Sinistarr – Swinging Flavors #6 [Beat Machine]

US experimental beatsmith Sinistarr steps up with the latest for Beat Machine’s excellent run of Swinging Flavors 7″ releases, serving up an infectious take on the footwork-infused D&B sound. As with most of Sinistarr’s best work this one is all in the drums, with some wicked percussive fills giving the tune little bursts of extra energy.

As with previous instalments of the series the label have commissioned a big remix and this time it’s Om Unit who delivers it under his recently revived Philip D. Kick alias. Adding some extra drive in the bassline and a jungle-y feel in the drum section, this is an extra layer of icing on an already excellent sonic cake.

Last but by no means least, Sinistarr delivers a digital bonus replete with skittering drum patterns and wobbly sub bass textures on Clear Your Mind. Three wicked tracks from a series (and indeed a label) that has yet to disappoint us here at Dojo HQ! Check it out below and hit up the Beat Machine Bandcamp to grab it on vinyl or digital now.

Om Unit & Sam Binga – BUNIT004

Om Unit & Sam Binga’s irregular BUNIT series of releases continues to be an absolute pleasure with the fourth volume now available via their usual Bandcamp store. As with previous volumes this is a complete free-for-all in terms of patterns and influences, vaguely within the 170 arena but certainly making no concessions to D&B formulas or trends.

From grimey trapped-out opener Shut The Window through the absolutely devastating cut-up jungle smasher Self Triggered, out into the spacey, driving weirdness of Never Been To Berghain and finishing up with the extremely acid-infused (and baffling titled) No Chairs, this is scattershot, heavyweight and generally fantastic. Exactly what you’d expect from Binga and Unit then really.

Vinyl copies of this are moving fast so hit up Unearthed Sounds to grab the wax or head to the BUNIT Bandcamp to get a digital copy straight from the source.

Om Unit & Sam Binga – TransSiberian EP [BUNIT]

Frequent partners in crime Sam Binga & Om Unit return to their infrequent but consistently excellent “Trans Continental” EP series this month, delivering the 3rd and final instalment through their self-run BUNIT imprint.

As we’ve come to expect from these producers and this series of EPs in particular, this is another melting pot of genre influences as dub, grime, jungle and footwork are smashed together into a funk-laden boogie-stew across four playful tracks sure to put a smile on any bass connoisseur’s face. There’s certainly tons of variety too; opener Optimist Prime lives up to it’s name with a buoyant, victorious lead line set to a driving halftime clap groove, while 2000 Dogs melds squelching acid bass with some tasty jungle break chopping.

Fans of the crossover footwork sound will definitely enjoy Up & Under; a frenetic array of percussion keeps this one moving at a breakneck pace, while Baby Steps takes us way out with a glacially paced, spaced-out dub jam. Sick vibes all round from two of the most innovative names in the scene! Check out the clips below and hit up the BUNIT Bandcamp to grab a copy direct on vinyl or digital.

Jubei – To Have Or Have Not Remixes [Metalheadz]

Cuts from Jubei’s memorable To Have And Have Not LP get the remix treatment on the latest EP from the ‘headz camp. Skeptical turns in a characteristically stark refit of Incognito while Ulterior Motive turn in a big banging rework of Tip The Scales, but for us it’s all about the two new versions of Goldie collab The Prayer.

Blocks and Escher are the first to get their mits onto the tune, and they’ve turned it into quite the religious experience. Building some epic tension on the intro as creepy monastic vocals give way to a throbbing bassline, the eventual drop at nearly 2 minutes in is a bombastic assault of growling low end and rip-roaring percussion; old school vibes with new school production and so much danger. Those drums!

Om Unit meanwhile completely flips the tune around, thinning out the drums for one of his signature sparse but skittering halftime riddims. As with so much of his work the essence of classic jungle is present but it’s been twisted and morphed into something uniquely new; one foot in the past while the other meanders into the future. Ethereal and fantastic.

As usual you can grab this from the Metalheadz store on digital or 12″; check out the clips below and go grab it!

