We’ve got another exclusive from Neve’s The Dreamers imprint today as Corrupted lands on the label with more of his infectious blend of footwork-influenced D&B. Holdin’ On sees the Antwerp producer teaming up with fellow Belgian beatsmith J. Nomad for a wicked slice of slow/fast drum syncopations; footwork, hip-hop and D&B elements collide for a potent sonic brew that’s sure to move a few dancefloors. Look for this one on the Bussaback EP at all good digital stores from April 26th!
Our latest premiere comes from Manchester-based THUGWIDOW as he drops some serious jungle vibes for Lifted Contingency! Old school break chopping and a hypnotic lead line alongside the vocals of Sarah Zad make for a potent combination; pure vibes with a 90s twist. Check it out below and look for the release dropping April 17th at all good digital stores.
Mob Tactics have been storming the scene for some time now and their latest release for Viper Recordings finds them destroying the dancefloor once again with a pair of fresh high octane rollers. We grabbed the guys and got them to pick their current Top 5, check it!
Unknown Error are chiefly remembered for their hefty neurofunk outings for the likes of Lifted Music and Renegade Hardware but the duo also had a knack for the deeper side of D&B as evidenced by their 2006 single for Horizons Music, The Yearning.
Combining rough breaks with soft pads, the track explores the “liquid with teeth” style that other producers like Chris.Su have since taken up, and the track walks the line between deep euphoria and darker dancefloor sensibilities with finesse. Tasty stuff, and a record we’ve got a lot of time for here at Dojo HQ. Best of all it’s been remastered and reissued for 2017! Check out the new audio below and hit up the Horizons Store to grab the limited clear 12″ release now…
In 2015, the legendary DnB label Metalheadz embarked on a project to re-master and re-release all of its classic tunes from the 90s and beyond. This was presumably done for DJs, to give high-quality downloads of early-era songs to those who have updated their equipment but not their tastes.
What it has effectively done on top of that, however, is to expose younger generations of ravers to the wonders of the Metalheadz archives, as well as to producers and sub-genres which, if not forgotten, were buried in the record crates of first-and-second-generation junglists and D&B heads. Now even the grumpiest vinyl-loving old school heads can listen to a crisp, clean WAV of Marcus Intalex’s My Soul on their computers if they so choose.
The most recent release from the “Re-Mastered” project is of 2002’s MDZ.02. Just released on Friday, this 11-track retrospective contains classics from the likes of Klute, Teebee, Loxy & Ink and a special Usual Suspects track called Tribute, an homage to the influential D&B MC Kendo, who’d recently passed at the time the track was released.
2002 was an interesting transitional time for drum and bass. Beats became much faster, samples started to be influenced by hip hop, R&B and rave, and jungle and drum and bass structures started to merge in ways that many felt were unthinkable. Metalheadz was right on the forefront of this change and its surrounding controversy, riding the crest to emerge as the well-established and cutting-edge label it is today.
MDZ.02 2017 isn’t up on Discogs yet, but it can be purchased in a number of formats on the Metalheadz website and clips can be streamed on Soundcloud.
Written by Layla Marino
Blog: (Dropping) Weird Science
Twitter/IG: @dropweirdsci
For his new EP on Flexout Fearful has teamed up with a selection of the capital’s best underground producers for the collaborative delights of Collective Conscience. We grabbed Chris for a quick chat about all things team based…
Long time Dojo favourites Nurtured Beatz are back in the Dojo spotlight for today’s exclusive as we present the premiere of Black Opps – MechWarriors! Evoking the spirit of classic early 00s tech, this one is dark, rolling and sci-fi tinged. Ominous business to murk up the dance! Look for this dropping on the Kill The Oppressor EP from April 14th.
In a new musical era where the “banger” single is king, it’s refreshing when an artist, especially a drum and bass artist, puts together an LP which is meant to be a cohesive work in itself, to be listened to in progression. In the case of Overlook’s new album, Smoke Signals, out last week on UVB-76, both the album as a whole and its individual tracks can be appreciated on multiple levels.
