New releases last four weeks: Drum And Bass

Review: 26 years ago Blame embraced the dark forces of the Sith (a good five years before the Revenge movie) - and it finally got a release in 2021. Now comes the VIP. Even more score-like and dramatic with its energy and intention, this will have you unleashing force destruction before you can even whip out your sabre. 'Lost Science' is another unreleased gem from the same late 90s era. Big jazzy drums, caverns of space and a sense of cosmic jazz that's hard to find in contemporary breakbeat music. The dark force is strong on this one.

Review: Contemporary jungle Renaissance crew Omni Music continue to look back over their vaults for more vinyl reissue gold. This time, two tracks from Pariah's 2017 'Selected Works' series. Two very different approaches to the jungle style; 'Meltdown' is a big dreamer of a track with its lush pads and subtle sense of drive and momentum while 'Metal Hero' is a much more punishing affair with uncompromising breaks and an aggy energy that will cut into any mix creatively. Both absolutely slap.

Review: Polish party vibes courtesy of Riffz. 'Twilight Rhythm' brings the ephemeral rave feels with its big airy pads and big sweeping jazzy breaks. It's in good company; 'Why' asks all the hard questions over some tightly rolled drums and dank, slimy aesthetics, 'Second Thoughts' switches up the drums into a much fresher, cosmic brew while 'Game Over' (with Subreachers) closes on a poignant, thoughtful note. Deep jungle perfection.

Review: Deep atmospheric jungle is definitely having a moment right now with labels such as Omni Music and Codename RCRDS and Deep Jungle incubating some outstanding art, Kid Drama and DJ Trace's Nine Windows project setting benchmarks and, way ahead at the forefront, Soul Intent doing what he's been doing for the best part of 20 years. Atmospherics is the perfect example. His deepest and most cosmic of albums, the full trip is an epic sci-fi odyssey that sucks you in on an iMax level. These four cuts are some of the most clubbier-minded cuts, especially for the vinyl heads. From the hurricane breaks of the title track to the jazzy rolling drums of 'Dying Star', this is an exceptional snapshot of an incredible album.

Review: .Stepping into spring with true style and just the right amount of nostalgic sass, unpredictable Finnish artist Otto Taimela follows a string of techno dispatches with this sublime four track jungle narrative that's perfect the sunnier seasons. With its lively, unkempt edits and jumps, 'Sunflower' has a powerful warmth of a timeless jungle dancefloor tune while carrying a certain amount of nostalgic IDM haze. It's a vibe which is maintained throughout the EP; 'Sunwarmed Window' has a dreamier edge that wouldn't have gone amiss on Warp at any point during the early to mid-90s, 'Sunshine Reloading' rides a much busier drums palette while 'Imagined U' brings us back down to earth with a gentle beatless ambient kiss. Stunning.