Kimyan Law – Coeur Calme [Blu Mar Ten Music]

The wait is finally over on an album I’ve been keenly anticipating ever since the first glimpses of the young producer’s music surfaced a couple of months ago – Kimyan Law’s debut LP for Blu Mar Ten Music is upon us. It’s pretty tough to take in the depth and breadth of the album at first listen; the tracks vary in energy and tone, but there is a calm, soothing quality to the music and an intricacy to the sonic textures on show here which places the guy ahead of many producers with plenty more years in the game.

The use of natural (or at least, natural sounding) instrumentation nearly exclusively in preference to synthetic sounds gives the music more shared ground with the likes of Four Tet’s early material than with much of contemporary D&B, and that’s probably also what makes it sound so fresh – the influence of D&B has been melted down here and distilled with a pinch of soul, a hint of ambient, a splash of world music and little dashes of a dozen other styles, and used to paint a vivid aural picture, and one with a softness that the loud mastering and hard snares of modern electronica seldom achieve.

The use of space and reverb is masterful, allowing the compositions to breathe without sounding quite as ghostly as some of Burial’s work. The instrumentation is crisp and clear, but the elements aren’t fighting one another in the mix; each chord or drum beat has been carefully positioned to complement the other parts of the track, and it shines through wonderfully. I have no doubt that this LP will be on heavy rotation over the coming months, and no doubt that it’s impact and enjoyability will grow and grow on repeat listens. Check out the clips below and pre-order your copy from the Blu Mar Ten store now.

Lakeway – Arroyo / Things You Say [E-Motion Records]

Lakeway returns to E-Motion with more punchy, experimental 170BPM beats following the success of his excellent Digital Serotonin single for the label earlier this year. Arroyo kicks things off with a dark, futuristic vibe and a precise, heavy hitting beat; the kicks and snares really pop, and the unusual rhythm drives the track nicely.

Things You Say meanwhile channels influences from hip-hop and LA bass on the intro before dropping into a minimal drum workout with rapid hats and tons of syncopation. Fans of Stray’s recent hip-hop and footwork infused beats will definitely enjoy this one. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital store now!

Naiive – Let Go / Lost Within [Terabyte Records]

Terabyte Records welcome another new name to the roster in the form of Manchester’s Naiive, who serves up two slices of cutting edge 170BPM beat-work. Let Go treads relatively familiar Terabyte ground, serving up grimey halfstep beats with a punchy vocal from MC Xochi. The detail in the percussion is phenomenal, and the slouching, swung beat is punctuated nicely by a fair bit of low end menace.

Lost Within trades the half-time beats for a more rolling D&B break and a more ethereal tone, as soft, chiming melodies compete in the mix with dark, distorted bass swells. The duality of the light and dark elements really makes the track; impressive stuff! Check out the clips below and look for this one at all good digital stores from November 3rd.

ArpXP – Seems Like [Absys Records]

Absys Records present their seventh vinyl release featuring new beats from ArpXP, Glyph and Gremlinz. ArpXP heads for warm, rolling liquid on the A side while the flip sees Glyph and Gremlinz on a militant half-step stomper with plenty of mean bass reverberations and creepy pads. The Belgian duo also turn in a cheeky digital freebie with more menacing bass and some nasty amen chop ups; dark business. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite store now!

Boston – Go With Me / The Little Things [Symmetry Recordings]

Symmetry Recordings welcomes a fresh new talent to the roster with a great release from Cardiff producer Boston. A side Go With Me recruits singer-songwriter Solis for an absolutely mesmerizing deep liquid roller, tinged with sorrow and feeling. The soft vocals and shimmering guitar work on this are outstanding.

Over on the flip The Little Things touches down in jazzier territory, with another rolling break and a plethora of understated guitar and sax work providing the appropriate melodic chops. A fantastic debut release from a young producer who doubtless has tons more to offer! Check out the clips below and grab this on digital from Monday October 27th.

