Back catalogue: Deep Dubstep

Review: Ilian Tape have been sympathetic to the sound of UK bass for some time now, but this new drop from Atrice leans even further into the pervading energy of dubstep as a source of club pressure. The Swiss duo first appeared on Ilian Tape with Q back in 2021, and they're sounding stronger than ever on this latest missive. If 'Multiplex' brings a cybernetic sheen to headsy 140, then 'Is It Warm' does similar work with techy d&b as the pair dice up breakbeats with precision and drape exquisite, shimmering pads over the ruffness. There's also space for crafty techno propulsion on 'Broke' and high-tempo trippiness on '83 Steps', making this a versatile, consistently brilliant release from a rising force in the scene.

Review: Burial drops his latest two-tracker on XL, two chaotic breakbeat balancing acts firmly rooted in rushy UK 'ardkore and day-glo 80s freestyle respectively. The A is a nail-biting, cavernous tweak out, which Burial pipes out into the darkest, most paranoid corners of the rave, exhuming frazzled dancers and inducing a queasy euphoria that any seasoned hedonists will recognise all too well. 'Boy Sent From Above', on the other hand seems to chart the passage of an obsessive, icy winter graff mission, with tinny drum machines, saccharine squarewave arpeggio hooks and spraycan samples harking back to the heyday of B-Boy electro, Miami freestyle and NYC breaking with devastating efficacy, albeit seen through Burial's unmistakeable misty-eyed LDN gauze; chrome and black over day-glo. Dreamfear marks yet another welcome switch up in Burial's artistic direction, and makes for one of the most evocative, moving and transporting entries in his much pored-over catalogue.

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Review: Vinyl only and lucky if we see one release a year; Moonshine's Dubwise Revolution always keeps us keen with their white label 10s. This is no exception. Crafted by an anonymous source, these spicy versions join the dots in a contemporary, high grade way. Sleng tenging it out with plenty of molten low end, 'Garnedd' brings the soul while 'Ghetto Living' slugs it out with swagger. Grab it while you can.

Review: Few are aware that the historic city of Bristol is still home to secret cabals of subaquatic explorers, the most open secret among which is the Challenger Deep crew. From the depths, one of their many regiments, duo Inner Echo, break the surface tension with two new ones, 'Aurora' and 'Ruminate'. Both tracks are masterclasses in deep dubstep, the first revelling in a low-bubbling lead line that leans heavy on the harmonics, the latter preferring a subtle ambience of piracy and novel Atlantean exploration.

Review: Sneaker Social regulars Alan Johnson return to the label with more unclassifiable gems. All flexing that bewitching, beaty brew of percussion, smoking 808s, shattered beats and crafty sampling, each cut hits with a direct physical groove. From the System-level dubsteppy title track to the more organic haze and swoons of the finale 'People Of The World', the UK duo have once again weaved a fine line between so many genres without committing to any. Tonnes of love..

Review: Skid Row is a carefully composed six-tracker of modern club and soundsystem oriented Bristol-influenced bass music. Believe it nor not, all basslines on this release are created by the same untypical hardware device, the Benidub DS71 Dub Siren. The tracks fuse grime and techno, picking up early reggae and 90s warehouse toasting - far from shiny algorithm optimization. 'Rictus' attunes the listeners to a playful, deeply swinging bassline embedded in reduced drums and comfy pads. 'Cockatrice' unfolds a technoid, almost trancelike impetus - dressed in broken beats and thoughtful vocal samples. 'Weedlot' sticks more to the funky side and cavorts with witty sonic effects, while the flip meets with 'Clodbuster': a conscious, truly demolishing badass tune in the spirit of only-the-rawest UK bass and grime; 'Suttree', finally, slows things down to a wide and wry space garnished with reggae horns and contemporary dance music samples. The record closes with growling drums, reverberant chords, tripping vocal snippets, and a sub-bass targeted on blurring your sight: 'Calico'.

Review: Modern Hypnosis rolls onto its 11th release and it's another deliciously deep dubstep trip into sub-aquatic realms. 'Vintage' is patient and roomy, full of ricochetting hits and bulbous bass wobbles with fragments of vocal floating throughout the mix. 'Wistful' is a more kinetic cut with busy leads and energetic drums that are pent up with potential as a moody vocal adds extra tension. 'Be Humble' then comes on strong with crashing hits and the sort of ice-cold synths that cut through any dancefloor. Last but not least is 'Amethyst', a more bright and optimistic cut for sunnier days.

Review: Powerful hypnosis sessions from south UK artist Tom Woods AKA Sub Basics: Foundation Audio return after a short break with two stunning adventures. Both heavily groove-based, 'Tribal Flex' and 'YY' roll with percussive momentum, sitting somewhere between contemporary 140, timeless dub and universal dancefloor dynamics. The former is all about that bouncy kick and its sweltering tropical sound elements while 'YY' is on more of a mystical tip. Both flex hard, there's nothing basic about this operation whatsoever.