CIA Deepkut’s latest signing has come seemingly from nowhere. Bringing together a strong New York hip-hop influence and an obvious appreciation for D&B’s rich heritage, Adred’s new 300 Pages EP represents something fresh and different from a name we’re sure you’ll hear more from. We tracked down the man himself for a quick chat about working with vocalists, his link with Total Science and the state of the US scene.
After the storming success of the Versus LP Free Love Digi are back with a fresh new EP from new label signing Indifferent and it’s a four track treat of eclectic influences and unusual rhythms. Reggae, hip-hop and soca are all thrown into the melting pot with a healthy dollop of D&B and the results are playful and full of character.
Starting with funky jungle on Boom Shackle and the irresistible, wobbly, skanking vibe of Cardboard Refuge before moving to the eccentric breakbeats of Stokah and out into the techier, more rolling territory or Watch Da Bizness, Indifferent keeps things interesting throughout. Unashamedly dancefloor oriented but at the same time experimental, we’re challenging you not to rock out to these tracks! Check out the clips below and hit up your favourite digital outlet to grab the EP now.
US duo Brandon Miles & Tricky Pat bring their experimental stylings to Faded Music with a four track EP of genre-bending 85/170BPM business. Hints of IDM, hip-hop, jungle, juke and a general taste for all things ravey have been chucked into the sonic blender and the results are chaotic, unpredictable and generally really good fun.
Particular highlights come on the sludged-out, crunked up, gurn-inducingly bassy halftime hip-hop of Get Em’ and the irresistibly hyperactive rave-up of Memory Shot. Check out the clips below and grab the release from your favourite digital store right now!
For the latest in our exclusive mix series we’re extremely excited to welcome Utopia Music’s Hydro & War to the DNB Dojo decks. The boys have crafted a fantastic mix spanning rolling techstep, deep halftime, downtempo, hip-hop ambient and even a little jazz. We hope you’ll all enjoy the varied selections as much as we do!
No tracklist on this one but be sure to listen out for Hydro, War & Mateba’s latest cut for Utopia, 87, and forthcoming Hydro, Habstrakt, War & Mateba cut The New Age (again out on Utopia very soon).
As usual you can check out the mix via Soundcloud below or head to Mixcloud, Hearthis.at or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Dropbox.
Alix Perez’s latest collaboration with US bass-slinger EPROM sees him completely eschewing the D&B template in favour of lower tempo shenanigans, but if you’re a fan of bass heavy electronica with a hefty dash of hip-hop swagger then you should definitely give the Shades EP a listen.
Dropping today on LA imprint Alpha Pup, the four tracks feature some serious low end weight and a head nod inducing groove that is just irresistible. Check out possibly the EP’s biggest cut, Chiron, below and hit up iTunes to grab the EP now; vinyl should follow shortly.
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.
We’re big fans of Lakeway’s footwork-tinged 170 sound here at the Dojo so naturally news of a release for Diffrent’s Giraffestep series got us a little excited! Don’t Stop brings the heat with frantic vocal chop ups, insistent percussion and big bad bass hits, with a sprinkle of jungle FX icing the sonic cake to perfection.
Over on the flip Coke & Cola pulls a fantastic bate and switch with full roll D&B breaks giving way to slouching hip-hop bassweight, with AZ’s Sit ‘Em Back Slow sampled to great effect. Expect some serious bassface in the rave when this gets dropped!
Check out the tracks below and hit up the Diffrent Bandcamp to pre-order the release ahead of the July 13th release. Boom!
The latest release on Red Bar Records comes from aspiring Oxford-based producer Orthodox, who delivers his debut EP with a blend of soulful hip-hop instrumentals and smooth liquid D&B. We hit him up to found out a bit more about the release, his production approach and his plans for the future.
Long time D&B rhymesayer Stapleton teams up with Manchester bass slingers North Base for his latest work, and they’ve recruited a weird and wonderful array of remixes for the release. The original combines Stapleton’s swaggering UK hip-hop flows with a hint of wompy dubstep for a cheeky little ode to slacking off and fucking about, but the remixes are where the release really shines.
Need For Mirrors delivers a tripped out, tough edged roller, turning the playful vocals to an altogether more ominous vibe. Resound switches the vibe again, crafting beats with a hint of Trap but keeping the synth vibes airy to the point of near-ambient stylings. Last up, Signs come with a bizarrely angular and thoroughly enjoyable half-time flex. This one was definitely not the aggy neuro remix I was expecting! Check out the clips below and grab this one right now.
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.