As usual the D&B scene is throwing more material at our collective ears than we could ever possibly keep up with, so once again we’re here to assist your record buying proclivities with the best of the rest from Audio, Lockjaw, Soul:Motion & Colossus and more… Continue reading
The latest from the Lifestyle camp sees SND return to the label with 5 tracks of crisp, detailed D&B. Annihiliation provides the EP’s most conventional slice of D&B with a nice chunky stepper, while the rest of the EP explores moody half-step territory. One for the heads! Check out the clips below and head to Digital Tunes to grab a copy now.
Lockjaw continues his run of excellent releases with another single for London-based Lifestyle Recordings. Idol ramps up the atmosphere on the intro before dropping into a hefty beat punctuated by soft, ethereal vocals and eerie synth screams; the duality of the fearsome beat and the soft pads gives the tune a really interesting energy, and little touches like the guitar in the second half of the tune really give this one character.
Cold In The Middle hits down heavy once again with a scattershot drum workout set to deep, ominous bass tones. Once again melodic elements are put to great use on the intro and breakdown, providing a contrast before the meatier elements steal the show. This one’s out now exclusively at Juno with full release to follow from August 4th. Check out the clips below and grab it at your leisure.
MJD returns to Lifestyle recordings with four tracks of dark, industrial techstep showcasing the producers talents for rhythm and bass. It’s difficult to pick between the tracks given their consistent quality and tone, but particular highlights come on Tracer (which brings to mind Ulterior Motive’s early work like Featherweight) and the angular beats and creepy atmosphere of Crimmerean Dreams.
Lifespan and Vacuity meanwhile provide more straightforward but still worthy slices of rolling neuro-tech goodness. Check out the clips below and watch out for this dropping from June 26th at all good digital stores.
Italian duo Jazzatron are the team behind the latest release for Lifestyle Recordings, bringing a four track EP for the label’s 40th release. It’s difficult to pick between the tracks in many ways since all of them provide a nice balance between musical elements, mean basslines and super precise drum programming.
The Lie and Breakthrough certainly provide the EPs more dancefloor friendly tracks while Panatierre explores an interesting contrast between drumfunk-esque beats and atmospheres and aggressive distorted bass. Manuto rounds things off with a tasty selection of chopped up breaks. Check out the clips below and grab this from your favourite digital outlet now.
After his storming contribution to Lifestyle’s recent double-A side Canberra’s Lockjaw is back with a full single of his own brand of warped neurofunk beats. The Revelation opens fire with a full-filtered bass assault of squelching midrange and deft LFO layered over whip-crack snares and meaty kick drums, the overall effect having more swagger than you can shake a stick at.
Cauterise sees Harlequin MC adding vocals to the mix, with a helter skelter mix of hi-hats and the sort of snares that punch you in the chest. The tune breaks down to almost nothing in the bridge, building tension before round two of bass and full tempo breaks touches down at full pelt. Truly a dangerous tune! Check out the clips below and head to your favourite digital outlet to grab a copy now.
Lifestyle return with a big new single sure to be smashing up a few dancefloors in the near future! Conduct kick things off with some atmospherics and echoing breaks on the intro to Futile, building the tension with rising filtered synth work before amping things up with an absolutely monstrous bassline and heavy hitting compressed kicks and snares. Oooft!
Over on the flip Lockjaw deliver the appropriately titled Big System, a track clearly written with said large bass bins in mind. Throbbing modulated bass and tough, rolling breaks line up nicely to create another slice of techie business. Check out the beats below and watch out for the release dropping in all good digital stores from November 4th.
Lifestyle bring us a brilliant full length LP from rising producer Kreed. Covering a nice spectrum of styles, from the punchy hip-hop of opener Soul Tape to the shuffling dubby vibes of Inspector Slim and out into the deep house of Lean, Kreed has certainly proved himself a man of diverse talents.
Fear not though, Lifestyle haven’t abandoned their D&B roots; the 170 is present in abundance elsewhere such as the excellent minimal, jazz inspired Zulu Shenanigans and the deep soulful roller that is Low End Culture. Check out the beats below and watch out for this one dropping June 10th via all good digital outlets.
A pair of new producers by the name of Macca & Kreed caught my ear recently with their track Walk With Me, forthcoming on part 1 of the Warp Speed LP for Lifestyle Recordings. The track is a beautiful piece of deep, rolling liquid with some jazzy samples and some nice vocal echoes; enough movement for the dancefloor but chilled enough for your living room. Here’s hoping for more from these two in 2013!
Glasgow’s drum & bass scene may be small, but it is perfectly formed, with some notable talents rising up from the corners of what is otherwise a very techno-centric city. Y2D is one such talent, and his second EP for London based Lifestyle Recordings is testament to that.
The EP kicks of with the eponymous Prose, a beautiful melancholy slice of deep liquid. Crisp but mellow breaks underpin a lovely combination of vocal echoes and minor key piano samples to create a beautifully smooth roller. Altered State changes the pace with a dark, grimey stepper on a sci-fi tip, which fans of the likes of Ulterior Motive will definitely enjoy. Old Crook sees the style moving back towards the smooth and melancholy, while Alphaville finishes the EP with a warm, deep half-stepper, all vinyl crackle and natural percussion.
Check out the clips below and grab yourself a copy from Beatport.