Back catalogue: Drum & Bass / Jungle

Review: Malaga-based producer Pablo Dread comes to Beat Machine Records for the eleventh edition of the special series Swinging Flavors, this time for the titular 'Hardcore Blips'. It's a limited edition 7" vinyl featuring swanging bassline kicks, shaking us to our core. This is a full-throttle journey hurtling towards uncontrollable euphoria with electrifying vibrations that magnetically pull us into a one-way ticket to ecstasy. The track's old-school rave sound, a hallmark of Dread's productions, immerses us ambiances typical of the 90s, with recurring piano chords that give way to a heavy and strict drum & bass drop. The single features a special remix by Fanu (Janne Hatula), known for his dynamic and evolving rhythms. Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, Fanu takes a departure from his usual thick chord-driven pieces, opting for a more minimal yet delightfully busy and slightly wonky approach. Drawing inspiration from Luke Vibert, this remix adds a playful and unique twist to the track.

Review: The second release from Alex Egan's Utter sub label Quoth finds a link-up between Pearl River Sound and The Horn - two outlier operators with plenty to say when their machines collide. Pearl River Sound has been scattering outstanding releases on Further, Seagrave and Further Electronix amongst others, while The Horn comes from serious Devon techno heritage having cut his teeth on Evolution back in t'day. This is all about upfront material though, with a tendency towards microtonal braindance that veers from the self-explanatory collaboration 'Modular Grime' to solo forays into off-kilter, acidic electro funk. Nowhere near as derivative as a lot of current braindance, this is real freaked-out electronics for those with discerning taste.

Review: Dive headfirst into a unique sonic underground experience as Hospital Records proudly unveils the highly anticipated debut album, Streets, Love & Other Stuff, from the dynamic duo P Money and Whiney. This groundbreaking collaboration is a perfect storm, fusing P Money's totemic grime background with Whiney's futuristic drum & bass style, as the pair continue to break boundaries and push the realms of dance music. The collaboration is an energetic one, combining the driving force of drum & bass with the urban lyrical situation of grime.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


By 1997 Photek had already marked himself out as a wild card in the rapidly evolving d&b scene. He'd had three years to carve out some frankly dizzying displays of break editing wizardry and such was the innovation on display there just had to be an album coming. Modus Operandi smartly stepped to one side of the dancefloor, offering a smoky reflection on where jungle and d&b had got to, highlighting the compatibility between half-speed downtempo and breakneck drums and bringing inherent jazziness to the forefront of the beats, which avoided all the usual cliches. It's a masterpiece which hasn't dulled with time and here it's getting a heavyweight reissue across three slabs to ensure the loudest cut. All the better to blow your mind with, all over again.

Review: Low-cal melodic pop d&b done from a new-gen perspective: Piri & Tommy's take on drum & bass has been a runaway success in the last two years as the couple bring their own unique song writing signature to the genre. Now to mark this year's RSD, their debut album Froge.mp3 enjoys a limited vinyl outing and it sounds amazing for it. Cuts like the sing-along 'On & On' and the lofi dreaminess 'Slowly But Surely' and the sun-kissed summer joint 'Beachin' all still sparkling as bright as they did when they first dropped last year, this is a significant moment for Piri & Tommy. Happy Record Store Day!

Review: Response & Pliskin continue their relentless exploration of the darker side of d&b with this new drop for Tempo. Prior albums for Northern Front and Western Lore have been masterclasses in their cinematic vision for brutalist breakbeat science, and now they're bringing that scope to the always-essential Dutch label Tempo. There are snarling slammers, pad-soaked dreamscapes and oddly-angled experiments which prove how much the Manchester duo are capable of. Pressed up on three heavyweight slabs and ready for your shelling pleasure, this is what upfront d&b is all about.