TM404 & Echologist (aka Andreas Tilliander and Brendon Moeller) return with their second collaboration, this time including a remix from another standout dub techno artist in VRIL. The 'Infiltrated' EP has two boomy, 4x4 rollers on the A-side, VRIL's broken-beat, ethereal version on the B1 and lastly the title-track, a twisted stream of grainy modulations.
Bossmusik Returns With Adam Stromstedt For Their Seventh Release. The Swede, Now Residing In Australia, Is Known For His Eclectic Track Selection And Production. On The A-side, Two Dance Floors Rollers Combine Groove And Warm Synths To Create Perfect Soundtracks For The Coming Summer Months. The B Side Showcases A More Experimental Side To Adam's Production. Intermittent Vocals Combine With Percussion Driven Rhythms For An Easy Going Micro House Trip.
Losoul's Another Picture label follows on from EPs in 2017 by Honesty and the label boss himself with a new two tracker by Japanese artist Sasaki Hiroaki. The Yotsume label owner is based in Tokyo and his sleek sounds take cues from 80s new wave and look for a soulful vibe in electronic music. 2018 has already seen him release on Open Recordings and now he offers up some warm house rollers for Another Picture. 'EO1' is eight minutes of rubbery drums and loose, scattered percussion, tumbling toms and clicks. Dreamy chords light up the background and the whole thing drives ever deeper into the night, always evolving as it goes. On the flip, 'Plain Song' is just as heartfelt, but icy hi hats and metal stabs are more upright, getting you on your toes and keeping you there for another eight minutes of organic, authentic deep house bliss.
Birmingham's Jayson Wynters makes his second outing for Don't Be Afraid in under a year with four earth-shaking rollers from his Digbeth laboratory.
Across four tracks Wynters neatly surveys the state of the underground house and techno union in the UK and beyond, taking in the stepping, broken rhythms of Beta (Version), the dancefloor annihilation of One Hundred N Forty, and the frantic, Midwest rollage of Into The Void, before concluding on an optimistic note with The Kansei Method.
Also look out for Wynters' Café Artum project which launches in Birmingham soon, bringing a much needed hub for vinyl to the city thanks to last year's successful fundraiser.
Masaki messaged Blueberry Records Soundcloud and signed an EP within a week. I guess sending demos is still a thing.
The concept of the EP is to demonstrate all the colors in Masaki's rainbow. A truly gifted studio engineer, there are many styles in which he moves across the mixing board.
Ark and Blessing are pure sound design ticklers. As if he decided to make an updated Blue-Ray instructional soundtrack. Soaring melodies and sub bass anchors the listener is literally pinned done by the pressure and beaten with an ugly beauty unique to Masakis style.
Dolci and Ilah both radiate on the dance floor like lost dark rollers from an updated mid 90's
Estelia and Fraewnuil demonstrate the beautiful thoughtfulness Masaki also possesses. Like a hidden runout groove, Masaki leaves the listener pensive and wrapped in a warm embrace.
D x
Acts like Legion & Logam have been pivotal for bringing the Ram Records sound transatlantic. Becoming the first US act into break their renowned roster, the trio have time and time again delivered hard-driving riddims and melodic rollers for Ram's sought after compilation series and their genre defining sister labelProgram. However, this time they've recieved their first standalone single on Ram, which is set to establish them as an even more integral part of drum & basses expansion throughout America. From the tearaway success of 'House of Cards', their first single on Program, to the release of 'Coming Home / When Stars Fall' on Ram Records, Legion & Logam are continuing their meteoric ascent. Following the same carefully strung melodies and voice overtures which has become a signature for the production outfit, 'Coming Home' takes you on a heartfelt journey underpinned by its tightly knit composition. A wavering bassline pitches between each signature of eight, helping to create a more driving force perfect for the dancefloor and bolstering the mix, whilst keeping its softer touch with 'House of Cards' Adam Wrightreturning on vocals.
