Review: Four cuts of timeless hardcore jungle from respected and rising Aussie break butcher 12 Bit Jungle Out There. Hugging you like it's 92 but booting you like it's 2032, each track is littered with edits, twists, turns and superb stretches. From the ragga-fronted bubbler 'Dutty Gunman' to the rave-echoed 'Desire & Love', there's a hearty party spirit that's so good for those choppy, blast-em-up mixes. Trust us, he's has been squeezing his Octamed super hard for this one!
Review: NY breakbeat craftsman 88 Katanas gets explorative on Silent Force with four outstanding jungle adventures. The brilliantly titled 'The Standard Of The Archipelago' ignites the EP with a brisk drumfunk type of flavour that's comparable to Seba. From there we move inland to brutalist terrains... 'Radiant Energy' is a halftime march through thick swamps and woodland, and 'Bit Rot' takes us onto elevated fields where the air is fresher but the ground is very slippery underfoot. 'Subconscious Emotions', meanwhile, takes us back to a much calmer shore where a good looking ship awaits for voyage home.
Subarctic Signal - "Subarctic Signal" (Subwave remix) (5:37)
Review: Five new elysian liquid come techfunk tracks from Rotterdam's Fokuz Recordings, the cornerstone of Dutch drum & bass since 1999. A relentlessly dreamy energy is immediately conveyed on the pragmatically named 'Remix EP', led up by Alpha Rhythm, Ritual and Rezilient with 'Venus Fly' and 'One Day At A Time' on the A-side and Etherwood, Subwave and Natus on remix duties of former releases 'From The Ashes', 'Subarctic Signal' and 'Tranquility' on the B. This is liquid drum & bass of a certain character; the handicraft is impeccable, each track giving off an ultra-sleek yet still impactful post-singularity character.
Andrey HoT - "Cold Blooded Murdarah" (Barbitura Re-Hot) (5:02)
DJ 1312 & Dima Pulsar - "Jungle Ting" (4:40)
Barbitura - "Dark Room" (Jungle mix) (4:03)
Review: Sweet murderation! Russian roustabout Andrey HoT gets scorchio on his latest blaze-up for DanJet - 'Cold Blooded Murdarah'. Thing Remarc getting up close with Benny L and that's where we're at. Need more drummage? Roll on for Barbitura's Re-Hot remix. Flip for more Russian rawness; DJ1312 and Dima Pulsar's 'Jungle Ting' has all the edits and Dread bass style reverse warps you could ever need while 'Dark Room' closes the EP with a palpable whiff of tension. Yum.
Aphrodite - "I Wanted It More & More" (feat Gail McClean) (5:55)
Review: Aphrodite's Jungle Classics 94 To 96 presents a nostalgic trip back to the original jungle era with remastered tracks from the iconic releases APH-12, APH-13, APH-22, and APH-23. This limited edition vinyl release, curated by Triple Vision and Aphrodite Recordings, features timeless classics like 'Tower Bass,' 'Shine,' 'Wanted It More And More,' and the Booyaa Remix of 'Amazon II.' An impressive catalogue taht goes a long way to explaining the big part of the influential role he played in shaping the jungle and drum & bass scene during the mid-90s.
Review: Last spotted raising hell and taking names with Jon 1st on Defrostatica, Arcane (who is also known as one half of the more mainstream-sounding d&b act Kleu) goes full nelson on the breaks with these two choppy choppy bangers on Foxy Jangle. Both cuts focussing on the drums, subs, samples and FX, these are fully timeless trips and sculpted strictly for the heads. Great for losing yourself inside at 3am and even better to mix. Just like concrete.
Review: On 'Ten Steps' and its accompanying tracks, new Fokuz signee Archangel nails a much coveted mixture of sweetness, simplicity and maximalism, etching and planing each final mix as though they were blocks of marble to produce a muted, yearning and propulsive set of workouts in hard liquid. Higher powers and penitent milestones are invoked on the title track, with its memoric cascades of yearner vocals and una corda pianos set against piston-powered breaks. 'U & I' goes on to swirl its vocal samples into sloshy sci-fi garbles of emo science, while 'Darkside' near-perfectly hangs the balance between headbang jump-up and resolute emotion. Serious stuff from the 12" newcomer.
