In The Mix…Quadrant & Iris

To celebrate the release of Dispatch’s Transit 2 LP, US producers Quadrant & Iris have teamed up to record a slick mix of dark techstep with beats from Dispatch, Metalheadz, Commercial Suicide and beyond. The tracklist speaks for itself so check out the mix below and head over to Surus to grab your copy of Transit 2.

1. ARPXP & Rexa – No Control (Metalheadz)
2. Quadrant, Kid Hops & Iris – Borealis (Dispatch)
3. Friske – Requisite (Metalheadz)
4. Xtrah – Lost Time (Symmetry)
5. Silent Witness – Ballistix (Dispatch)
6. Fields – Colours (Utopia)
7. Survival & Silent Witness – Noise 3 (Dispatch)
8. Hybris, Quadrant, Dstruct, Iris – Graphene (Dispatch)
9. Acid Lab – Reborn (Breakfast Audio)
10. DLR – 8 bits of 16 (Dispatch)
11. Bulletproof & Optiv – Camouflage (1210)
12. Quadrant & Iris – Depth Sounder (Commercial Suicide)
13. Bone – Dark Eyes (Authentic Music)
14. Kai – Statically Assigned (Violation Music)
15. Quadrant & D-Struct – Sexy Beam (Intrigue)
16. Hydro, War & Mateba – Black Light (Inside)
17. Survival & Silent Witness – Fletcher (Homemade Weapons Rmx) (Free!)
18. Quadrant – Spinout (Commercial Suicide)
19. Quadrant, Kid Hops & Iris – Convervence (Dispatch)

Frustrate – Chaos Elevator EP [Chaos Audio]

Up and coming producer Frustrate unleashes his debut EP for Chaos Audio, showcasing range and versatility for someone comparitively new to the game. Alongside D&B rollers like the titular Chaos Elevator and the deep and dubby Digital, we’re also treated to Breakbeat and Dubstep beats before Endloop brings things to a close with some nice techy business.

Check out the EP below and grab yourself a copy now from your favourite digital store, out now.

Dom & Roland – Unofficial Jah / Outta Endz [Metalheadz]

When forces as legendary as these collide, you know you’re in for a treat! Dom & Roland touches down on the mighty Metalheadz with a massive 12″ that has been tearing up the dance for months now. Unofficial Jah kicks the release off with some monstrous bass sweeps before dropping into a stomping, sub infused half-step beat that’s reminiscent of Amit’s work on recent singles like Human Warfare. Just when you’re getting comfortable Dom kicks things up into double time with a full rinse oldschool techstep beat…oooft.

Over on the B-side we’re treated to Outta Endz, a track that has seen heads bawling for the rewind time and again. Infectious and instantly memorable, the cut up vocal hook of “Straight Outta London” couldn’t resonate more with the Metalheadz crew. Watch out for this dropping on vinyl and digital from November 18th.

Blu Mar Ten – Famous Lost Words [Blu Mar Ten]

Two years on from the release of the stellar Love Is The Devil, Blu Mar Ten return with their 6th studio album. As we’ve come to expect from the enigmatic trio, the LP is packed from start to finish with soulful, musical D&B and some excellent collaborations.

Seba hops in to the studio to co-produce Hunter, lending some of his trademark epic synthesis to the mix, while Agné Genyté both opens and closes the record on the deep, jazzy Somewhere and the insistent, jungle-infused In Your Eyes. It’s Robert Manos however who completely steals the show on the beautiful, effortless Thin Air.

Elsewhere on the LP we’re treated to some precise, technical D&B on darker tracks like Big Shots and Holding Pattern while Remembered Her Wrong and Night Shift head for more experimental territory. Overall Famous is another exceptional album from a production outfit who continue to excel after more than a decade in the game.

Check out a preview of the LP below and watch out for the album dropping from November 18th.

Komatose & Kermodo – The Grin Reaper / Can’t See [Transmission]

Transmission Audio bring us their first release from newcomers Komatose and Kermodo. The Grin Reaper on the A side kicks things off with a hefty slice of dark, warped techstep, with some serious impact on the kicks and snares.

Over on the flip Can’t See continues the trend, throwing down an infectious groove with some impressively crisp breaks. Check out the beats below and watch out for the release dropping from November 25th.

Kid Drama – In Mind EP [Exit Records]

After the recent announcement of Heartdrive it seemed inevitable that we’d be hearing more 170BPM productions from Jon Convex under his Kid Drama alias, and the new EP he’s prepped for dBridge’s ever forward-thinking Exit Records delivers more beautiful 170BPM explorations in the spirit of Autonomic.

In Mind kicks things of with lush, melody driven ambience and subtle but insistent beat patterns before What Do You See? switches the tone, opting for dark, throbbing bass and stark half-time drum rhythms.

The deep, dark vibes continue on Retract, which sees Convex teaming up with relatively unknown Australian producer Hands Like Crime to craft a tune that’s all in the detail of the percussion (and appears to make excellent use of a sampled dial tone). Finally the appropriately titled Grind sees him recruiting Om Unit to the studio for a grimey, evil sounding tune full of frantic half-time syncopation and spooky lead synth chords.

Check out the beats below and watch out for the release dropping on vinyl and digital from 18th November.

In The Mix…Special Ed & MC Lucid

Special Records head honcho and all around badman of the Scottish scene Special Ed delivers another slick mix with the vocal talents of MC Lucid. Sliding effortlessly from deep rollers to techy bangers, the mix shows exactly why Ed has been in demand as a DJ for 8 years and counting. Check it out and grab a free download below.

Virtue – Moment / Finest Days (Livewire Remix) [E-Motion]

Virtue returns to E-Motion with an irresistible liquid funk groove in the form of Moment. Warm sub, crisp breaks, a catchy piano hook and the soft, soulful vocals of Bonnie Rabson combine to forge a tune that deep liquid heads will surely be reaching for time and again.

Over on the flip Livewire gives the remix touch to previous Virtue outing Finest Days, retaining the melody but amping up the beats ever so slightly to give the tune a little more edge on the dancefloor. Check out the beats below and watch out for the release from Monday 18th November.

Various – Invisible 006 [Invisible]

Noisia’s Invisible imprint continues to showcase the experimental side of drum & bass. Nickbee opens the salvo with the sublime Third Entity; beautiful atmospherics on the intro give way to monstrous bass stabs and some super crisp percussion work throughout the track gives it that polish that separates the 1% from the rest of the D&B scene. 

Axon moves things along with the hyper syncopated trap-infused sounds of STTR – comparatively stripped back but packed full of rhythm and an infectious groove. Noisia themselves contribute the cinematic sounds of The Tower, drenched in gloom and a beat pattern so sparse it’s almost non-existent, and Fre4knc closes things out with a tidy sub-heavy stepper.

Check out the beats below and grab this on vinyl or digital now from your favourite outlet.

Terror & Hubris – Horizons / Baktum [Emotif]

Long-running label Emotif Recordings (established way back in 1995) return with their latest single from Terror & Hubris. Horizons on the A-side sounds almost like a tribute to Horizons Music, soulful pads and atmospheres combining with growling bass to create a soulful yet techy slice of D&B. Baktun sets the tone a bit darker with a heavy steppers beat and roaring, reverb drenched bass moving the track along like some great, ancient beast.

Watch out for this one dropping from November 18th.