Back catalogue: Dubstep

Review: Bassnectar goes deep into his own take on dubstep here with a new album The Golden Rule on Amorphous Music. It comes across a triple selection of coloured vinyl and wastes no time in getting heavy. 'The Golden Rule' rides on saw tooth synths and slapping synths with 'Unlocked' (feat Rye Rye & Jamalski) bringing some vocal energy and 'I Am Another Yourself' then gets all screwy on some mad bass mutations. Elsewhere Bassnectar collaborates with Rebelwise on the exotic sounds of 'Prayer Song' and Hyper is peak time and maximal jump up for rave times only.

Review: James Blake's debut album is undoubtedly one of 2011's most keenly awaited releases, and its arrival via his own (major label funded) Atlas imprint ensures their is no lull in momentum for a producer who enjoyed a watershed 2010 with releases on Hessle Audio and R&S. The results here differ wildly from his previous sonic excursions - gone are the shimmering R&B soaked melodies of "CMYK" and the sheer experimentalism of the Klavierwerke EP, which saw the young Londoner depart from the confines of the dancefloor and enter a realm where there was only a passing reference to rhythm-based music. Instead we are treated to Blake's own yearning, raw voice, delicate pianos and an underlying sense of melancholy. Ubiquitous single "Limit To Your love" and the crackly sonic terrain evoked on "The Wilhelm Scream" are among the most immediately pleasing moments, but there is much to explore here. It's a fascinating opus and surely the catalyst to a long and fruitful career at the top.

Review: Of all the artists past and present who claim to let their music do their talking for them, Burial is one of the elite band of whom this truly is the case. In fact, so reluctant is he to engage with the cult-of-personality hoopla that surrounds almost every modern producer and musician of merit, that he remains a genuine recluse; he has never appeared live, only one obliquely-angled publicity photograph is known to exist, and the number of interviews he has given can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Yet despite this, his music speaks loud and wide, and the world has been listening ever since his 'South London Boroughs' EP debut on Hyperdub in March 2005. His eponymous album, which began life as a low-key release in May 2006, is now widely regarded as the benchmark release of the ever-widening dubstep genre, picking up unanimous critical acclaim along the way, and ending the year heavily featured in many 'best of' polls. Now Burial returns with 'Untrue', a new record of weird soul music, which lovingly processes spectral female voices into vaporised R&B and smudged 2step garage. Vocal lines are blurred, smeared, pitched up pitched down and pitch bent until their content is cast adrift from their original context and they whisper their saccharin sweet nothings into the void. The album continues with the debut's crackle-drenched yearning and bustling syncopations, haunted by the ghosts of rave, but also reveals some new Burial treats with a more glowing, upbeat energy. Kicking off with the skittering 2step syncopations and vocal science of 'Archangel', 'Near Dark' and 'Ghost Hardware', before long it descends into a space of radiant divas and ambience. Where 'Burial' first was humid, suffocating and unrelentingly sad, 'Untrue' is less sunless. Many of the tracks are so sweet, they become toxic, underscored by the almost geological rumbles of growling basslines. Unlike the overpoweringly melancholic prevailing mood of before, Burial's sound is now better defined as a downcast euphoria typified by the epic, muted optimism of the album's last track 'Raver'. Forget central heating the radioactivity of this album is all that you'll need to keep you warm this winter. 'Untrue' is available as full 13 track digipack CD, including recent underground hit 'Ghost Hardware', and 9 track DJ friendly double vinyl set, from which some of the beatless pieces have been edited.

Review: There was much talk ahead of the release of Darkstar's debut album as to whether the London based outfit could live up to the promise of their stunning breakthrough single "Aidy's Girl Is A Computer" on Hyperdub in 2009. The answer, in short, is yes. In the course of the past 12 months Aiden Whalley and James Young have morphed from a production team into a band, adding vocalist James Buttery along the way, and North, the fruits of their labour, is a fragile, delicate and beautiful record. Tracks like "Gold" and ""Dear Heartbeat"" showcase an 80s synth pop sensibility, forming the backbone of an album that is steeped in worry and melancholia. Buttery's vocal talents add an extra layer of depth to the music, particularly on the poignant, piano driven opening and closing track "In The Wings" and "When It's Gone". There is much to explore on North, which will go down as one of 2010's most affecting electronic albums.

