October Roundup

Posted on 13th October 2012 by DNB Dojo

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!

Get To Know… Blu Mar Ten

Posted on 12th October 2012 by DNB Dojo

Blu Mar Ten are quite literally legends of the drum & bass scene. From their origins way back in 1995, through their early material for LTJ Bukem‘s Good Looking Records, their downtempo explorations in the early 2000s and their return to drum & bass production in more recent years, the London production trio have always maintained a ridiculously high level of production quality. These men are part of a rare breed of electronic musicians, writing tunes that manage to be both dancefloor oriented and emotionally charged, immediate and yet timeless. Their work is truly beautifully composed.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hszNBAiSPx0&w=560&h=315]

BMT also manage to write music that is stylistically quite diverse, even within an album that concentrates (broadly) on a single genre such as last year’s Love is the Devil. The album features a great selection of drum & bass, from hard hitters like Damage, through vocal led steppers like The Fourth and out into magnificent liquid rollers like Whisper (which features the superb talents of Kirsty Hawkshaw).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IufUY6J7W0k&w=560&h=315]

Outside of their main production work, BMT have brought great new music to the world via other avenues, whether by encouraging budding young talents in their remix competitions, or by their recent forays into label territory with the release of the first music by other artists on their Blu Mar Ten Music label.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6dyWQeeovA&w=560&h=315]

It’s definitely the mark of a special producer when I can’t think of a single track they’ve written which I don’t like, and BMT are one of few I could bestoy that accolade upon. Here’s to the next album, whenever it may arrive.

Y2D – Prose EP [Lifestyle]

Posted on 29th September 2012 by DNB Dojo

Glasgow’s drum & bass scene may be small, but it is perfectly formed, with some notable talents rising up from the corners of what is otherwise a very techno-centric city. Y2D is one such talent, and his second EP for London based Lifestyle Recordings is testament to that.

The EP kicks of with the eponymous Prose, a beautiful melancholy slice of deep liquid. Crisp but mellow breaks underpin a lovely combination of vocal echoes and minor key piano samples to create a beautifully smooth roller. Altered State changes the pace with a dark, grimey stepper on a sci-fi tip, which fans of the likes of Ulterior Motive will definitely enjoy. Old Crook sees the style moving back towards the smooth and melancholy, while Alphaville finishes the EP with a warm, deep half-stepper, all vinyl crackle and natural percussion.

Check out the clips below and grab yourself a copy from Beatport.

In The Mix… Stray

Posted on 27th September 2012 by DNB Dojo

To celebrate the recent release of the beautiful Follow You Around / Contract single on Blu Mar Ten Music, Stray has compiled a top notch mix spanning all the styles of drum & bass. Starting out with some smooth liquid rollers, then venturing off into darker territory, and featuring some absolutely outstanding tracks such as Amit‘s Killer Driller before finishing up with the A side of the single, this is thoughtful d&b at it’s best.

Check out the single and the mix below!

Fathom Audio – Promises [Diffrent]

Posted on 21st August 2012 by DNB Dojo

Fathom Audio have brought some seriously sinister vibes on their latest release for Diffrent Music. Minimal drum beats and a twinkling high end melody combine with some seriously dirty bass stabs that are reminiscent of early Photek tunes like Sidewinder to make Promises a really interesting slice of D&B.

Over on the flip Ridges actually delivers a more upbeat, cinematic number, with rising arpeggiated melodies and swelling synth bursts used to great effect over glitchy drum lines to deliver a soulful tune. Definitely more armchair than dancefloor, and all the better for it!

Watch out for the full release on September 3rd.

Om Unit – Aeolian EP [Civil]

Posted on 31st July 2012 by DNB Dojo

Om Unit’s latest EP for London based label Civil Music sees the producer coming with an interesting new take on the 170BPM tempo range. With the exception of Reso’s excellent drumfunk rework of opener Ulysees, the EP’s tracks bear little resemblance to traditional drum & bass, nor the (mostly over-hyped) drumstep shenanigans that have been doing the rounds lately; rather we see music which has more in common with Hip-Hop, Glitch and Dub.

All the tracks are steeped in atmosphere and finely crafted, with heavy sub kicks and catchy but understated synth work all over, along with some tasty sub bass – the lowend on Lightworkers Call, a collab with Kromestar, is ridiculous. Fans of dBridge & Instra:Mental’s work as Autonomic should definitely give this one a listen.

The Aeolian EP is out July 30th from all good record stores.

DNB Dojo

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