Intelligent Manners – Miracles EP [Fokuz Recordings]

Russian liquid maestro Intelligent Manners returns to Fokuz Recordings to showcase his ultra-smooth sound via four brand new tracks. The appropriately named Numb glides effortlessly along on a bed of warm sub bass, soft pads and twinkling FX sweeping across the tune, conjuring an atmosphere of muted bliss; maybe an ode to heavy duty painkillers?

Love Is Love revolves brings together soft soul vocals, catchy guitar and another rolling break, though this time with a little more of the party energy; uplifting vibes. Everyday is the Same keeps the energy in the beats but swaps the jazzy guitar hooks for beautiful piano licks and a slightly melancholy vocal, for what is to my mind the best track on the EP.

Last of all Miracles rounds things off; half-time beats on the intro give the track an old school hip-hop vibe before the full tempo roll gets the party going again. Once again the mixdown proves absolutely effortless, and fans of the smooth liquid played by Random Movement, Makoto et al will definitely find much to love here.

Check out the clips below and watch out for this one dropping on vinyl and digital from September 15th (pre-orders available now from the Triple Vision Store).

August Freebie Roundup

With so many great freebies surfacing over the last few weeks we thought it high time to round up our favourites here at the Dojo. First up, the ever busy Quentin Hiatus dropped a tidy free track in conjunction with his recent interview for KMag. Brooding atmosphere, deep sub and a plodding half-time riddim combine on this genre-blending slice of 170BPM business.

Evol Intent continue their steady stream of free giveaways with the typically monstrous Cognitive Divergance; described by the trio as “a modern exploration into the late 90s tech era of drum and bass”, this one is full of big bad reese bass and a relentless drum line.

Terabyte/Transmission/Sub:mission boss-man Altered Perception brings us a tight techstep roller in the form of Neurosis. Swirling bass groans and a crisp break are sure to do some damage.

Arkaik celebrates 1000 Facebook likes with a deep dark remix of Shiver’s Crossover, featuring some top notch angular riddims. Head to DNBShare to grab this one.

BSE’s Blackout imprint get ready for the launch of their next EP with a freebie from Concept Vision & Segment – big nasty rolling neuro vibes as you’d expect! Head to the Blackout Facebook page to get it.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAd7U1EnT3I]

Amen badman FFF presents us with a full 6 track EP of his raggacore stylings – if you like your breaks chopped to hell and back, look no further! Download at the Murder Channel Bandcamp page.

[bandcamp width=400 height=340 album=3605023383 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=small]

Last but not least Dojo head honcho Hex gives away an old school techstep roller in the form of The Law to celebrate 500 Soundcloud followers. Big distorted 808 hits and gnarly reese bass are the order of the day here, with a few choice samples from Dredd thrown in for good measure.

Phace & Misanthrop – Sex Sells [Neosignal]

Nothing puts a smile on our faces here at the Dojo quite like a brand new release from Neosignal. Phace & Misanthrop’s latest outing sees them bringing it with a pair of suitably aggressive and finely engineered neurofunk belters, and the beats are every bit as crisp and deadly as we’ve come to expect from the duo.

Sex Sells builds up with some saucy vocal samples before dropping into an ultra-precise rolling break backed up with a seriously scuzzy bassline. Tons of little details are sprinkled into the mix, with nice glitchy FX, extra percussion and a simple but effective melodic hook rounding the tune out.

Over on the flip Nordwand provides a darker partner to the playful A-side, all atmosphere and suspense on the intro, with ominous bass groans and a half-time drum stomp leading up to a monstrous drop. Twisted bass and hard snares all the way on this one; a surefire dancefloor masher. Check out the clips below and head to Beatport or the Neosignal store to grab the digital now. There’s also a strictly limited vinyl single for the wax collectors – grab this from your favourite outlet quick if you want a copy!

Classic Track: Dillinja – Nasty Ways

Dillinja; a name that constantly appears in interviews. To call him influential is the under statement; the number of top flight D&B producers who have name checked him as an inspiration over the years is staggering. The Cybotron era featured some of his finest work, and it’s that era we’ve revisiting for today’s classic track selection.

