Our latest premiere comes from US liquid stable Such Music who bring us a shimmering roller from Chris Cause! Ethereal is a slick and understated little number; rolling breaks, uplifting melodies and warm bass, treading that wonderful line of soft euphoria without straying into cheesier “hands in the air” territory. Blissful! Look for this one from September 11th at all good digital outlets.
Morphing basslines, hefty halftime riddims and classic jungle sirens on today’s exclusive as Moralz drops some fresh heat for Free Love Digi! Stone Cold is everything you’d expect from the forward thinking US collective; future D&B business at its finest. Yes yes! Look for this from September 4th at all good stores…
Watching the drum & bass community come together in the face of tragedy and adversity is one of the most heartwarming aspects of being involved in this scene. Whether it’s specific, personal responses like those to the deaths of scene legends like Marcus Intalex, or wider campaigns like Drum & Bass Against Racism, a huge number of figures in the scene are always pushing to make our world a better place, one beat at a time.
On that very tip, our pals at Nurtured Beatz couldn’t simply sit by and watch as survivors of the Grenfell tower disaster were left high and dry by their local authority, so the label bosses responded with what they do best; a charity LP featuring no less than 18 tracks by a cracking selection of underground producers. Label regulars like Kalm & Spindall, Genotype, Interline and Kolectiv bring some gully business to the table alongside other producers like Mitekiss, DBR UK and Mystic State, and there’s even space for hip-hop from Django Mancub and the legendary Chester P, plus an accoustic swansong from Blake Bastion.
We’d be recommending this album even if it weren’t for such a good cause, but given that it is also providing support for people who desperately need it this is a must buy. Hit up the Nurtured Beatz Bandcamp to grab a copy now.
We’re back with a super-deep exclusive today as Scottish imprint Detached Audio bring us a brand new single from Sirus! Warm bass, tight but understated percussion and soft, evocative pad work make for a classic liquid roller; delicate vibes. Hit up the Detached Audio Bandcamp to grab this one from September 1st, with remixes from label regulars Manu and K2T for good measure.
15 years is a long time in music. 15 years from the time of writing, Nelly’s Hot in Herre was top of the US billboard charts – a position it had occupied for 6 weeks previously, and would surrender the following week. 15 years is an even longer period of time to be pushing music; some flash in the pan artists are lucky to go a five-year stint in the limelight. This makes Seba’s seminal Secret Operations label even more important.
Reaching 15 years of age, Swedish-sprung Secret Operations has decided to look back, not forward, to appreciate all that has gone before it to date. Seba has selected 18 tracks to represent the label’s ever-expanding history, including collabs and features from the likes of the timeless Robert Manos, the genre stalwart Paradox, and an unusual track from the ever imaginative Resound.
Musically, the LP features that signature Seba sound, carefully constructed breaks alongside a musicality so often overlooked by today’s brightest producers. Tracks like Pieces, Wake Up Call, and Forever amongst others capture that vibe expertly. That said, there’s also room for the darker side of drum and bass that has woven its way in and out of this genre’s discourse since the early 90s. Cuts such as External Reality, Fire Like This, and Day By Night are my go-tos as far as darker material goes.
But my wanton pigeonholing of tunes here doesn’t allow for some of the classics present on here. Before I Can Breathe from Seba & Physics was one of the first tunes I heard getting into the genre, and much of the rest of the album will represent similar audible milestones for you, too.
Distilling 15 years into 18 tracks would be hard for any label manager, but I think those selected for this compilation both reflect the outstanding musical ethos of the label, as well standing the test of time. Here’s to 15 more years of Secret Operations.
[bandcamp width=100% height=472 album=4159865374 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none]
Written by James Austin, aka DJ Auzi, label manager at Terabyte Records
Facebook: facebook.com/auzidnb
Soul Trader deliver more of their trademark lush liquid today from Centrik (who you might recognise as one half of Soul:Motion). Soft pads, sultry vocals, rolling breaks and a warm blanket of bass; you know the score. Look for this one exclusively at Beatport from Aug 7th.
Today’s premiere comes from our pals at Fragmented, easing their foot off the gas a little for the B side on their latest release from Akomplis & Objectiv. Tight breaks, soft pads and a haunting vocal make for a lush slice of deep, understated liquid. Look for this one dropping August 11th.
Germany’s Kit Curse lands on Ronin Ordinance this month and we’ve got the exclusive on the EP closing track Übertrieben. Hefty halftime percussion and rumbling sub make for an ominous, tribal workout. Sick one! Look for this dropping 21st August…
Hex is back once again with a selection of this month’s best D&B including fresh beats from Impish, Delta, HØST, Frame, Survival and many more. Check it!
As usual you can check out the podcast via Soundcloud below or head to the iTunes Store. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.
Atmospheric vibes for your Sunday afternoon on our latest exclusive as we present a fresh slice of experimental D&B from Ding for Tesseract Recordings. Fans of the leftfield beats of artists like Kimyan Law will definitely enjoy this one; unusual percussion and a laid back vibe characterise a tune that’s full of quirky sounds and subtle but satisfying progressions. Look for this one via the Tesseract Bandcamp store very soon…