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Spiritual Rhythms by Mix’Elle, the fourth release on Portuguese label angel, is particularly special for a couple of reasons: it’s the artist’s first record (a true triumph at that) plus she is a resident at the night series that originated the label itself. It’s truly an all-connected type of affair. This EP taps, in a personal and intentional way, into the very foundations of jungle and drum n bass, taking us on a soulful ride permeated by Mix’Elle’s influences while incorporating her artistic vision, one that was shaped through hours behind the decks in underground drum n bass parties for well over a decade.

The record opens with title track ‘Spiritual Rhythms’, a 174 bpm mantra-like roller clocking in at 6 minutes with the textured pads and the realness you could expect from a Rufige Kru classic. A fat sub underpins it, urgent spoken words remind us what we’re here for: ‘it comes from the drum. and the drum is something spiritual’ as congas play briskly into the groove.

Things slow down significantly for the second track, ‘Angel nights drop tha bass’ - a signature floaty pad and a drum break maintain a steady continuum. A hopeful chord progression is offset by the sharpness of the drums, the bass gluing it all together with the help of an archetypal stretched vocal. Everything is in its right place - a genre veteran is very clearly at work.

‘Touring’ features a mischievous low end, as if a jazzy double bass were played by a dub experimentalist. The funkiness is infectious, with off-tempo string stabs and a mutating filtered breakbeat that feels alive - a vocal pad chants throughout, adding a layer of wide-eyed enchantment.

Percussion never falls short in this record, and the closing track begins with nothing but a shaker, toms and congas - evolving to an elegant, dreamlike yet crisp piece, led by a prominent bassline, its washes and wobbles re-arranging our chakras. Spiritual Rhythms indeed.

angel is a label run out of Lisbon by Violet. A sister label to naive, angel tries to portray the party series of the same name - a bass-led, smoke-drenched celebration where the main room is dedicated to dnb and the second explores adjacent stylistic fringes like dubstep, trip hop, dub or jazz.

Memento Records’ boss Idriss D goes back to his more experimental side on this release, pushing the boundaries like he did on his first Lunatic EP, coming up once again with another Jungle-infused mesmerizing piece of Electronica that mixes breakbeat influences with melodic soulful vibes.

A very welcome follow up, aptly titled “Lunatic 2”, this tune is fiercely uptempo and energetic: the psychedelic melody swirls inside, outside and around your mind, while the fluid bass line counterparts the schizophrenic rhythm. On top of this, powerful emotional vocals take you into another dimension.

The prestigious remix comes courtesy of Gilb’R, founder of Versatile Records and one half of Chateau Flight: a slower downtempo piece with an infectious, almost improvisational synth melody, with vocals taking center stage here, full of atmospheric sounds all over that land into a deep dreamy break.

I know that people love to read the stories related to the background of each release on Future Retro London & how they came together, but I'll be honest, I have no recollection at all about how this release came into existence????

Sorry that I can't give much insight on anything to do with this release, I imagine that DJ Sofa pitched me the idea to get remixes done of our collab from her FR011 release and one thing led to another...

Rather than try and piece together the process of what happened to make this release into a thing, I'll just skip to the big ups. Thanks to Soeneido, Cheetah & Janaway for their remix work, to DJ Sofa for the idea (I think?) for this release and for her work on the original and to my memory for failing me in this moment where I was hoping it would come through for me.

Informed by all the sub strains of UK Bass music and the Hardcore Continuum, Analias’s hazy sound straddles both poles between melancholy and euphoria, with an underlying greying hue in the center where all the disparate colors of the underground meld into one. Preferring to let the music speak on his behalf, (You will not find him on social media) Analias’s already substantial discography is an accomplished body of work that deserves all of the attention and praise soon to come his way. LGHPS is incredibly happy to help amplify this phenomenal artist to the world.

Drenched in mournful atmosphere and longing tones, all four cuts hold an emotive, introspective motif with subtle drum work that holds back the bubbling aggression of the punching 808 B lines brooding underneath. “Falling Falling Falling” loops sensual yet familiar vocal chops into a hypnotizing hook while the drums and bass step with enough weight and grit to make this the perfect set opener. “Cardio” up’s the tension to the boiling point with undulating strings churning the waters before unleashing a monster B line tidal wave. The sun ray’s break through the clouds on “Pass Me By” as the pummeling bass is tempered by lively Rhodes keys. The mood ascends further on the playful stomp of “Again n Again” using morphing 303 melodies and upbeat handclaps with Mood II Swing club sensibilities.

For our last release of 2023 we’re thrilled to welcome Moisk! Duo composed of Alex Pletnev and Logeshen Moorgan aka Fourmi Rouz, during recent years Moisk have released top notch music on labels such as Pleasure Express, Lost Poncho, Terra Magica, Warning and Mana Abundance. Their Deoxyribose EP is composed of two trancey 4/4 dancefloor bombs on the A side while B side is more about breaks and uptempo jungle madness. Top stuff!

