50Weapons Germany Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Stepping up with his second album for 50 Weapons, Addison Groove is once again mining the rhythmic excitement of juke and footwork and working it into his blue-hued melodic headspace. Standout vocal cut '"Just You" is a prime example of the upbeat flavour across the album, while "11th" matches the plush harmonies with moodier switch-ups, and "The Spirit Level" drops the tempo into a house bump that lends itself to the illustrious synth sweeps. Typically though the beats are in that twitchy middle ground between dubstep and footwork, leaving plenty of space for razor-sharp constructions and dazzling edits as best demonstrated on the dynamic acid roll of "Space Apples". Chaos abounds on the B Side where Developer's frantic side is shown via "Promiscuous" whilst the tightly wound "Pulstar" is quite hypnotic.

Review: Stepping up with his second album for 50 Weapons, Addison Groove is once again mining the rhythmic excitement of juke and footwork and working it into his blue-hued melodic headspace. Standout vocal cut '"Just You" is a prime example of the upbeat flavour across the album, while "11th" matches the plush harmonies with moodier switch-ups, and "The Spirit Level" drops the tempo into a house bump that lends itself to the illustrious synth sweeps. Typically though the beats are in that twitchy middle ground between dubstep and footwork, leaving plenty of space for razor-sharp constructions and dazzling edits as best demonstrated on the dynamic acid roll of "Space Apples". Chaos abounds on the B Side where Developer's frantic side is shown via "Promiscuous" whilst the tightly wound "Pulstar" is quite hypnotic.

Review: More body slamming material here from Addison Groove. Direct dancefloor business, the title track "I Go Boom" shakes and sasses with a tight dancehall stomp that's balanced beautifully with soft minor keys in a way that DJ Gregory might have done back in the day (only a lot heavier). "Button Moon" takes the heaviness level up several notches with more steppy beats and a fine acid house flavour. "Oversize Clip", meanwhile, nods to the dubstep heads with a deep and minimal 808 riddim. "Melody Maker" finishes the show on a deeper note. Timeless, jacking and sweetened with a sexy groove, Addison Groove can do no wrong right now.

Review: As one of the more overtly juke-heavy tracks on his recent EP for 50 Weapons, it's not surprising to see DJ Rashad snapped up to deliver a delicate twist on the staggering original and turn it into a limber wriggler with the trademark alien juke patterns expressed through soft drops of percussion. The sweet-natured chords get a full airing across the duration of the track this time around, but more than anything it's the speed that brings about the greatest change to Addison Groove's bruising original. Doc Daneeka meanwhile is on hand to drop a deadly concoction of deep house and original breakbeat ruggedness, creating a rousing vibe out of his own re-appropriation of the melodies over the tight and rolling rhythm.

Review: 50 Weapons indulge Tony Williams's expansive take on current dance culture as Addison Groove. Put simply, Transistor Rhythm looks gorgeous, with design heavily indebted to Williams' clear passion for the Roland 808 and the tracks spread gloriously across two slabs of thick vinyl (there's an even beefier 3xLP version out too!). Musically, Transistor Rhythm explores the same areas of crisp, finely sculpted rhythms that have graced Swamp 81 and 3024 in recent times, with the smart sample usage on tracks such as "Night To Remember" complemented by a clutch of guest spots.

Review: Following the sad news of Rashad's passing, this latest single from the ever-productive Addison Groove takes on a more poignant nature as the late footwork legend guests on the second track. That the track is called "U Been Gone" only adds to the emotional weight of it, not to mention the wistful keys and yearning vocal lick. Elsewhere Addison Groove is on typically fiery form, from the rave baiting whiplash of "Push It" to the weighty bassbin busting badness of "Dat Ass". The samples are beyond cheeky in their recognisability, and it matters not a jot when the music kicks as hard as this.

Review: Bringing a measured kind of juke menace to the 50 Weapons camp, regular attraction Addison Groove this time links up with fellow Bristol bass maven Sam Binga for some short and snappy cuts that explore diverse corners of electronica while all riding that hyped-up tempo. "Rzor" keeps things strictly rhythmic with its rush of 808 beats moving through pitch tweaks and rubbing up against found sound percussion. "Thr3id" gets twisted up in melodic stabs and the kind of gnarly acid spits you might find on Drukqs-era Aphex, bouncing off steady central motifs in order to fire off as many drum machine samples as possible in a three minute time frame. "11th" is even further into deploying intricate melodic darts that zip through the rapid fire beats, delicate chimes offset by dreamy synths and stuttering samples. "Ol Man EK" whips all these feelings up into a perfect summation track, capturing the bittersweet-ness of early jungle and vintage deep house in amongst a positively futuristic flurry of percussion.

Review: The quality of the 50 Weapons output is always supreme and our German friends really do know how to pull together a diverse and extensive collection of their latest catalogue signings - a sure buy for anyone wanting a glimpse into the world of the most cutting-edge bass music around. Among the twelve stormers we have Dark Sky's "Shutter Speed" which pulls together wacky basslines and rolling tech beats; Addison Groove's usual footwork magic represented here as "I Go Boom"; "Malfunction (Despair) by the nuttiest technoid producer known to man - A Made Up Sound - and even Marcel Dettmann's foreboding "Linux" monster. An essential collection.