Review: California-based, British drum & bass musician ASC returns with more homages to late 90s atmospheric drum & bass on his excellent sub-label Spatial. Anyone who has been following his work and the releases that he's put out on his Auxiliary label and sub labels in the past few years should know what to expect. Following on from last month's excellent full-length Next Time You Fall, 'Undercurrents' is four tracks of impeccably produced ambient jungle. The first cut, 'Ocean Breeze', has a simpler rhythm than you would expect from him, which could be a hint at a more liquid future direction. The next three cuts are classic ASC: cut-up, spaced-out breaks interspersed with dreamy vocals.
Review: Mind Over Matter', the latest release from ASC, continues his explorations into atmospheric, breakbeat-driven soundscapes with striking results. Opening track 'Desire' sets the tone with a lush beat structure, punctuated by sharp cymbal strikes. Subtle whale song samples are woven into the mix, accompanied by a warm bassline and tender piano melodies, while swirling strings ebb and flow, creating an almost tidal sense of movement. 'Voidscaping' follows, launching immediately into crisp, striking breakbeats. The throwback pads recall the heyday of Good Looking, but ASC's meticulous sampling and deep reverb work keep the track fresh, merging nostalgia with modern complexity. On the flip, 'Let Go' brings in the sounds of nature, with metallic bongos and a restrained choral vocal riding over playful, energetic hi-hats. The atmosphere builds, layering strings, synths, and ASC's trademark vocal elements, each listen revealing new intricacies. 'Meltdown' wraps things up with a darker, more anxious vibe. Minimal breaks and elusive hi-hats give the track a creeping tension, while ambient pads and a yearning female vocal add a layer of emotional depth. It's a finely balanced track, blending melancholy and intensity in a way that ASC has mastered.
Review: Originally released on the cult V4 Visions label in 1991 & 1994, Ashaye's 'Dreaming' and 'What's This World Coming To' epitomised the essence of street soul, a genre blending soul, r&b, and hip-hop that resonated across London's pirate radio stations in the 1990s. With the surge in UK soul's popularity in recent years, DJs and tastemakers have championed these tracks which has in turn elevated their demand and value. 'Dreaming' has become nearly unattainable on the second-hand market, while 'What's This World Coming To' commands prices upwards of L50. Snap up this fully licensed RSD release however and you will have both tracks for an affordable price.
Review: Okbron Records welcome Atlantiq to the roster, and in so doing reccy an uncharted subaquatic terrain, in which drum & bass production requires specialist handling. Limited to just 350 copies, and bundled with the statement "No repress."- full stop duly noted - Okbron are implicitly aware of the (anti-)gravity of this release. 'M33' sounds as if its liquid jungle source deposits housed a yet undiscovered respiratory gas for an unidentified life-form; its all-to-easily recognised breakbeats are the only orthodox productive choice on the title track, whereupon every other element sounds born of a hidden underwater civilisation, not a mere synthesiser, and surrounds the mix as though we'd embarked on a serene coralline safari. B-sider 'Nothing To Lose' takes a seedier turn in terms of vibe, with sistrum rattles and brooding crime-drama basses hearing whackout breaks set to an otherwise ruminant sonic mystery.
Review: Everybody's favourite drum & bass disorienter Aural Imbalance (Simon Huxtable) swats the sonic spirit level out our hands with 'Coded Frequency', dizzying our sense of poise on the dancefloor with four cosmic jungle numbers. You'd think the likes of 'Deep Sea' and 'Echoes In Time' would quell the soul, but to our ears they'd seem to combine stress and relief in equal measure, their crack combo of histamine breaks and zoneout pads seeming to portray the experience of having one's spacesuit tether snapped, thus confronting the aural astronaut with the voidal cosmos: do you thrash against its cold oblivion, knowing you're going to float endlessly, or do you accept the situation? Just when we think we've settled on the latter, Huxtable reintroduces a 'Sense Of Space' on the B1, opening up the breaks texture to a farther distant vanishing point, whilst the closing 'Regolith' hears us rejoice, having landed on civilisational (yet alien) soils with the celebratory rattles and stasises of 'Regolith'.
