Seba returns to his own Secret Operations label with another top notch 12″ release. Jungle Music lives up to it’s name with crunchy old-school breakwork and hefty sub leading the charge, giving way to some lovely atmospheric pads towards the bridge.
Over on the flip Cloudless delivers that trademark Seba liquid that fans of the Swedish producer know and love so well. Lush business! Check out the clips below and keep your eyes peeled for the release coming at the end of October.
Stray is that most rare of beasts; a producer who gets better and more innovative as he advances in years, rather than settling into a comfort zone and churning out the releases. His latest EP for Exit Records finds his work in rude health, with seven new tracks spanning hip-hop, D&B and electronica.
Paradise opens things up with a big, slouching slice of bassy hip-hop which those of you who’ve caught Stray or Ivy Lab recently may well recognise. The groaningly bassy Walkonby and cheekily funky Movements continue the 85BPM hip-hop trend to great effect; it’s a style that Stray has clearly become both comfortable with and adept at over his last few releases both solo and with Ivy Lab.
Queen sees the tempo switch up for the EPs only straight D&B affair, an enjoyable little roller with plenty more of those signature vocal cutups among the soft synths and crisp breaks. Without U moves things in a jungle/footwork direction with big chunky breaks and hints of dub thrown into the mix, before Branflakes drops things back to the hip-hop swagger once again with massive punchy sub and interesting percussion.
Last but not least Dizzy provides a perfect little outro of mellow downtempo, with soft jazz and funk licks set to loose breaks. Blissful stuff. Essential listening once again; check out the clips below and hit up the Exit Store to grab this one on vinyl or digital now.
Dexta returns to None60 with two cracking new beats. Minirave lives up to it’s name, harnessing the sounds of old school hardcore and jungle for a chopped up raved out banger.
The Bunker sees Dexta teaming up with Gaunt for another track with more than a nod to the old school. Shadow Boxing-style basslines and junglist break chops meld with Dexta’s signature production for a nice groove, and a perfect complement to the more up front A side.
As usual you’ll be able to find this on the None60 bandcamp and all the usual digital stores; watch for the release from June 22nd.
The rejuvenation of Function Records continues with another fresh EP from label owner Digital (who has been more than prolific recently with an absolute slew of material landing at labels all across the scene). The theme across the tracks this time definitely seems to be dub and jungle, with Rejection and Response-collab Light Years both harnessing classic jungle breaks for their groove and bringing an old school vibe to the table.
The titular Catch A Fire meanwhile drops the tempo for a dub reggae skank out that’s so spaced out it might as well be in orbit. If you’ve enjoyed Morphy’s outings as Dubmonger this last one should float your boat for sure. Check out the clips below and look out for the release dropping on vinyl and digital mid-May; pre-orders are up now at the Function website.
Moresounds returns to Fracture’s Astrophonica imprint with a new EP featuring more of his crossover footwork/jungle sound. Pillaging the classic breaks and ragga vocal samples from 90s jungle but reworking them to an entirely different set of rhythmic syncopations, the tracks here have at once an air of old school nostalgia and an up to the minute freshness.
Picks of the bunch for us here at the Dojo are the chopped up, dubbed out skank-up of Pure Niceness and the crusty breaks, jungle vox and classic pads of Fracture collab Dead & Bury. Check out the clips below and head to the Astrophonica store to grab this on vinyl or digital now!
Ready to get ravey? The new EP from Fixate for Exit Records is certainly that, at least on appropriately named title track Throwback Therapy. Mining the sounds of old skool hardcore and jungle and throwing in a pinch of footwork and a hint of D&B, this one doesn’t seem to be taking itself too seriously and is all the better for it.
Digital bonus Sueno treads similar territory, chopping the jungle breaks with some some classic vocal “woo”s for another tidy little rave up. The other three tracks on the EP dial back the nonsense a little in favour of footwork inspired explorations of the halftime D&B pattern, all of which are worthy additions to this growing niche of the D&B community. For me though it’s really all about the less po-faced exuberance of the title track. Check out the clips below and grab this one from the Exit Store right now!
Leftfield D&B innovators Fracture & Chimpo land on the mighty ‘headz imprint with a fresh new 12″ showcasing their unusual take on the 170 sound. From Early taps into the swaggering half-time sound with more than a hint of LA bass, but for us at the Dojo it’s all about the old school stylings and fantastic drum work of Hard Food. Check out the clips below and head to the Metalheadz store to pre-order a copy now, with full release due from March 16th.
Samurai Music continue the relaunch of their trio of labels with a new single from Djrum on Red Seal. Samurai’s expansion beyond the confines of traditional D&B and into the wider worlds of electronica seems set to continue, with the tracks on this single melting down the merest hints of jungle into a sonic pot alongside a plethora of other influences to create something almost impossible to pigeon-hole.
Plantain brings together ethereal soundscapes, hewn from soft strings and mournful vocal samples, with constantly evolving percussion lines which at once seem quite junglist in heritage and on the other hand are anything but. The unusual combination of sounds bring to mind some of DJ Shadow’s best work, albeit without the hip-hop shine.
The rather obtusely titled What I Was Doing When I Was Doing What I Was Doing ups the tempo somewhat, with more insistent yet unusual drumwork layered under a tapestry of weird samples and spaced out atmospheres. The detail present in both tracks is incredible, with every crackly edit and drum hit seeming perfectly and lovingly placed. As usual Samurai can be counted on to push the envelope in exciting and unusual directions, unconcerned with genre tropes or mainstream popularity. Check out the clips below and grab this one from the Samurai Store now!
Hospital’s latest single sees Krakota stepping up to the plate with a pair of eminently dancefloor-worthy beats for Tony Colman’s well respected label. Ice Hands sees the relatively young producer tapping into the teched-up, hardstep sound that the likes of Evol Intent made famous on labels like Renegade Hardware circa-2005 – no messing around on this one!
Over on the flip Ghosts relaxes the tone for a subby jungle-tinged roller which brings to mind Bladerunner & Serum’s classic Who Jah Bless. Tidy selections! Check out the clips below and grab this one from the Hospital store right now!
Despite the relatively worldwide presence that D&B has attained, it’s still relatively seldom that we get much dropping into the Dojo inbox from China. New label Guangzhou Underground aims to change that, with a healthy looking roster of tunes spanning Deep House, Drum & Bass and more. The pick of their current release selection is undoubtedly Tim Reaper’s remix of Alex Agore’s Tygah Style – ruffneck Jungle break chopping at it’s finest. Check it out below and look for Guangzhou releases at your favourite digital outlet now!