Chorux – Polaris EP [Warm Communications]

Posted on 10th April 2015 by DNB Dojo

We’ve long been fans of Warm Communications here at the Dojo; the label’s knack for releasing tracks which have dancefloor appeal without sacrificing musicality and soul is up there with the best of them, and their latest release from newcomer Chorux fits that mould perfectly.

Don’t Even Know brings together a soulful vocal and classic liquid piano chords with a tough break and growling bassline for some of that tech-with-soul/liquid-with-teeth that we love so much. Polaris keeps the beats chunky and the bass growling but swaps the melancholy piano for a manic, sweeping, bleeping lead. Hints of dub and a playful tone make this one stand out.

That playful theme continues on It’s All Happenning; this one’s a deep, wobbly roller that should move a floor without any bother. Away From The Light closes things out with plenty of cheeky back and forth between the shimmering lead and the wompy bassline, each element coming to the fore before rapidly running for the shadows once again.

We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Chorux in the future; check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital store now!

Silent Witness – Black Raven EP [Triple Seed]

Posted on 4th April 2015 by DNB Dojo

Silent Witness brings the fire once again on the latest release for his own Triple Seed Recordings imprint. Gutter Level and Black Raven provide crisp, rolling tech with tons of detail and plenty of bassweight, while Rising Sun amps up the melodies for a crisp liquid roller. Tasty stuff all round! Check out the clips below and hit up the Triple Seed store to grab the EP now.

Inertia / Ghost Palace [Blendits]

Posted on 1st April 2015 by DNB Dojo

Rotterdam-based imprint Blendits return with possibly their most varied release to date featuring four fresh new tracks from up and coming producers in the scene. Chromatic kick things off with grimey tech roller Inertia that hits the ground at a hefty pace with a catchy bass riff and tight, funky drum lines. Bredren & Philth keep things moving along at pace on Ghost Palace, taking the vibe deeper with booming sub and creepy atmospherics.

Le Tricolore changes the vibe completely, bringing the melodies to the fore on a liquid beat built on cheeky melodic flourishes and soaring pads. Last but not least Bredren close things out on an experimental tip with the sparse, melancholy halfstep of Passing Period. One for the deep heads! Check out the clips below and look for this on vinyl and digital from April 13th.

Amoss & Fre4knc – Oxide [Dispatch Recordings]

Posted on 27th March 2015 by DNB Dojo

It has been too long by half since the last Amoss release; with the exception of some appearances on the Horizons Ten LP it’s been nearly a year since their last output, and longer still since their last release for Dispatch back in 2012. Naturally news of fresh material was, ahem, music to our ears (bad-um-psh) and their latest work sees them at the top of their game.

Lead track Oxide comes with added Fre4knc, a match up that makes perfect sense given both parties tendencies in the direction of dark, militant sounding techstep. Growling bass detail and heavy kicks and snares laid over a backdrop of creepy FX and atmospherics make for a tidy little outing.

Hold Back proves to be all about the drums, with tense, insistent cymbal rolls shuffling between an angular rhythm. Last up, Skittles sounds like a homage to the classic late 90s techstep of Photek, stripping back the bass to dark punchy stabs over a rolling break.

As usual it’s difficult to argue with Amoss and Dispatch! Check out the clips below and hit up the Dispatch store to pre-order this one on vinyl or digital ahead of the Mar 30th release.

Rune & Kaiza – Brainstorm / Kombat [AutomAte Tech]

Posted on 25th March 2015 by DNB Dojo

2015 looks set to be a busy year for Rune & Kaiza with releases dropping left and right, the latest of which comes from perenial Dojo favourite AutomAte Tech. Brainstorm sounds the alarm with an energetic combination of beats, bass and synth hits while Kombat focuses on grimey bass modulations set to punchy, angular drum rhythms. Screwfaces at the ready! Check out the clips below and look for this one dropping April 6th.

Yung E – Cosmic Dust / Mindset [Nurtured Beatz]

Posted on 22nd March 2015 by DNB Dojo

The latest from Nurtured Beatz sees Yung E making his debut for the label, with the tone remaining dark and techy. Cosmic Dust leads the charge with a sci-fi imbued roller that bears a heavy influence from 2005-era Black Sun Empire Recordings. It’s great to hear this sound again, with less focus on tearout neuro bass and more focus on a funky edge through rapid melody and crisp breakwork.