Review: Simon Huxtable's Aural Imbalance is one of drum & bass's most cultured projects. It's a pretty prolific one too, with great new music coming on a steady basis on labels like his own Spatial and Okrbon. It is the former he returns to now with a lush translucent blue vinyl 12", Retrospective Feelings. 'Blue Sky' is a deft mix of ambient cosmic synth work and meticulous drum patterns that suspends you in mid-air. 'Starburst' douses you in dazzling light and 'Frozen Tears' is deeper, tighter, more melancholic. 'Moonlit Clouds' is the classy closer which again pairs a lightness of rhythm and melody into something heavenly.
A Soft Mist Production - "Upside Down Rainbows" (5:01)
Dr Sud - "Zaffiro" (Jazz cut) (3:59)
DatSIM - "Influx" (4:40)
The Rabbit Hole - "Tail Groove" (4:27)
Review: No matter your particular preference in the deep house world, this various artists' outing from Q1E2 Recordings is sure to have something for you. Mike Riveria & Marco Ohboy, for example, tap into an early sound on 'Euphoria' with its big, brash piano stabs and whistles, while A Soft Mist Production keeps it all cuddly and deep with languid chords draped over gentle drums on 'Upside Down Rainbows.' DatSIM brings in some space-tech vibes for a deft rhythm and neon infused sound on 'Influx' and The Rabbit Hole's 'Tail Groove' has a mad double bass sound jumping about beneath frantic jungle breaks.
Review: Moody drum & bass purveyors are back with a new one from veteran producer Big Bud, a new signee for the label and evident Argus Panaures for the intersection of halftime, liquid and "night bus" (if you want to call it that). The 'Kush Mush' EP blends mournful vocal cries with subtle dramaturgic sound FX, as if to portray the expositional scenes of a contemporary desert spaghetti western turned sci-fi thriller (if the moody gas station image on the inner label is iany indication, that is). The title track years for something hidden, "somewhere inside you", while 'Lucky7' strikes us with its swung break and similarly dreamy bloopage, echoing the nimble, nigh weightless high that follows a slot machine win.
Review: Good 2 Go, hailing from the UK, deliver another instalment - the third in a trilogy - of the Steel Circuit Chronicles, their most recent series to explore the bleeding edges of drum & bass as we move into the future, or at least, fantastic visions of it. Abandoning any recourse to retroism or conformity, the label boldly depict a futuristic cyborg standing aloft in an eco-urban fantasy on its front cover, and back this up with a sleek cyan splatter record, housing three killer, housing three future-mecha-angelic contemporary drum & bass cuts by Blame, DJ Sappo and Sync Dynamix. The first of said three artists sets the tone with 'Fireside Angel', which subverts the Roman tradition of the household deity with long-held buzzchords and soulful shouts. Then there's 'Can't You See' and 'I Can't Do It Alone', which continue to resound like echoes from a future street-time; the latter track is particularly interesting, opting for an unusually timed bass thrum and deeply affecting synth swells, which contrast to the vocal with a muted sonic chiaroscuro.
Review: A bittersweet release... Laffin Buddah and Parallax link up to reissue last year's rave treasure trove 'Palomas' and help raise money for the family of The Bridge Project member Stuart Heath who sadly passed away this year. The original rave energy and crucial 4x4 stompage of 'Palomas' is matched by a brand new cut penned by the other half of the project Lee Shilton named 'Tune For Stu'. A firing, darkwave tear-up with all the blasts, shreds and twists Stu would have demanded himself, it's a fitting epitaph to a man sorely missed. Show some support!
Review: Return To Disorder welcomes Evighet Records label head Marco Bruno for some brilliantly controlled sonic chaos on this new electro exploration. His Sharp Focus EP brings together ambient, breaks and techno to snappy electro rhythms of the sort that he has already showcased in style on labels such as Blueprint Records and Machine. This one opens with the sleek, future-facing and speedy sounds of 'Storyteller' before 'Values Over Ego' gets more textured and raw with knick-snapping hits and prying synth lines making for real turbulence. 'Twist Of Fate' is a jungle workout that ducks and dives on warped bass and 'Karmic Pattern' is a slow but textural and intense closer with rueful chords.