Smoke Signals accomplishes its cohesive LP structure because of a few key elements, most of which hearken back to the structure and styles of the late 90s and early 00s. First, there is a binding theme in the form of a horror movie motif. The album opens with a beatless ambient track full of almost industrial-sounding samples and spooky noises, and almost every track thereafter has direct dialog samples from horror movies or thrillers. The other binding theme is that of ambient or intelligent drum and bass beats and samples. Snare-heavy beats and amen breaks pervade every track, as well as one-off synth samples the like of which no one has heard since about 1998.
There is plenty of diversity in Smoke Signals as well, and Overlook even crosses genres fully throughout the LP. The album moves from old school ambient-style snare tracks like Out of the Unknown well into industrial territory with the very next track, Who Is this Who is Coming. Apparition, featuring Ruffhouse & Gremlins, is probably the most grinding track on the album, followed by more industrial-tinged beats with The Dream Unfolds. From there it launches right into the very jazzy, almost Mushroom Jazz-y Travelling Without Moving and Into the Night.
By the end of the album, the listener will feel a very distinct mood but find him or herself going back over favorite tracks. It’s a triumph of both the LP and single formats, and a great look back at dark ambient drum and bass. Smoke Signals can be streamed or purchased on Bandcamp and Discogs.
Written by Layla Marino
Blog: (Dropping) Weird Science
Twitter/IG: @dropweirdsci
Saint Petersburg producer Bop has always trodden his own path; his style of minimal, glitched up drum & bass has spawned it’s own sub-genre title which he’s gleefully adopted for his collaboration with Oak and his new label. With 10 years of productions under his belt, microfunk is here to stay, and enjoying rude success via his platform at the ever impressive Med School.
Hospital’s experimental sister imprint plays host to Bop’s latest creations in the form of the coyly named Not Your Cup Of Tea EP, and said creations sound as fresh and varied as ever. From the angular drive of An Order to the airy melodies yet toothy bass of So Unloved, through the space-funk and techno influences of Untitled Pattern 47, and finishing up with the gleeful bassline riddims and rolling beat structure of Space To Breath, the EP is sheer class from start to finish.
Anile steps up on remix duties for the digital bonus with a more traditional D&B take on An Order, but honestly it struggles to shine a candle to the original’s innovation and flair. Bop remains a man with a plan and a very unique style, and it remains very much our cup of tea here at Dojo HQ. Check out the clips below and hit up the Hospital Store to grab the EP on digital now; vinyl pre-orders are available via the Microfunk Music bandcamp and are expected to ship at the end of April.
The Finnish experimental drum and bass artist Fanu has just released his 10th album, The Silent Watcher. He seems pretty jazzed about it, and he should be. By his own admission, Fanu decided to use some older techniques on this record, and it really comes through. Snares and classic 90s-style D&B drum combos are employed on tracks like album opener Five Ounces and Otherworld. The snare and drum combo on Otherworld is so thick, in fact, that drum and bass heads worth their salt will wonder if this track is a re-issue of a mid-90s track. Also pervasive are the many and sundry vocal samples from TV shows and movies, another 90s staple.
The Silent Watcher isn’t all about vintage beats and vocal sample cuts, however. It appears Fanu, a more than 20-year veteran in the D&B game, is examining the history of this genre and, effectively, his own history right the way through to present time. Paracosm Part 2, for example, blends a modern half-time beat with grimy bass grind-downs the like of which have not been seen since the early noughties. The smoothed-out Presence even hearkens back to early dubstep, while album closer Agenda goes full-on ambient.
There’s a little something for every time period of drum and bass on this album, and it’s nice to see Fanu playing with all the eras he’s loved the most as well. The Silent Watcher is available to stream or purchase on Fanu’s Bandcamp, Discogs and Beatport pages and on the Lightless Recordings Soundcloud page.
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Written by Layla Marino
Blog: (Dropping) Weird Science
Twitter/IG: @dropweirdsci