Jubei – To Have Or Have Not Remixes [Metalheadz]

Posted on 4th August 2016 by DNB Dojo

Cuts from Jubei’s memorable To Have And Have Not LP get the remix treatment on the latest EP from the ‘headz camp. Skeptical turns in a characteristically stark refit of Incognito while Ulterior Motive turn in a big banging rework of Tip The Scales, but for us it’s all about the two new versions of Goldie collab The Prayer.

Blocks and Escher are the first to get their mits onto the tune, and they’ve turned it into quite the religious experience. Building some epic tension on the intro as creepy monastic vocals give way to a throbbing bassline, the eventual drop at nearly 2 minutes in is a bombastic assault of growling low end and rip-roaring percussion; old school vibes with new school production and so much danger. Those drums!

Om Unit meanwhile completely flips the tune around, thinning out the drums for one of his signature sparse but skittering halftime riddims. As with so much of his work the essence of classic jungle is present but it’s been twisted and morphed into something uniquely new; one foot in the past while the other meanders into the future. Ethereal and fantastic.

As usual you can grab this from the Metalheadz store on digital or 12″; check out the clips below and go grab it!

March Roundup

Posted on 14th March 2016 by DNB Dojo

We round up the best of the rest once again! New music from Shogun Audio, Hospital, Soul Trader, Lockdown, Terabyte Records and more…

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Classified V2 [CIA]

Posted on 29th January 2016 by DNB Dojo

CIA are back with another storming selection on Vol. 2 of the Classified EP series and trust us, these are some pretty essential dancefloor selections. Ed:it & Pennygiles collab Set Theory gets the remix treatment from Ulterior Motive who keep the alterations subtle, retaining the vibe of the original but tuning it up for maximum punch. Next up, ST Files team up with Response for a characteristically deep outing on Wanna B 3; mellow high end floats along under an insistent, rolling break that seems primed to warm a floor before the bigger guns are broken out.

Label bosses Total Science join forces with FD for a classic liquid roller on Found A Reason Why, delivering that uplifting break-driven business that Total Science have made such a name for. Lush, sultry and sure to put a smile on your face! Last but not least, Villem & McLeod take things grimey on a stripped back halftime workout in the form of Strange You.

As usual CIA walk the line between musicality and dancefloor chops with ease and finesse, providing another fine selection for your record bag. Check out the clips below and hit up the CIA Bandcamp to cop the release on vinyl or digital right now!

Classic Track: Ulterior Motive – Featherweight

Posted on 17th September 2015 by DNB Dojo

Before they ascended to the ranks of Metalheadz and knocked out their rather impressive debut LP, Ulterior Motive began their career with a slew of great singles for Teebee’s Subtitles imprint, and my favourite from that period is undoubtedly Featherweight.

Bringing together punchy techstep drums, grimey but stripped back bass modulations and a cheeky Mobb Deep sample, the groove on this tune is just undeniable, and it’s a track I keep coming back to. “Featherweight…gunshots will make you levitate” – boom!

Icicle – Entropy Remixes [Shogun Audio]

Posted on 30th June 2015 by DNB Dojo

Shogun have recruited some of the heaviest hitters in the neurofunk scene for their latest remix project, with material from Icicle’s Entropy LP in for the relick treatment along with a bonus remix of Dreadnaught from Neosignal badman Phace. The iconic stabs and SP:MC vocal are retained but the bass and beats are amped up to the energy levels you’d expect from a Phace mix, and it’s a fresh take on a tune which should be familiar to everyone in the scene.

Joe Ford injects a punchy new rhythm and a playful tone into Neutralize, while Black Sun Empire deliver an absolutely disgusting rework of The Edge – this one is absolutely off the hook! Sadly Ulterior Motive’s remix of Will You Be Mine proves a little disappointing, being practically indistinguishable from the original, leaving it to Proxima to up the ante once again with a devastating new mix of Isolation.

As usual you can pick this up on vinyl and digital from the Shogun Audio store; pre-orders are up now ahead of the June 29th release.

Best Albums of 2014

Posted on 29th December 2014 by DNB Dojo

2014 has been a great year for D&B and another great year for LPs, so with the year drawing to a close we thought we’d run down our favourite full length releases this year. In no particular order…

Kimyan Law – Coeur Calme [Blu Mar Ten Music]

Kimyan’s debut LP impressed us greatly upon it’s initial release, and it’s an album that has only improved upon repeated listens. Blending influences from D&B with elements of soul, world music, ambient and plenty more besides, this is one of the most musical releases this year and a great start to what should be a promising career.

Tokyo Prose – Presence [Samurai Music]

Samurai’s reputation for quality and depth is legendary, and the debut LP from kiwi producer Tokyo Prose fits that MO perfectly. Featuring some excellent collaborations with the likes of Synkro, LSB and Lenzman, the album features a coherence and flow that many LPs lack, and some of the finest deep liquid tracks of the year. Essential listening.

Cern – Under Another Sky [Dispatch Recordings]

Cern’s LP slipped under the radar here at the Dojo on initial release, but thankfully we got the chance to catch up with it over the holiday season. The level of atmosphere and depth on show here is stunning, not to mention the precise engineering, intricate drum programming and overall detail that Cern has brought to the table. The album is an unapologetically dark, experimental release, with few (if any) of the tracks aimed at the dancefloor, and is all the better for it.