Review: Irish drum & bass.. icon? pioneer? Powerhouse? All are fair descriptors of Calibre, the machine-like music maker who has turned out thousands of equally high-quality tunes for more than 20 years. Whether ambient, tech house or drum & bass in nature, they are always better than most of the competition. His own Signature label has been home to most of it and that is where he lands now with this latest 12", another impossibly tasteful two-tracker. The title cut is a lively one with bustling breaks and chopped vocal stabs that bring the joy. On the flip is 'Think Again', a deep, soulful roller with exquisite pads and driving drum & bass energy. Pure class.
Review: Is there a more prolific yet consistently high-standard producer in any genre, or in fact any art form, than Irish man Calibre? Seemingly forever, the low key but high class talent has been kicking out the jams across the worlds of drum & bass, ambient and even tech house in his earlier days. Now the Signature label boss is back once again with another impeccable one-two on this Peso 12". The title cut is a pent up bumper with killer bass and soulful vocal flourishes. 'My Chances' is a little more edgy and raw, direct and hard hitting but still with well worked vocals samples which could originally come from a Bob Marley record, if you ask us.
Review: Billed as a "deep think about AI and junglism" and a "deep dive into tribalism and jungle techno" respectively, Coco Bryce's latest toe-tapper doubles as a mysterious bowling down darkside breakage tunnels, manifested in the twin tracks 'Ritual' and 'Y Do U Think I'm Not U'. Both unsettling, Reese-bound tunes, we can't be sure whether any AI programs were used in the making of these tracks, but they do command that same sense of vanguard mystery that pervades the technological climate of today; facing the deep, neurally netted unknown, perhaps surrendering entirely to it. Arpeggiated bliss kicks in at around the halfway mark of the A tune, whilst primal pan flutes and synth bowls seem to fuel the mystique forever on the B.
Chris Coco - "Yawa Ze Asfos" (instrumental) (4:02)
Jake Slazenger - "168B" (3:47)
Global Goon - "Untitled" (4:39)
Ruckus (4:47)
Jodey Kendrik - "Thanx" (5:56)
Gavin Masih - "Unknown Track 1" (6:55)
Monika Subrtova - "Alata" (7:08)
Review: Furthur Electronix's first two Furthur Journeys Into compilations tune plenty of heads and shift plenty of copies. The third one keeps the quality levels high with more explorations around the periphery of underground electronics. Chris Coco opens with a soothing synth sound before Jake Slazenger brings crystalline synths and abstract modulations to the mid-tempo '168B.' There is more pace and twisted acid energy to Global Goon's untitled contribution and then old school jungle comes to the fore on the super stylish and atmospheric Gavin Masih cut. Monika Subrtova's 'Alata' is a serene and widescreen ambient synthscape that brings things to a suitably poignant close.
Review: Stop creeping and start leaping! Headset are back with more breakbeat-flavoured timeless goodness and it comes direct from one of their most consistent and local family members - Creep Woland. A consistent energy on the label since Headset 001, CW goes in over four foundation jungle licks ranging from deep, floating and cosmic ('Ramb0 Biz') to much more intense, Detroitian adventures ('All Dogs Go 2 Heaven') Timeless to the core and steeped in emotion, it's another big hitter from this Scottish collective.
Review: This new one from Cyberlife might be rooted in techno but it is closer day a much wider world of sounds. The opener for instance rides on a nice loopy minimal rhythm you might find the likes of Batu or Pev' crafting. It comes with a lovely and dubby low end and then 'Endless Waiting' gets a little more light, with sci-fi sound effects fizzing about the mix as a dystopian automated groove takes you onwards with a hint of ancient tribal ritual to it. 'Reflexive Perspective' brings the sort of synths you'd find in some IDM over cavernous low ends and sombre, sustained chords and 'Backpropagation' shuts down with a watery and languid rhythm full of celestial depth.
