Tag Archives: Halftime

Premiere: Red Army – Yergacheffe

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Those of you with a taste for the dark, brooding halftime style of drum & bass pushed by the likes of Amit over the past few years should already be familiar with Red Army. Hailing from Sacremento, James Fuhring has been racking up releases for the likes of Dust Audio and Onset for some time and his latest work heads up the esteemed Translation Recordings’ new EP, Bassment Beats Vol. 2.

Packing some serious bassweight, driving kick drums and a fantastic progressive groove, we’re proud to present the premiere of Yergacheffe! Check it out below and keep your eyes and ears on the Translation pages for more clips going live ahead of the August 24th release.

The Re:Birth EP [Utopia Music]

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Utopia Music have had something of a hiatus recently (probably due in no small part to Mako’s extensive work with other labels) but the label is back with a new EP and for the first time they’re going digital only. According to the press release the previous strict vinyl-only release policy is now being relaxed to try and get more of the label’s signings out into the world, so expect to see more digital releases over the coming months.

As usual from the Utopia Camp the tunes are all top quality, but the vibes are even deeper than usual, with the imprint making it’s first forays into halftime D&B. Hydro, War & Mateba go in on 87 with some pretty spooky synths over a chunky back beat, while Coerce serves up floaty, almost ambient business on Merkava.

Israeli producer PLK switches things up with a chunky slice of angular D&B with a techy edge, leaving it to label boss Mako to close things out with a blissful “ReDub” of Sunchase’s previous release for Utopia, Nathennia. The track lives up to it’s name, being entirely dubby and almost entirely unrecognisable from the original.

You can grab these right now from the Utopia store, and if you want more Utopian vibes be sure to check out Hydro & War’s brand new mix for our exclusive mix series!

The Event Horizon LP [Hangout Music]

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Two years on from its initial conception, Romanian label Hangout Music is launching a new imprint called The Grey Division aimed at exploring the deeper and less dancefloor oriented side of D&B. They’re not pulling any punches on the first release either, with 11 tracks collected from up and coming producers to form The Event Horizon LP.

There’s a really diverse array of material on show here, ranging from the expected (though enjoyable) deep halftime numbers from the likes of Lefty & Ovh and Dycide through to much more experimental material. Amigo’s Mercury stands out as an evolving, psychedelic synth jam, as does the ominous ambient vibe of Hidden Life’s rather serene Communications.

There’s certainly plenty to enjoy here for anyone looking for electronic explorations on the more eclectic fringes of the D&B world. Check out the promo mix below for a flavour of the tracks and look out for the LP dropping sometime in August.

Subtension – Binary Vol. 6 [Critical Music]

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Critical’s digital only Binary imprint returns for their 6th instalment and this time it’s Solvakian techstep producer Subtension on the buttons. The EP follows on from Subtension’s last release for Renegade Hardware, further exploring his innovative trap-tech fusion. While the influence of trap and footwork on D&B is already becoming well trodden ground fewer producers are blending it with the harder edged techstep and neurofunk stylings and the result is pretty damn ravey.

There’s still space for a more traditional rollout on chunky low end damager No Worries and closing track What Do You Want provides a pleasant surprise with a hefty dose of disco’n’bass! Vibes all round. Check out the clips below and grab this one from the Critical Store right now.

Fuj – Broadside EP [Scientia Music]

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Australian bass technician Fuj joins the Scientia ranks with an EP of dark, crisp tech. Dauntless collab Genesis and the titular Broadside keep the vibes heavy and rolling while Best Before and the ominous March Of The Fall stomp along to more minimal but nonetheless hard hitting riddims. Bad sound! Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite store right now.

Rakoon – Sandworm EP [Paradise Lost]

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Rakoon is a name I first came across via dark dubstep releases for Excision’s Rottun imprint a few years back, and consequently as my interest in the 140BPM sound waned I’ve not kept track of his work in the interim. It was a pleasant surprise then to hear his latest EP for Paradise Lost, which sees the German producer exploring the 85/170 tempo range with some really nice results.

The darkness and militancy of the sound I remember from a few years ago is definitely still present on this collection. Tracks like Guard and Sleeping Giants explore the halftime sound with heavy kicks, growling bass and bleak atmospherics a plenty. There are also full-roll excursions on Sandworm (easily the EP’s most upfront track) and the drumfunk-esque breakwork of Meltdown.

There’s also a real finesse to some of the tracks, particularly on the glitchy percussive groove of Filter, with a fine balance struck between softer pads and the darkness of the drums and bass. Safir also deserves a mention for it’s slow/fast play between the halftime kick/snare and skittering hat fills; think Om Unit but gloomier. Overall it’s a solid EP and I’m hoping to hear more from Rakoon in this vein; check it out below and hit up the Paradise Lost bandcamp to grab a copy now.

Kasra & Enei – Inside The Box [Critical Music]

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Critical’s latest sees label boss Kasra teaming up with Russian production stalwart Enei for an EP of varied tracks tied together by that heavyweight Critical sound. Kicking off with the stomping 85BPM hip-hop of Inside The Box, seguing into minimal halftime on Words and then heading for rolling territory on the excellent DRS-vocaled Overthinking, they clearly didn’t want this EP to fall into any obvious sub-genre pigeon-holes.

Out into the digital exclusives we’re treated to more dark minimalism on Arcana followed by a straight up tech thumper on Greed, which is sure to be smashing up the dance over the coming weeks. Another great release from one of the most influential labels in the scene – hit up the Critical store to grab this on vinyl and digital right now.

Crypticz & Lakeway – Bubblegum / Guns For Hire [Sweetbox]

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Brand new Bristol label Sweetbox should be one to keep an eye on this year on the strength of their debut release, showcasing two forward thinking slices of 170BPM action from Crypticz & Lakeway.

The former provides an exercise in trap-infused half-time minimalism on Bubblegum, which we assume takes its name from the distinctive “popping” FX which characterise the tune. Lakeway ups the ante on the flip with a militant slice of halftime blending hip-hop style sampling with a hefty wall of sub and a tasty percussion line. This one absolutely throbs at the low end!

Hit up the Sweetbox Bandcamp for pre-order now, and watch out for these dropping from Jun 29th at all good stores.

Futurist EP Vol. 2 [Faded Music]

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Faded Music return with a fine selection on their latest EP featuring beats from Fade, NotioN, KAI, Fawce & P Fine. Fade sets the tone with a big raved up roller on Graviton, with a high energy lead over a punchy rolling break. Next up are NotioN, who keep things rolling but take things a bit grimier on the insistent and robotic Find It Out.

Fawce & KAI team up with P Fine for another grimey number in the form of Vengeance, before KAI totally switches things up with Take Away; this one has a great combo of soft, floaty melodies and growling low end for a pretty unique and quite stripped back tune.

Last but not least, Fade explores the more minimal half-time stylings on the dark, industrial sounds of Molfar. Tidy stuff as ever from Faded Music! Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital outlet right now.

Mauoq – Both Worlds / Mannoy [Mauoq Music]

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Mauoq returns with two more fresh cuts on his newly revitalised Mauoq Music imprint, and the man is exploring fresh territory compared to his usual gritty halftime style.

Both Worlds hits up a bouncy, dub-infused tone over a halftime rhythm, with rich bass and eclectic FX driving the tune along in a deep but fun loving fashion. Mannoy ups the ante, bringing a rolling break and more rich sonic textures. Lovely stuff on both tracks! Check out the clips below and look for this at all good digital outlets right now.