Juno Recommends Dubstep Best of 2020

Review: Oofff.... Ragga tip business from Sub Basics right here as he lands on J:Kenzo's Lion Charge with two special lick-ups. 'Walk & Skank" is exactly what you'd hope it would be... The classic Jah Screechy sample that SL2 flipped into a rave monster all those years ago. No dibby-dibby cheese on this one though, just pure anthemic pressure. "Forward" carries the same weight. Creeping into the light with warm harmonics and a prowling, almost techno-like lead, it's another killer cut from the Temple Of Sounds don.

Review: Since launching in 2014, Portland's ZamZam Sounds imprint has offered up a string of beautifully packaged seven-inch singles from a mixture of big hitters and rising stars from the global bass music scene. Their latest missive comes from Dayzero, a Japanese dubstep producer best known for his outings on Wheel & Deal, Sentry and, most recently, Vomitspit. The two tracks here are weighty, intergalactic and otherworldly, mixing dub style rhythms with the kind of angular, razor-sharp sub-bass motifs more often associated with dancefloor dubstep. Both cuts are quality, though it's rolling A-side "Orbit Dub" - all lolloping dub beats, wobble bass, metallic effects and paranoid aural textures - that really stands out.

Review: Here's a pleasant surprise: a fresh, forward-thinking collaboration between sometime Hessle Audio regular Pearson Sound and mutant reggaeton specialist Clara Sobrino, a Spanish vocalist and producer has previously worked with Low Jack. In its A-side vocal version form, 'Mi Cuerpo' genuinely offers the best of both artists' styles, and as a result sits somewhere between post-dubstep UK bass, dancehall and reggaeton. Sobrino's mostly spoken word vocals are stylish and sleazy sounding, adding extra layers of heat to an otherwise exemplary joint production. Turn to the flip for the instrumental version, which is naturally every bit as weighty, rhythmic and percussive.

Review: ZAMZAM goes bang bang once again as the dutty dubstep label hits release number 80. Cause keeps it utterly filthy on the a-side with 'Hiss,' a heavyweight nobler with a menacing bassline that's so fat it wiggles as it walks. Crashing hits and sci-fi synth motifs make this a most astral crawler. 'Palms' has whirring synths and a bassline curried oceans below. Freaky vocal sounds are haunting and dark and add tension to the track as it prowls along through an utter wasteland. Atmospheric stuff, to be sure.

Review: At long last, Von D makes his Deep Medi debut and he's packing some serious Egyptian-Greek wisdom for the ride. We kick off with "Chestlick", a tune that lives up to its name with thick sludgy waves of low-end dynamics oozing out of the speakers. It's followed by the EP title track "Hermetica". Featuring the vocals of Sinerise, there's a deeper sense of contemplation as the wonky loose beats swagger with dubby hypnosis and all manner of trippy layers. Finally Von D signs out with "Symbolism". Tapping into the traditional dub style with consummate ease, it's the sound of Von D delivering an EP we've been eager to see for a long, long time. Salute.

Review: Infernal hit the big two-oh and they've recruited Taiko to mark the occasion. Last spotted on the label around 009 by way of a Darkimh co-lab, this is his debut EP for Infernal and it's long overdue. Each cut gets darker and more uncompromising as we creep and writhe from the gothic haunted house bass harmonics of "Giant Big Man" to the lighter, ghostly flutters and gurgling bass of "Slingshot Dub" right through to the trippy, warped finale "Pen To Paper". A giant big release.

Review: Every bit as heavy as their name implies; Canadian duo Rockstone make their debut on Navy Cut with four granite jams designed to shake systems. "Atlantic" sets the scene with tidal bass chugs firing on automatic while "Real Sound" flips the vibe with a deep rootsical message. Flip for more stripped back designs; "Creation" is a meditative creeper with an exceptional twist in the bassline midway while "Infrared It" closes triumphantly as Shafique lays down ragamuffin words of wisdom over a tunnelling dungeon bassline. Rock on.

Review: Buckle up for Bukkha. After years of releases on the likes of ZamZam, Moonshine, Infernal, Dub-Stuy and many other respected 140 stables, American in Spain Evert Cristoff makes his debut on Gourmet with "Sekkle Tune". A bulbous traditional dub-minded piece, complete with melodica flutters, it hits hard like Amit jamming the Scientist. For a more dancefloor-focussed take flip for a shake-up by RDG where the beats add a little more skip while maintaining the raw simplicity of the original. Grubs up.

Review: After a couple of years in which he released very little - somewhat surprisingly - Dom Tarasek AKA Commodo returned to action in May via the creepy trip-hop-meets-dubstep paranoia of 'Loan Shark' on Black Acre. This speedy follow-up for the same Bristol-based label is similarly terse and tense, with impressive A-side 'Stakeout' showcasing Terasek's ability to blend punchy dubstep drums with musical motifs and foreboding electronic sounds more often heard on 1960s British spy movie flicks and unsettling B-movie horror flicks. Elsewhere, 'Transit' is a deeper, darker and far more paranoid affair marked out by some intriguing percussion programming, while 'Crooked Law' sounds like Mezzanine-era Massive Attack after several hits on an oversized bong.

Review: Sleeper and Youngsta together on three concrete jams; you already know how heavy these are going to be. "Systematic Error" takes the lead with a sinister acid narrative that bubbles ominously before the bleeps rise to an ultimate euphoric stand off. "Hello" takes things to a much deeper, stripped back playground giving the ricocheting radar and big belly bass fills stacks of room to frolic. Finally "Iridescence" brings in the synths and brass for an emotional finale. Crucial and powerful pieces of work from two scene dons once again living up to their name.

