Tag Archives: Hard

Cooh, WPL & Corrupted Minds – Orcrux / Brutal Truth [Big Riddim]

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Big Riddim keep things hard and nasty on their latest release featuring two slammers from Therapy Sessions alumni Cooh, WPL and Corrupted Minds. Orcrux opens the salvo with a relentless technoid rhythm, the onslaught of kicks and bass punctuated with infectious, a hypnotic synth lead and judicious use of amen breaks.

Over on the flip Brutal Truth gets a bit smashier, with an appropriately brutal kick snare drum line repeatedly punching for the gut against a landscape of distortion and general carnage. Check out the clips below and grab this one on vinyl or digital now.

Forbidden Society – Criminal EP Part 1 [Forbidden Society Recordings]

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Those who like their D&B on the gnarly side should already be familiar with Czech producer Forbidden Society and his uncompromising brand of darkstep beats. His latest release continues in a similar vein, with four new tracks of heavy hitting bass and beats.

Criminal opens the salvo with a half-time intro and a catchy vocal sample before a full tempo drop featuring heavy kicks and snares. Monger switches things up with a more spacious beat, filling in the space with some seriously aggressive bassline action.

Stress has unfortunately been the subject of some animosity on the part of Receptor (drama fans can read Receptor’s post here and Forbidden Society’s reply here) but it still proves a blasting slice of glitched up hardstep D&B. Finally the EP closes out with Donny’s absolutely belting remix of Heavy Metal Tank, featuring his trademark metallic snares and a monstrous morphing bassline.

Check out the clips below and grab the EP at your favourite digital outlet now.

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.

Rregula & Dementia – Turning Point LP [Citrus]

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Long running dutch neurofunk imprint Citrus Recordings is gearing up for another LP release from Australian/German production duo Rregula & Dementia and true to form for both the label and the artists it’s packed full of futuristic neurofunk of the highest grade.

Vinyl buyers are treated to a pair of 12″ releases; the first plate sees Disphonia joining the studio fray for a dancefloor banger on Doom Loop while MC Kryptomedic provides vocals for a tough stepper on the flip. The second plate sees the big guns of the scene drawing up as we’re treated to remixes from Mefjus and Optiv & BTK, neither of which disappoint.

Watch out for the vinyl releases dropping on March 10th and 24th, with the full album following on CD and digital on March 31st.

Dead Battery – The Devil’s Signature [Kannibalen]

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It’s always a pleasure to get sent great new tunes from producers and labels you’ve not been previously aware of, and the latest work from Austrian producer Dead Battery fits exactly that description! The young producer has cooked up two new tunes for Montreal based bass label Kannibalen and they’re a bit of a treat.

A-side The Devil’s Signature is a relentless assault of beats and bass, building with a cheeky horror-movie sample before dropping the hammer with an absolutely fearsome rolling break and a fearsome midrange reese. Over on the flip Just For Now delivers a melancholy roller with deep sub and crisp breaks punctuated with beautiful piano and some well placed subtle bass growls.

Check out the clips below and grab the release from your favourite digital outlet now!

The Upbeats – Predator [Subhuman]

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The Upbeats touch down on Dieselboy’s Subhuman imprint with a monstrous slice of drumstep in the form of Predator. All caution and subtlety has been thrown to the wind here in favour of snarling bass danger and an absolutely stomping half-time kick/snare drum beat. Check it out below and grab a copy from your favourite digital outlet now!

Matt McGowan – Over Zero / The Demon [Brain Network]

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Matt McGowan returns to Brain Network with another top-notch release showcasing his impressive talents for progressive neurofunk. Over Zero kicks off with a ton of atmosphere on the intro, building the tension with brooding synths and a hip-hop style beat as the moving bassline starts to rise into the mix. The inevitable kick-drum crescendo lifts us into a meaty drop as twin basslines fight back and forth over the rolling beats before giving way to more melodic elements; epic stuff!

The Demon provides ample B-side relief with a more straight-forward balls to the wall composition – heavy beats, eerie pads and a bassline which is frankly just menacing. If you’re looking for subtlety you’ll find little of it here, but if you’re looking for dancefloor danger you’ll find it in spades.

With beats like these coming out of the studio McGowan is clearly one to watch for 2014! Check out the clips below and watch out for the release dropping via Beatport from Jan 6th and elsewhere from the 20th!

Maztek – M-Theory [Renegade Hardware]

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Maztek returns to Renegade Hardware with another storming EP packed with cuts that display an effortless technicality and dancefloor teeth in equal measure. Title track M-Theory fires in all guns blazing with some seriously aggressive mid-range synth-work accompanying chunky breaks and a nicely wonky lead. The attention to detail is definitely what makes this track, with every synth pulse, drum impact and glitchy sample perfectly placed in the mix.

Slinky sees the Italian producer take things down a notch, amping up the atmosphere and concentrating on gritty bass and intricate percussion on a tune that oozes funk and swagger. Crank It Up sees familiar partner in crime Nuclear MC rolling in to provide vocals on a trademark dirty roller while closer iMaz delivers another glitchy, skittering mix of precise drums, warped bass and well judged breakdowns.

Check out the clips below and watch out for the EP dropping on vinyl and digital from December 2nd.

Philth & Wreckless – Poison Remixes [Automate]

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Automate continue their assault on the dark end of D&B with the latest release on their Tech imprint featuring remixes of previous Automate release Poison. Berlin hardstep legend The Sect steps up on the A side to deliver a bone crunchingly heavy on the original that is sure to be setting dancefloors alight over the next few months.

Over on the flip Fortitude presents a totally different take on the sound, trimming the beats down to a halfstep gate and mixing deep, growling low end with shimmering, ambient synth work. Check out the beats below and watch out for the release from December 2nd.

Audio – Force of Nature [Virus]

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Audio’s third LP for Virus Recordings touched down last week and predictably it’s a bit of a monster, with huge tearing tracks like Airborne and Botfly taking centre stage. In between the stompers Audio has also crafted some less predictable numbers such as the infectious melody-infused Mudshark and the gritty Carcuss featuring the vocal talents of Stapleton. Audio also indulges his obvious passion for movies by pilaging King of New York for samples on the appropriately titled Pusher, which brings to mind his excellent work on Power of Fear.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxN45YwdcCI]

To celebrate the release Virus are holding an album launch party at The Egg in London on Wednesday November 20th. Entry is free before 11pm so head over here for the details and check it out! Force Of Nature is out now via all good outlets.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTeJ3LGNV4w]