Classic Track: Ulterior Motive – Featherweight

Before they ascended to the ranks of Metalheadz and knocked out their rather impressive debut LP, Ulterior Motive began their career with a slew of great singles for Teebee’s Subtitles imprint, and my favourite from that period is undoubtedly Featherweight.

Bringing together punchy techstep drums, grimey but stripped back bass modulations and a cheeky Mobb Deep sample, the groove on this tune is just undeniable, and it’s a track I keep coming back to. “Featherweight…gunshots will make you levitate” – boom!

Germanovski – Promise / Confession [Plush]

Denver label Plush Recordings come with a nice little slice of halftime jungle from Germanovski, and it’s not hard to see why these cuts have been getting support from the mighty Om Unit!

A suave combo of intricate slow/fast percussion and chopped up R&B vocals define Promise, giving it a hint of garage as well as the obvious junglist sensibilities. Confession meanwhile carries a far more tribal, hypnotic vibe, losing the carefree melodies for a more introspective ambience. Promising stuff from a producer we’re gonna keep an eye on! Check out the clips below and hit up your favourite store to grab a copy now.

Dojo Damager: Billain & Kodin – Feed For Speed

As regular readers will be aware we’re big fans of the hard hitting end of the D&B spectrum here at the Dojo so to celebrate all things dark and nasty we’re starting up a new weekly feature where we put the spotlight on the best of the hard-edged tracks to land in the inbox. For our first in this series we couldn’t think of anyone more fitting than Billain, who conveniently enough has a new EP out on Eatbrain packed full of seriously heavyweight neurofunk.

Feed For Speed sees the Bosnian badman team up with Croatian producer Kodin to produce a neurofunk ode to combustion engines that is absolutely relentless; from the acid-tinged intro/breakdown riffs to those trademark hyper compressed drums and into the scuzzy filtered bass, this one is precision engineered to hit like a punch to the gut from an 18 wheeler!

The production geeks amongst you may find it interesting that the basslines in this track were all made from heavily filtered and processed car engine recordings! The dedication and engineering involved in the creation of this style of music is staggering at the best of times but Billain truly takes things to the next level. Check out the track below and hit up Beatport to grab the whole EP right now.

Indifferent – Cardboard Refuge EP [Free Love Digi]

After the storming success of the Versus LP Free Love Digi are back with a fresh new EP from new label signing Indifferent and it’s a four track treat of eclectic influences and unusual rhythms. Reggae, hip-hop and soca are all thrown into the melting pot with a healthy dollop of D&B and the results are playful and full of character.

Starting with funky jungle on Boom Shackle and the irresistible, wobbly, skanking vibe of Cardboard Refuge before moving to the eccentric breakbeats of Stokah and out into the techier, more rolling territory or Watch Da Bizness, Indifferent keeps things interesting throughout. Unashamedly dancefloor oriented but at the same time experimental, we’re challenging you not to rock out to these tracks! Check out the clips below and hit up your favourite digital outlet to grab the EP now.

Alix Perez – Recall & Reflect EP [Exit Records]

Alix Perez’s output has taken on many forms over the years, spanning rolling liquid and hard edged techstep in the early days, through the varied styles of his second LP and on to the more hip-hop and footwork infused beats he’s been producing recently.

His latest release for Exit takes a sharp u-turn from previous material and heads back to the smooth liquid rollers he first made his name with, and while there’s nothing like the innovation found on last year’s U EP the tracks offer depth, warmth and seem to look back fondly on past exploits; even the title Recall & Reflect seems to imply a producer taking a trip down memory lane.

As you’d expect from a producer with the wealth of experience that Perez has built up, the tracks are precision engineered, with those all important liquid breaks sounding crisp, fresh and funky and the mixes as smooth as butter. Sometimes warmth and depth of feeling can be just as important as pushing the envelope, and that’s never been truer here. Check out the clips below and hit up the Exit Store or Bandcamp to pre-order the EP now ahead of the September 18th release date.

Calibre – Dreamz Dub EP [CIA]

Sometimes you just know a release will be good before you even hear it, and when the names on the tin are Calibre and CIA you can be pretty sure the contents will be worth your attention.

True to form, the maestro delivers four top notch new tracks for Total Science’s long running imprint, with Another and Believe It providing the soulful rollers, Posh Boy going in on the bassline grit and Dreamz Dub harnessing a playful dub bassline and ethereal pads for the EP’s deepest cut.

No surprises on this one then, but by now you should know if you worship at the altar of Calibre or not, and if you do his deceptively simple compositions haven’t lost their charm. Check out the clips below and look for this on vinyl and digital from September 18th.

Red Army – Badmon EP [Nurtured Beatz]

Nurtured Beatz continue their fine tradition of heavy hitting halftime D&B with a new EP from US producer Red Army. Ranging from the up front bass driven stomper Badmon to deeper moody territory on Interline collab Solution the EP brings a range of styles to the table, with crisp percussion and atmospherics giving the tracks a consistent feel.

While the title track is probably the most dancefloor friendly and accessible, the EP’s best material arguably comes on the back end as Red Army teams up with fellow American Epilleptech for two fantastic new beats. Fear slaps the listener about with massive kicks and snares and a positively snarling bassline while Jungle Thief goes in on tribal percussion and creepy pads for a tidy swansong to a really strong EP.

You can pick this one up exclusively from the Nurtured Beatz Bandcamp right now with full release coming from Monday.

Release & Meecha – Pitfall [Tytanium Armour]

Tytanium Armour return with their first release after a three year hiatus featuring two hard edged slices of tech D&B with plenty of gnarly energy. Release & Meecha provide the A side with Pitfall, a track that harks back to the hardstep sound of around 10 years ago and brings to mind early Audio tracks.

Over on the flip label boss Tycaine gets together with Abandon for a more stripped back tech funk workout with a low slung moving bassline and plenty of punch in the kicks and snares. Fans of the dark and rolling should enjoy this one! The release is out now at all good digital stores so check out the clips below and go grab yourself a copy!

James Marvel – Way of the Warrior [Audioporn]

James Marvel’s latest single for Audioporn has already topped the Beatport D&B charts and with good reason; Way of the Warrior brings together fantastic suspenseful intro/breakdown work with a crisp, hefty drop buoyed along by hyperkinetic bassline movements that batter away relentlessly as the tune strides forward.

For us here at the Dojo though the B side is the true star of the show. Morphing, IDM-tinged melodies characterise Outlife, with a catchy melodic progression that proves entirely irresistible. This one gets into your head! Check out the clips below and hit up your favourite digital store to grab a copy right now.