Lynx – I Am Lynx [Hospital]

I’m gonna be totally honest here; I wasn’t expecting much from this LP. Lynx’s previous productions have been incredibly hit and miss for me, and his recent EP for Hospital struck me as pretty average. Nonetheless, I always try and keep an open mind when listening to new promo in the inbox, and I Am Lynx proved to be a very pleasant surprise.

The first thing that struck me about this album as I listened through was the diversity of the productions on show. From the punchy dancefloor tech of Clap Track to the womped-up hip-hop swagger of Drop That, through the staccato rhythms and rap of Lights Out (which is absolutely boss, by the way) and the blissful rolling liquid of Chord Time, this is a record of many delights and little laurel-resting.

While it’s not all gold (I found the Zinc-esque jump-up of Satisfaction pretty tedious) the LP definitely has way more hits than misses, and it’s good to see a producer stretching themselves. Doubtless Lynx could easily have knocked out a dozen soft liquid rollers and called it a day; bravo for pushing the boat out a bit further.

As usual with Hospital releases you can find this on CD, vinyl and digital at the Hospital Store; check out the clips below and grab yourself a solid 12 track selection right now.

If you want a wee bit more of the Lynx flavours you can also check out his 60 minute mix for Mistajam below. Nice!

Detail – The Way / Voco [Nemesis]

Ukrainian producer Detail brings his crisp, punishing sounds to Nemesis Recordings with two slabs of gritty, precise tech funk. The Way leads the charge with staccato bass stabs driving a rolling kick snare rhythm, while Voco goes in harder with an array of mean bass stabs and reese bass. Dangerous business! Check out the clips below and grab this one right now.

Future Tense EP [Turbine Music]

Dust Audio sublabel Turbine returns with a menacing selection on their latest Various Artists EP, Future Tense. Acid Lab leads the charge with creepy atmospherics on the intro dropping into old school break chops and reese bass. Love the tension on this one! Slider and Expose keep it grimey on the appropriately titled The Wrath…definitely some angst in the mix here.

Out into the back end of the EP we’re treated to sparse, militant halfstep from Akinsa and industrial tinged business from Antagonist. Deep and dark all the way. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital store now!

Atic – Tuff Times EP [Free Love Digi]

Attentive readers may remember some coverage last year of Denver producer Atic‘s releases for Free Love Digi, which impressed us with a rolling techstep vibe. A year on, Atic is back with a six track EP for FLD featuring some tasty new tunes.

The work here brings to mind the likes of DLR and Mako, melding techstep heft with the more musical side of D&B to create tracks that balance atmosphere and dancefloor sensibilities to a very pleasing end. Favourite moments here at the dojo came on Blue MountainCritical Sound and Juil but the whole EP is well worth a listen. Check out the clips below and grab this one from Beatport right now – full release follows from June 15th.

Nymfo – Brain Feeder EP [Commercial Suicide]

Nymfo returns to Commercial Suicide for a tasty new EP featuring four chunky slabs of D&B. Brain Feeder and BTK collab Shelter provide the dancefloor weapons while Planetarium and Shivers explore deeper territory, with lush synths on the former and deep bass and intricate percussion on the latter.

To quote the ever droll label press release, ‘Here we have you the next instalment of the “Nymfo releases music on Commercial Suicide” story. Gather around and rejoice this occasion.’ Rejoice indeed! Check out the clips below and hit up the Commercial Suicide bandcamp to get this right now!

Q&A – PRTCL [Notion Audio]

Those of you with your fingers on the pulse of dark D&B should already know Joe London aka PRTCL. With releases out and forthcoming on the likes of Flexout, AutomAte and Terabyte Joe’s productions have a formidable edge and plenty of atmosphere. We discovered recently that he’s starting up his own label for vinyl releases, so we tracked him down to find out more.

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Phentix – The Grim EP [IN:DEEP]

Austrian producer Phentix lands on IN:DEEP with a brand new EP featuring four fresh new cuts crossing the styles of D&B. When All Comes To An End and Dramatic keep things deep and moody, exploring the melancholy side of liquid with soft melodic sounds offset by tough edged breaks and brooding bass.

The Grim keeps things moody but with a techier edge, MC Kinetical’s verses landing smoothly between the sparse beat layout and grimey bass modulations. Last but not least, Storm closes the EP with a chunky tech roller that should shake a few systems and move a few dancefloors given half a chance. Check out the clips below and look for this at digital stores from June 1st.

If you want more from Phentix be sure to check out his mix for the DNB Dojo Mix Series! Deeper selections.

DNB Dojo Mix Series 15: Phentix

MixSeries15_Phentix

Austrian producer Phentix brings us a varied selection for the latest DNB Dojo mix! With beats signed to Citrus and Disturbed and a new EP dropping shortly on IN:DEEP Phentix is definitely one to watch for 2015, and his mix for the Dojo proves his chops as a DJ, gliding effortlessly through deep liquid and heavier tech styles. Yes yes!

As usual you can check out the mix via Soundcloud below or head to Mixcloud, Hearthis.at or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Dropbox.

Kimyan Law – Daimyo
Dub Phizix & Skeptical – Rags
Roygreen & Protone – Warman
Loxy & Isotone – Ancients (Skeptical Remix)
Roygreen & Protone – Speak the Truth
Amoss – The Shapeshifter ft. MC Fokus (Skeptical Remix)
Alix Perez – The Observer
Dub Phizix & Skeptical – The Enemy
Bredren – Rotten
Phentix – The Grim ft. Kinetical
Skeptical – Refraction
Kasra & Enei – So Real
Pessimist – Abstract
Octane & DLR – Back in the Grind (Cern & Dabs Remix)
Phentix – Hoax (unsigned Dub)
Klax – Blackball
Ivy Lab – Forex
Bredren – Control
Enei – Trainchaser
Amoss & Dabs – Latch
Sabre & Cern – Pinch Me
Break – Condensor
S.P.Y – Xenomorph
Ivy Lab – Gomeisa
Spectrasoul – Bygones
Break – Trying

Philth – Destroyer / Genocide [AutomAte Tech]

Philth continues his impressive run of releases with two gnarly new beats for longtime Dojo favourite AutomAte Tech. Make no mistake, Destroyer is hard as fucking nails; if you’re looking for any kind of nuance or subtlety this ain’t the place, but if you’re looking for a pummelling onslaught of kick drums and savage bass swipes then this one should float your boat…or maybe sink it!

Genocide keeps things militant with a snarling bassline layered over a crisp selection of breaks, keeping the pressure up nicely (which is no mean feat given the absolutely brutal A side!). Check out the clips below and look for this at all good digital stores from May 25th.

Survey – Chop Chop EP [Translation Recordings]

Survey continue to hone their sound with a great new EP for US label Translation. Fans of the Berlin based duo will know what to expect here; industrial, grimey techstep in the vein of early Ulterior Motive.

Most of the EP focusses on the half-time tempo with detailed, gritty textures among sparse beats. For us though the standout track is the crisp, rolling beat of the more conventional Paperhands. Check out the clips below and hit up the Translation Bandcamp to grab the release now.