Fade – Acid Trip / Get Rowdy [Diffrent Music]

Posted on 19th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

If the psychedelic artwork and track names haven’t already given you the hint, let us set this one straight for you; Fade is getting a bit ravey on his latest work for Dexta’s ever impressive Diffrent imprint.

Acid Trip leads with classic rave synths on the intro before pounding bass stabs slam down around the heavy hitting half-time rhythm. Get Rowdy meanwhile lulls you into a false sense of security with lush IDM-esque sounds before the frenetic percussion and chipmunk-pitched vocal refrain drop in to hype the track up. Cracking!

Check out the clips below and hit up the Diffrent bandcamp to grab this right now.

[bandcamp width=100% height=208 album=2614984123 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=none]

Survey – Chop Chop EP [Translation Recordings]

Posted on 19th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

Survey continue to hone their sound with a great new EP for US label Translation. Fans of the Berlin based duo will know what to expect here; industrial, grimey techstep in the vein of early Ulterior Motive.

Most of the EP focusses on the half-time tempo with detailed, gritty textures among sparse beats. For us though the standout track is the crisp, rolling beat of the more conventional Paperhands. Check out the clips below and hit up the Translation Bandcamp to grab the release now.

Kimyan Law – Daimyo VIP [Blu Mar Ten Music]

Posted on 18th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

The enigmatic Kimyan Law is back! Blu Mar Ten Music’s brightest new talent returns to the label with three great new tracks following on from last year’s rather excellent album.

Album cut Daimyo gets the VIP treatment, switching the rhythm up to a slightly more insistent gait and adding a handful of jungle breaks to the mix. Lavish keeps things on a stripped back tip; airy drum patterns with a hint of swing and a generally pretty dubbed out vibe. The merest hints of jazz can be heard fading through the mix for a little extra shimmer.

Last but not least, Chai takes things even deeper, spacing out the drums into a lolloping rhythm against a backdrop of rich melodic textures. This one is the star of the show for us; absolutely beautiful. Check out the clips below and hit up the Blu Mar Ten store to grab a copy on vinyl or digital now.

None Decay – Lithium EP [None Decay Music]

Posted on 18th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

Watching None Decay’s evolution over the last few years has been an absolute pleasure. From their humble roots as a relatively unknown act, they’ve honed their skills and notched up some impressive releases on Citrus, AutomAte, Vampire and of course their own None Decay Music imprint.

Their latest EP is absolutely their best material yet, bringing together their usual half-step darkness on The Hive and Forever with more upbeat material on the darkly ravey Lithium and the grimey, skittering Road Runner. There’s some absolute danger in here and no mistake! Check out the clips below and head to Juno to grab the EP right now.

Klient – Intent EP [Tessellate]

Posted on 16th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

We’re taking a brief break from our scheduled programming today to cover something outside the realms of D&B, but nonetheless firmly informed and influenced by the 170 sound. Scottish duo Klient (aka Mr. Beeb & Fault Lines) have been forging quite a reputation for bass heavy 130-140BPM shenanigans over the past few years, and their latest EP for Tessellate is well worthy of your attention.

Despite the lower tempo, their music betrays a misspent youth listening to the likes of Dillinja; if late 90s techstep and UK house had an affair then Klient would be the illegitimate love child. Just listen to the bass on Vultures or the vocals on Intent and you’ll hear strains of Deep Deadly Subs or Ink’s Need You.

The tunes speak for themselves in terms of quality too; perfectly placed percussion, heavy impact basslines and a badboy attitude throughout. Anyone looking for a change of pace but still wanting the dark energy of D&B should look no further. Check out the clips below and look for this dropping at all good digital stores from June 1st.

As if that wasn’t enough, the boys are also giving away a cheeky freebie to say thanks for 4043 followers (bit random, but who are we to argue?). Check that out below and head over here to get the download.

