Tag Archives: Experimental

Redeyes – Feeling This Way [Vandal Ltd]

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Vandal Records return with the second release on their “Ltd” sub label from French producer Redeyes, who delivers a diverse 6 track EP. Fans of Redeyes’ previous work won’t be surprised to find a slick liquid roller opening the EP and Reflections ticks all the boxes nicely, simple piano and a crisp break offering us a Calibre-esque slice of deep D&B.

Feeling This Way continues the pattern, chopping up the breaks a bit and adding some soulful vocal snippets to the mix. But then things take a more interesting turn as we enter Get Me Paid. It seems Redeyes has been paying attention to the movements of the likes of Alix Perez and Stray recently as he serves up the joyously glitchy, jungle imbued Get Me Paid. 

The trap and juke influence continues throughout Man Down and Is You Rollin’. Finally Sleeprunner heads for super deep, almost ambient territory to close out the EP with a beautiful, melancholy composition packed with atmosphere. Check out the beats below and grab the EP from your favourite digital outlet now.

Abstract Elements, Detail & A-Cray – Wrecked / Stomper [Neodigital]

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Neosignal’s digital only sub-imprint returns after a bit of a hiatus with two superb new tracks. Abstract Elements & Detail get in the studio together on Wrecked, building tension on a sparse, moody intro before dropping into an angular soundscape of glitchy vocal cut ups, creaking synth swells and helter skelter drum hits. Definitely not the usual 170 business!

Over on the flip A-Cray delivers a more regulation but nonetheless tasty slice of techy D&B business, driven along by an insistent bass riff and a solid break. Solid dancefloor business. Check out the clips below and grab this one now from Beatport!

Frederic Robinson – Live Signals [Blu Mar Ten Music]

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Frederic Robinson continues to push the boundaries of 170BPM electronica with another outing on Blu Mar Ten Music, this time in the form of a live album. Chris BMT has long made much of the incredible performances Frederic puts on and this album provides a snapshot of his intricate, airy percussion, live violin and soothing melodies. The music really speaks for itself so give the preview a listen below and grab yourself a copy from Surus, iTunes or Beatport.

Q&A – Digital – Figjam EP [Horizons]

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Scene stalwart Digital brings his wares to Horizons Music with an EP of tasty new leftfield rhythms. Figjam kicks things off with big reese bass swells set over a drum line that starts slow with nothing but kicks and hats on the intro before dropping into a syncopated frenzy of processed breaks a few bars after the drop.

Waiting heads for deep territory with a simple yet hypnotic melody layered over warm sub and a crisp, stepper’s break, with soft synthetic strings adding character. Therapy proceeds to drop things down into dubby half-time territory with varied percussion and hordes of atmosphere. Finally the Slowjam mix of Figjam rounds things off by turning the title track into a 140BPM workout drenched in delay and reverb.

To find out a bit more about the EP we caught up with Digital for a quick chat. Read on for his thoughts on track names, the D&B scene and the best studio snacks!

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Q&A – Quentin Hiatus

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After the excellent release he put out recently on Translation, we’ve been keeping our ear to the ground for word of more material from the Arizona-based producer. The man has been hard at work in the studio on his debut album and it’s an interesting beast, blending influences from across the electronic spectrum and beyond to create a unique take on the 170 sound.

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Sam KDC – Survive / Exist [Samurai Red Seal]

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Samurai Music steal Sam KDC away from ASC’s Auxiliary imprint for a 12″ on their Red Seal arm and as usual it’s a treat. Deep, dubby vibes and plenty of crackly atmosphere pervade the tracks; a lazy description of “Burial makes 170” is tempting, but while apt doesn’t really do the tunes justice. Burial with more punch, perhaps, particularly on the more energetic B-side Erogenous.

As usual the release will be served up on wax for the vinyl collectors out there, with this particular release featuring excellent artwork from the talented Petra Zhivkova. Check out the clips below and watch out for the release dropping from March 17th.

Mutated Forms – Crowlin / Reach You In Your Sleep [Blu Mar Ten Music]

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Blu Mar Ten music return with the long sought after Crowlin from Mutated Forms. For many this one will need no introduction but for those who haven’t heard it, it’s a nice mix of soulful pads, deep vocals and healthy bass growl over a tight, stepper’s beat.

Over on the flip Reach You In Your Sleep heads for more experimental territory with scattershot rhythms and a hip-hop infused half-time beat taking centre stage over some nice scratch-style vocal cuts and deep sub action. Watch out for this one dropping from March 3rd.

Raiden – Experiments In White Noise [Techn:nology]

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After nine strong years organising D&B events in the capital Tech:nology are branching out and starting a record label, and for their first release they’ve secured an EP from Raiden, who returns to the scene following something of an absence while he concentrated on techno production under his Kamikaze Space Program alias.

The EP sees Raiden blending elements of techno, hard drum & bass and industrial noise to great effect, and while all four tracks are a treat, the harsh noise and clattering amens of 657 are the pick of the bunch to my ears. Check out the clips below and watch out for the EP dropping from March15th.

Ivy Lab – Missing Persons EP [Critical Music]

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Ivy Lab - Missing Persons EP

Ivy Lab return to Critical Music to build on the success of their initial singles with an EP showcasing their depth and versatility. Predictably the EP kicks off with a deep, soulful roller featuring the vocal talents of Frank Carter III, but this is by far from the best track in the release. It’s a bit of a shame that the trio is so reluctant to put their name on anything without at least one trademark track of this style, but it’s still well enough executed to be forgiveable.

On to more interesting things, Live Your Smile combines the depth and atmospherics the Lab are so good at with a sexier vocal and a more insistent drum pattern; smooth, sure, but with an edge that gives the track character and a hint of the autonomic vibe that dBridge employs so well.

Pepper sees Critical stablemate Emperor joining in for a collab with unusual results – there’s more than a hint of techno to this one, between the hypnotic drums and the faintly acid lead line. Dark and deadly! Finally Sunday Crunk delivers the oddest (and arguably best) track on the EP, kicking in some seriously swung half-time beats and a big bad bass riff that’s sure to get you nodding your head.

For the digital buyers Pepper also gets a tasty glitched up remix from Deft which is well worth a look. Check out the clips below and watch out for the EP dropping on general release from Feb 24th. For the vinyl enthusiasts there’s also a super limited edition vinyl release with handmade artwork dropping from the 17th…check out the Ivy Lab website for more on that.

Quentin Hiatus – Zanj Rebellion [Translation Recordings]

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Translation Recordings continue their excellent run of forward thinking releases with an EP from Quentin Hiatus. Zanj Rebellion combines shimmering pad ambience, warm low end and heavily syncopated, off-kilter rhythms to create a sound that feels like the spirit of drumfunk channelled via recent footwork influenced production.

Over on the flip Solidify continues the trend for heavily syncopated rhythms but with more of an industrial vibe, and hints of dub and techno sitting prominently in a mix that features some excellent stereo separation.

As if that wasn’t enough there’s also a free track available for download in the form of Summer in Winter, featuring more in the way of rich synths and weird rhythms, this time overlaid with some Burial style vocal echoes. Check out the tracks below and grab the release from the Translation Bandcamp.