Welcome to ‘Hardcore Heaven III’, the third in Scuba's series of classic hardcore-inflected vinyl EPs further develops the themes, from acid house to jungle, established on the first two installments.

Hardcore Heaven III ups the tempo from the first two EPs, with a focus on early Jungle on ‘Truth’ and ‘Give Up Everything’. Meanwhile, ‘Riding Hi’ and ‘Pocket Rocket’ add a 4/4 kick and samples possibly best described as… borderline?

Scuba has also announced D:U:LIVE, a series of live shows inspired by his acclaimed ‘Digital Underground’ mixtape and ‘Hardcore Heaven’ vinyl EPs from last year.

No Holds Barred holds the honour of being the first ever tune I signed after hearing it at a Future Retro London event. When I booked FFF to play at the 3rd event at Peckham Audio in July 2022, I had recently released his tracks "Bad Vibes" & "Bookworms" on FR004 (a split EP with Dwarde) & on the night, when he played No Holds Barred, I distinctly remember walking off from whoever I was talking to, through the crowd & straight to the DJ booth to see what the tune was and then reload it because I needed to hear it again from the top.

I was emailing him afterwards to try & get an update on what was happening with the tune, he told me it was unsigned & here we are with FR028, with a quality remix from FX of Demonic Possession (one of my favourite darkside hardcore producers) on the b-side.

Big up to both FFF & FX for their co-operation in making this release happen, look out for more darkside hardcore on Future Retro London in the future. ????

*all original recordings from mid 90s Estonian released cassettes. Fascinating interpretations of the UK breakbeat and Jungle sounds recorded when the world felt like a much bigger place.

Since hearing the first breakbeats via the Finnish radio nightly shows introducing the burgeoning UK scene, Virko Veskoja, later head figure of Lu:k, was completely swept away by this new technological language that sounded like machines trying to initiate contact with people. The fluttering rhythm patterns, strings and vocal lines haunting the pathways of the infinite network. Like hip hop taken over by Skynet.

Reimagining it all in mid-90’s Estonia, a fresh and dirt-poor republic newly welcomed to the family of sovereign states on the outskirts of Eastern Europe, was challenging, to say the least. Finally, with the help of entry level music programs, custom-made soundcards and self-built computers by the other Lu:k-head Tõnis Valk, Lu:k took the first tentative steps in the history of Estonian jungle.

Eight Lu:k cuts have been compiled into a handy selection, a true sign of the times when uncertainty came with certain hope and optimism – new territories to chart, new frontiers to conquer. A time of innocence captured so sublimely in Lu:k’s music.

The compilation starts with menacing orchestration that sounds like the birth of a civilization, like in „2001: A Space Odyssey“, or the arrival of Godzilla, only to give way to sweeeet strings and the inimitable Minnie Riperton in “Lovin U”, combining all the essential elements of Lu:k in a track that has remained uncorroded by time since its inception in 1994.

The following “Demo 3” is its antithesis – fast and nervous, a harbinger of the darker days of neurofunk and techstep ahead. More in line with the social realities of the time, when something (or someone) could materialise out of thin air and attack you just as violently as those beats here.

“La:v” was Lu:k’s signature track throughout their brief career that went on only for a few years, 1994-1997. Lifted to heaven’s by Petula Clarks’s wonderful vocals, it perfectly captures the pure essence of creation. “I made it in my bedroom. Something like that just came out. Sorry”, says Virko apologetically.

From the themes of love we are led towards darker scenarios again with “Drunk-Drive”, a more vengeful cut reminiscent of early Ram Records’ nocturnal dangers, skylines shaped by basslines. Previously only available on the uber-rare “Raadiomaja valvelauas” CD compilation from 2005.

“In the Limelight” is lifted from their second album “Dreams in Drums” from 1996 (only released on cassette), and if it’s meant to address their new-found underground celebrity status in Estonia, there is surprisingly little elation here – the track rather consists of introspective strings and beats that sound almost melancholic.

Out of the remaining three tracks, “Proov2mix” and “Kadunud leitud” are the result of a treasure hunt amongst the old, obsolete harddrives – little nuggets that were condemned to obscurity until now. Between them, another vocal-led cut “010”, a non-album track only featured on two comps until now, is a strong reminder of Lu:k’s prodigious ability to handle vocal lines and morph them together with their own weaving synthetic melodies, strong pads and commanding beats.

Lu:k’s music has been largely unavailable for the better part of this century, with original tapes and CD’s changing hands for a small fortune. This vinyl release couldn’t come at a better time, bringing a seminal chapter of Estonian dance music’s mythical history to light again, both for the old-school acolytes and new converts.

