Review: MC of the moment Rider Shafique takes a trip down Egyptian Avenue, barging down the doors of the one and only Epoch. The result is a Blacklisted banger of toxic proportions. With a freeform low end creeping under the radar, there's stacks of space for Rider to really get into his flow before momentum picks up in the third minute. Flip for a stuttering, tripped out ghetto twist on "Dust" from Artillery and lock down every aerial in a 20 mile radius.
Review: Little is known about Gent1e Soul besides the fact they have been on Fast Castle before (with the exemplary 'Silk Armour' EP), they make remarkably addictive, super-gloopy, trippy, funky beat based music and that they're probably quite nice and considerate, considering their alias and all. Generous, too. Each of these five cuts tickles a different corner of the breakbeat/dubstep/club hinterland as they guide us from the old school Benga-like pushes and swagger of 'Siege Ram' to the WNCL-flavoured percussive hypnosis of 'Woads' via the pounding technoid rolls of 'Fortified Walls' and beyond.
Review: Bristol's Hodl Tight crew make their first foray into the vinyl world here with a new and heavy EP from Inner Echo Ft Redders & Buggsy. The label has long aimed to serve up the best in new music inspired by roots and dub culture and continue in that fine tradition here. 'Winbread' is a fresh contemporary cut with hi-speed and grimy vocal deliveries, tight flows and plenty of references to modern culture while swaggering beats and a fluttering flute bring the vibes. An instrumental is included for more heads down dance floors and ALXZNDER offers a darker version while Somah makes it smooth and deep.
Review: Featuring the vocals of a certain British soul legend (R.I.P.), new Rarefied sister label, Rarefied Black take it back underground with "Stronger", a proper deep dubstep joint the way it always intended. Light one up and surrender to the void while listening to this classic in the making. Some proper low-end theories from the dark side explored on this killer. Get it while it's hot!
Review: Temperature rises... Rarefied come through with an anonymous joint that's hotter than a date night on the sun. Taking a well known rhythm & blues classic, the mystery produce applies serious dub theory with subtlety and class. So much so it's not until midway that you realise just how many layers deep this version is. Flip for "Royal Blue" as we're taken the extra miles with momentous drummage and some incredible trumpet manipulation. An absolutely stunning release.
Review: Here's a tag-team you can ring home and tell you mam about: proud Salford Precinct shoppers Cartridge and Strategy's Regents project on Truth's Deep, Dark & Dangerous blasts out of the cannons with pure 140 venom. Heavy killer whale beats and fast piranha bars biting away with sharp truths and heavy realisms, the whole EP smacks hard with a unique fusion that not seen often enough in dubstep. Serious music that works in all realms.
Review: More revolting behaviour from US sub-weaver Repulsion. Following his releases on Southside comes this immense three-tracker on Dub Sector. Flexing his gully gamut in all directions, "Incline" is a snake-like percussion-led deep piece that jitters and shakes in all the right places, "Heads Up" meanwhile leads with a skittering kickdrum and insistent techno-like textures on the riff while "Mining Stage" closes on a dreamy vibe that's almost a UKG piece. Think Martyn 10 years ago but with 2020 production cohones. Pure escapades.
Jahdan Blakkamoore - "Liberation Over Liberace" (3:36)
Pupajim - "Open Mindedness" (3:12)
Jonah Freed - "Santa Muerte Riddim" (3:36)
Review: One riddim track, three hugely distinctive voices; Dub-Stuy continue their riddim series with "Santa Muerte Riddim". Loose, spacious, mystic and led by cold steel string twangs, Jonah Freed's beat sings on its own merits but each vocalist adds their own touch. Rider Shafique takes the lead with his signature smoky tones and poetics, Jahdan Blakkamoore contrasts between his gravelly spoken word and musicality on the chorus before Pupajim lets the beat breathe a little more before going full harmonic ham. Holy moly.