On the flipside 'When Stars Fall' featuring Wendy Johnson follows the same vibe, with intricately layered instrumentals helping to set out a journey which flips between more percussive elements and well-orchestrated breakdowns. Each segment builds on the next until you're once again left with a record which exemplifies the producers' stellar song writing ability. Together both tracks help to pedestal an act whose versatility can be seen across each addition to Program, and now Ram's, vast back catalogue. Legion & Logam's story on Ram has only just begun - with more releases scheduled for the coming year, it's an exciting time for US drum & bass and its growth.
Clergy returns for its 9th instalment with a club ready EP of serious weapons from label mainstay, and one half of Works Unit, Reflec. The four track release opens with 'Acid Response', in which Reflec has combined a tough rhythm section with a growling 303 to create a high energy roller guaranteed to keep the dance floor moving. Continuing on this trend of heavy hitting rollers, 'Osmosis' is a drum track through and through, which incorporates dark and sweeping atmospherics into the groove true to Reflec's form.
The B side see's host to 'Canyon', a peak time Clergy anthem with heavy, driving drums complimented with a spacey and emotional pad on the breakdown. Clergy 009 is rounded off by a broken edit of 'Canyon' which exchanges the driving kicks for a fragmented rhythmic style, a nod to the UK roots of Reflec's musical style. .
Soul Deep Recordings and Blade are pleased to present the Blackbird EP. The EP features 2 richly crafted rollers that will rock the dance floor. The title track, "Blackbird", has received support from LTJ Bukem and many other top deejays around the world. The song starts off with a heavy amen break and light background atmospherics. At each turn, the break seems to get heavier as layers are added to the mix. When the bassline drops, the groove is undeniable, and will have your head nodding in approval. The song chugs along and builds to a crescendo with it's epic pads and tasteful atmospherics. "Bella l'amour", is the second offering, and it shows a different side to Blade's diverse productions. The track begins with a light break, airy efx, and chiming keys, that set the backdrop for this tight production. At the drop, the drums fill in nicely and the warm 808 bassline punch through the mix. Overall, Blade delivers big on this release, and will surely satisfy his fans with this slice of D&B heaven.
Moonshine Recordings continues to coordinate dub into all sorts of directions with its steady throughput of vinyl releases. This time around, it's the Spanish-based Bukkha to uplift all followers with two up-tempo rollers that take part in his crucial 'Ruling Sound' EP. His name has been all over the news inside bass culture lately, as the American released highly noted physical music on critical labels like Killa Sound and Dub-Stuy Records. He's been working his way to the top and the only thing the Moonshine Recordings imprint can do is support his efforts in pushing dub music to the masses at any given moment of the day.
On top of this wicked news, Portland's dub producer and engineer 'Skelli Skel' joins this session to frame the taste of the 'PDX Mandem' collective from back home. His love for complex rhythms and heavy bass lines fuel his adventure inside dub culture, something you'll hear when listening to 'MS028'. And with the familiar voice from don Junior Dread, who jumps in on the hype by illuminating the dub with carefully selected freedom of speech, it's the collaboration that speaks for itself. To top it all, TMSV is added to the release roster, a producer whose been dealing some serious damage with his inventive music repertoire. Whether it's music on the darker tip, or the more laidback sound, both Bukkha and TMSV know how to uplift and please their followers with bass-heavy, eardrums-teasing bass music.
Bukkha's 'Ruling Sound' leads his way through musicality by portraying the right balance of instruments and not to mention the gigantic bassline that disperses vibrantly through the lower bottom of the mix. The reigning vocal support from Junior Dread and dub techniques from PDX Mandem family Skelli Skell work out fantastically, as it makes this record come to life. Listen to the instrumental part that propagates in the exact sense of 'dub music', regardless of spinning on a higher beats per minute. The version 'Ruling Dub' by Bukkha himself plays a more meditative part inside your headspace; a clipping where basslines and effects will act up in a blurred version. It's the real attention to detail the American producer shares with remix boss TMSV, who hits fans with a darker joint that pays homage to Drum & Bass. It's aggressive stance forms the pinnacle of 'the right' B-side of a Moonshine Recordings plate. Just make sure you experience the second drop of this absolutely mammoth interpretation, as TMSV shuts down the place!
