Premiere: Imanzi – Ragga

Old school break chopping goodness on our latest exclusive from Imanzi! The Norwich-based producer lands on Portuguese label Skalator Music on March 10th with the appropriately titled Ragga; on ode to the classic ragga jungle of days gone by. No prizes for originality but this one is still crispy as hell. Junglist massive!

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Mr. Frenkie – Respawn / Tire Fire [Concussion]

From time to time a piece of music comes along that reminds you why you got into D&B in the first place, and here at Dojo HQ the new single from Mr. Frenkie hits that spot in a big way. Bringing together crispy modern production techniques with the influence of early neuro, the two tracks on show here are absolutely dripping with that funk that’s often absent from the hyper-clinical sounds of 2017.

Respawn kicks things off with a rolling break layered over a fantastic array of stabs, squelches and growls that bring to mind early Black Sun Empire; high octane licks with a hint of trance in the atmospheres and plenty of low end sizzle. Over on the flip Tire Fire drops a classic 2-step beat with some cheeky amen switches and a snarling reese line straight out of the Dom & Roland playbook. Distorted hits and tons of cymbal action complete another effective homage to a classic sound.

While the tracks here certainly have one foot in the past, the production is razor sharp and the vibes are strong. Fuck the future; take us back to 2004 and bring on more of these beats! Check out the clips below and hit up Beatport to grab this one right now, or Bandcamp for the vinyl; full digital release follows from March 6th.

Premiere: Goku – Insects

Heavy hitting business on today’s exclusive as Goku lands on Nu Venture with the dangerously dark Insects. This one is a straight up dancefloor weapon; a high pressure build-up leads into a rolling neurofunk assault of hard beats and snarling bass! Expect maximum rave destruction; watch out for this coming March 6th at all good digital stores.

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DNB Dojo Podcast #4 – Feb 2017

Dojo boss Hex is back with the latest in the monthly Dojo podcast series featuring 85 minutes of the best D&B to land in the Dojo inbox over the last month. As always we’re representing all the styles of D&B with bassy halftime, techstep, liquid rollers, minimal cuts and dancefloor neuro all featured in the mix. Brand new tunes from HØST, Klax, Mark Kloud, SCAR, Mikal, Dead Man’s Chest and many more…

You can check out the podcast via Soundcloud below or head to Youtube or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.

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Sense MC – The Elephant In The Room [Diffrent Music]

When it comes to D&B MCs, you can count those worth hearing outside the rave on one hand (and even those worth hearing inside the rave on a few hands more…). The jump from host in the club to the true lyricism required to spit bars on record isn’t one that all wannabe microphone fiends have the talent for, but thankfully Sense has more than proven himself worthy of the task.

Many years in the making, The Elephant In The Room sees the self-described “illegitimate offspring of a scouse and a cockney” land on Diffrent Music accompanied by some of the best producers in the scene, with a plethora of material spanning D&B and hip-hop, dark and light, hype and chill. There are plenty of highlights in the uptempo region, from the coy and playful rhymes of Lynx-produced Disconnected to the aggy lyrical duel of After Dark, where Sense is joined by longtime friend and equally talented MC Codebreaker.

The lower tempo beats tend towards beauty and introspection, such as album opener Love Is… which muses on romance against an eclectic beat from Frank & Furter that brings to mind Frederick Robinson’s work. Two Planets brings in jazzy influences and rhymes on an intergalactic tip, while Just A Ride closes the album with thoughts on the meaning of life.

Descriptions struggle to do the work here justice; the important point is that The Elephant In The Room is a polished selection of songs with depth beyond the usual hype-man lyricism or catchy verses found on MC-led tracks. We’ve no doubt this is only gonna get better on repeat listens too. Check out some of the tracks below and hit up the Diffrent Store to grab a copy on digital, CD or vinyl…as they’ve been telling us for weeks, #BuyTheAlbum.

Premiere: Reen – Distillation

California’s Reen brings his brand of dark, energetic D&B to Ronin Ordinance and we’ve got the exclusive on A-side Distillation. Detailed, heavy hitting percussion, growling bass and omnious pads are the order of the day here; check it out and watch out for the release dropping 13th March.

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Premiere: Dyl – Numbers, Words, Mind Control

Translation Records return after a brief hiatus and we’ve got the exclusive on one of the tracks from their brand new EP by Romanian producer Dyl! Moody atmospheres and distorted percussion set the tone on the ominously titled Numbers, Words, Mind Control…dark business. Watch out for this dropping on the Numbers, Words, Shadows EP from March 3rd.

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DNB Dojo Mix Series 46: John Rolodex

The legendary John Rolodex steps up to the decks for the latest episode of the DNB Dojo Mix Series! Boss of the impressive Machinist Music imprint and a talented producer to boot, John’s productions have seen release on Dread Recordings, Tech Itch Recordings, Metalheadz, Hospital and more.

John has come correct with an hour of rolling techstep punctuated by a few more experimental switchups, and the vibes are strong all the way through. Look out for tons of dubs from the man himself alongside beats from Owneath, Kolectiv, Goldie and HLZ. Serious business from a serious selector; check it!

You can check out the mix via Soundcloud below or head to Youtube or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.

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Premiere: Mark Kloud – Get War

Experimental jungle-tinged riddims a-plenty on today’s exclusive as we premiere Mark Kloud’s Get War. Taken from his new EP forthcoming on Vermont label Party Guy Records, Mark’s flair for experimental drum patterns is on full show here with a satisfyingly chaotic assortment of kicks, claps and breaks flying around the mix atop a layer of meaty bass vibration. Sick one!

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Emperor – Dispositions – The Remixes [Critical]

Material from Emperor’s recent Dispositions LP gets the remix treatment on the latest release from Critical, and true to form the label have delivered a really interesting selection for the EP. For our money you should just ignore the Phace remix; as weighty as it is it’s predictable fare and far from the most interesting work we’ve heard from the German neuro powerhouse.

Klax on the other hand have absolutely excelled themselves with their remix of Made of Light, taking the original’s moody vocal and setting it to a halftime beat punctuated with grime-tinged synth swells and some serious bassweight. This one positively swaggers along as the synth lines stalk through the mix, and the energy levels are kept high despite the plodding drum pace; top notch mid-set switch-up material.

Ivy Lab are next up and once again on a half time flex, flipping Jounce around from a full roll neuro workout into a hypnotic, bouncing slice of intergalactic hip-hop that just oozes character. Smooth melodies and warm low end reverberations make for a serious head-nodder. Last up we’re treated to the softest of renditions as Made of Light gets the accoustic treatment, stripped back to nothing but Solah’s beautiful vocal and a moving piano line. Something a little different from the usual Emperor material! Check out the clips below and hit up the Critical Store to grab the EP on vinyl or digital now.