to cash in on the current trend for MCing over half-step D&B beats?
While the initial single from the album was promising, it was treading familiar ground for the MC. Thankfully the album doesn’t disappoint in any way – lyricism and production (from the host of guest producers including dBridge, Lynx & Genotype) are both top notch, and most importantly the album shows real variation in tone and musical style.
The first welcome surprise of the album comes on Autonomic, bringing the tempo down to the 120 range for a slice of stripped back but supremely funky hip-hop. “This beat’s so autonomic, automatic, supersonic” goes the chorus, with DRS settling into a beautifully laid back yet insistent flow that instantly has the head nodding. It Ain’t Easy provides another, with a pleasant cross between grime-esque 140 beat patterns and warm, soulful synth lines.
Even when the tunes are occupying more familiar drum & bass led territory there is a good selection of different offerings, from soulful liquid funk affairs like Star Voyager and Keep the Faith to slightly predictable but nonetheless high calibre grimey half-steppers like Play With Fire.
If MCs are stepping up to become a bigger feature of the drum & bass scene, on record as well as in their more natural habitat of the club, then DRS has certainly set the bar for what an MCs album should be on every level. Watch out for the full release via Soul:R on Monday – and to whet your appetite you can check out a teaser mix below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFxZRcu-TJI]
Shogun Audio continue to go from strength to strength and their latest release in the Evolution EP series is no exception with a quality selection of drum & bass from some of the best producers in the scene. Heavy hitters come from Rockwell with Constantcomplexrhythmicsound and a digital exclusive VIP of Subterrestrial from The Prototypes, while dBridge and Alix Perez deliver the smooth rollers of the release.
As with so much of the Shogun catalogue this is a must purchase for Drum & Bass heads, and some of these tunes will be smashing dancefloors over the next few months, so get to know ahead of the May 7th release!