* Quotes:
Marky- 'Whaaat rollers!! I looove it!!!!!! Big tunes 100% support as usual'Ant TC1- 'usual level of quality from a label that never fails, true to the original sound, never swaying from the good old roots this music was built on, it's a 10 out of 10 from me '
Randall- 'Heavy tunes'
* Quarantine continues even further into 2016 with more from Fierce and Zero T, Following their recent Metalheadz release.
''Scatter'' Lay down all thoughts...
"Inhibitor" Surrender to the void...
* Both these tracks continue to establish the return of Quarantine and have been getting supported and played by Friction, Fabio, Doc Scott, Randall, Hype, Bailey, Marky, Ant Tc1 and many more.
Marky- 'Whaaat rollers!! I looove it!!!!!! Big tunes 100% support as usual'
Ant TC1- 'usual level of quality from a label that never fails, true to the original sound, never swaying from the good old roots this music was built on, it's a 10 out of 10 from me on both releases, Expose was an insta-fave for me upon first hearing'
Randall- 'Heavy tunes'
* Quarantine continues into 2016 with more from Fierce and Zero T, Following their recent Metalheadz release.
* ''Expose'' This stepping roller has been getting a lot of love of late. A misleading intro lulls you into a false sense of security, before the bass drops!
* "Clandestine" Another big break roller, echoing styles of long ago. Providing conscience for those who have none...
* Both these tracks continue to establish the return of Quarantine and have been getting supported and played by Friction, Fabio, Doc Scott, Randall, Hype, Bailey, Marky, Ant Tc1 and many more.
Mele comes back with two heads down 4/4 rollers off the back of his huge debut single on Lobster Boy, 'Ambience'.
Championed across the board in clubland by every man and his dog.
Fresh out of the Lobster Boy factory, both these cuts are built strictly for the DJ looking for a decent club tool to keep the party bubbling and they don't disappoint. Check them out.
We are proud to present to you our next dnb-themed vinyl release, which comes with two absolutely fantastic deep-bassed and crisp-beated rollers. In the case of this record, we can speak of a small Polish invasion, as both tracks have been written and produced by two Polish supertalents - Mortem, who has been making big waves in the dnb industry for some time already, and Harland - an established Warsaw-based event promoter and DJ, and a now-upcoming producer, teaming up with Mortem on the flipside. Starting off with Mortem's 'Proximity', you'll surely appreciate his trademark to-the-point drumwork and clear basslines, adorned with intriguing vocal inserts and growling synths. 'The Same', with its quick-paced hi-hats, riveting synthetic melody, and spacious bassline, is surely more dancefloor-oriented, but still fits the deeper side of dnb perfectly, making this record as a whole a very welcome addition to the Absys family.
A bit of soulful amen action coming from the Fokuz Recordings camp. Even though it's winter we're pushing forward sizzling summer sounds (we don't care)! After the succes of the ''Always Your Lover EP'' early 2014, up-and-comers Macca & Loz Contreras deliver two outstanding rollers with Players Ways / Honey Sugar. Great sounds from two producers on the rise.
EAN steps up to bat for Cosmic Bridge, bringing 4 tracks of heavyweight, eyes down 80/160-range BPM rollers blending footwork rhythms with deep soundscapes and tinges of Jungle and Techno. His past work has come in the form of remixes for Om Unit's Searching on Stretched records, Ghostpoet's Cash and Carry Me Home and his contribution to Project Mooncircle's recent 10 year anniversary box set entitled Pictarus. More recently Civil Music enlisted him for a blistering re-rub of XLII's No Cure which has been very well received.
Fokuz Recordings, founded early 1999 by Dreazz and Drum Origins, has been through a lot over a long, winding road. Thanks to the boundless dedication of our talented artists and the loving fans, we can now celebrate our 15th anniversary! Expect six 12'' records and a double CD packed with tracks by some of the most upfront names in present day drum & bass. This is 15 Yearz Of Fokuz - Episode 2.1.
We're proud to have the mighty Bcee featured on this milestone album. Once again he delivers effortlessly with 'Praying Man' and 'Magic Mirror'. Watch out for these deep, soulful emotional rollers dropping soon on Fokuz! Perfect material for those who like their beats with soul.
"Rollerskate" is the first single from Matias Aguayo's tremendously ambitious full length "AY AY AY" on Kompakt.
