J KENZO Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Forever flipping through the tempos and the styles, Artikal bossman and all-round legend J:Kenzo has the honour of being the launch artist on Alternate Recordings - a brand new label from longstanding Bristol party crew. Hot on the heels of his Metalheadz release, Kenzo keeps things d&b with both of these raffish, rugged cuts. 'RawZ' bashes and bumps in all the right places, aided by shimmering percussion and a sweet vocal stab placed at all the right moments. It's backed up by the sultry, sexy 'Typhoon' that flexes on a halftime groove for most of the track and features a smouldering vocal you'll instantly recognise. Stunning.

Review: J:Kenzo is known more as a dubstep pioneer, but it's always refreshing to hear producers such as him break away from their pre-established style - in this case, the revolutionary sound is drum n' bass. 'Zegafunk' locks in four new heaters for Metalheadz (it's his debut for the legendary drum n' bass label), establishing a no-nonsense throwback to the earliest incarnations of jump-up and techstep, only repackaged for the present day. In the words of Metalheadz, there's a real classic feel to it, with the unendingly dystopian and robotic sound of late 90s drum n' bass shining through; 'Tiger Moth' and 'Kalibrate' are cases in point, with conveying moods of unswung menace and malicious awe.

Review: Sometime Tempa family member J:Kenzo made his first appearance on ZamZam Sounds three years ago, aligning his hazy trademark sound with the label's next-generation dub ethos via the echoing deep dubstep brilliance of 'Kingston Hot' and 'Concrete Jungle'. This belated follow-up is, perhaps surprisingly, far more forthright, with 'Traverse' offering an energetic, low-slung mix of post-steppers dancefloor drums, layered tribal style hand percussion, deep sub-bass, hot-stepping dubstep breaks and trippy, echoing noises. The fun continues on the flip, where the Kent-born producer brilliantly blurs the boundary between two-step, deep dubstep and the squeezable sonics of dub techno.

Review: French label Artikal Music revisits J Kenzo's work with a couple of fresh remixes from it by a couple of cutting edge drum & bass artists. Coco Bryce is a firm favourite here and he flips 'All In' into a rugged rhythm that is softened by the silky bass and synths. It is both physical yet emotional and that duality is sure to lead to plenty of high profile plays. On the flip side is Specialist X who works his magic on 'Broken Dreams.' This one is a more heads down and dark number for the dead of night, with menacing and stepping drums and sci-fi sound design. This is the first of what will be a series of remix EPs and we're already looking forward to the next one.

Review: Man like Kenzo eases into 2022 with a trip down the path of tranquillity on 'Karthaus'. Stunning dubwise flavours, very measured and calm, it's Kenzo at his deepest and most introspective. Elsewhere we roll up our sleeves and get the hammers on 'Solar Return' while 'Astral Traveller' brings heavy shades of cosmic funk thanks to a subtly mutating bassline and strange alien bleeps. Finally we hit our destination with 'Silentium'. Part film score, part futurism, all emotion, Kenzo wraps up the EP in a heavy meditative state... Leaving us refreshed and ready for the year ahead. Big up the Artikal massive.

Review: J:Kenzo is Jay Fairbrass, a DJ/Producer from Kent, that many followers of Artikal Music would be well familiar with, in addition to releases on 31 Records, Infernal Sounds and Tempa. He's back with an self-released one here titled Ruffhouse VIP. The first version on side A is deeply hypnotic and dub-laden tackle done proper. More underground sound awaits on the flip, with the second version featuring more meditative rhythms and immersive bass frequencies transmitted in typically heady fashion.

Review: J:Kenzo strikes us down with pure bass weight once again, this time on Infernal Sounds with an almighty remix of San Francisco's Saule's ploughman stepper "Cure Dem". Adding an orchestral twist to those murderous stabs, this remix doesn't so much as cure but completely blazes every possible inch of your skin. Flip for an escapade of more ominous proportions as "Shijima's Revenge" takes us deep into Japanese legend with a powerful droning bass and a march-like groove that will have you trooping into the shadiest of graveyards. Absolute murderation.

Review: The first new material since his self-titled album in September 2012, Kenzo goes all-in on this immense Tempa four-tracker. "Cause & Effect" is a slurring, slo-mo psychedelic workout with eerie, ominous pads and anvil-like beats. "Ricochet" lives up to its name with a tight ping-pong polyrhythm that quickly builds momentum before taking a deep, steady breath on the halfsteps. "Enter Valarak" is the darkest cut of the pack thanks to swaggering dragon tempo that blows smoke out of its clogged bass nostrils. "Bloodlines" completes the set with tight weaves of percussion, off-kilter loops and trippy dubbed out jungle bleeps. Tracing dubstep's bloodlines back to its soundsystem roots, Kenzo truly deserves the 'classicist' title the press have recently given him.

Review: Kent-based producer J Kenzo has yet to reach dubstep's top table, but on the evidence of this excellent debut album for scene stalwarts Tempa, he'll soon be dining with the big boys. His rhythms are tough and crisp and his basslines weighty, while there's enough invention to interest to those who prefer their dubstep deeper. It's largely a floor-friendly collection, tempering the paranoid moodiness that accompanies much high-grade dubstep, but there are moments of intense beauty, too. Check, for example, the atmospheric vocal cut "Eyes Wide Shut" or the clandestine "Statement of Intent"; both have the makings of future classics.