Review: Rinse France branches out with a brand new label of its own and who better to inaugurate it than Paris-based Beatrice M. The producer makes a knowing nod to dubstep's golden era on this debut with the first version of 'Magic.' It is built on steppy rhythms with seriously wobbling basslines that are all-consuming. Glitchy effects and shimmering synths finish it in style and leave you dreaming of dubstep dances gone by. The B-side is a Techno Mix that reimagines the original with a driving four-on-the-floor rhythm and plenty of richly atmospheric pads.
Review: Beau operates at the sharp end of the UK electronic underground and creates an immersive, dark ambient sound that is influenced by trailblazers like Burial. His soundscapes combine ethereal textures with moody rhythms and that is very much the case here on Lacuna, his new album for Feat PLAtes. It is full of roomy sounds, icy glass synths, smeared pads, late-night moods and evocative atmospheres that draw you in ever deeper, sometimes looking over your shoulder, always lost in deep thought. A real lost tape from the short-lived night bus genre, you could say.
Review: Bengal Sound is a rising star in the Bristol bass scene and now he makes another mighty fine statement with this two tracker on Wych, the increasingly essential label run by K-LONE. This one comes after his various standout tunes from self-released cassettes fusing dusty old Bollywood samples to red hot club bangers. 'Solace' is the opener and is heavy on the rubbing and cavernous bass with icy leads and on the flip is 'On My Mind' which is just as atmospheric.
Review: The Bitter End label and eponymous production outfit is back with a new and limited 12" of brilliantly dazzling electro, disco and some other unnameable sounds. It's fresh in its fusion of the new with the old and opens with 'U Up', an electro-tinged cut that glides through the cosmos with characterful synth sounds and plenty of colour. 'U Dancin' then brings wispy pads and smeared vocals to a twitchy technoid groove and 'U Perfect' brings out some spangled metal sounds and dubbed out low ends before 'U Burnin' closes with lurching beats and hefty bass under raw percussion. It's experimental body music that cannot fail to get you going.
Review: Long dormant has laid the tried but true practice of dubstep and garage artists sampling classic horror movie dialogue, pre-drop. We're thoroughly happy to hear that new Peaky Beats sublabel Brainjuice have gone and resurrected this zombie for us. This four-tracker from the label hears label heads Peaky and Vel carefully and creatively work in as-yet unknown samples to the stew; some kind of Frankensteinish exclamation on the dubstep A1 laments the feeding of a monster "human brains", while the breakstep A2 'Bacon Dance' hears more timestretched, dystopian vocals amid wobbles. 'Don't' leans more into the kind of melodic dubstep that likes to sample R&B acapellas, and is the most refreshing of the lot.
Review: Peaky Beats is a great name for a label that serves up such irresistible house and garage jams as it has so far over its first eight EPs. This ninth outing is no less desirable, coming from the in house production team in collaboration with Breakfake. 'Life In Stereo' hits a perfect note between kinetic drums and soulful, jazzy chords deigned to melt the heart. 'Rat City' is more filthy - a warped bassline screws about beneath more sleazy broken beats. 'Chapel Town' brings low end dubstep wobble to the party and 'Dub The Acid' is another filthy dirty skanker with echoing hits and mutant bass.
Review: Garage powerhouse Zed Bias is back with more old school garage brilliance with the new single 'Shell Them Again' featuring the vocals of Yung Saber and Brakeman. The original has plenty of retro signifiers from the low-end wobble to the withering synth effects, plus crisp hits and jostling drums. After the dub mix comes a remix from Zed himself alongside Safire which is much more dirty and raw. The beats are broken up so the track takes on a dubstep quality as the low-end oscillations bring the weight and drums hit with more force. Finally, the acappella closes out this fresh 12" on IFG.
Bassnectar & Oooh Yes! - "We Not As Them" (feat Fashawn) (6:20)
Hyper (feat Azeem) (4:33)
Move Like Helicopter (feat Bobby Saint) (6:12)
That Different (feat Rye Rye) (5:22)
Bassnectar & Inoni - "The Strength" (7:19)
Every Song In Your Memory (feat Azeem) (5:23)
Mikasa Es Tsukasa (5:59)
Acid Blackness (feat Ash) (3:24)
Assnectar & Gnar Gnar - "The Sky" (feat Azeem) (4:10)
Relive (feat Ava Raiin) (1:46)
Bassnectar & Dorfex Bos - "Aion" (The Beatless version) (10:41)
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.
Wait For You (feat Lorna King - The Sauce remix) (4:09)
Headshot (Alibi remix) (4:06)
Gunshot Love (feat Liam Bailey - L-Side remix) (4:20)
Lost (feat Charli Brix - Break remix) (4:35)
Box Clever (feat SP:MC - Skeptical remix) (3:45)
Don't You Ever Stop (Calyx remix) (5:03)
Another Life (Mefjus remix) (3:49)
Review: A heavyweight ensemble of drum & bass minds take on Break's most recent set of productions, pushing them deeper into system territory. The Bristol veteran revisits his own material alongside a dream team of remixers including Skeptical, Calyx, Mefjus and The Sauce, each adding distinct bite and tension to the originals. Alibi's flip of 'Headshot' is all murky propulsion and low-end snap, while L-Side draws out the yearning in 'Gunshot Love' with Liam Bailey's vocal laid over thick, heaving bass pressure. Charli Brix floats through Break's own icy rework of 'Lost', while SP:MC cuts through the dense, noir-streaked paranoia of Skeptical's 'Box Clever' edit. Clean but rough, emotive yet primed for damage, this is high-grade d&b from a cross-generational cast who know exactly how to thread vocals and subs without compromise.
Review: Kevin Richard Martin, known for pushing the boundaries of sound as THE BUG, unleashes his latest full-length, Machine. The album, released via Relapse, is his first solo instrumental work under the moniker, following a series of self-released EPs on PRESSURE. Each track is a sonic barrage, merging futuristic dub with crushing electronic elements, heavy bass riffs, and industrial weight that recalls his earlier work with Techno Animal and King Midas Sound. Machine takes the listener on a journey through dense, dystopian soundscapes, where each beat feels like a seismic event, making it perfect for oversized systems in sweat-drenched clubs. Tracks like 'Buried' and 'Bodied' epitomise this, with the former dropping tectonic bass lines over heavyweight beats, while the latter smoulders with industrial doom. Martin's signature "ice cold and dystopian" sound is at its zenith here, blending visceral sub-bass pressure with masterful production. It's a brutal yet nuanced record, one that demands to be felt as much as heard.
Review: Seven years have passed since Burial first stopped us dead in our tracks with this universally acclaimed second album.. Sounding so different, so removed and far away from anything else, it changed the game entirely - and created a whole school of imitators in its wake. Now repressed by Hyperdub, this is a rare opportunity to grab it on fresh wax. Even if you have this on other formats in your collection, the dusty weight and chasmic crackles sound so much better on vinyl.
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