Calibre – Fabriclive 68 [Fabric]

calibre 22.1.13_057a

Calibre has always been a quiet, enigmatic legend; he doesn’t play out regularly, nor does he often deal with the press, and he’s never bothered to maintain much of an online presence, preferring to let his tunes speak for themselves. Good for him then that they speak volumes, in a soothing, soulful tone of voice. Already held in immense esteem by most of the drum & bass community, his induction into the Fabriclive hall of fame merely cements the position he’s been occupying for well over a decade.

Those familiar with Calibre’s output will find few surprises but plenty to love on his mix for Fabric. Comprised mostly of his own tunes or remixes, the rest of the material comes from the likes of Lynx, dBridge and Marcus Intalex. The mix is an effortless journey through deep, soulful, melancholy drum & bass, and the selection is complemented by absolutely pitch perfect mixing from one tune to the next.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkmfomqodLs]

Fans of the deeper side of the genre shouldn’t hesitate to grab a copy of this when it hits the shelves on March 18th. I know I’ll be coming back to this one time and time again!

Photo courtesy of Jimmy Mould & Fabric

Ivy Lab – Afterthought / Brat [Critical]

Early last year Kasra’s Critical imprint put out a tasty little 12″ from Sabre, Stray and Halogenix featuring the beautiful tune that is Oblique. The material was released to much critical acclaim and was generally lauded as one of the best tunes of the year (amongst some impressive competition too). Since then the trio have been quiet, mainly focusing on their individual solo activities. But just recently they announced the formation of a new alias for their collective work; Ivy Lab. Naturally this announcement also came with news of a new release, which is due out on Critical Music Feb 4th.

Afterthought on the A-side brings back the vocal talents of Frank Carter III to great effect, and is a beautiful (if somewhat predictable) soulful, understated roller. Very much Oblique-the-second. Over on the flip, Ivy Lab prove themselves far from one trick ponies with the dirty, weird, robotic half step sounds of Brat. To round the package off, those that pick up the digital release get a rather tasty House rework of Brat from South London Ordnance, taking the excellent sound pallet of the original and bringing it down to a slower, more methodical beat.

Check out the tunes below and watch out for the full release from your favourite vinyl or digital outlet!

LTJ Bukem – Music (Technicolour Rework) [Good Looking]

LTJ Bukem‘s legendary Good Looking Records has been somewhat dormant for a few years now, despite continual promises from Bukem that the label will be making a resurgence. However it seems the man has finally made true on said promises, as the last couple of months have seen the first releases on the label since 2009. The latest of these is a rather tasty rework of Bukem’s classic Music by deep liquid maestro Technicolour (of Technimatic). The rework aptly captures the spirit of the original but brings the tempo up a little in line with more modern D&B releases. Smooth vibes all the way.

Over on the flip the original has been repressed, and for anyone who might have missed the 90s heyday, here it is in all it’s 10 minute long glory! Go grab yourself a copy of the release on white label from the Good Looking Store.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TppFL2LV2Zc]

Bungle – Astral Travel / Aura [Soul:R]

Marcus Intalex‘s much esteemed Soul:R imprint had an excellent 2012 and it seems that 2013 is gonna be no different. To open up the release schedule they’ve got a stunning release from Brazilian producer Bungle, and one which Intalex himself has described as ‘the best Soul:R 12″ there has been for a long time’. For once the fine words of Flava Flav are wrong – believe the hype!

Astral Travel on the A side is a beautiful understated roller than brings to mind Calibre’s best work, with simple, warm synth lines and a crisp, clean break combining to almost ethereal effect. Aura on the flip keeps things deep but changes pace slightly with an ever so slightly angular beat pattern, but again combined with superb uplifting synth leads and piano to create something simple and elegant.

Check out the tunes below and watch out for the release on Jan 21st!

Gerwin – Lying Portraits / Soul Truths [IM:Ltd]

IM:LTD‘s latest release sees Gerwin coming in with two genuinely interesting slices of D&B that occupy a strange halfway house between styles, merging the growling basslines of techstep with the soulful melodies of deep liquid. It shouldn’t work, but it does! Opener Lying Portraits sees Gerwin team up with Nuage and MC 2Shy, who excels himself with a deep, well written rap vocal (which makes a change from the hordes of average gritty rhymes in D&B right now). Over on the flip Gerwin utilises a nice R&B sample to build the track before the growling bassline takes over.

Look out for this one at all good digital outlets from December 10th!