Review: Southampton's Butterz correspondent Royal-T continues to make good on his unofficial "grime starlet" title with yet more material for the label branch of Rinse FM. I Know You Want Me sees a nice subtle production progression from last year's debut self titled album and the title track is be best described as all the finest elements of dance music over a bumping 4x4 beat - think face slapping snares, a classic Reese bassline and chopped up vocals. Face down, and Royal-T indulges in some shoulder leaning trap antics on "Koopa Shell" (nice Mario Kart reference) whilst the legend DOK vocalises the playful 16bit schizogrime winner "Saints"
Review: After last year's On My Mind release with Flava D, Royal T is back on Butterz with another sure shot of grimey pressure. As well as the instrumental beats, "Shotta" comes in two versions voiced by P Money and Footsie respectively with very different results. P Money brings a fierce and fiery delivery that pushes the already-hype track into dangerous levels of liveliness, while Footsie takes a more restrained approach with no less presence in his flow. Aside from those show-stealers, Royal T gets to stretch his legs on playful garage house interlude "Limbo" and the adventurous climes of "Glacier" with its melting pot of influences feeding into a truly diverse jam.
Review: After some crucial drops on Tectonic, Soundman Chronicles and Badimup, man like Wen is back on Keysound Recordings for something a bit special. "Play Your Corner", the Riko Dan featuring closer to Wen's 2014 debut LP Signals, gets a 2015 reboot courtesy of Walton and Kahn & Neek. Given the iconic delivery of the "original Don Dada" Riko Dan, it's no surprise his vocals remain very much a central part of both remixes here with Hyperdub associate Walton opting for a sub heavy version with some neat, twinkling grime strings making their presence felt midway through. Offering a nice contrast, Kahn & Neek veer into more unpredictable territory with a remix filled with all manner of intriguing sonic detail that still bangs hard.
Joy Orbison - "GR Etiquette" (Pearson Sound Symphonic mix)
J:Kenzo - "Ruckas" (Rob Kemp remix)
Fugative - "Bad Girl" (Lil Silva dub)
A Made Up Sound - "Demons"
Jam City - "Night Mode"
Mr Mageeka - "Different Lekstrix"
Pangaea - "Inna Daze"
Pearson Sound - "Stifle"
MJ Cole & Wiley - "From The Drop"
Pinch - "Qawwali"
Ramadanman & Joy Orbison - "J Doe Them"
Pearson Sound - "Picon"
Burial - "Pirates"
Die BArbie Musik Kollektiv - "Face"
Girl Unit - "IRL" (original/Bok Bok remix)
D1 - "Subzero"
S-X/Ramadanman - "Woooo/Glut"
Addison Groove - "Fuck The 101"
Mala (Digital Mystikz)/Joe - "City Cycle/Claptrap (Tease)"
Sigha - "Light Swells (In A Distant Space)"
Review: Hessle Audio's baby faced production genius David Kennedy effectively uses this Fabric Live mix to sign off the Ramadanman pseudonym that has delivered so many classics of recent times. FabricLive 56 should be seen as a wider celebration of the many disparate strains of forward-thinking bass music that populate so many screen inches and record shop shelves. The 30 track selection expertly weaves through everything from dubstep, future garage, stripped-back post-rave and UK funky to next-level electro, noughties bruk, tropical beats and heavyweight 808-workouts. The impeccable mixing, action-packed vibe and heavyweight tracklist (MJ Cole and Wiley, Addison Groove, Joy Orbison, Pinch, Girl Unit, Mala etc) combine to make something very special indeed a lesson in 21st century beats and bass from one of the scene's brightest stars.
Review: Finally! We've been waiting for a vinyl version of Rustie's third - and arguably most accomplished - album Evenifudontbelieve and it's landed at long last. From the dense rifle choir hits of "Peace Upzzz" to the epic cinematica of "Atlantean Airship" by way of the stomping hedonism of "What U Mean", Rustie's smelting sensations sit somewhere between trance and trap, fairgrounds and the underground.. And sound all the better for being on vinyl.
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