Sabre – Yoga [Plasma Collaborative]

Melbourne’s Plasma Collaborative imprint return after a fairly lengthy hiatus with their second release, keeping the quality high and the beats innovative. A-side Yoga sees Sabre exploring the hip-hopy halftime sound with creepy bleeped up melodies and dark, grimey bass. Plenty of swagger on this one!

The flip comes from Cruel Culture & Keosz, who serve up a weird slice of atmospheric D&B characterised by a hectic and unconventional beat pattern and a fairly busy mix of musical elements. The title of Threat certainly captures the frantic, dangerous vibe of the tune. Check out the clips below and look for this one right now at all good digital stores.

Kimyan Law – Run Ames / Eclairage [Blu Mar Ten Music]

Blu Mar Ten Music present the debut single from 19 year old talent Kimyan Law, a producer with a talent for evocative, understated beats that have a hint of the cinematic to them. The tracks represent the first glimpse of his Coeur Calme LP, due next month.

Run Ames sees the producer teaming up with vocalist Robert Manos on a stark, moody slice of D&B; insistent beats, simple but satisfying bass reverberations and Manos’ vocal take centre stage, with the merest hints of melody echoed over the mix. This “less is more” approach is a stark contrast to the usual “fill every frequency” maximalism of much of today’s electronica, and the overall effect has much more impact through the clever use of dynamic range.

Eclairage meanwhile brings together soft, natural percussion set to an unusual, lilting beat and paired with a pleasantly natural chiming melody. The track is drenched in reverb, lending it a distant melancholy, as though we’re hearing a faint reflection from some other place or time. Once again there’s a mastery of minimalism at work here, allowing the different elements of the track to breath, and the results are stunning. Check out the clips below and grab this one right now from the Blu Mar Ten store.

You can also find a “Slumber Session” mix from Kimyan below, featuring a mellow selection with tracks from Massive Attack, Burial, Stray and more.

Intelligent Manners – Special Night EP [Celsius Recordings]

Fresh from his rather excellent Miracles EP for Fokuz Recordings, Russian liquid maestro Intelligent Manners presents his latest work for Fokuz sister label Celsius. Once again the order of the day is clean, melodic liquid with a dancefloor edge and plenty of musicality and all the quality you’d expect from the Fokuz family.

All four tracks have plenty to offer but for me the hypnotic, understated melodies of Dreaming stood out; the combination of soft synth hits, warm bass and insistent breaks combine to create the sort of muted euphoria you can lose yourself in again and again. Check out the tracks below and grab this on vinyl or digital now.

Odd Harmonics – Traveller EP [Roughmind]

Berlin label Roughmind serve up their latest release from London based producer Odd Harmonics. The EP shows off a nice variety of musical styles, with influences from across the spectrum of D&B showing through. Reflekt betrays an affinity with the chopped up beats of drumfunk producers like Paradox, while False Positive serves up a skittering, brooding halfstep beat set to twisted bass growls and soft, atmospheric pads.

The latter half of the EP takes things in a techier and more stripped back direction, bringing to mind early Octane & DLR productions like Back In The Grind. Both Routine and Traveller bring a nice blend of warped bass, crisp beats and creepy overlays to the table.

You can also find a nice little promo mix to go with the release featuring beats from Odd Harmonics alongside cuts from Calibre, Loxy, G.H.O.S.T., Paradox and more. Check it out below, and watch out for the release dropping from October 24th at all good digital stores.

Kiyoko – Fragments EP [Samurai Horo]

Synkro & Bering Straight’s Kiyoko project returns to Samurai’s vinyl-only Horo imprint with another lush EP of downtempo beats. Fans of the duo’s work will know what to expect – effortlessly beautiful compositions with massive, sweeping pads, soft percussion and a decidedly “less is more” approach. The whole EP is stunning but the achingly beautiful echoed guitar melodies of Lost Object stand out in particular. Check out the clips below and head to the Samurai Music store to grab this one now.