John Frusciante – Maya [Timesig]

John Frusciante definitely isn’t a name that many people would primarily associate with electronic music, given that he found fame as the guitarist of one of the biggest rock bands in the world – Red Hot Chili Peppers. From that perspective, this month’s release of a jungle album via the Timesig imprint (run by Venetian Snares) might seem like a surprising development, but it’s actually the logical progression of a musical direction a decade in the making.

Following his departure from RHCP in 2009, Frusciante became increasingly disinterested in traditional songwriting and refocused his efforts on electronic production and engineering. In the intervening decade he has given the world a slew of works spanning genres under different aliases – exploring synth pop, producing hip-hop for Wu-Tang affiliates Black Knights, and more recently releasing acid house and IDM under his Trickfinger alias.

All of which brings us to Maya, a body of work which he describes as being heavily influenced by 90s breakbeat hardcore and jungle. Thankfully though this isn’t a mere copycatting attempt; while you can hear a clear reverence for some of the genre hallmarks via some knowing sampling, there’s also a breadth of influences blended into the music, held together by the common thread of jungle drum programming.

The result is a collection of tracks that spans from mellow and beautiful, through darkly funky and into outright aggressive breakbeats assaults on the senses. This is jungle made by someone who appreciates jungle, but also appreciates so many other forms and styles of music; a refreshing antidote to the sometimes narrow echo-chamber of modern D&B production. If you’re looking for DJ friendly club tunes this definitely isn’t that, but if you’re willing to explore something a bit less conventional then the LP is a thoroughly rewarding listen.

Maya is out now on vinyl, CD and digital. Hit up Bandcamp or your favourite retailer to grab it now.

Imanu – Cheren [Vision]

IMANU’s music has gone from strength to strength since moving away from his previous Signal moniker, and his latest work for Noisia’s Vision imprint sees him branching out into more experimental pastures.

Nagow and Cheren deliver the heavyweight neuro workouts that have become his trademark, with the former bringing a more colourful vibe via some deft melodic touches; Cheren by comparison pursues a more industrial aesthetic for pure sonic punishment.

The back half of the EP takes in some tempo drops; Whatever It Takes explores vaguely dubstep-adjacent territory with crunchy beats and grimy bass that’s sure to get your head nodding. After all that stiff competition it’s a pleasant surprise then that closing track Music To Stay In Your House To is potentially the strongest on the EP. Beautiful sound designs, wonky vocal textures and crazy drum rhythms combine on a genre-defying track that blends everything from hip-hop to IDM into a joyously chaotic melting pot.

IMANU’s new title (and doubtless a lot of encouragement from Noisia) seem to be inspiring some of his best work yet this year, and we can’t wait to hear what he comes up with next. In the meantime, you can check out the Cheren EP below – hit up your favourite store to grab it right now.

Premiere: Stabfinger – Doppia Personalità

Something a bit different for you today as we present the premiere of Stabfinger’s brand new track for Boomerang Records Doppia Personalità. Channelling the IDM and acid-inflected sound of vintage Squarepusher, this is hectic cut-up jungle at it’s weirdest and most-wonderful. Sick tune! Look for this coming Jan 30th exclusively at Beatport, with full release Feb 13th at Bandcamp and other stores.

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Xorcore – Number Stations LP [Rekkt]

Israeli producer Xorcore is back this month with his first LP release for Rekkt Rekkords, and the release features a great selection of tech-edged D&B and a couple of tidy remixes to boot.

Struct kicks things off with the album’s heaviest track, laying down a dangerous neuro banger, but Dead Zone immediately switches things up with hypnotic synth lines and deep sub bass; moody roller vibes. Other highlights include the glitch and IDM influenced later tracks Out of the Machine and That’s All, both of which show a talent for complex arrangements and sonic detail.

Number Stations is a powerful statement of intent from a young producer with plenty to offer the scene. The LP is out on Feb 14th; hit up Beatport to pre-order the album now.

Premiere: Øska – Winning Hand

Today’s exclusive lies at the very edge of what might traditionally be considered drum & bass, blending influences from footwork, IDM and the Autonomic sound for a deep, mellow, hypnotic outing. A winning hand indeed…out to Øska for a seriously unique track!

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Eighth Moon – Photosynthesis

LA producer Eighth Moon comes correct with two upbeat slices of melodic liquid business. A-side Photosynthesis blends soaring, IDM-esque synth melodies with a driving liquid break and warm bass. Over on the flip, Archipelago heads for softer, jazzier territory, dialling back the energy a little to explore playful melodies via synth and piano.

With a melodic flourish that’s reminiscent of brain-dance producers of the Warp / Rephlex arena (Wisp springs to mind) the tracks both have a charm and innocence which is lacking from much of modern drum & bass. Have a listen to the clips below and hit up Eighth Moon’s bandcamp to grab the tracks right now.

Evol Intent – Middle of the Night Remixes

Following on from a most successful Middle of the Night remix contest, Evol Intent collect the five winning entries along with a trap remix from Knick’s Bro Safari side project. The full spectrum of genres is covered nicely here, with Bl4ck Owlz turning in a hefty dubstep mix and Jamestown Thieves & Dirty Doses bringing the electro house vibes on their mix.

The highlights here at the Dojo proved (unsurprisingly) to be the higher tempo reworks. Jorts’ purple/future bass rework provides a fantastic reimagining of the original with a very different tone, while Teknian & ZeroZero give the track a crisp new D&B mix that borrows heavily from the Break school of production. The star of the show however has to be the madcap breakcore edits of the Fantastic Planet remix, which carries a simply unbelievable level of detail. Badass chops!

Check out the clips below and head to your favourite store to buy the release; it’s also available for free via Topspin.

Classic Album: Evol Intent – Era of Diversion

It’s hard to believe that seven years have passed since US D&B legends Evol Intent dropped their debut LP Era Of Diversion. I remember the release vividly and still rinse out tracks like 8 Bit Bitch and Middle Of The Night regularly in my sets, and the album is still a fantastic listen from start to finish. Being the generous coves that they are, the trio are celebrating the album’s anniversary by giving away a download of the whole thing for nothing! You’ve got a week to take advantage so check out a stream below and head over here to grab a download.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iz_HSLwifE

Amen Andrews – News of the World EP

New material from Luke Vibert’s Amen Andrews aka is always a treat for jungle lovers and after a fairly lengthy hiatus he’s resurrected the project for an EP on Falty DL’s Blueberry Records. As you’d expect the four tracks on offer feature plenty of break chopping, random samping and a few IDM-tinged melodies, and those jungle snares are proving as irresistible as ever. Check out the first track below and head over to Bleep for full previews and purchase options.

Consequence – Etcht EP001 [Etcht]

Consequence has been fairly quiet lately but it seems he’s been busy in the studio cooking up leftfield beats for his new label Etcht. His work on this release fuses elements of breakbeat, acid, IDM, glitch, jungle and ambient to create a sound that is remeniscent of Aphex Twin or Bop, with more than a hint of dBridge and autonomic thrown in for good measure.

Across the EP the sounds of warm analogue synths combine with distorted percussion and strange, syncopated rhythms, all layed over smooth, ambient pad-work. The hypnotic melody of Ressed and the classic breakbeat vibes of Lyon are particular highlights, but ultimately the whole record is outstanding. Watch out for the release dropping on vinyl from 12th August.