Signal continues his fast ascent to the top reaches of the D&B scene with a contribution to Neodigital’s Eurofunk Vol. 2 EP dropping in a couple of weeks. To find out a bit more about his selections in the dance we tracked him down and asked for his top 5 club tracks. Check it out…
With a fresh compilation EP dropping on Bad Taste today and a host of new ventures recently announced, Methlab continue to make powerful moves in the neurofunk world. To find out more we grabbed the agency boss Jef and Kloe from Bad Taste Recordings for a chat about why he started Methlab, collaborating with Bad Taste and his thoughts on the neuro scene today. Check it out…
Following a quiet few months, Swiss label Demand Records are back with the first volume of a new EP series entitled Demand Selects. The series aims to showcase new talent and Demand veterans alike, and judging by this debut instalment we’re due for some sonic treats over the coming year!
Taelimb kicks things off with the stripped back, ominous halfstep vibes of Depth Charge, while Bulgarian producers Robustus & Moody switch gears with an understated liquid roller on Falling. Bristol’s Mystic State team up with Dutch wunderkind and Critical signing Signal for the driving, atmospheric delights of Seven, and last but not least Austria’s RoyGreen & Protone team up with Dual for the crisp and playful Ridestep.
Tons to enjoy here with producers from all over Europe stepping up to represent the Demand sound. Check out the clips below and hit up Beatport to grab a copy right now.
Authentic Music are now well and truly back; after a lengthy hiatus from releasing music and a couple of retrospective EP releases, the Czech label returns proper this month with a various artists LP in the form of Art of Deception.
It’s worth noting at this point that I’m not a big fan of compilation LPs. Certain labels have taken in recent years to releasing ever bigger and bigger albums packed with twenty, thirty or even forty tunes loosely bound by rough subgenre and largely lacking in vision or purpose; sure, there are often some good tracks to be found, but who wants to listen through dozens of beats to find the gems? Quality before quantity should be the maxim, but more and more in this ADHD digital age that maxim is being ignored.
Enter Authentic Music, a label that has always striven to provide that all important quality. In the three and a half years of its existence, the imprint has moved slowly but steadily, releasing only tracks which pass the tests of both production sheen and innovation, and thankfully that ethos hasn’t changed for their latest outing.
The slightly old school approach shines through in the release of samplers, a-la vinyl LPs of yesteryear; there might not be wax in the offing, but a handful of tracks have been selected from the main body to lead the pack, and in that fine tradition of samplers they feature some of the LP’s strongest material, with remixes from A-Cray and ArpXP sitting alongside originals from Revaux and Kusp.
Tone-wise most of the album holds true to the Authentic aesthetic; techy vibes fit for the dancefloor but featuring strong sound design and enough of an experimental edge not to be forgettable club fodder. There are some surprises to be found too such as Revaux’s uplifting remix of Mr. Magician and the playful rolling melodies of Dephzac’s sublime Sum Is Wrong.
I could spend time picking out favourites from the selection but with the quality so high you’re better off just listening for yourself. Wicked vibes through and through; hit up Beatport to grab the lot right now.
Renegade Hardware return with the second part of their Compound series, showcasing more fresh talent from the worldwide neurofunk scene. Disprove provides two hulking bassy steppers for the first half of the EP, including a dangerous collab with young upstart Signal.
Out into the back half rising stars Volatile Cycle take things seriously dirty with the twin pairing of Switchblade and Backlash. The tracks provide vicious bassweight in equal measure, with the former narrowly emerging as our favourite. Expect some serious screwfaces on the floor when these get dropped! Check out the clips below and grab yourself a copy from the Hardware store right now.