Fortitude – Purifying Me [Tech Cycle]

Posted on 15th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

purifying

Drum & bass can take myriad varied forms. Sometimes you want a deep, soulful roller. Sometimes it’s all about the gully halfstep minimalism. Sometimes there’s nothing better than a straight up crossbreed smasher, and that’s where Fortitude steps in.

Purifing Me is just straight up menace; midrange bass distortion and a big bag of kick drums. So many kick drums! Absolutely deadly rhythms on this one. Stand Your Ground opts for a slightly spacier but no less aggressive rhythm constructed from angry metallic snares and savage bass before dropping into a rolling D&B pattern that should get the floor moving nicely.

No release date on this yet but it should be available soon. Savour the clips below and keep an eye on the relevant social media for release details.

Compound Two [Renegade Hardware]

Posted on 14th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

Renegade Hardware return with the second part of their Compound series, showcasing more fresh talent from the worldwide neurofunk scene. Disprove provides two hulking bassy steppers for the first half of the EP, including a dangerous collab with young upstart Signal.

Out into the back half rising stars Volatile Cycle take things seriously dirty with the twin pairing of Switchblade and Backlash. The tracks provide vicious bassweight in equal measure, with the former narrowly emerging as our favourite. Expect some serious screwfaces on the floor when these get dropped! Check out the clips below and grab yourself a copy from the Hardware store right now.

Classic Track: DaVIP & Encode – Vamonos

Posted on 14th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

Lifted sublabel Breed 12 Inches has been responsible for some absolute stompers since it’s inception in 2008, the biggest and badest of which is undoubtedly DaVIP & Encode’s appropriately named Vamonos.

If you’re looking for subtlety or soul then this one probably isn’t for you. If you’re looking for a track that will slay floors every time however, this is the one. The first time I heard this track the response was pretty much “fuck off!”, and it still hits just as hard now…absolutely slamming!

Calibre – Strumpet EP [Exit Records]

Posted on 13th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

Confession time; when I first listened to this EP I wasn’t actually blown away by it. “Heresy!” I hear you cry. But before the ardent Calibre fanboys come for my head, let me finish – it’s a grower, to say the least.

There’s no doubting the musical chops of Dominick Martin at this point, but it would still be all too easy for him to slip into the formulaic manufacture of identikit liquid rollers and cease to be interesting; thankfully that’s not the case, with the tracks on this EP exploring a slightly different aesthetic than most of his previous work.

The shimmering ambience and crisp liquid breaks are still present, to be sure, but there’s a hint of darkness to the tracks, from the growling bass of Strumpet to the edgy stabs of Stranger and off into the warm and fuzzy basswork of The Sweet and Concrete, the latter of which is undoubtedly the star track of the release.

If you wanted to lay hands on the beautiful limited edition boxed version of this you’re already out of luck, but you can still pick up the regular press on double 12″ from the Exit Store. Check out the clips below and get to getting!

Screw3000 – Nexture [Beat Machine]

Posted on 13th May 2015 by DNB Dojo

Beat Machine return with another top notch release from an artist pushing the electronic sound in exciting new directions at the fringes of D&B, Footwork and Hip-hop. The beats on display here are almost impossible to pigeonhole; swinging from warped R&B and LA Bass to Trap and Footwork and taking in all kinds of influences on the way, this is quite the melting pot of sonic flavours.

Highlights for us at the Dojo came on the short and sweet footwork shenanigans of Lookin Good (those delicious hat/snare rolls), Dead Fingaz‘ swaggering bass and weird’n’wonderful sampling, and the helter skelter junglism of Ticklish’s remix of Manual. If you like your beats forward thinking you should definitely check this one out…seriously lush synth work and a truly unique style throughout.

Unfortunately you can only hear a single track for the moment, so have a listen to When The Night Is Over below and hit up the Beat Machine Bandcamp to preorder the EP now – it drops on vinyl and digital from May 21st.

DNB Dojo

Drum & Bass News and Reviews

Monthly Archives: May 2015