Juno Recommends Bass Best of 2017

Review: **REPRESS** Bringing his madcap colourful styles back to R&S once again, Lone has another slice of sunkissed wonderment to impart, this time in a concise two track single. "Airglow Fires" leads in on the most joyous choral pads, only to be surpassed by even more bright and bold chord stabs which tell you this is going to be a party rocker. The beat comes ripping in to bounce off that opening riff and of course it flexes with a dexterity of unconventional means that reassures you Lone is in no danger of going soft any time soon. There is perhaps a more linear flow to the track which is no bad thing, making for a more focused and reliable party starter whilst retaining that inimitable Lone kink. "Begin To Begin" is less outre in its intentions, but equally funky as it hops around on a snagged house groove while the melodies chime out all around the depth and breadth of the mix.

Review: It's been a little while since Kyle Hall dropped his album The Boat Party, but now the Detroit powerhouse is back on Hyperdub to indulge the freakier end of his studio output inline with his previous Kaychunk 12" for Kode 9's outpost. "Girl U So Strong" is a stirring beast of a track, starting in scattered fragments of bass patterns, vocal snippets and woodblock hits, gradually forming into a starlit stepper of the highest calibre. "Take Me Away" comes on like a Detroit take on the Purple phenomenon, all sticky synth lines and Mega Drive melodies but roughed up with ample grittiness.

Review: Earlier this year, experienced French fusionist Paul Tenebre delivered a pair of fine, self-released EPs under the Territory banner. These clearly caught the ear of WNCL Recordings man Bob Bharma (AKA West Norwood Cassette Library), as he's decided to put out part 3. Tenbre kicks things off with "Jungle Frontier", a bustling, techno-tempo tribute to the jungle ear rich in fuzzy snares, heavy sub-bass pulses and intoxicating, intelligent techno era samples. "Density", on the other hand, is a fiendishly distorted broken house shuffler, while "Zone & INterzone" sees the Paris native lay down some redlined tribal house/tech-jazz fusion. The Parisian's love of layered tribal percussion and dusty metallic hits is explored further on fantastic closer "Axe Nord-Sud".

Review: Broken soul doesn't get much sweeter than Djrum's mystic brew. Now being served by R&S, we can expect more of it in the near future, including a new album! It starts right here as "Broken Glass Arch" takes the lead with bewitching over-lapped layers, distorted, decaying chimes and strange warped effects and chants. "Showreel" brings everyone up to speed over a two part serenade as Felix Manuel brings us together under star-lit keys, skippy beats and a constantly evolving mood. Christmas has come early for Djrum fans.

Review: Destination Dominowe: Gqom delve deep into the craft of the 23-strong collective TLC Fam with their first full-flavoured EP. Featuring their signature vocal rhythms, hard-rolling taxi kick signature and soul-stirring Zulu arrangements, even by Gqom's broad smorgasbord standards, this one pushes new buttons. The chanting hypnosis and sudden synth salvo of "Tribute To Nomfundo", the snare-rolling, heavily percussive militant stampede "Ndanda Yethu" and the slo-mo, unhurried trippiness and smoking subs of "Bridge Lase London" are just three of the highlights you'll find here.

Review: Webstarr first came to light back in 2014 with a deadly single on Beneath's ever-essential Mistry label, so you know that his moves in the bass music world come highly recommended. Finally coming back on the radar to kick off the De Grey label, his tough, limber productions sound stronger than ever, drawing on industrial and dub influences but framing them in a thoroughly modern context. "We Can't Have Nice Things" uses a plaintive lead that wouldn't sound out of place on a Hodge production, with roughneck drums to match, while "Warsaw" takes a swerve towards brooding techno-flavoured structures. "Exit" is arguably the strongest track here with its tightly wound, urgent rhythmic pulse sounding fit for a Livity Sound release.

Review: Remix klaxon! Addison Groove unleashes "Shango" from this summer's heavily played "Changa" EP and passes it round his mates for a cheeky buzz. The results include a harmonic Julian Jabre-style tech house riff from Ejeca, a sub-aquatic bubble-n-bleep stepper from O'Flynn, a woozy slo-mo broken beat affair from Nan Kole and a pounding operator-style 4x4 dub shakedown from Professor Amit. Subp Yao takes the closing honours with a spaced-out beat jam that sits somewhere between IG Culture and Roska. Shango-a-gogo.

Review: Fresh from his Purple City Souffle shenanigans, the ever-on-point Etch hits Donga's Gully with a limited 300 presser. "Synapse Cluster" crushes as hard as its title suggests; industrial strength drums, weirded out edits and an all-round sense of unease run right through to the vocal twist at the end of the tale. Meanwhile on the B: "Labyrinthian Contours" is a dizzier beat jam with Shadowist skips within the kicks and pads so wet and heavy you'll need new clothes before the breakdown. Gully by name... Tip by nature.

Review: Brand new label from House Of Wax: Jupiter's Moon touch down with two highly sought-after rubs from the touchingly talented Djrum. Taking two meditative system smokers from London nine-piece The Drop, Djrum flexes in two distinct ways; "Looking To The Sky" gets an upbeat two-step twist that's not dissimilar to old Kromestar joints while "Takeover" wallows much deeper in the dubwise aesthetics as a slinkier two-step riddim bubbles beneath a much heavier bed of textures, pads and mbira. On dub since 2011 and still smouldering to this day, these are vinyl only and not likely to hang around. You know what to do.

Review: It's been a while since Durban heavyweights Audioboyz last laid down a Gqom sermon. And with four tracks they're making up for lost time. Clearly inspired by the more techno-fused side of their city's melting pot, each track teeters into so many styles while remaining on its own. There's a dubby almost progressive feel to "African Conga", "Spotlight" takes us deep into the townships with its aggy, steppy dynamic while "Monster" takes us even further down the Gqom rabbit hole with an array of twist bass textures and abyssal kick spaces. Finally "Drifting Away" hits with the type of bruk-busted rhythm you'd expect IG Culture or Dego to play. Rise up!

Review: British enfant terrible Gerry Read returns with more outsider house/techno derivatives on Ramp Recordings: and it's all rather compelling as always! Smoky, lo-fi and textured shenanigans are all rough around the edges in Read's signature style, but have an unusual charm. Take "Bounty Methods" for instance, that sounds like an old scuffed up record from a bargain bin; its mesmerising symphonic loops much in the vein of The Caretaker and sometimes even skipping out of time. But it's all in a hypnotic style and all the while accompanied by smacky, four to the floor groove. Elsewhere, the woozy swing fuelled bleep fest that is "Frankly" is worthy of you attention, not to mention the charmingly titled closer "Man From The Moon Came Down Too Soon" that works that pawnshop drumcomputer like a you know what.