Emperor & Mefjus – Hello World EP [Critical]

Fans of the heavier end of D&B will doubtless have been waiting on this one with keen anticipation, but the wait is now over – Emperor & Mefjus’s collaborative Hello World EP is now available on vinyl and digital, exclusively at Surus prior to the general release on April 7th.

There’s absolutely no holding back on this release as the pair showcase two collabs and two remixes, all of which prove to be 100% neurofunk killers. The level of detail, grit and weight imbued in each track is pretty self evident from the clips below so have a listen and grab yourself some dancefloor weapons!

Rawtekk – Sprouted & Reformed [Med School]

Following on from the release of Rawtekk’s Sprouted and Formed LP on Med School recently comes a remix package featuring some heavy hitting reworks.

Phace delivers a typically robotic and monstrous rework of Photone Recruits and Mefjus turns in a nicely textured new mix of No More Vaccine, but for me it’s all about Billain’s epic take on Amber’s Love Was Like a Marble. The suspense on the intro is masterfully crafted on a creepy intro which gives way to a high octane build-up and then a drop that only Billain could have crafted. Evil business!

Rawtekk himself also gets in on the act, delivering both a rolling dancefloor edit and a lush, ambient rework of Snowflakes. Check out the previews below and watch out for the release dropping from March 10th.

Rregula & Dementia – Turning Point LP [Citrus]

Long running dutch neurofunk imprint Citrus Recordings is gearing up for another LP release from Australian/German production duo Rregula & Dementia and true to form for both the label and the artists it’s packed full of futuristic neurofunk of the highest grade.

Vinyl buyers are treated to a pair of 12″ releases; the first plate sees Disphonia joining the studio fray for a dancefloor banger on Doom Loop while MC Kryptomedic provides vocals for a tough stepper on the flip. The second plate sees the big guns of the scene drawing up as we’re treated to remixes from Mefjus and Optiv & BTK, neither of which disappoint.

Watch out for the vinyl releases dropping on March 10th and 24th, with the full album following on CD and digital on March 31st.

Underground Sonics LP [Critical]

Critical Music are back with a vengeance with the Underground Sonics LP, a various artists compilation straddling all the styles of Drum & Bass via 18 tracks of cutting edge 170 BPM production from the label’s extended family. The compilation sees many artists exploring new territory away from their usual styles, to interesting effect.

Dub Phizix turns in an unusually mellow and unusually rolling beat in the form of The Clock Ticks, while Ivy Lab up the ante compared to their previous releases with a tougher and more energetic beat paired with the musicality we’ve come to know and love from the trio. Foreign Concept teams up with DRS to turn in the dark, skanking, hip-hop influenced halfstep of Falling Stars while Sam Binga and Redders blend trap, footwork and ragga to great effect on Lef Dem.

Elsewhere we’re treated to two surprising collaborations from tech heavyweights, with InsideInfo and Mefjus turning in a surprisingly minimal slice of tribal tech with Repentance while Noisia & The Upbeats put aside their usual aggression for a hypnotic deep liquid roller on Little Fling. Fans of brutal tech need not worry though – Stealth and Phace are both on hand to provide the dancefloor darkness, as are Emperor & Centra with the huge digital exclusive The Saboteur.

Enei and Kasra turn in a selection of characteristically heavy hitting beats, while Stray and Halogenix look to the experimental/hyperactive end of the spectrum with their individual takes on frantic drum syncopation with a footwork bent. Finally Blocks and Escher give Enei’s Thinline the old school tech workover with a huge beat and some serious menace on the low end.

Overall it’s hard to argue with this as the first essential release of 2014. Check out the tracks below and grab yourself a copy now from the Critical Surus store.

Way of the Warrior 2 LP [Shogun Audio]

After the success of 2011’s Way of the Warrior LP, Shogun return with another installment and 12 new tracks spanning the D&B spectrum. DLR brings us soulful vibes with a techy undertone and some superb percussion on Sleep Talk, and Rockwell and Joe Ford vie for position with Fourward and Mefjus to see who can turn in the dirtiest neuro belter!

Elsewhere on the LP Spectrasoul, Total Science and Technimatic serve up some smooth liquid rollers and Friction gets on the remix for Addison Groove and Sam Binga turning in a trap-infused rework of RZOR. Something for D&B heads of all tastes here. Check out the beats below and watch out for the release from November 10th.

Black Sun Empire – Variations on Black [Blackout]

Black Sun Empire return with yet another essential release for neurofunk fans everywhere as they open up their back catalogue for remixes from a selection of the biggest names in the scene. Among the best released so far are Noisia’s epic rework of Arrakis, State of Mind’s rolling rework of Don’t You and Chris.SU’s typically heavy hitting yet melodic rework of Fever. There are many more yet unheard tracks so keep an eye on soundcloud and youtube over the coming weeks rolling up to the release on November 18th.

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In addition BSE have teamed up with Beatport to allow folks the chance to win a bunch of Novation gear and a spot on the album by remixing their classic Noisia collaboration Hideous. Head on over to Beatport for the details and get to work!

Mefjus – Contemporary EP [Critical]

Critical return with an EP of techie beasts from Mefjus, the Austrian pretender to Phace’s neuro-bass throne. The titular track sees the man pairing up with scene stalwart Icicle to create a warped, tearing smasher imbued with skittering, intricate percussion and some ridiculously exacting bassline modulations. Next up comes the riffy basswork and sharp, synthetic snare work of Dissuade, which takes it’s name from the robotic sample pleading “please don’t do that”.

Out into the digital bonus tracks Leakproof adopts a glitchier aesthetic with an angular beat pattern punctuated by stabs of melody, bass and FX to create a track that will keep the listener guessing. Finally Mob Rule builds up with synth swells to a stomping half-time beat with a singing, 8-bit tinged synth section at the very top end giving the tune character.

Check out the beats below and watch out for the full release dropping October 28th on vinyl and digital.

In The Mix…Teddy Killerz

Teddy Killerz get on the 1s and 2s for the latest episode of the Eatbrain podcast, delivering 68 minutes of rolling neuro goodness. The mix is packed full of new material from Teddy Killerz (including a bunch of new Bad Taste dubs) alongside beats from the likes of Audio, Aeph, Mefjus, Mindscape and Gridlok. Hard and heavy from start to finish, get to know!

In The Mix…LD50

Central Beatz resident and Dispatch Records sleeve designer LD50 has been behind the decks once again and recorded a tidy mix of the latest tech and neuro D&B, and neither the mixing nor the selection disappoints! With great new tunes from the likes of Mefjus, Phace, Misanthrop, The Upbeats, C4C and more, the mix hits all the right spots. Check it out below and grab yourself a free download!

Mefjus & Kasra – Signalz / Cypher [Critical]

2013 is looking like quite the year for Mefjus; hot on the heels of announcements about releases for Neosignal and Virus comes the news that his debut 12″ for Critical is about to drop! The Austrian rising star has delivered two slices of crisp, tight techstep, and is busy cementing his position in the scene nicely.

Signalz on the A side delivers an impressive roller with superb drum machine percussion and some meaty bass, while Cypher sees him team up with label head-honcho Kasra to deliver a tidy stepper with some nice filtered low end. Definitely tunes you’ll be hearing again and again in the coming months!