Review: Four unreleased tracks from 1997 come back to the surface, recasting the luminant talents of Danny C and Mike Pears in a more contemporary light. Alleged to have been preserved on DAT for the last 27 years, there is still a consistent, clean quality to these four bits. Opener 'Blueprint' and its successor 'Dubwise' establish a utilitarian futuristic sound, betraying something of the now less popular sound that bridged jungle to techstep. The vibe on the former track lays down a mechanistic yet jazzy feel, with its semitonic Rhodes chords contrasting well to the track's outlying machinic qualities. 'Looking To The Future' and 'Groove Creator' similarly portray two death-driven, repetitious images of an automatic future.
Review: On a mission to "make d&b great again", Finland's Straight Up Breakbeat pass through once more with the second of three EPs formed to showcase modern junglism. Kicking off, 'Mystery Machines' sees Glastonbury's Dead Mans Chest slam down some deadly amen choppage reinforced by haunting vocal FX and paranoid drones. Aeon Four & FFF's 'Look Inside' is a jungle-tekno roller, served with chunky hardcore style amens and a side of warm old-skool pads. Keeping the mid-90s vibe alive, the tripped out 'Green Fields Forever ' from Fanu - which drops hot on the heels of his greatly received remaster of Source Direct's 'Stars' - delivers airtight amen trickery, weaving synth washes and blissful dubby basslines. Esc & Mineral round things off with 'Photosynthesis', a pensive stepper highlighting cut-up breaks waltzing with cheeky synth nudges and a wide, rugged bassline. If the pioneers had buried some beefed-up tracks in a time-capsule to inspire future generations, they would probably sound a lot like 'States of Art II'.
Review: Exclusive! Over Shadow unleash these two super-hot rarities from around 93/94. Both big tunes on dubplate at the time, especially 'Close Your Eyes' which was a big tune in Fabio's early Speed sets, they finally see the vinyl light of day after all these years. 'Close Your Eyes' is a beautiful atmospheric whirlwind while 'Destroyer VIP' lived up to its name. Still sounding heavier than a helicopter over 30 years later.
Review: With 'Vibes', Dutch drum & bass/jungle outfit Cat In The Bag temporarily let the feline out of the case, yet they still retain enough integrity, and rein in the shellage, to the extent that the cat is nonetheless seduced back in after a certain time. Such is the art of alley-cat drum & bass, comparable in mood to "rollage"; it's all about a fine balance of hard-hitting impactfulness and careful vibe-restraint, else the mog'll arch its back and dash off elsewise. No wonder the first tune's called 'Level Vibes'; Dial-M and Msymiakos achieve an intricate, intelligent mood of levity, a belief-suspensory dread zone in which level-headedness serves as a proxy for the execution of a skittish agility, as of a cat. Our feline reccy no less reliably scours the 'Frontline'; amens penetrate hard garrisons of bass and atmoss with relentless keratinous claws, proving retractable paw-blades really can break walls. The B-siders, 'Warehouse Dub' and 'Dub Rock', provide more novelty appeal, preferring to build sound(e-)scapes that both build upon and take flight from the warpath.
Review: Strap in for another blistering ride thanks to the Sonic Force crew who has tapped up Dissect and Abstract Illusion for a series of new tunes and remixes of one another. 'Tengoku' (Dissect's Heaven mix) is first up with some thrilling breaks that float just above the dance floor amidst nice lush pads. Dissect's 'Cosmos' then rides a lurching beat with more raw percussion and Abstract Illusion's 'Tengoku' ups the ante with crashing snares and hi-hats, plenty of turbulent rhythms and planning basslines. Dissect shuts down with 'Black Hole' which is a darker stepper with a menace undercarriage that might make it the best cut of the lot.
Review: Living life in permanent reload, Flashback's 95 classics 'Gun' and 'Triple Six' are some of the crispest, sharpest, most spacious and far out examples of junglised beat-slicing of their time. Still sounding as disarming and militant as they did 30 years ago, both hit hard with clarity. Those who love a rich warm rootsical sample in the thick of the choppy choppy should head for 'Gun' while those who love swimming neck deep in fractures will fall in love with 'Triple Six'. A stunning reissue from the Vinyl Fanatiks crew.