Mindset hits the ground with a more modern sound, swapping the rolling breaks for a stepper’s beat and a grimier, more minimal aesthetic. Last but not least, bandcamp exclusive track Doppler keeps the gully tone but flips the beats to a distinctly more experimental riddim. A fine selection from a producer we hope to hear more from in the future! Check out the clips below and head to Bandcamp to pre-order this now. The release drops there exclusively on Mar 23rd with full release following from Mar 30th.

Minor Rain – Totem Tube [Renegade Hardware]

Posted on 21st March 2015 by DNB Dojo

Minor Rain touches down on Renegade Hardware once again with his solo debut, cementing his place amongst the fresh new faces signed to the legendary label over the last year. The EP features some cracking tracks, combining the heft and aggression of neurofunk with some unusual rhythmic play.

Totem Tube skitters along merrily with rapid fire percussive syncopations punctuating the backdrop of meaty bass and warm distortion. Deformation switches things up, opting for a more traditional D&B break for a by the numbers slice of high octane neurofunk. Last but by no means least Resistor heads back to unusual territory, blending elements of glitch and IDM into a bizarre, robotic tapestry of sound.

Hardware on point as usual! Watch out for the EP dropping at all good stores from March 23rd, and hit up the RH store for pre-order now.

Rune & Kaiza – The Rowdy EP [Transmission Audio]

Posted on 20th March 2015 by DNB Dojo

Rune & Kaiza continue their ascent through the neurofunk underground with a chunky new EP for Leeds-based Transmission Audio featuring three appropriately energetic new cuts.

Rowdy and Sickstrip both provide tasty slabs of dancefloor worth tech-funk business but the suspense-ful intro and savage bassline of You And Me make the EP’s third track the easy Dojo favourite. Check out the clips below and look for this from March 20th at all good digital outlets.

Classic Track: Rawthang – Scorned

Posted on 12th March 2015 by DNB Dojo

We’re digging in the BSE Recordings vaults again for today’s classic track selection, Rawthang’s 2003 neuro epic Scorned. Featuring the haunting vocal talents of Kari Rueslatten and an utterly infectious trancey lead line set to some pretty menacing breaks and a bit chunky reese bassline, this is golden-era sci-fi neurofunk at it’s best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2RfPdt2_Io

DLR – Seeing Sounds [Dispatch Recordings]

Posted on 7th March 2015 by DNB Dojo

The wait is finally over – DLR’s debut solo LP Seeing Sounds has arrived, and it’s every bit as good as I’d hoped it would be! Having deliberately avoided listening to the preview clips I sat down with the full LP for a start-to-finish listen, and I wasn’t even remotely disappointed.

Understandably enough, this record feels like a spiritual successor to Octane & DLR’s 2012 LP Method In The Madness. The same cinematic sampling and atmosphere is present, as is the sonic detail and creativity. DLR’s sound has been refined further over the past three years, and the album seems less bent on complexity for complexity’s sake; the emphasis seems to have shifted slightly towards groove and weight over technicality, and the compositions really shine for that emphasis.

Above all else this is a record that firmly injects the funk back into the techstep sound, from the playful basslines of Charlie Brown and Break collab Human Error through the chunky lower tempo breakbeat workout of I Found Out and plenty more besides. There’s room for some surprises too, such as the melancholy liquid of Hydro collaboration Empyreal and the jazzed up tech of Minds Eye. There are also two fantastic MC-led steppers, with Gusto repping the mic on The Author and Fokus providing vocals on the politically minded Ask The Question.

Many of the LPs best tracks have been pressed loud and proud onto four slabs of that black crack we love so much, and having given them a thorough mix on the decks I’m happy to attest they all sound as tight and punchy as you’d expect from the Dispatch family. The vinyl releases are already sold out via the Dispatch Store, though the digital version is still available and the vinyl plates can all be picked up via Redeye.

The first couple of listens give me the distinct impression that this is an album which will grow and grow over the coming months while we wait with anticipation for DLR’s collaborative LP with Mako. Check out the clips below and go grab yourself a copy of what is undoubtedly one of the best D&B albums we’ll hear this year.

DNB Dojo

Drum & Bass News and Reviews

Tag Archives: Techstep