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

Posted on 3rd November 2014 by DNB Dojo

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]

Posted on 2nd November 2014 by DNB Dojo

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]

Posted on 29th October 2014 by DNB Dojo

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!

Deficit & Peak – The Watchmen [AutomAte Deep]

Posted on 8th October 2014 by DNB Dojo

Label boss Deficit brings us another fine pair of tracks for AutomAte’s Deep arm, including his first solo outing for the label. The Watchmen sees him teaming up with Peak on a brooding, snarling composition that does it’s best to defy genre boundaries. Beats fall from all around in rapid syncopations but eschew the familiar D&B patterns in favour of wandering, tribal rhythms, while the bass growls away in the background and a bleeping melody dances over the top. The whole track has a superbly dystopian vibe to it, epitomized by the quote lifted from the Watchmen movie in the bridge.

Over on the flip, Eternum sees Deficit going it alone on another dark, eerie composition, blending a half-time rhythm with robotic bass and creepy sci fi FX sweeps. Once again there’s tons of detail in the mix with all manner of weird percussion making an appearance over the backbone of kicks and snares. Once again we’re treated to a cinematic quote in the breakdown, this time from Sherlock Homes. Clearly Deficit is a man who knows his movies as well as his music.

If you appreciate the weirder end of the 170BPM spectrum and the defter end of sound design you should definitely give these a listen; check out the clips below and watch out for the release dropping from October 13th.

Chimpo – Out An Bad EP [Exit Records]

Posted on 5th October 2014 by DNB Dojo

Exit Records continue to push the experimental sounds on the edges of 170BPM territory with a brand new EP from Manchester MC/producer Chimpo. Restless Leg Syndrome kicks the EP off with rapid fire footwork infused beats and vocal snippets, paired up with a cheeky rave stabs and hefty sub hits – bouncin’ stuff. Haymaker heads for darker and slightly less frantic territory with warm bass growls and a half-time rhythm, while title track Out An Bad sees the man providing vocals in his usual playful style over a tasty beat which owes some of its stylings to the LA Bass scene.

The EP also finds space for two collaborations with Diffrent alumni Fixate, both of which play with a fusion of dub, soca, trap and hip-hop to pretty stomping effect. Overall fans of the “slowfast” 170 style currently gaining traction in the scene will definitely enjoy this EP; check out the clips below and grab it on vinyl and digital from your favourite store now.

Clarity – Hell’s Gate [Samurai Music]

Posted on 29th September 2014 by DNB Dojo

Samurai warm us up for the impending release of Clarity’s debut LP with a 3 track EP featuring the man’s deep, dark riddims. Hell’s Gate sees T Man take the mic for a gloomy stepper imbued with an appropriately confrontational vocal, while Engineering brings on board regular partner in crime Overlook for an exercise in atmosphere and percussion precision. The bongo rolls and rumbling sub give this a really hypnotic vibe.

Last but by no means least, Hours delivers more ominous, tribal rhythms, with reverb-drenched pads and echoing gongs washing over crisp hats and an insistent kick/snare line. Check out the clips below and head over to the Samurai Store to grab the release on vinyl or digital.

If you want more from Clarity look no further than the latest episode of the Samurai Music podcast where you’ll find an hour long mix showcasing tracks from the EP alongside other selections from the experimental end of the 170 spectrum.

Andy Pain & Z-Connection – Take It / Horizon [Diffrent Music]

Posted on 25th September 2014 by DNB Dojo

Diffrent continue their quest to bring weird new sonic manipulations into the world with a pair of new beats from frequent collaborators Andy Pain & Z-Connection. Andy Pain goes in on the slouching swing of Horizon, drawing on hip-hop and deep, downtempo electronica for a soft, shuffling beauty of a track.

Z-Connection amps things up on the flip, bringing together frantic jungle-breaks with a hint of the footwork aesthetic and some rapid fire vocal chop ups. Fans of Fracture’s recent output will love this one. Check out the beats below and head over to the Diffrent bandcamp to pre-order a copy; the release drops there from September 27th with full digital release to follow on October 6th.

Soligen & Type-2 – Martyr [Blendits]

Posted on 19th September 2014 by DNB Dojo

Soligen & Type-2 continue their impressive assault on the D&B scene with a new beat for Rotterdam-based Blendits Audio. Showcasing their versatility, the duo lay down an unusual rhythm with heavy sub kicks and metallic percussion scattered across the mix. A conventional roller this is not, but deep, dark and exciting it most definitely is!

Over on the flip Young:G heads for slightly more predictable but nonetheless enjoyable territory with a grimey, stripped back techstepper in the form of Shantytown. Fans of Amoss will definitely enjoy this one. Check out the clips below and look for the release from September 22nd.

Hybris – Emergence LP [Invisible Recordings]

Posted on 17th September 2014 by DNB Dojo

The wait is over – Hybris’ debut LP has dropped on Noisia’s Invisible Recordings imprint, and quite a treat it is too. Spanning a healthy 15 tracks and exploring different styles and tempos alongside a healthy dose of dark D&B.

Asides from the previously covered singles, there’s a plethora of great D&B on show here. Night Boss brings to mind Phace & Misanthrop’s excellent output in terms of precision and heft, while Subversion provides a bouncy dancefloor roller that I’d challenge anyone not to nod their head to. The Czech-based producer pushes the boundaries into stranger riddims on Northeast Groove, with some excellent use of creepy atmospherics, a trend that’s continued on the angular aggression of Tweakers.

On a more experimental tip Hybris explores groovy glitch-hop on the excellent Call Me Chuck, and even finds time to explore faintly garage-ish territory on the uplifting Every Day Away. Last but by no means least, the LP is punctuated by three epic, sometimes beatless compositions which sit perfectly within the album’s flow and showcase a flair for sound design and texture. The gloom and crackle of Zkouska Siren in particular had me grinning ear to ear.

Overall this is a fantastic accomplishment from a great producer and well worth a listen for anyone who likes their D&B deep, dark and a little bit weird. Check out the clips below and grab yourself a copy from your favourite store now!

Famous Lost Words Remixes: Part 2 [Blu Mar Ten Music]

Posted on 15th September 2014 by DNB Dojo

Blu Mar Ten unveil the second set of remixes from last year’s Famous Lost Words LP with reworks from Kid Drama, Anile and the winner of the remix competition, Conduct. Kid Drama brings his autonomic-esque stylings to Thin Air, retaining the lush melodies of the original but switching up the drums from their previous liquid roll and rearranging the parts to make the song his own.

Anile meanwhile performs the reverse switch, replacing the unusual rhythms of Remembered Her Wrong with a rolling liquid break, but retaining the melancholy vibe and atmosphere of the original nicely. Last but not least, Conduct turns in an absolutely serene mix of Hunter, stripping back most of the elements to leave a lean combination of piano, drums and weighty sub bass. Check out the clips below and grab this one on vinyl or digital from the Blu Mar Ten store now!

DNB Dojo

Drum & Bass News and Reviews

Tag Archives: Experimental