Review: Hospital Records' latest outing is a welcome return to releasing from DJ Hazard, pioneer of ostentatious jump-up drum & bass (of the second, not first, kind; heads will know there might as well have been two movements bearing the name, with the blurring point between them somewhat indistinct, yet the former more definitively jungly than the latter). Here we get stuck in to a four-track lesson in the jump-up sound that most know today: rolling basslines, eerie atmospheres & crunchy drumwork galore. From the opening horror film-sampling 'Behind The Mask' - on which wheezy leads and syncopated snaps steep and wring the mix to a high twisted heaven - to the mid-section sonic dentata 'Drill Bit' and 'Cloud Drift' - on we're met with an illicit power-driven (hopefully just dental) procedure and a clouded liquid miasma respectvely - and to the final 'Break The Silence' - which brings an anti-violence hip-hop sample to a playful excruciation of imp-bass and spit-snare - this is everything befitting of a contemporary Hazard EP, a sure health hazard if we know one.
Review: Astounded at the beauty of the universe around you? You will be once you've chowed down on this hardcore homage from DJ Persuasion. Benji Roth/Semtek's ravey alias, Persuasion deals strictly in the white glove gestures. Swinging breaks and vibrant synths, 'Jameela' comes in a variety of modes; an OG Bizarre Inc style original, an Ant Miles inspired mid-90s d&b twist ('Liftin Spirits') and a foundation acid house classic flex (88 Heat). Need an extra wonky edge to your classics? 'Robin Gets Revenge' scorches across the wrong side of the tracks and burns down the whole of 28th street. One doesn't need much persuading to get on this.
Review: Marking the 14th chapter in their Swinging Flavors series, Beat Machine Records call on Helsinki's DJ Sofa for a two-track offering that digs into the shadowy depths of drum & bass. A longtime purveyor of intricate, emotionally charged productions, DJ Sofa channels the breakbeat grit of late 90s UK rave culture with a distinctly modern twist. 'Drums For The Lost' is a tense, heads-down roller, its dense percussion and cavernous basslines creating a hypnotic sense of momentum. Paris-based Siu Mata reworks the track into a peak-time pressure cooker, adding a restless swing and rhythmic urgency that reshape the original's brooding energy into something more propulsive. Beat Machine Records reaffirms its ear for boundary-pushing club music.
Review: More dark arts from the man and his machine; Dom & Roland tears 2025 a new one with four powerful drum & bass compositions. Provocative and unapologetic, 'Under The Spell' snaps the firmest of wands and does so for the best part of 10 minutes. A real hypnotic showdown. 'Re-Resistance' meanwhile takes us into much more industrial, abstract territories in a way that you might imagine Krust or Amit might. 'I'm Here To Stay' is a much more placid, spacious affair laced with lush pads and a smouldering vocal that induces euphoria at 50 paces. Complete with a tearing remix of 'The Storm', it's another essential 12" from one of d&b's most consistent artists.
Soundboy Killa (feat Natty Campbell - The Allergies remix)
Jump On It (feat Top Cat - Guadi & Don Letts dub remix)
Review: The proverbial 'Soundboy Killa' is an enduring trope in soundsystem culture at large, referring to the apparently inherent enmity and villainy of the turntablist. Said to have originated in the days of system clashes, the assassin in question presumably refers to the opposing MC, whose barraging verbiage may pack enough semiotic punch to K.O. the opposition through mere utterances alone. Here Natty Campbell and the Freestylers pay tribute to the theme as progeny of the 90s big beat scene; having come up in the age of Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers, the supergroup first faced off in a whirl of tricky dub and armour-plated cold cuttage, dispatching two honorary tracks in the style of each artists' respective greatest scene-hitters: Dub Pistols' 'Cyclone' and Freestylers' 'Roughneck'. Now 'Soundboy Killa' and 'Jump On It' in turn hear a remix from Allergies and Guadi & Don Letts, the latter of which is especially experimental in its use of a peaky, 2-step shuffle.
