Premiere: Vortex – Stance

Another brand new exclusive for you today and we’re in on a jungle tip for our latest premiere from the Ronin Ordinance camp, taken from the label’s 10th release. Vortex is a new collaborative project from Toronto artists David Louis (Repertoire), Stranjah (Critical, 117, Deviant Audio), Groves and Captivate and the team’s love of the classic jungle sound is evident on this release; old school pad sounds, chunky breaks and a 90s aesthetic, while taking advantage of the modern production techniques that give D&B it’s punch in 2017. Fans of Andyskopes should definitely check this one out…watch out for the release dropping at Bandcamp Dec 22nd, just in time for a jungle Christmas.

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Top 5: Phuture-T

With releases for the likes of Alpha Cut, Criterion and Eastern Promise Audio, Phuture-T has been chopping up breaks for the better part of a decade and has rightly garnered a reputation as a cracking producer keeping a slightly old-school aesthetic alive within the scene. To celebrate his latest single for Inperspective we tracked him down and asked him for his top 5 breaks! Check it out for some drum rhythm history…

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Spirit – Think / Bounty Killer [Inneractive]

A fresh release from the legendary Spirit is nearly always a treat and the latest single for his own Inneractive imprint proves to be exactly that. As with many Spirit compositions Think carries more than a little of the old school flavour, with big floaty pads, analogue reverb and crunchy breaks a-plenty; energetic, but dubbed out and spacey at the same time.

Over on the flip Bounty Killer once again invokes the aesthetic of days gone by, but this time swapping the calmer elements of the A-side for a vintage-style jump-up workout based around hard hitting breaks and an infectious bass hook. This one will take you straight back to the late 90s and a sold-out sweatbox rave! Check out the clips below and hit up Bandcamp to grab it on vinyl or digital right now.

Nucleus & Paradox – Ubiquity [Esoteric]

Fresh beats from Nucleus & Paradox are always gonna put a smile on our faces here at the Dojo; we just love a crusty old breakbeat and these guys are the masters of manipulation when it comes to those funky riddims.

Their latest work for Esoteric isn’t exactly breaking new ground; more honing their established artform, and honing it well. Ubiquity keeps the beats relatively minimal, layering them in between squelchy bass and old school pads for a warm slice of analogue depth.

Foundation ups the ante with more insistent percussion and light, jazzy chimes giving the tune that characteristic Paradox b-boy flavour. Wicked stuff! As usual you can find this via the Samurai Store with orders going out tomorrow; move fast as this will surely be gone before you know it!

Fanu – Polar

Prolific and dedicated break chopper Fanu is back with a new LP that sees him returning to his roots to some extent. As with much of the work that he first made his name with, Polar focuses on break chopping, dark aesthetics and a b-boy sampling style that’s very much cut from the same cloth as Paradox and the other originators of the drumfunk sound.

In terms of originality the album isn’t treading any particularly new ground but as a love letter to the versatility of the funk break it’s a thoroughly enjoyable and accomplished piece of work. Sometimes it’s more than enough to provide a well honed example of a specific style and Fanu is definitely up there with the best when it comes to chopping up drum loops and picking evocative samples.

You can hear the whole LP below via Soundcloud, and better still it’s available on a “pay what you want” basis from Fanu’s Bandcamp page. Crank the volume and enjoy those jungle textures the way they were always supposed to be!

G.H.O.S.T’s Top 5 Jungle Breaks

G.H.O.S.T are a production outfit who have continually impressed us here at the Dojo in the relatively short time they’ve been on our radar. Their latest release for their own Goldman Records imprint sees them making great use of classic breakbeats for a pair of tracks with a hint of the drumfunk to them, plus a healthy dollop of that original G.H.O.S.T flavour.

Given their obvious affinity with old school percussion, we asked them to pick out their five favourite jungle breaks and tell us a little about each one. Over to Lewis, Tom & Will…

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Paradox – Rockdown / Divination [Paradox Music]

The original junglist b-boy Paradox is back with another superb 12″ for his own Paradox Music imprint. Rockdown is a pure drum workout, chopping the breaks with the finesse or a man who’s been at it for the best part of two decades. Combining funk drum chops with hip-hop sampling sensibilities, this one is a stone cold killer!

Divination takes things deeper for the flip, opting for a less rolling drum line and darker bass and atmospherics. It’s great to hear Paradox keeping the drumfunk sound alive and refusing to conform to current trends that have left the style all but dead. Check out the clips below and head to the Paradox Bandcamp to pre-order now ahead of the May 4th release date.

Nickbee – Animal Rage EP [Eatbrain]

Jade’s Eatbrain imprint continues the assault on your ears with another EP of fresh neurofunk beats, this time from Ukrainian beatsmith Nickbee. Apollo 18 kicks things off with a heavy hitting roller; tasty sci-fi atmospherics on the intro give way to squelching bass action and hard snares, with a few echoing chord stabs thrown in for good measure. The titular Animal Rage builds suspense on a long intro with swelling pads, cymbals and strings all adding to the tension before a growling bass drop kicks things into gear.

Gain The Energy delivers more techie sci-fi business with a hypnotic lead that fans of Black Sun Empire are sure to love, before Nickbee throws us a curveball on Blackline, dropping the tempo down to 130 for a nice chunky breakbeat track with more teeth than the average. Neurobreaks? Whatever, it’s awesome. Check out the beats below and grab a copy on vinyl or digital now!

As if the hefty release wasn’t enough, Nickbee has also put together a slamming mix for episode 10 of the Eatbrain podcast. Check it out and grab a free download below.

Kid Droid – Project Onyx [Droidsong]

Droidsong take a break from their usual D&B output to give us an EP of glitch-hop and midtempo breaks from Kid Droid. Packing some serious bass punch and some excellent sound design, the EP seems to be aimed at both the dancefloor and the living room.

Onyx and They’re Coming For You gun the bass bins with some deadly sub and chunky breakbeat action before Guns drops the tempo down for a fat hip-hop influenced outing. Finally Waves weaves off into dubby downtempo territory to close out the EP.

Check out a “micromix” of the tunes below and watch out for the release dropping October 28th.