Review: Grime might now be one of the biggest sounds in the UK music scene, but it arguably might never have been without the much earlier work of scene forefather Dizzee Rascal. The Londoner broke through just after the turn of the millennium and onto the international stage with his in-your-face bars, mashed-up dance sounds and big samples. Quite possibly his best work is Boy In Da Corner, the stunning Mercury Prize winning long player on XL that is now 20 years young. It gets a special reissue for the occasion with all the big ones like 'Fix Up, Look Sharp' present and correct, as well as a load of fine instrumentals.

Review: EVA808 has used this new album to launch her own new label Gleb and a fine statement it is too across four sides of gatefold clear vinyl to "represent the ice that inspires" the music. The artist born Eva Johannsdottir hails from Iceland and has a signature sound that she hopes conveys a story of "being different." The album is rich and cinematic in design with bass driven low ends and dark, boorish synth moods up top. It's cold yet warm, icy yet inviting and comes after many years of Johannsdottir being a key part of the drum & bass underground having first started outpacing grime and dubstep in 2011.

Review: Roel Funcken is back with another genre-bending, mind melting sonic workout that makes for a perfect soundtrack for your transition from the real world and into an alternate reality. It's a record set in a faraway future, with the title translating as "are you a tourist guide?" in Turkish hinting at that concept further. It's a powerful headspace to be in, with warped bass and pixelated keys racing down on broken beats that lurch forwards into the unknown. This interplanetary exploration comes with a fantastic cover filled with colour and patterns that capture the essence of the music perfectly.

Review: Ghetts is undoubtedly amongst the top tier of British MCs - a grime legend famed for being a genuinely dextrous lyricist. As On Purpose, With Purpose proves, he's also an artist whose output has evolved considerably since he emerged in the late 2000s. While his raps and rhymes are as sharp as ever, the beats he's working with are far more diverse, polished and - whisper it quietly - deeper than many may expect. For proof, check the r&b and hip-hop-soul influenced of 'Double Standards (featuring Sampha)', the sub-heavy punchiness of 'Laps (featuring Moonchild Sanelly), and the jazzy, head-nodding hip-hop warmth of 'Twin Sisters (featuring Skrapz)'. Throw in nods to Afrobeats and Amapiano, and you've got a set that will surely feature in many 'best of 2024' lists later in the year.

Review: Ghetts presents a new album, On Purpose, With Purpose, which follows 2021's epic Conflict Of Interest and continues the ongoing artistic evolution of one of the UK's foremost rappers. Ghetts returns sounding sharper, more unflinchingly honest and boldly confident than ever before, expanding his sonic palette by reaching out beyond rap and incorporating wider genre elements such as soul ('Double Standards'), r&b ('Mine'), gospel ('Hallelujah'), Afrobeat and amapiano ('Gbedu', 'Blessings', 'Tumbi'). With every contemporary stylistic box ticked, Ghetts' purpose is made abundantly clear: to please.

Review: Oskar Allen and Luke Barnett are Glume & Phossa, but beyond that we dot know much about them, Musically this superb album shows that they bridge the gap between electronica, trap and hip-hop with plenty of slick and sleek minimal rhythms and glistening synths. There's a psychedelic edge to these sounds - hyper real melodies and warped vocal sounds - that makes it otherworldly and futuristic at the same tie as having the sort of nostalgic chords that remind you of a time you probably never actually lived. Brilliant stuff for either home listening or the dance floor.

Review: Finally! Grove's exceptional debut EP from last year sees the vinyl light of day. Sitting somewhere between breaks, drum & bass, hip-hop and IDM, their powerful delivery and black, queer perspective fires up an incredible cauldron that's visceral, physical and loaded with positivity. Highlights range from the subverted jungle head-twister 'F-I-U' to the bulldozer techno stepper 'Intent' with all kinds of flavours in between including a collab with Griz-O, a remix from Ur Worst Nightmare and exceptional life truths like 'Fuck Ur Landlord' and 'Ur Boyfriend's Whack'. Get sticky.

Review: Almost 20 years have passed since Australian duo's debut LP Alleys To Valleys landed in our collections. Now we see these valleys from the flip perspective as they creatively scale us to the very summit of Mirror Mountain, their most ambitious body of work so far. Sitting somewhere between Booka Shade, Four Tet and Chemical Brothers, there's a vibrancy and energy that they've only ever hinted at before. From the soaring euphoria of 'Promises' to the emotional, cinematic breaks of 'Golden Hour' and the gentle lament of 'Tides Of Time', the pair weave a beguiling narrative through their work that really brings the album to life. Stunning.