Review: Polish dub home-brewers Moonshine Recordings have commissioned an exceptional new release here from Bukkha, Dubbing Sun and Burro Banton; 'A1 Sound' really is more than worthy of its pronounced place at the top of the list, thanks to its unique fusion of heavyweight steppers dub production and a hardcore, doubletime beat worthy of any warehouse rave. The track bares an unusual push-pull, and it seamlessly introduces the A3 jungle mix too, whose tempo and pace matches the first two versions' dragged weightiness. But here it's all three artists' productive synergies that shine, the original mix flaunting a restlessly fickle fencing between hardcore techno, brusque rap-jaying and nu system dub, never totally settling on either sound.
Review: Three new undiscovered species from sound taxonomist Eusebeia, spotted deep in the heart of the jungle. Described as "mind massages", Eusebeia leans further into his preferred mode: sculpted highs and caresser sound design. Sparking up the proceedings with pre-release single 'Zenith', we reach vicarious peaks of untrammelled 808 and sprightly sub-aqua pads. Emphasis shifts between cute, gamified pluck melodies and deeper persuasions, proving that surface and depth persist in necessary dialogue with one another.
Review: UK up-and-comers Eusebeia and Aisatsaana team up for an incredibly deep, bass-conscious, nigh sonar-systemic new drum & bass EP, 'Transnformation'. Few artists in this circuit dare to delve quite so abyssal; if anyone's ever seen the nuclear subnautical sci-fi thriller The Deep, one will know just how risky, how odds-bucking the attempt to plunge the deepest of the ocean's depths truly is. Clearly, only the best sonic submersible wearables will have cutted the mustard in aid of salvaging the jetsam-makings of this thriller; frankly, we're blown away by the ear for layering and bass heard on this EP, whether on the snareless impacts, shock-absorptions and depth-charges of 'Shed A Light' or the dim but angelic underwater intellibreaks lodestar that is 'Wayfinder'.
Review: Since 2017, KOKOKO! have been trailblazing Kinshasa's sonic revolution while earning global acclaim for their unique sound and vibrant performances. Recognised as the best live band by AIF, they've been featured on NPR Tiny Desk, Boiler Room, and major festivals like SXSW and Pitchfork. Their debut album, Fongola, received rave reviews, and now they are back with another album that is unlike much else you will have heard. BUTU, which is inspired by Kinshasa's vibrant nightlife, has been proceeded by the lead single 'Mokili.' The album has further cues taken from Kinshasa, Kwaito, and 90s dance music and channels the band's hometown's frenetic energy with a sense of social activism into a powerful statement.
Review: Onetime halftime exclusivist Fixate has set his sights on new temporal horizons. 'Conundrum' is one such dance musical venture, clocking in at a rough 130ish BPM while also securing enough of an atmospheric likeness to earlier releases so as to remain Fixated on the same vibe. A six-track mini-album debuting on the artist's resident Exit Records, 'Conundrum' flaunts a formerly undisclosed affection for house, electro and techno; in the artist's own words, "I made these tracks to fit into my own DJ sets, bridging the gap between tempos when playing out." Functional intentions do often still lead to excessively wicked results and the tracks here all provide a serious underfoot scalding, their 808 snares and underhand grimey melodies sure to make you hoo, hah, suck teeth and dance.
Review: Forest On Stasys takes the plunge here and launches a new label, Aura Sonora, which debuts with a hugely limited and high-quality new 12" from the boss. The imprint will be "a platform designed for sound experimentation" and the first missive backs that up with a great blend of drum & bass, half-time and techno. 'Magnetismo' is a prickly opener with slippery rhythms underpinned by bold bass. 'Domo' is a darker sound with menacing low ends and prickly percussive patterns while 'Sideral' is another late-night prowler with low sling sounds, eerie atmospheres and a real sense of futurism. A great start to life for Aura Sonora.
Review: Fracture & Neptune's classics, Clissold and The Limit, now make a welcome return in the form of this special 2024 reissue on 12" vinyl. This reissue highlights pivotal tracks from their mid-2000s catalog and both have been remastered for a fresh take. The limited edition includes both the 2024 remasters and original mixes, presented in eco-friendly packaging. These influential tracks explore the ongoing legacy of the legendary Astrophonica label's early work. 'Clissold' is a dusty breakbeat excursion with gorgeous keys and 'The Limit' pairs more suspensory pads with a moody bassline and darker rhythm.