Future Beats: The Album [31 Recordings]

31 Recordings late entry to the 2014 LP battle has garnered near universal acclaim, and with good reason; few other compilations bring such a breadth of styles at such a high quality across such a massive selection of tracks. It’s great to see the label supporting new producers alongside old hands like Calibre and Klute, not to mention pushing the envelope with truly innovative sounds.

Ulterior Motive – The Fourth Wall [Metalheadz]

Last but by no means least, Ulterior Motive’s sonic journey through their experiences of Drum & Bass has provided both dancefloor anthems and deeper vibes. Tracks like Tape Pack and INTA-National have been killing floors at raves across the world since the LPs release, and the duos range has never been stronger.

Dom & Roland Productions: Remix Album

Posted on 1st November 2014 by DNB Dojo

Long anticipated and much overdue, the Dom & Roland Productions Remix LP finally dropped a couple of weeks ago. Featuring big new reworks from prominent artists across the harder end of the D&B scene, fans of Dom & Roland’s output will definitely not be disappointed with the selection. You can find a few of the Dojo favourites below – check them out and head over to Redeye to snag the LP on vinyl now, with digital available at all the usual stores.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVEm6Je-gcQ]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLEAyaTXB8Y]

DNB Dojo Mix Series 11: Hanzo & Randie

Posted on 15th October 2014 by DNB Dojo

The eleventh installment in our exclusive mix series comes from Avantgarde alumni Hanzo & Randie. The duo celebrate their forthcoming track for the label’s Theory of the Avantgarde LP with a tasty mix focussing on the techier end of the D&B spectrum but still with place for melody and soul. Check it out via Mixcloud below or head to Hearthis.at for streaming and Dropbox for a download.

Tracklist:

Inward – Monochrome (Avantgarde dub)
Cern – Tiamat (Dispatch)
Ulterior Motive – Longshot (Metalheadz)
Dabs – Objection (Dispatch)
Break & DLR – New Design (Symmetry)
Concept Vision & Segment – Deserted (Blackout)
Alix Perez, Phace, Misanthrop – Burn Out (Shogun Audio)
Enei – Hot Plate (Critical)
Dabs, ArpXP & Grotesque – Keep Shut (Avantgarde dub)
Spinline and Hydro – Perimeter (Demand)
EBK – Strength (Dispatch)
Break – Love So True (Symmetry)
Enei and Emperor – Liberation (Critical)
Inward, Hanzo & Randie – Tetra (Redlight)
Concept Vision & Segment – Mindshaker (Blackout)
Signs – Desert Storm (Cause 4 Concern)
Maztek – Limber (Renegade Hardware)
Noisia – Running Blind (Vision)
Stealth ft. Codebreaker – Nightfall (RAM)
DLR and Script ft. Martyna Baker – Blue room (Metalheadz)
Hybris, Quadrant, D-Struct & Iris – Graphene (Dispatch)
Animal Defection – Arcadia (Avantgarde dub)
Kasra & Enei – Breath (Critical)
Blu Mar Ten – In Your Eyes (Ulterior Motive Remix) (Blu Mar Ten)
DLR, Nymfo, Need for Mirrors and HLZ – Totem (Dispatch)
Heavy1 & P-Fine – Melee (Avantgarde dub)
Hanzo, Randie & Bayou – Totentanz (Avantgarde dub)
Foreign Concept – Ask yourself (Critical)
Sabre and Riya – Injustice (Critical)

Ulterior Motive – The Fourth Wall [Metalheadz]

Posted on 7th October 2014 by DNB Dojo

After a lengthy period of writing and a quiet buildup of hype, Ulterior Motive’s debut LP for Metalheadz has finally dropped this week. It’s clear the duo have taken the task of their first album incredibly seriously (they reportedly whittled the tracklist down from 120 demos) and they’ve managed to create a pure D&B album which still feels like a journey rather than just a collection of songs.

While all the tracks bear some hallmarks of the Ulterior Motive sound, The Fourth Wall definitely sees the duo branching out from their traditional grimey tech D&B, with tributes to the Bristol sound (Sideways) and old skool rave (Tape Pack) alongside the deeper flavours of tracks like Muted, You Must See and Chapters. There’s still plenty of room for the more “classic” UM sounds mind you, with Inta-National and Keep It Moving standing out as the best dancefloor workouts.

Doubtless everyone will have their own favourites so check out the clips below and head to the Metalheadz store to pick up the album on CD, vinyl or digital.

Famous Lost Words Remixes: Part 3 [Blu Mar Ten Music]

Posted on 5th October 2014 by DNB Dojo

Blu Mar Ten unveil the third and final instalment of their Famous Lost Words remix EP series with new mixes from Ulterior Motive, Nuage and their latest signing Kimyan Law. Ulterior Motive make In Your Eyes very much their own, swapping out the frantic amens of the original for a slower paced half-time beat. The twinkling atmosphere of the original is largely gone too, replaced with ominous bass growls and a spooky, pitched down version of the original vocal.

Nuage turns his hand to Famous Lost Words, channelling the autonomic spirit for a glitchy, slouching remix with tons of the lush pad work I’ve come to love on his productions. The real star of the show here though is Kimyan Law’s absolutely beautiful re-imagining of Half The Sky. An insistent beat combines with a soft chiming melody that has either been crafted fresh or has been re-sampled from the original beyond recognition, and the atmosphere of the track is dialled right up to 11. The result is effortlessly emotive and hauntingly beautiful, and I can’t wait to hear his debut album when it drops later this year.

Check out the clips below and head over to the Blu Mar Ten Music store to pick up the release on vinyl or digital now.

DNB Dojo

Drum & Bass News and Reviews

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