Review: Coventry-based Whiney returns to drum 'n' bass institution Hospital Records With Bubblers: Part Three' marking the last edition in a series. Teaming up with North London-based MC Subten on 'Headlines', a grime-infused stepper, followed by 'Freedom Dub' which is an intelligent liquid roller. B-side cut 'Yesterday' will hypnotise you with its rich tapestry of synth textures while his immaculately programmed rhythms maintain the energy levels. Legend Laurent Garnier is said to be a fan of the young producer's work, and a track like this is a good example why. This might be his last Bubblers EP, but it's definitely not the least.
Review: Hospital's secret weapon, Whiney is up there with S.P.Y when it comes heavyweight Hospital tackle. Bubblers through and through, each of these cuts shows off the young artist's darker dancefloor style. 'Deep End' is a Verse-front groove you could imagine deep in a Randall set, 'Caught Up' busses up a little bashment in the woozy, bumpy flow, 'Old Flame' balances sultry soulful vocals with a stinky rubber ball bassline (think a really moody Danny Byrd) while 'Roll Out' brings Parly B into the fold for a final ragga happy slap hoorah. Bubbling.
Review: Wilkinson's smash hit 'Afterglow' is given a limited repress on a pretty slice of golden marbled wax, harkening back to a time when the drum n' bass artist lay just on the cusp of stardom. The original press of 'Afterglow', arguably one of the most important songs to galvanize drum n' bass as a truly Top-40-worthy style for the 2010s, has long been out of print. However, that never stopped the song from reaching public stardom, in large part thanks to its contributing vocals from Becky Hill and its lesser known jump-up B-side, 'Perforation'.
Review: Aus-based label Southern Lights welcomes Michal Wolski for an avant-garde techno outing here that takes you into futuristic sound worlds. 'Stargaze' opens with suspensory synth loops that take you into celestial worlds and 'Moonless Night' then lays down light, airy patterns and motifs with a ritualistic edge. 'Return To The (Dis)Comfort Zone' detailed minimal techno for deep excursions and 'Rainfall' has a fantastically warped bassline. 'Omen' is another atmospheric and cinematic closer that sounds like a trip through an underwater cavern.
Review: Wardown, the emotive and experimental project from Technimatic's Pete Rogers, releases its second LP on Blu Mar Ten Music. Where the debut Wardown album was a diary of smeared memory, musically recounting the author's childhood home and his subsequent feelings of dislocation from it, Wardown II expands on the themes of nostalgia and focuses on our collective reactions to a promised future that remains undelivered. Using aural scraps from that most optimistically futurist period, the 1950s & 1960s, Wardown weaves them into an uneasily dreamy, bittersweet commentary on postmodern nostalgia.
Review: The man, the myth, the legend... Workforce returns with a brand new album and you can feel that it's a breath of fresh air from the moment the Tyler Daley opener 'Falling Down' takes the lead and sets the scene. What follows is a flow of forward-thinking drum & bass cuts, all writhing in a different corner of the dance. 'Water In The Basement' reminds us of the genre's street roots while 'Drowning' and 'Really Small Boxes' both lose themselves in the cosmic moment. Deeper again we see Worky linking with old vocal partner Tamara Blessa for the introspective soul of 'Yours For The Taking' while 'Deep Ones' sees Bobbie Johnson adding a very special twist. Wrapping up, 'How They See It' and 'Waste Not Want Not' bring the album to a suitably stunning and unique close. Beguiling.
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