The flip to the equally iconic (and equally dangerous) I Wanna KnowNasty Ways lures you in with the suspense and atmosphere of the intro and those soft vocals before slapping down a sharp break and a big throbbing reese bassline. Carrying Dillinja’s trademark booming production quality, this still has a fearsome edge to it 14 years on. Check it out below, and be sure to find yourself a copy of the Cybotron LP if you’re not familiar with it.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oHBREK4NO0]

Handra – Coat of Dust / Stay Away [Addictive Behaviour]

Addictive Behaviour take things a little deeper than usual on their latest release from newcomers Handra. The polish production duo serve up a stripped back piano-led roller on Coat of Dust, amping up the atmosphere nicely. Stay Away seems to have the dancefloor more firmly in its sights, with a higher impact beat and more bass texture, though the stripped-back stylings are still evident.

Handra should be one to watch this year if they can continue with releases of this quality. Check out the clips below and watch out for the release dropping on Beatport from September 1st, with vinyl and worldwide digital release following on September 15th.

If you’re itching to hear more from Handra then be sure to check out their recent promo mix featuring Stay Away and seven other tracks. Check it out below!

Phonetick – Can’t Stay / Far Away [Transmission Audio]

Transmission Audio present arguably their best release to date from Czech producer Phonetick. Can’t Stay blends softer musical elements with a super-tight break and some finely tuned bassline modulations; the balance of dancefloor readiness and musicality which so many producers fail to achieve is really impressive and brings to mind the work of A-list producers like Mako and DLR.

Far Away continues the trend with sweeping synths on the intro giving a simultaneously retro and yet futuristic vibe to the tune; somewhat Blade Runner-esque. Appropriate then that a sci-fi vocal snippet speaks of “other life” just before the main drop. The verse provides another finely tuned set of bass and breaks; battle-ready dancefloor business! Check out the clips below and watch out for the release dropping at all good digital outlets from September 4th.

Enorme – Stoneface [None Decay Music]

Blackdub Sessions host and all around bass badman Enorme makes his debut on None Decay Music with the hefty, tribal sounds of Stoneface. Fans of the halfstep sound are in for a treat here, with a deep, detailed riddim and a huge wall of sub bass providing the backdrop for a plethora of little sonic details.

On the flip, Mystic State up the ante with a slightly more insistent refix, swapping the plodding half-time beats for a tasty stepper’s break. The essence of the original remains intact, but the duo have monkeyed around with the elements enough to keep things interesting. This one dropped today so head to your favourite digital store and grab it now.

For anyone wanting a bit more from Enorme you can hear his fine selections every Tuesday evening 19.30-21.30 GMT/BST on UK Bass Radio. Head over here for a Soundcloud archive of previous shows.

Hex – Grey Skies / Weightless [Sub:mission Audio]

DNB Dojo’s very own Hex touches down on Sub:mission Audio with a pair of deep liquid rollers. Grey Skies sets a moody tone, the sound of rainfall on the intro giving way to deep sub and a crisp, rolling break, with a halftime switchup in the second half providing a change of pace. Weightless shifts the vibe into sunnier territory, with rapid arpeggios and warm, shimmering synths set to a a classic liquid style beat.

To celebrate the release, Hex has put together a tasty mix full of deeper D&B from the likes of Tokyo Prose, Seba, Technimatic, Blu Mar Ten and LSB. Check that out below, and grab the release from your favourite digital outlet now!

Momoiro Clover Z – Lost Child (Noisia Remix) [Vision Recordings]

News of fresh Noisia beats is always music to our ears here at the Dojo, and their latest remix for Momoiro Clover Z is no exception! You could be forgiven for thinking “Momoiro Clover who?”; for those not well versed in Japanese pop music, think their version of Girls Aloud. An unlikely choice for a Noisia remix, then.

The end result sees a chorus of voices on the intro and bridge segments set to epic chords, which then give way to a stomping drumstep rhythm and that trademark Noisia bass grit. If Noisia were to remix the Akira soundtrack, this would be the result. Check it out below and grab yourself a copy via Beatport from Monday August 25th.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWmOJ4-LbPs]

Signs – Indigo EP [Cause4Concern Recordings]

C4C continues it’s steady run of dancefloor neurofunk weapons with a big new EP from French production trio Signs. Fans of C4C’s output will definitely be all over this one, and while the tracks are unlikely to win top marks for originality they more than make up for it in production quality and high octane vibes. Check out the clips below and grab the release from your favourite digital outlet now.