Review: Alex Green and Damon Kirkham's debut album has been a long time coming. It follows an action-packed decade that's seen them morph from drum & bass punishers to dubstep fusionists and, more recently, bass music experimentalists. With such experience behind them, it's perhaps no surprise that Resolution 653 is an eclectic set. What's more surprising is the expansiveness of their approach. Within the album's 13 tracks lies glass-clear electronic futurism, brain-warping acid tracks, murky dusbtep, slo-mo 4/4 sweetness, hard edged electro bounce, off-kilter IDM and, naturally, 140 BPM bass bangers. As a summary of where British bass music's at in 2011, it's unsurpassed.

Review: It might come as a surprise that dubstep favourites Kahn & Neek have only just gotten round to releasing their debut album, but their repertoire has spoken for itself over the years, so this is more than deserved. Translating from the Latin phrase "the wolf and the bear", Lupus et Ursus draws heavily on the image of the pair's occupation of the top of their very own hierarchy; the carnal apex predators of bass music. That in mind, the music is just as alarming, as if we were mere bunny rabbits at their mercy, as a barrage of complex, earthen, and arid grime and dubstep is flung our way, with all the favourite MCs - Rider Shafique, Riko Dan, Flowdan, Mez - joining in for a due exchange of bars.

Review: Given that Young Echo operatives Kahn (AKA Joe McGann) and Neek (Sam Barrett) have been working together for well over a decade, it's a surprise to discover that this is the post-grime, dub-loving duo's first collaborative album. Wisely, they've utilised the potential of the album format, choosing not to fill the set with bona-fide club bangers (there are naturally some present), but instead take us on a deep, psychedelic, mind-altering musical journey that effortlessly blends dark ambient, deep dubstep, grime, twisted electronica, smoke-charred sonic textures, dub-wise riddims, chiming electronic melodies and countless guest raps from some of the best MCs in the business. In a word: excellent!

Review: After the massive impact of Vex'd in the breakthrough years of dubstep, it was big news when Jamie Teasdale chose to swerve in his own direction and emerge as Kuedo. Released in 2011, Severant was a bold statement of intent which didn't wholly shirk what had come before, but placed emphasis on the kind of romantic synthesis you'd readily associate with Vangelis and saw trap and other influences sneaking into the mix. In hindsight, Severant is typical of the times we live in, drawing on a glut of influences and presenting its own idiosyncratic vision, but above all that the emotion and intent of Teasdale's ideas make it an enduring, captivating listen.

Review: After making a big impression with his first 12" on Senaker Social in 2019, Low End Activism is back with a superb full length. It finds him 'sum up the conflicting emotions attached to memories of home' as he explores his own sonic roots through the prism of future-rushing soundsystem sonics. The tracks are wrought with street level tensions and urban and suburban gimme, with darkness adn frustration. But there is also home and solidarity in these sounds which are sure to unite people of all backgrounds on the world's dance floors.

Review: Over the years, Modeselektor have forged a reputation as fearless innovators, neatly sidestepping genres and frequently confounding critics. Given their tireless touring schedule and the fact they run two prolific labels it's perhaps no surprise that it's been some four years since the last full-length Modeselektor album. Monkeytown flits effortlessly between skittish 140 BPM bass music, clandestine electronica, sludgy hip-hop and even warehouse-flavoured tropical rhythms (see "German Clap"). There are some real standouts, including a dreamy, slo-mo pop outing with PVT, two collaborations with Thom Yorke and a droning Anti-Pop Consortium hook-up. Must-check.

Review: French producer Moresounds delivers a simple nine-tracker of rather advanced and pleasing trap beats, upending the idea that any beat as such needs an MC to survive. It's a miracle that this kind of music can emerge from the French countryside. Deep drops and wonky hat triplets abound, nodding to the deep dubstep tropes heard on international labels like Innamind, but retaining the clean production Moresounds is known for.

Review: The accompanying notes with this say "don't call it a comeback" for NOT_MDK (aka Martin Wood-Mitrovski), even though it is an album that finds him exploring an all-new style. It is a meeting of steady 70/140 bpm grime drums and beats with IDM synth details and evocative breaks that soundtrack an all new type of late night urban conurbation. It's menacing and fresh, perfect for both body and head and is a long way from the jungle this artist made in the late 90s, or the cid and breakbeats he made in the years after that. It's a brilliant reinvention.