All music by Virko Veskoja

After the huge success of the Break from Reality album, DJ Trax gets 2 of his favourite producers to remix a couple of the tracks. Ricky Force goes in hard on Always and Nookie gives Soulfire a Binary State spin. A bonus track by DJ Trax - 'Point to Prove' completes the 12….

After a brief hiatus from regular releasing (yet closely following the hit 36-tracker VA compilation), Motive Hunter Audio steps back into Jungles spotlight with The Pressure - EP from ARKYN, available on an ultra-sleek marble grey double-sided 12 vinyl, as well as all digital streaming platforms + Bandcamp.

The release thoroughly embodies a modern rendition of Hardcore Jungle Technos unmissable resurgence, yet matched with an evident ode to the genres roots. Piano-stabs-galore and 4x4 kicks guide you through two sides of controlled mayhem, the epitome of a club-ready release. ARKYN calls up SYNTAX & DJ B for collaborations, both effortlessly adding their touch sonically and also with the bonus of a closing track as his alter-alias DJ TUF - channelling his influence from the Dutch early rave scene.

Having already had support from artists at the top of their game, internationally and on the airwaves - there is no way of shying from the fact that these have been some of the most sought-after dubs in Modern Jungle.

This is an awesome under the radar hardcore release to get you buzzing! The guys behind Dub Base and 2 Slices Of Jam create 4 tracks of absolute joy. And as is always the case when it comes to a Vinyl Fanatiks repress, the original 1993 release is highly sought after.

In 2020, when I had just started Future Retro London & was messaging producers I wanted to work with on tracks for the Meeting Of The Minds releases, I reached out to Worldwide Epidemic and we made "Losing Control" on Vol. 2 of Meeting Of The Minds, one of my favourites of the series.

I was quite keen on getting him back on the label at some point in the future & I can't remember exactly the chain of events that transpired during then and now (I'm sure I told him at some point to work on some music for me but I honestly can't remember how or when I did this, sorry Dan!) but around the start of 2023, he sent me Bells Of Arptazia & I knew it was perfect for the label.

Without a doubt, it's my favourite tune of his and to be honest, I'm actually a bit jealous of how lush and intricate that intro is and when I was in New Zealand on tour in March this year, he showed me the project file for it and the amount of detail that went into this tune, I'm really glad that he was willing to let me release this tune on Future Retro London.

To accompany his tune, there's remixes from Kloke, me & Dust-e-1, all taking the original into different directions to make for hopefully a well rounded release, representing a variety of styles & flavours.

Thanks to Liquid Silk for his fantastic track, to Kloke & Dust-e-1 for their remix work & to James Lacey (aka Pointless Illustrations) for the artwork.

Back in 1995 Section 47 released their final EP on their own Terra Records. Three jungle/drum & bass tracks that became highly sought after (which is obviously why we approached them!). This is probably the rarest record we have released as only 50 white labels came out back in 1995.

There were two EPs prior to this one if you collectors want to dig those out plus the chaps have recently put out a new album, a collection of released and unreleased tracks from 30 years ago which you can find on their Bandcamp page.

repressed !

Jasper Byrne Aka Sonic (sonic & Silver / Accidental Heroes) Spent The Late 90s & 00s Dropping Releases On Pretty Much Every Legendary D&b Label Going (reinforced, Metalheadz, Renegade Hardware, Formation, Virus, Soul:r And His Own Space Recordings), Before Mysteriously Disap-pearing To The Far East & Re-emerging Years Later As A Hit Indy Computer Games Developer (lone Survivor) & Soundtrack Artist (hotline Miami).

After A Chance Encounter With Dead Man's Chest At A Gig In La (where Jasper Had Been Working On A Game And Wholeheartedly Soaking Up The Local Low End Theory Music Scene), It Quickly Emerged The Two Had Shared Similar Musical Stories, Straying From Previous D&b Careers And Into The Musical Wilderness, Only To Drift Back Toward The Tempo With A New Found 'outsider' Approach And Eerily Familiar Conclusions..

After Teasing Us With 2018's 110174 Mixtape (ltd Edition Cassette Only Release) And His Appear- Ances On Blunted Breaks Vol.1, 2019 Sees Sonic Mark His Return To The World Of Dance Music Proper With This Two Part, Heavyweight Ep For Western Lore.

Blending Techno, Footwork, La Bass, Hardcore, Synthwave And D&b Under A Loose Jungle Tekno Framework, 110174 Sees Sonic Crafting Beats, Breaks & Bass With An Artisanal Deftness Rarely Seen.

The Legendary DJ Zinc Shook Ones Remix (2002), remastered by Beau and sounding as good or better than the original press. On the flip is an unreleased 1997 remix of Zinc's No Diggity track on Playaz