Drum & Bass Recommendations November 2011

Review: Considered a true stalwart of the scene, Fierce has been a long time champion of the tech influenced strain of D&B. With the excitement bubbling about his brand new "Oblivion" long player, he harks back to the heady late 90's heyday of his seminal No U Turn label on "Fury", a moody beast with choppy drums and a rumbling bottom end. Meanwhile, man of the moment SPY contributes "Bloodshed", a nasty number with a searing bassline and horror movie strings. Not for the faint hearted.

Review: ST Files steps out of Marcus Intalex's shadow for the inaugural release on his very own Grey Audio label. Collaborating with the legendary Calibre on "Falling Down", the pair deliver a tough, unrelenting tech step monster, with razor sharp drums, spooky FX and nasty bass frequencies. Flipping the script, solo effort "The Void" rides in on a liquid tip with smooth pads and swooping strings the order of the day here. This will undoubtedly become an imprint to look out for - sheer quality all the way.

Review: Blu Mar Ten continue to build their legacy with another forward thinking foray into the world of D&B. Having maintained an amazing level of consistency since their late 90s output on Good Looking, BMT have never been afraid to plough their own furrow, continuing to experiment with different tempos and styles but never sacrificing their musicality. This latest 12" on their eponymous label is another surefire winner. "Problem Child" kicks off with sweeping strings but soon morphs into a deadly bass injected dancefloor slayer. Flipside "Sweet Little Supernova" is a deeper affair with a sultry female vocal. Sheer class.

Review: Orlando Extinct Dinosaurs is most certainly one to watch next year, with a debut album primed for release, some time spent in the Congo with Albarn and company and a summer's worth of worldwide festival appearances ringing in people's memories. "Garden" is undoubtedly one of his most ubiquitous tracks, and following a fine remix from Soul Clap, drum & bass veteran Calibre steps up to tackle it. A fine job he does too, retaining the track's warmth and gentle piano flourishes, laying them over a smoothly undulating steppahs rhythm. Where some might break loose, Calibre choose restraint and it's perfectly judged, as is the flipside dub where the rolling rhythms are ramped up.

Review: A considered highlight of recent Autonomic podcasts, D Bridge finally releases "So Lonely", a track notable for some heart wrenching vocals from the Exit Records boss himself. If the fragile and stripped down nature of the original is not for you (and the feline growls that intermittently appear throughout seem an odd accompaniment) then the commissioned remixes will certainly find favour; not least the effort from Hyperdub's Morgan Zarate which imbues proceedings with some shimmering future funk. Exit regular Consequence opts for the more familiar spacious D&B steppah vibe, flushing the nether regions of the crisp, electrofied 808 programming with plenty of menacing industrial atmosphere.

Review: The much revered Critical label reach their 54th release with this heavyweight package. As one of the few drum and bass labels to exercise strict quality control across all formats, they continue to lead by example. With a string of huge tunes under his belt, SPY has become a major player on the scene and he comes correct yet again with "Surface", a darkside roller with lashings of murky bass. Label boss Kasra keeps up the pace on flipside "Control", a deep and dirty number with sparse drums and a purely atmospheric vibe. Strictly for the headz.

Review: [Quarantine] present the third in a series of vinyl samplers preceding the much awaited [Oblivion] album that pairs tech step stalwart Fierce with some of his most respected peers. This twelve opens with "Waterboard" by Optiv, a liquid propelled juggernaut that arises from the dubby ether with nasty intent, all finely sculpted drums and jagged stabs raining down on the viscous bottom end. It's a classic [Quarantine] tech roller that harks back to the 90s heyday, as does the flipside collaborative effort. "Fiend" pairs Fierce with Jubei and Vicious Circle and is a rowdy barrage of rolling breaks, expansive rhythms and driving, devious bass work.

Review: The latest Critical Music drop pairs the fresh faced with the established, as newcomer Foreign Concept shares twelve inch billing with label boss Kasra. Shotgun calling duties fall on Foreign Concept with the finely sculpted excellence of "Mob Justice" which pairs drums that slap you in the face with sub bass. Flipside and Kasra allows some reverberant melody the space to breath over the tightly wound liquid drum step on "Show You" with the dark splurges of bass matched by the slightly ominous vocals that float around the shadows of the mix.

Review: The first of two releases on Equinox's Scientific Wax imprint sees fellow south coast resident Dub One serve up two masterfully relentless drum funk deviations. Whilst lead track "Below" might commence in an atmospheric state, it swiftly locks into a bucking amen groove aligned with dubbed out dread vibes and sub heavy bass throbs. The mid point rinse out through schizophrenic drum edits is pretty special son! "King Operator" operates on a similar plane, the dubby opening moments not really preparing you for the barrage of rugged, jagged drum edits that burst into life and hit you where it hurts. Just when proceedings are about to hit bedlam, Dub One calls a halt, allowing you to catch your breath before diving right back into the rolling madness. Tip!

Review: New Zealand's premier Drum & Bass crew State Of Mind come correct with Ronald Reagan, which we hope is the first in a series of deviant rollers dedicated to American Presidents. A heady dose of cinematic atmosphere marks the beginning of the track, with the razor sharp beats expertly rising through the mist and locking into groove aligned with the rippling bass surges. We look forward to State of Mind dropping "Dubya". Check the flip too, with "Pitch Dryfter" a rowdier steppah done in collaboration with regular studio buddies Black Sun Empire which is every bit as potent as previous productions such as "Animal".