Back catalogue: Dubstep

Review: From the eastern sorcerer who gave us 'Dying On Acid' a few years ago on Deep Medi comes 'Pusher Acid', one of the most beguiling EPs Gantz has cast our way in some time. Six tracks over two 12"s, there's a real measured pace and sense of tension running across the collection as we gradually build up to the pensive, fierce and well-chiselled title track. Elsewhere we have the eerie cinematica of 'Sleepless Elite', the left-footed lollops and slug-like bassline of 'Chiral' and the palpitating, slo-mo seduction of the vinyl-only cut 'Spineless'. Keep pushing on.

Review: Swiss label Dub Colony Music Switzerland looks across Europe to Mob Killa from The Netherlands for this fourth release after fine early entries from Sentient and TCP. '70 Degrees' opens up with a sense of late night mystery and urban loneliness. 'Kill A Boo' brings some gentle piano tinkles over earth-shattering bass that has you lurching from one foot to the other. There is more duality to 'The Mansion' which has a hypotonic lead flute up top and more weighty bass down low. 'Elitist' shuts down with a further mix of elegant and heady melody and more physical drums.

Review: It's been a while since we last saw Sepia on Infernal Sounds but rolling deep with Rider Shafique, he fits right back into the groove with the sublime and title track 'Time Stands Still'. A fitting title for a dreamy vibe, it's backed up by a wide range of gems... 'Gatekeeper' is sludgy, gloom-coated creeper, 'Whispers' sees him teaming up with Ickle for an icy swagger while 'Trust' closes the EP on a gentle, woozy tip. Timeless.

Review: Sustrapperazzi is from the coastal town of Hastings and we last heard from him when he served up some nice hip-hop joints for the Ilian Beat Series with a nice 12" back in November 2021. He now dips into the world of deep dubstep, trap and grime with a new EP that comes in super limited numbers on Astral Black. 'Gospel Trappin' is exactly what it says in the title, which is a fine feat to pull off. There are also more traditional trap sounds with screwy bass and pitched-up vocals, booming 808s on the sample-heavy 'What's Wrong', and another treat cut full of yearning churchy chorals on 'Rationale.' Fresh for sure.

Review: Yuku come correct with this special blue vinyl remix 12". Two vibes per side, both Traka and Granul go under the knife. On one side we have Serbian crew Traka under scrutiny as Commodo flips 'Yosai' into a menacing slab of tension while Muqata takes the Killa P-fronted 'Start Taking Note' into a brutalist sonic rainbow. Flip for two remixes of Turkish maverick Granul; Jtamul turns two-step inside out with stacks of eerie space on 'Deformity' while Iskeletor turns 'Interconnected' into the twisted, halftime heaver of your dreams. Stark sermons!

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Released right at the very end of 2019, Stormzy's much-trumpeted second album, "Heavy Is The Head", is one of the most significant releases in recent times. Made with a gigantic cast list of producers and guest vocalists - Aitch, Burna Boy, Headie One, H.E.R, Tiana Major9, Yebba, Fred Gibson and MJ Cole included - the set includes some of his most thoughtful and incisive lyrics to date, as well as some particularly ear-catching mutations of grime that will further solidify his place as one of Britain's most important artists of the 21st century. Yes, it does include more nods towards pop music - he's a Glastonbury headliner after all - but the beats remain tough.

Review: Saturate continue to delve deep into the electronic hinterland and find those sweet spots between myriad genres and multiple flavours. Unclassifiable delights designed twist melons and screw faces, highlights can be found in the Justice-meets-Black Strobe arpeggiated hypnosis of Tobacco Rat's 'Madlien', the 22nd century trap tension of Title's 'Guitly MFs' and the dreamy, woozy sonic slime of Seaweed by none other than Starkey. All this and stacks more, this was originally released in July 2021 and we've waited over a year to get our hands this limited purple vinyl. Impossible to sleep on.

Review: Around the world in 12 wubs; Alix Perez's superlative 1985 continues to dig deeper and deeper into our psyche with the third volume of their faultless Atlas VA series. As always, the tempos are set to flexible as we slide and glide between the style and speeds courtesy of some incredible names... Cesco brings some proper dark UKG on 'Superstealth', Sir Hiss gets angular with the electro funk of 'Shower Man Time', Visages go all slinky and futurist on 'Margit' while the bossman Perez and GLXY link up for something truly sexy and soulful with 'Green Lane'. All this and so much more, from Rockwell & Scepticz to Settle Down to Eprom, this is yet another exceptional adventure from the 1985 crew.