Unbelievably hyped to welcome the mighty SCAR to our premiere spotlight today as the duo take on Lao Wai & LaMeduza’s new track for Addictive Behaviour, Tie Me Up. Delivering the customary scuzzy tech bass and razor sharp breaks while retaining the soulful vocal of the original, this is a vintage dark roller; yes yes. Look for the release (which also features a dangerous Philth remix alongside the two wicked originals) from Sep 16th at Beatport, with other platforms following on the 30th.
It’s been quite a journey over the last couple of years for SCAR; from their first releases for Dispatch and Metalheadz the collaborative project of Survival and Script instantly gained plaudits across the D&B scene, with a slew of releases following including appearances on the legendary Razor’s Edge series.
Today sees their debut album The Orkyd Project land on Metalheadz, so we tracked down the duo to find out a bit more about the album writing process, what the deal is with Orkyd and their love of daal and roti. Check it out…
Once again we’ve been inundated with quality music in the Dojo inbox and despite the bonus extra day February has vanished before we could write it all up! Here’s some coverage of the best of the rest including new music from Alix Perez & Ivy Lab, Calibre, Hanover, SCAR, Bone and more…
This week’s Dojo Damager comes courtesy of the Metalheadz camp as they wind up for the release of Artificial Intelligence’s new Timeline LP later this month. For the first LP sampler’s exclusive track AI have teamed up with fellow ‘headz alumni SCAR for a perfect blend of the rough and the smooth, and it’s been doing the damage here at Dojo HQ!
Lulling us into a false sense of security with a lush, soulful intro before piling into a scuzzy bassline and those indestructibly solid breaks, Letting It Go is sure to rip up any dancefloor with its pure rolling danger. Heavy business! Hit up the Metalheadz store to grab the sampler on vinyl or digital now and watch for the full album dropping Nov 20th.
SCAR are a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. While Survival and Script are both respectable producers with plenty of solid titles in their respective discographies, their collaborative material as SCAR is a level above, a fact that has led to their rapid ascent through the scene over the past year.
Their latest work for Metalheadz finds them on fine form, exploring deeper musical elements while retaining that rolling techstep heft that defined their first few releases. The title track exemplifies this perfectly, with lush musicality on the intro giving way to a punchy rollout in the verse, and punchy as hell it is too.
Elsewhere Your Move feels like a nod to the classic ‘headz tracks of yesteryear, bringing together chopped breaks and pad-based psychedelia for a fantastic drum workout drenched in muted euphoria and longing. Fall From Grace meanwhile takes an angsty turn, with creepy vocals echoing through the intro before a heavy angular drop, all meaty kicks and snarling reese.
Asides from their obvious talents for groove and engineering, SCAR are managing to inject more emotion into their work than is to be found in the wealth of bombastic but ultimately soulless dance music released every day. For that they should definitely be applauded, so check out the clips below and go grab the EP on vinyl or digital now!
Following our run down of our favourite albums of the year, we felt it was only right to put the spotlight on our top tracks. These are the ten tunes that haven’t left our record box since their release…
The relaunch of Doc Scott’s 31 Recordings imprint has been the cause for much celebration across the scene, and the label’s output has been absolutely stellar. Rounding off 2014 in style, they’ve unveiled a massive 24 track compilation featuring artists from across the D&B spectrum, and frankly pretty much all of it is excellent.
The huge selection takes in half-time beats from Sinistarr and Ital Tek, future jungle from Moresounds, liquid rollers from Bungle and Calibre, rowdy techstep from SCAR and plenty more besides. Special mentions have to go out to the broody, militant syncopations of House of Lanterns’ Take Control, the ethereal atmospherics of Hidden Turn’s Dream of Tron and the bleepy, atmospheric vibes of Gremlinz Forlorn, but honestly the whole LP is of such a high standard that picking favourites is pretty tough. Check out clips of all the tracks below and head over to the 31 Recordings store to preorder the compilation on vinyl or digital now – the release drops on December 15th.
Horizons Music celebrate 10 years in the game with an excellent new compilation featuring 14 fresh cuts from names that will be familiar to anyone who’s been following the label in recent times. The compilation takes a look back at the label’s very first release, with Jubei and Amoss both turning in remixes of Skitty’s 10 Steps, but for the most part they’re looking forward with new material from some of the best names in the scene.
It’s difficult to pick highlights from such a strong selection, but a few stand out from the pack. Silent Witness brings a perfectly balanced combination of melodic elements and rolling, dancefloor tech on Fields, Amoss explore their deeper side on the subby liquid of Piano Licks and DLR turns in a trademark chunky stepper on Outta Time. The whole LP is well worth a listen, so check out the clips below and head to your favourite outlet to grab this on CD, vinyl or digital now!
SCAR continue their assault on the D&B scene with four fresh new beats for Dispatch Recordings. Call It What You Want heads straight in with warped bass and rolling breaks for an atmospheric tech workout that should have more than enough juice to move a dancefloor or two. Dank follows suit with a slightly more stripped back beat and some big squelchy bass rumblings driving the tune along.
Twice Shy is pure dancefloor fodder, with an old school set of stabs and a catchy bass riff giving the tune a good stomping rhythm. Last but not least Zero One switches things up with chopped up breaks and creepy FX combining nicely on the EP’s least conventional track.
You can check out the title track from the EP below – full audio previews and pre-order are available at the Dispatch Store. Look out for this on vinyl and digital from November 24th.
It’s been quite a year for SCAR – with singles for Horizons, an EP and a limited edition dubplate for Dispatch and appearances on Metalheadz Platinum Breakz 4 LP the duo have burst onto the scene with gusto. Their latest work sees them bringing a solo EP for the ‘headz camp and as you’d expect it sees them at the top of their game.
So Suddenly leads the EP, showing off an obvious affinity for tough, techy D&B. Ruby meanwhile has more of a classic ‘headz vibe, bringing to mind the sound of some of their 90s releases with more old-fashioned synth work and crustier break chops. Old Ground brings a combination of skittering drums and sub bass menance to the table, leaving Old Time Metal to close out the EP with dubby samples and hard, metallic snares.
Excellent work once again from the SCAR camp! Check out the clips below and head over to the ‘headz store to pre-order this one on vinyl or digital – full release drops from October 27th.