Review: Furney, a UK producer with a distinct and recognizable sound, continues to impress with his ability to blend genres seamlessly into dance rhythms. His track 'Spyro Gyro,' a drum'n'bass reinterpretation of the 70s funk classic 'Masterpiece,' originally released digitally on DJ Nookie's Phuzion label, finally gets the vinyl treatment it deserves. The track is packed with energy, featuring bold horns and strings that give it the feel of an action movie soundtrack, all while maintaining a drum'n'bass pulse that keeps the momentum high. On the flip side, 'Just Fine' takes a more relaxed approach. Produced around 2003, this track combines acoustic guitar with summery background sounds, creating a laid-back vibe that's perfect for those chill moments. The rolling bassline adds depth, making it a versatile addition to any set. Together, these tracks showcase Furney's versatility and knack for drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical influences.
Review: Dark Knite renegade Hannibal Selector returns with a broad bounty of militant steppery. 'What A Shame' is a gritty tech step number that's reminiscent of Dom & Roland around the 'Cant Punish Me' era. 'End Of All' meanwhile is more a whole warehouse of chainsaws being let off at the same time, then sped up by some type of dark d&b sorcery. Finally 'Necrodancer' closes on more of a sinister bone rattler flex. Hard, acidic but still bouncy. What an EP.
Review: Deep Jungle has always dealt in sounds that hark back to the golden era of the mid 90s, whether they are carefully chosen reissues, forgotten rarities or new releases. This time it is bossman Harmony who steps out with his version of things starting with the epic 'Now Massive' which is a hefty amen number with ragga vocals and love retro Reese bass. Flo over this one and you will find 'Ohh Baby' which although is decidedly more laid back, the heavy rolling breaks never let up and keep you moving physically and emotionally. Two more essential and timeless sounds from this jungle powerhouse.
Review: Deep Jungle bossman Harmony gets busy once again and it's a tale of two bangers. 'Hold It' goes in with the swagger and a hardcore energy. There's a big drive to the breakdown where everything melts into bliss. Need something deep for the weekend? Get your listening gear around 'Star Chaser'. Twinkling flutes, shimming synths, gentle vocal textures. Think Seba and you're in the right cosmos.
Review: Back once again, it's Ill Behaviour with yet another two pantherine jungle steamers to top up their eponymous series of black labels. With purring associative moods of a melanistic leopard on wax, 'Side A' crafts knockout jungle from mutedly distant, longing r&b samples and rampant drum snaffles, wafting a prowly energy not too far from the voracious ravishing of prey. 'Side B' goes speedier jungle techno, proving that this is no alley cat; the piano breakdown is particularly impressive, weaving successfully controlled, empirically tested vocal science chops around a well-controlled mallet melody line, one we could only too easily assume was played in by a feline philanderer.
Review: Five years has passed since J Majik made an impressive return with Full Circle, an album that dug right back to his Reinforced/Metalheadz roots with uncompromised futurism. Lo and behold these cuts still smack just as hard now as they did in 2019 (and would have absolutely melted us back in 94) 'The Crow Knows' is total sonic brutalism with it thundering drums and powerful sense of tension. 'Codebreaker' is a much colder slice of the jungle pie. Big elongated pads and a general feeling that aliens are about to land at any minute. Majik doing magic things.
Review: More magic from Majik as he looks back to his evergreen 2019 opus which saw him take things right back to his Reinforced foundations. The title track is an ice cold slab of futurism that essential provides the blueprint for jungle's most dynamic aesthetics. 'Eclipse' meanwhile goes for the heart strings, rips them out and turns them into an orchestral string section as a huge score-level sample is laid gently over surging, urgent break. Abracadabra.
Review: Ja-Ge George is a rather little-known dancehall artist who has turned out only a few releases over the last 20 years. He hails from Japan and is part of the Rub-A-Dub Market crew and now he is back with a new single that comes on Far Eastern label Lawson Entertainment. 'Down Beat Rule' blends new school and contemporary raga and dancehall into a classic-sounding cut with some rhythmic vocal stabs, natty, polished chords and broken tumbling beats to amp up any crowd. On the flip, it becomes a high-energy jungle workout powered by blistering breakbeats.
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