Phonograph returns to Hyperactivity Music for the fourth volume of their Polychrome VA LP series, and returns to our premiere spotlight! Cementing his trademark style for combining tough basslines with melodic elements, Feel So High treads the line between liquid and techstep…delicious, rolling vibes. Look for the LP at digital stores from Feb 26th!
EKOU bring us a big remix collection this month featuring a host of new takes on previous label releases, and for today’s exclusive we’ve bagged the A K A remix of Invertebrate! Keeping the tech-edged style of Volatile Cycle’s original but adding extra high-end sizzle, this transforms a minimal sub roller into a funky hybrid; neuro teeth but with a healthy dollop of soul. WIcked track – look out for the LP dropping Feb 5th at digital stores!
Beats In Mind round out an excellent year of releases with the fifth volume of their Headsbass series, and we’re pleased to present the premiere of Colossus’ track for the compilation – Hit Parade. Combining Toby’s knack for melodic hooks with hefty low end and rolling breaks, this is classic D&B vibes through and through. Look out for the full LP coming on Christmas Day, and once again all proceeds will go towards mental health charities…great beats for a great cause.
D-Struct lands on P Lab Recordings for today’s premiere and he’s dishing up a serious slab of dark, rolling groove! Punchy drums and sub weight combine with a techno influence and a stripped back sensibility for an intoxicating ride…less is more on this one. Check it out and look for the release coming December 18th.
BTK has largely been on a significant holiday over in the techno scene for the last few years, so it’s great to see him back on Dispatch and packing a full length LP to boot! We’ve got an exclusive from said LP today in the form of Guidance – deep, dark, rolling techy goodness as only Vini delivers. Check it out and hit up the Dispatch store to grab the album right now!
Trex drops his debut album via Mac 2 Recordings tomorrow, and we’re hyped to bring you an exclusive from the record! Featuring Ella Jones on vocals, Dreamy Dayz is a bubbly roller with enough heft to keep a floor moving while still retaining that soulful vibe. Summer rollers for winter days! You can grab this on the album sampler right now; the full LP drops Dec 4th.
Deliciously deep liquid goodness on today’s exclusive, as Goldfat welcome Kublai to their fold! Delicate piano and strings and a classy rolling break give life to an emotive composition…beautiful work. This one drops Nov 27th at all the usual outlets.
Vancouver-based producer MAE917 returns to our premiere spotlight with a slick melodic roller. Taken from his self-released Escape EP, Cloud Capped brings together epic strings, warm bass, crispy drums and soaring arpeggios for a thrilling journey to the mountains. Hit up his Bandcamp to grab the release now!
Detached Audio continue their five year celebrations with a big selection of remixes on their latest offering, and we’re pleased to bring you the exclusive on Echo Motion’s contribution! Flipping Option’s melancholy original around, this new take retains the soul of the original but sharpens it for the dancefloor. Wicked stuff; look out for the full EP dropping Oct 30th at digital stores.
For those unfamiliar with his work, Nymfo cut his teeth on pretty much every important label under the sun: 31 Records, Innerground, Commercial Suicide, Renegade Hardware and Metalheadz to name only a few – no one can argue with that pedigree. With a long back catalogue of bangers spanning over of decade, the initiated shouldn’t need an introduction, but his latest EP on Dispatch is worthy of one.
Nymfo’s sound largely lurks at deeper end of the spectrum, yet there’s still plenty of variety on offer with this EP. There are stepping tunes like title track Forbidden Planet and Everything Will Be; tracks that roll – albeit unconventionally – like Breach; down right weird ones like Cold Mission; and some signature Nymfo qualities in tracks like Pathfinder with longstanding Dispatch general Hijack MC.
Throughout there is a definite nod to the techstep era of the late 90s and early 00s. The EP feels raw in a way that minimal, techy numbers of the last 5-10 years have often lacked. Perhaps this record will be one of several marker points in the months and years from now that show the pendulum swinging away from technology-focused beatmaking, and back towards focusing on the overall vibe. That focus on vibe helped carve out the techstep style in the earlier eras of drum and bass, and it’s EPs like this that help cement the style’s status amongst the D&B pantheon of sounds.
The Forbidden Planet EP is out now at the Dispatch Store – all other stores follow Oct 16th.
Written by James Austin