Review: The superb Om Unit label has assembled a mighty fine crew of subheads to serve up their own interpretations of a load of Om Unit originals for this great new double album Acid Dub Versions II. Stylistically this is as diverse a collection as you can imagine given all the tracks operate within a similar dub grounding: some artists like Yushh keep it deep, cavernous and empty, while Hodge lays down his pumping rhythms and runs them through with echo hits and driving acid. VIVEK's take on 'Bristol Theme' is another dubstep doozy that rumbles along with the smell of THC thick in the air and the Nadia Struiwigh remix of 'Electroacidspringwater' is an eerie way to close a fine collection.

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: As one third of the Hessle Audio triumvirate, Kevin McAuley - better known as Pangaea - has been responsible for some of the label's best releases. The eight track Release represents his most potent statement to date; continuing the rolling pirate radio techno direction he started with last year's Hex and Inna Daze EPs. Beginning with the Missy Elliot sampling "Game", he sets out the stall for the rest of the EP, a combination of tough, steeled-up steppers rhythms and dub techno textures. Whether listening to the abstract melodies of the title track, the blistering pace of the searing "Majestic 12" or the broken garage of Middleman, its clear that Pangaea is still light years ahead of the competition.

Review: Prepare to be shocked to your core with this new and electrifying first EP from the freshly launched High Voltage Music label and moonlighting d&b veteran Alix Perez with Headland at the controls. It comes from a production outfit of the same name about whom we know very little. And so to the tunes we turn - 'Feel Love' kicks off with slick and punchy tech house drums overlaid with a yearning vocal to up the emotional intensity levels. It is sure to do a fine job of livening up the floor, while 'NRG' then picks up with raw percussive clatter over a whacked out tech beat. Two top level tools.

Review: Skream has shown over the years he was never content to just rest on his reputation as one of the pioneers of dubstep's early days. His swerves into house, techno, disco and other sounds have been determined enough to push him into the position he holds today as a multi-genre maven free to indulge any tempo or style he pleases, and Skreamizm Vol. 8 celebrates that in no uncertain terms. There's plenty of the man's swagger on the production, while guest bars from the likes of Trim up the ante in terms of party-starting prowess, but there's also space for vulnerability on the likes of 'Not Ready Yet'. If the Skreamizm series has always been a marker for where the artist is at, then get ready for a heavyweight update.

Review: Skrillex (Sonny Moore) is back with a bang - or rather, two. Don't Get Too Close is his second album in as many days, immediately following the desirous Quest For Fire (it was dropped the following day, making up a duet of LPs). A similar cast of characters accompanies the acclaimed producer on his quest for creative innovation as 'Quest For Fire' - but this one is more introspective and eclectic, blending emo rap, urban pop, and memecore with Moore's signature bass-heavy production. A willingness to keep up with the times is clear, despite Skrillex's emergence in an older 2010s era: production collabs with Gud, Corbin, Lido, PinkPantheress, Virtual Riot and Danny L Harle accompany cameo features from drained starlets like Yung Lean and Bladee and regular Skrillex-adjacent favourites like Justin Bieber, Chief Keef and Swae Lee.

Review: It's been a long time since Skrillex (Sonny Moore) pioneered his distinctive complextro sound, characterised by roaring vocal samples, bitcrushed melodies and novelty growls and wobbles. Surprisingly hailing from from an emo background, Moore has leveraged this sound to become an established force of nature, becoming the instigator of an entire tidal sea-change in electronic music. His latest bout of albums, though - one of which is Quest For Fire - hears him exercise his penchant for collaboration more than ever, indulging something of a DJ Khaled-esque streak, but for the EDM-pop crossover world. It's also much less fidgety, erring more on the melodic pop side. Referring to the film of the same name, in which figurative prehistoric cavemen embark on a quest for the discovery of fire, the album is equally a reflection of Skrillex's quest for musical exploration and innovation, as well as his passion for global culture and diversity. We admit: only Skrillex could bring together underground greats like Mr. Oizo, Sleepnet, Joker, Dylan Brady and Flowdan; fresh faces like Starrah, BEAM and Nai Barghouti; and pop-consciousness occupiers like Swae Lee, Aluna, Missy Elliott and Bibi Bourelly.