Dubstep Recommendations August 2014

Review: It's been a hot minute since Brett Bigden stepped out in a solo capacity as Leon Switch, naturally quite busy in his role as one half of Kryptic Minds with Simon Shreeve, which makes this sight of this 12" for Chestplate most welcome. With over a decade of production consistency in the realm of bass music under his belt, you know a new Leon Switch 12" will be quality and that's certainly the case with these two busty sides of dark, demonstrative sub science. "Deadlock" comes with a stark political vocal sample and a squiggling, scratchy bass hook. Flip for "Persepolisia", a track that sees Leon go darker again with a dirgy, unbelted bassline that licks every crumble of grit from the gutter. Sleazy synthetic sub soul, it's as alluring as it is hypnotising.

Review: How Strange is Truth's fourth release on Tempa following last year's Devil Hands and Chicks & Drugs. The brass bell chiming title-track features the eastern-tinged vocals of female singer Bijou. Layered over the top of wobbly bass rumbles that create its lurching groove are keys similar to 187 Lockdown's garage crossover hit "Gunman". Two tracks appear on the B-side with the minimal yet heavy drum passages of "Justify" sounding like something that would be right at home on Deep Medi, while its vocals and synth work nestle quite comfortably into the Tempa aesthetic. For some deeper bass vibrations to bliss-out to there's also the icy cold and dusty "Yesterdays".

Review: Previously featured on Keysound's This Is How We Roll set, this is the first full solo release from Goon Club Allstars co-founder Moleskin. And boy is he making a serious mission statement. Fusing elements of footwork, grime and b-more, there's an unrelenting, choppy sense of playful funk and attitude to each of the five cuts on offer here. Full dancefloor-dedication: Great examples include the precision cuts, deadly bass drops and pulsating bassline of "Turnt On", the radar-rave ricochets of "Chips" and the steppy ghetto-funk chaos of "Clemency". What a mission statement! We can't wait to hear what he cooks up next.

Review: Bristol label Deeper Vibrations expand operations here with the launch of Mantra, a sister label dedicated to digging even deeper into the DNA of dubstep for releases that are geared equally for club play or headphone rotation. With a discography that's become characterised by a rare talent for matching rhythmic toughness with real musicality, Guy Chambers work under the Quantum Soul banner makes him a perfect candidate to inaugurate proceedings on Mantra. The lead track is a hook up with Dutch musician Katya Gabeli that results in a sumptuous exercise in horizontal beat science and it's more than matched by the solo flipside cut "Nemawashi".