Today’s exclusive comes from London’s gothiest D&B MC Agman Gora as he gears up to release a solo EP for world renowned hard D&B slingers Therapy Sessions. Teaming up with Fortitude who provides the production chops, Cemetery Soul is an old fashioned 2-step tech rumbler which provides a perfect platform to showcase Agman’s unusual vocal stylings. Sick tune! Look for this coming Oct 1st at all the usual outlets…
Missing drops Terra Firma’s first solo artist EP at the end of this week so naturally we had to snap up a premiere! Not Regular goes in deep, keeping the energy levels bubbling with rapid hats and an unusual snare arrangement while the backbone of tech bass and creepy melody powers along. Modern tech production at it’s best! Look for this at all good digital outlets from Sept 14th.
Kolectiv & MEDIKA reunite once again on a fresh EP for Diffrent music bringing possibly their hardest hitting collaborations to date. Artillery brings together skittering, off-kilter beat patterns with a huge section of bass weaponry and a generally militant sensibility; seriously dangerous tune! Look for this one coming September 26th at all the usual outlets…
The latest release on T3K’s LTD experimental imprint comes from New Zealand’s Kohu, and we’re hyped to have an exclusive on experimental rumbler Version of Events! Blending varied and unusual percussion in a halftime-ish rhythm with rumbling bass and a plethora of sonic textures, this is cinematic, sci-fi inspired beatsmithing at it’s finest. Look out for this one coming on the Soma EP from Sep 11th.
A little while ago, The Upbeats launched a kickstarter for an ambitious project called “No Sleep Til…”. Their plan involved flying to unusual parts of the world with some collaborators and exploring their locales to see how it might influence the music made. Following the success of the fundraising campaign, and with help from Creative New Zealand, the first of the material has surfaced this week featuring regular studio pals Noisia, made on a recent trip to Japan.
Named after one of Tokyo’s busier business districts, Shibuya Pet Store sees both groups of producers easing off their sometimes full-tilt production styles in favour of something a bit more relaxed and unusual. From the weird melodies of the intro into the quirky main riff, this one definitely isn’t a high octane smasher, but the result is one of the most interesting pieces of music to come out of either camp for some time.
We can’t wait to see who else The Upbeats have been working with for the rest of the No Sleep Til… releases, but in the meantime you can check out Shibuya Pet Store below. Hit up your favourite store to grab a copy right now.
US beatsmith Johnathan Thomas steps up to deliver our latest exclusive guest mix. Packed full of forthcoming beats from The Dreamers and Samsara beats, the mix blends traditional D&B rollers with more experimental cuts and melodic liquid with rougher tech beats. Sick selection!
As always 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.
Fanu is back with more break-driven D&B goodness via his own Lightless Recordings imprint this month and we’ve got the exclusive on EP closer Octamen. Driving along with some seriously saturated drums and tons of old school flavour. Wait for the second half for maximum energy! Look for the EP dropping Sep 21st via Bandcamp.
BS1 Records continue their relaunch with a new single from label boss Davide Carbone. Shadows is a deep, soulful roller, characterised by a soft, emotional vocal and deft use of melody. Classic heartstring tugger this one! Look out for Shadows alongside a remix from Royalston and an ambient mix, out at all good stores from Sep 10th.
Monika returns to Soulvent this month with another top single and he’s recruited LA’s Akuratyde for a remix. As you’d expect based on the producer’s previous work for Blu Mar Ten Music, this is a detailed, shimmering rework full of lush synth work and unusual production; imbued with all the emotion of the best liquid tunes but also an experimental streak and unusual percussion. Beautiful! Look for this dropping Friday 7th September at all the usual outlets.
A new release on Blu Mar Ten Music is pretty much always a cause for celebration, and their latest material from Kiwi producer RQ is no different, though it’s certainly a step away from the label’s usual fare.
Drawing influence from the likes of Photek, Source Direct and Blocks and Escher, RQ’s latest work (ahead of an album due on the label at some point in the future) is tense and ominous. Three of the four tracks are powered by a backbone of intricate percussion, with an array of finely processed breaks skittering in and out of the mixes. Building on top of the militant drum section, there are hints of psychedelia, touches of jazz, and a flirtation with melody that feels faintly threatening. Uplifting liquid this is most certainly not.
We could waffle on about the depth and emotional resonance of the tracks on show here but it feels complex and elusive enough that we’ll never do it justice, so just wrap your ears around the clips below instead. The EP is out now at the Blu Mar Ten Store.