Om Unit and Sam Binga are back, and they’re doing it old school with a self pressed white label release! Their new EP features 3 tracks of their chopped up jungle/footwork stylings and a distinctly grimey number to close the EP, and from the brief clips available bellow it sounds cracking. Vinyl pre-orders have already sold out but you can still nab the digital via Bandcamp and there appear to be copies of the vinyl on Redeye – move quickly before they all get snapped up!
The kind folks at Beat Machine Records have given us a 12″ of their brand new release from Italian producer Lynch Kingsley, so we felt it only appropriate to run a wee competition! The vinyl features two fresh footwork/jungle inspired beats from Lynch and a cracking remix from the mighty Om Unit, all of which you can check out below.
To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is like the DNB Dojo Facebook page, like the Beat Machine Facebook page, and send an email to competitions@dnbdojo.co.uk with your name & address and the subject line “Lynch Kingsley Competition”. The lucky winner will be drawn on March 7th.
The amen break is a sound familiar to every junglist; chopped up, distorted, recycled and reused, it spawned entire genres of music and changed the musical world via the simple joy of sampling and reinterpretation. Unfortunately however, the musicians behind the original record never made any money for their efforts, and by the time they found out about the sampling it was far too late under US law to pursue anyone for royalties.
Well the kindly Martyn Webster is aiming to change all that via a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe; he’s asking for donations to set things right so that Richard Spencer, the song’s writer, can finally receive something for his work. The campaign has already raised over £1,500 – if you’re feeling generous head over here and chuck the unwitting father of jungle a few quid for his trouble.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxZuq57_bYM]
The sound of an amen break…that familiar scratchy break somehow never gets old, providing the backbone as it does for so many tracks in the Jungle/D&B arena. The latest release on Rockers 175 is definitely not the most original piece of programming you’ll hear this year but if you’re looking for some straight up amen-choppage then you could do a lot worse than this! Epic atmospherics and old school breaks and bass make for a nice combination; check out the clips below and look for this from Feb 19th at your favourite digital outlet.
Dutch club night/label collective Blendits drop another pair of excellent beats for their seventh release, continuing the label’s excellent selection of deep yet still dancefloor worthy tunes. A-side Lingua sees the Mystic State boys teaming up with fellow production duo Monoscript for a driving, subby number with plenty of tasty percussive details and a dubby vocal hook. The flip sees the Mystics back to solo duties, blending jazzy licks with junglistic breaks for a big booming stepper. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital outlet now!
January is proving to be the month of deeper beats so far this year, and the new Hidden Element EP for Translation is up there with the best of them. Opening with lush microfunk and seguing through meaty yet melodic dubstep, robotic halftime and out into atmospheric 160BPM liquid, the EP provides a more than ample showcase of Hidden Element’s varied talents. There’s a thoroughly enjoyable Dexta remix thrown in for good measure too, jungling up Hot Panks nicely with plenty of break choppage. Check out the clips below and head to the Translation Bandcamp to pre-order this ahead of the Jan 26th release.
New beats from Binga for Critical mean many things to many people; the man’s unusual take on the 170 sound (and indeed Redders’ vocal stylings) have proved controversial among followers of the scene, some decrying the style as gimmicky or not true D&B while others praise the fun loving vibe and general innovation. Here at the Dojo we fall into the latter camp; anything pushing the boundaries of this music we love can only be a good thing.
The latest round of beats sees two new MC led cuts featuring Redders and two new instrumentals, plus a bonus Enei remix of Lef Dem. The latter proves pretty disappointing, taking the playful vibe of the original and smashing it against a brick wall with a rather unsubtle dose of amens and bass. The rest of the EP however proves much more entertaining, even if the patois/jungle/grime combo of the tracks with Redders is beginning to feel a little cookie cutter. The highlight in our eyes is the joyously swung Elastic, with its big enthusiastic synths and unusual drum groove. Check out the clips below and make up your own mind; this one’s out right now on vinyl and digital at the Critical Store.
Back in the early days of Critical Music and back when Breakage still made music at D&B tempo, Kasra’s then fledgling imprint offered up the veritable amen smasher that is Staggered Dub. Breaks that are tougher than aged leather, massive dub bass and that oh so memorable vocal snippet make this every bit as much of a weapon as it was ten years ago on release. Shake ya hips!
Digital has lined up a tidy little three track EP for the relaunch of his Function Records imprint, featuring a new solo offering from the prolific producer alongside a collab and a very long awaited remix.
First up Digital teams up with Manchester producer Response for the tight, subby, jungle-infused riddims of Silver Lining, sure to delight old school heads with its percussion alone. Next up, the much sought after Dub Phizix remix of Deadline finally sees release, providing a nice spin on the original with those famous synth stabs backed up by a very Phizix drum and sub combo. Last but not least Digital goes in on a cheesy raved up banger in the form of Forever.
Not a bad wee selection really! Check out the clips below and look out for these dropping late February.
Alchemic Breaks return with their second release from Italian producer Kiril who brings two rough and tuff tracks to the label. Disturbed images harnesses the power of classic jungle breaks with a some tidy percussive reinforcement on the kicks and snares and a throbbing bassline that drives the track along underneath a siren wail lead.
XXX takes things to more footwork influenced territory with a cut up, pitched vocal snippet dominating the intro before the drop nails in with a a plethora of bass and beats set to a decidedly wonky riddim. Fans of Sam Binga and the new school of wierd and wonderful 170BPM beats will definitely be vibing on this one. Check out the clips below and look out for the tracks dropping at all good digital outlets from January 10th.
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