J Plates lands on In Reach Records with an old-school banger in the form of Witness! Chunky breaks and an infectious hook paired with rapid sub punches makes for a tasty combination; check it out below and watch out for the EP coming May 15th!
Spring rolls around in our new life in quarantine…and Hex is here to distract you from lockdown with 90 mins of new D&B! New tunes inside from FFF, Ahmad, Echo Motion, Doom Poets, Gydra, dgoHn and many more, plus dubs from H20 DnB and Boredome. There are also tracks from new charity compilations via P Lab Recordings and Rebel Music, so be sure to grab those and support the causes if you can.
As always you can check out the podcast via Soundcloud below or head to Youtube or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.
Deviant Audio are in the house for our latest guest mix, celebrating their newest Deviations release with a back to back mix from Captivate & Stranjah. Taking in most of the LP’s material alongside other Deviant cuts and new bits from Critical, Viper and Samsara Beats, this one bangs hard!
As always you can check out the mix via Soundcloud below or head to Youtube or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.
That vintage jungle sound on today’s premiere as GY96 drops a brand new release. Vintage synths and outboard gear power a tune which sounds exactly that – vintage. Check it out and hit up Bandcamp to grab a copy right now.
In these uncertain and slightly surreal times we could all use some distractions, and with that in mind Hex is back with a fresh selection of D&B. New cuts inside from VRUM, Data 3, Nickbee, Lux, Special Victims, InsideInfo and many more, plus a brand new track from Hex himself.
As always you can check out the podcast via Soundcloud below or head to Youtube or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.
One for the jungle historians…the iconic State of Bass book has been revised and reissued for the first time since it’s original publication. Written by Melody Maker journalist Martin James and originally published in 1997, the revered tome covers the origins of jungle and D&B and explores the social, cultural and musical roots of the genre we all love so much.
The revised edition bolsters the original content with previously unpublished interviews with the likes of Fabio, Goldie and LTJ Bukem, plus coverage of Roni Size’s Mercury Prize win for New Forms. General release is coming in April 2020 but if you can’t wait til then you can grab a copy right now over at the Velocity Press website.
In the mid-90’s, the sound of Jungle/Drum & Bass was forever changed with the arrival of the Techstep style, showcased brilliantly by Spider Net’s Awake. Spider Net was an alias used only once — for this particular release — by none other than No U-Turn label boss and collaborator, Nicholas “Nico” Sykes.
A fat B side by any standard, Awake is a 1996 jolt of Techstep that stomps heavy and hard. The rough and rude bass here is characteristic of the No U-Turn sound for the time, and is quite honestly one of my favourite sounds in the world. Protean drum sampling establishes a decisively wicked groove comprised of three break flavors. Sparse samplings of complementary sounds provide just enough atmosphere to round out this monster of a classic.
No U-Turn’s catalogue boasts a heap of bangers like these, making it easy to see how the label’s trademark style indelibly marked the scene.
Written by Luke Kessler
Unchained are back in our hotseat today with a sick new tune taken from their Year of the Rat compilation LP. Dave Owen and Root for the Villain team up on a hefty slice of slow/fast halftime business…jungle inflections and sub boom all the way. Look for the release dropping Mar 13th at all good stores!
Jazz Juice (previously known as Unit 1) was the ephemeral two-piece collaboration between Alex Reece and Wax Doctor, featured on the equally ephemeral Precious Material label formed by the steadfast Phil Wells, better known as Basement Phil (side note – an excellent account of the Precious Material label can be found over on God Is No Longer a DJ).
Jazz Juice’s self-titled song on their 1995 self-titled EP is a beauty of a tune beloved by those who are enchanted by its soothing vibes. This ramble through a languidly lush soundscape is speckled with the unmistakable Do This My Way break from Kid ’N Play that cleverly captures a cadence marked by 90s techno influence. Alex Reece and Wax Doctor employ an impeccable palette of colourful sounds, each one tastefully complementary to the last. Perhaps my favourite aspect of this tune is its clever phrasing, highlighted by alternations between just beats to beats with melodic backing. No doubt a unique track, give Jazz Juice a listen below to discover (or remember) what makes it so special.
Written by Luke Kessler
RMS and Dublic bring the jungle fiya on today’s exclusive! Dubwise guitar chords and old school chopped breaks all the way on this one…watch out for Inna Dub dropping alongside a selection of other RMS collabs on Inner City Dance’s Stereo One imprint, coming Mar 9thy at all good digital stores.