Review: Fresh from his White Peach sorcery earlier this year, Bristol's Hiss steps up to K-Lone's slowly blossoming label Wych. An imprint who we're lucky to enjoy one release per year from, every time they do put something into the world it's always worth checking. "Keygen" is no exception. A poignant, emotional tale of product licencing keys told through barbed soul 80s synth funk motifs, this treads the line between G and S.A.D with finesse. "Anatolian Heartland" continues the sombre, reflective atmosphere but with a darker, wave-style twist as soft pads, as smoking 808 kicks and an eastern scale arpeggio turn you inside out. Finally label boss K-Lone ups the twinkle factor on "Anatolian Heartland" for a fittingly beautiful finale. Good knight.

Review: Serious wax from Denver to Bristol: already a big deal digitally, Foundation Audio press up "Dusted" for some black matter murkery. Once again we find the Sub.mission resident getting busy with the fusions as strong notes of traditional dub, techno and dubstep all get the blend up. Right from the very start we're taken on a trip; the slimy 4x4 gutter funk of the title track kicks off the EP, the superb cosmic dubstep finale "If Not The Orb" brings us to the end with all unique shades in between. Essential even if you've already got the digis.

Review: For Dubs Galore's 007 release they leave us shaken and stirred as label boss Von D goes toe-to-toe with two close compadres Mr K and Arta for two 10" system bubblers. 'Dem Tuff' lights the fire with bulbous kicks, wafting flutes and snake-like percussion as K and D lock in for a 2am heads down stamper. 'Let Down' takes us further into the night as Arta and Von strip the elements right back into something more authentically dub. Dreamy pads, rolling hang drums and a series of strange bass tones underneath. Sometimes the old ways are the best...

Review: Fresh from releasing the Birthmark and Eusebeia album, Bristol's Earthtrax returns with some old friends. Obeah is at the steering wheel once again, tagging in two exceptional MCs. Man like Trimetheus dissects the craft and graft of badmanism on the lead track; "Dead In This Ting" lives up to its name as his rifles out shots with clarity and venom. "Bad From Mi Born" sees him re-linking with Rider Shafique. Picking up where they left us on the label in 2018 with "Fix Up", it's another smoky, midnight stepper. And this time it comes courtesy of a classic jungle mix from Eusebeia. Get deaded.

Review: William Bevan has now been operating long enough under the Burial alias to be awarded a celebratory "best of" compilation by Hyperdub, the imprint he's been releasing on since 2005. This is no ordinary retrospective, though. It deliberately ignores the celebrated early portion of his career, with the artist choosing to focus not only on tracks made and released in the last eight years, but also those tucked away on B-sides and the darker corners of his EPs. It offers a fine snapshot of the subtle evolution of his sound, quietly creeping between the hushed field recordings and glacial synthesizer lines of "Nightmarket", the intensely up-beat breakbeat madness of "Rival Dealer", the haunting, near 14-minute melancholy of "Rough Sleeper" and the future garage rush of recent single "Claustro".

Review: Forget the Wiley / Stormzy beef; Jme's move to strictly release his first album in four years on hard formats was one of the fiercest statements in recent grime years. It's already sold out on CD now here comes the vinyl and, as you can see, this isn't a diluted down vinyl-version either: all 18 tracks are present on this double LP. And all 18 tracks are sounding extra fat on wax. Arguably his best album to date, Jme's bars, messages, yarns and jokes cover everything from Star Wars to veganism with confidence, humour and a flow that no other MC can touch. Featuring the likes of his brother Skepta, Giggs, Wiley, P Money and beats from the likes of Preditah, Tre Mission, Deeco and Jme himself, this album hits the spot with class.

Review: It may have arrived right at the very end of 2019, but it would be fair to say that Stormzy's much-trumpeted second album, "Heavy Is The Head", is one of the most significant releases of the year. Made with a gigantic cast list of producers and guest vocalists - Aitch, Burna Boy, Headie One, H.E.R, Tiana Major9, Yebba, Fred Gibson and MJ Cole included - the set includes some of his most thoughtful and incisive lyrics to date, as well as some particularly ear-catching mutations of grime that will further solidify his place as one of Britain's most important artists of the 21st century. Yes, it does include more nods towards pop music - he's a Glastonbury headliner after all - but the beats remain tough.

Review: Tyler Myroon AKA Abstrakt Sonance has released some of his most potent music since joining Truth's Deep, Dark and Dangerous label, so hopes are naturally high for this first missive for the imprint in two years. Title track 'Ishtar' is particularly potent, with the self-proclaimed "bass music force" wrapping clandestine chords and creepy melodies around punishing dubstep drums and gargantuan sub-bass. The EP's other instrumental cuts, 'Behind Closed Eyes' and 'Nightmares', offer deeper and hazier variations on a similarly bold and aggressive theme, while the two vocal cuts - and in particular opener 'We Nuh Pay', where Killa P, Long Range and Crowell trade verses - sound like future party-starting classics.

Review: The fourth but not quite final instalment of the DUPLOC SELECTS compilation series is a heavy hitting double 12" featuring two tunes from each of the previous four releases. Feonix & A:Grade's "Prumeer" is an early highlight with its spacious swagger and whip-snapping synth sounds depicting a desolate urban landscape, while for a totally different vibe the lush harp ripples of Ourman's "Harpy" is a great escape. With the complete 10-track Chapter III and Chapter IV compilations landing in October and November respectively, think of the final two sides of this release as a fine taster of what to expect.