October has seen an unbelievably large amount of music land in the Dojo inbox, so we picked out our favourite of the pack of recent and shortly forthcoming releases. Read on for new beats from Seba, Stoner & Dotter Poison, Moresounds and more! Continue reading
Digital has lined up a tidy little three track EP for the relaunch of his Function Records imprint, featuring a new solo offering from the prolific producer alongside a collab and a very long awaited remix.
First up Digital teams up with Manchester producer Response for the tight, subby, jungle-infused riddims of Silver Lining, sure to delight old school heads with its percussion alone. Next up, the much sought after Dub Phizix remix of Deadline finally sees release, providing a nice spin on the original with those famous synth stabs backed up by a very Phizix drum and sub combo. Last but not least Digital goes in on a cheesy raved up banger in the form of Forever.
Not a bad wee selection really! Check out the clips below and look out for these dropping late February.
Following our run down of our favourite albums of the year, we felt it was only right to put the spotlight on our top tracks. These are the ten tunes that haven’t left our record box since their release…
Critical Music are back with a vengeance with the Underground Sonics LP, a various artists compilation straddling all the styles of Drum & Bass via 18 tracks of cutting edge 170 BPM production from the label’s extended family. The compilation sees many artists exploring new territory away from their usual styles, to interesting effect.
Dub Phizix turns in an unusually mellow and unusually rolling beat in the form of The Clock Ticks, while Ivy Lab up the ante compared to their previous releases with a tougher and more energetic beat paired with the musicality we’ve come to know and love from the trio. Foreign Concept teams up with DRS to turn in the dark, skanking, hip-hop influenced halfstep of Falling Stars while Sam Binga and Redders blend trap, footwork and ragga to great effect on Lef Dem.
Elsewhere we’re treated to two surprising collaborations from tech heavyweights, with InsideInfo and Mefjus turning in a surprisingly minimal slice of tribal tech with Repentance while Noisia & The Upbeats put aside their usual aggression for a hypnotic deep liquid roller on Little Fling. Fans of brutal tech need not worry though – Stealth and Phace are both on hand to provide the dancefloor darkness, as are Emperor & Centra with the huge digital exclusive The Saboteur.
Enei and Kasra turn in a selection of characteristically heavy hitting beats, while Stray and Halogenix look to the experimental/hyperactive end of the spectrum with their individual takes on frantic drum syncopation with a footwork bent. Finally Blocks and Escher give Enei’s Thinline the old school tech workover with a huge beat and some serious menace on the low end.
Overall it’s hard to argue with this as the first essential release of 2014. Check out the tracks below and grab yourself a copy now from the Critical Surus store.
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.
The Soul:R camp bring us tunes on a decidedly darker tip than usual from Manchester’s favourite MC/producer Chimpo. The titular Frontline sees Chimpo pass the mic to Fox for vocal duties while he gets on with the beats, delivering a moody half-time number imbued with bass and static in equal measure. Calibre steps in to deliver a remix and surprisingly avoids his usual smooth liquid territory in favour of a clattering amen refix of the tune, keeping things on a dark tip while significantly upping the tempo.
Elsewhere on the release Chimpo gets on the mic while Manchester buddies Dub Phizix & Skeptical provide a typically sparse, kick heavy beat for the man to air his unusual vocal style over. Finally All Over turns in a super-chopped up beat and ethereal, floaty pads to produce a style that sounds like the bastard child of drumfunk and dark garage. Truly innovative work on this one.
Watch out for this one dropping on vinyl and digital on July 15th.
The latest release from slightly left-field label Ingredients is really something special. The follow up to last year’s Mise En Place Pt. 1 sees a strong selection from artists both new and old.
First up is Dub Phizix with a beautifully melancholy number in the form of Rainy City Music. The Manchester drum-punch don has gone soft on us for this one, layering together soft pads, warm bass and natural percussion to make a lush tune that is all atmosphere and no bite, and fantastic for it.
Switching things up for track 2, the legendary Break turns in a cracking slice of uptempo yet reserved breakbeat led D&B with his remix of Villem‘s Splinter In Your Mind. All the usual hallmarks are there (that drum break, seriously) and the compositional strength and bassline tone are sure to put a smile on your face.
Skeptical delivers a punchy stepper with a VIP of Blue Eyes, and finally dRamatic & dbAudio round the EP off with the menacing snares and sub growl of the aptly titled No Return. Check out the previews below and watch out for the release very soon!