Q&A – Digital

The ever-prolific Digital is back with a big new album featuring nothing but collaborative tracks. With Synthesis just out, we caught up with the man himself to find out about where the LP concept came from, working with Spirit and who has the best studio. Check it…

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Sam Binga & Om Unit – TransPacific EP

Messrs Binga & Unit are back with another cheeky slice of white label shenaniganery following the success of their Transatlantic EP. The pair have gone in on a selection of experimental beats for this one, with one eye on the dancefloor but probably another three eyes elsewhere.

Windmill Kick opens the salvo with a ruffneck slice of chopped up jungle sporting a distinctly grime-influenced synth melody. It’s a perfect example of the sort of genre-clashing production that makes their work so exciting, and it’s more than capable of moving a dancefloor to boot; wicked stuff.

Big Kev changes tack completely, bringing together footwork, hip-hop and a squelching acid line for an outing remeniscent of Fracture, Spinn & Taso’s recent Acid Claps; apparently great minds think alike! 1000 Cats keeps the riddims shuffling but airs things out with a fantastic psych-tinged melody, leaving it to Planetary Reboot to go full-mental and close the EP with a droning, beatless synth-noise wash.

We’re suckers for a good white label here at the Dojo and it’s fantastic to hear two producers as talented as Om Unit & Sam Binga flowing free with their sonic whims, unshackled by labels or genre pigeon-holes. Roll on the next instalment! Hit up the BUNIT Bandcamp to grab a copy now, but move fast; if this one sells as well as the first release did it won’t be on their shelves for long.

Sam Binga – Wasted Days LP [Critical Music]

UK dance music’s cross-pollination of musical styles and influences has contributed to the excitement, longevity and innovation of the scene from the very genesis of rave in the late 80s, with everything from jazz to metal at some point playing its part in the evolution of some corner of the electronic sound. Perhaps the strongest of those influences though is that of dub and reggae, without which it’s difficult to imagine the early Jungle sound ever having emerged at all.

All of which brings us to Sam Binga and his new LP, Wasted Days. To say that Jamaican soundsystem culture informs this album would be a vast understatement; while there are many other elements being smashed into the aural supercollider that is Binga’s sound, the reverberations from Kingston can be felt everywhere from the patois of the vocals to the deep bass hums and beyond.

This isn’t mere cultural appropriation though, but more accurately a fantastic melding of musical styles by one of Critical Music’s most exciting and relevant artists. Bring together the positivity of dub with the urgency of grime and footwork, topped off with the polish and engineering expected within the D&B scene and you have an album that couldn’t feel more potent.

Refreshingly, this also feels like an album engineered for listening rather than for the selector’s convenience. Tracks weigh in at two and three minutes rather than five or six, and you’ll find few yawningly DJ friendly intros amongst the material. Rather than relying on breakdowns to change the energy, the track sequencing changes the pace instead, such as the fantastic switchup as the hyperactive grime of Run The Dance gives way to the beautiful, deep ambience of Hyroglifics collab Dark Day.

Speaking of collaborators, Wasted Days is stuffed with so many featuring credits that the whole thing should probably be credited to “Binga & Friends”. Deft, Chimpo, Om Unit and Hyroglifics all get in on the beats while vocal stylings come from Warrior Queen, Fox, Rudey Lee, Rider Shafique, Romaine, TT The Artist, Slick Don and of course the inimitable Redders. Quite a roster!

Overall this is one of the best albums we’ve heard in a year that continues to prove not only the quality but the diversity of the 170BPM sound. Absolutely essential listening! You can check out a selection of the tracks below (including some fearsome remixes from Ivy Lab available on a special edition 10″) so get yourself a flavour of Wasted Days before you hit up the Critical Store for a copy.

Om Unit x Sam Binga – Transatlantic EP

Om Unit and Sam Binga are back, and they’re doing it old school with a self pressed white label release! Their new EP features 3 tracks of their chopped up jungle/footwork stylings and a distinctly grimey number to close the EP, and from the brief clips available bellow it sounds cracking. Vinyl pre-orders have already sold out but you can still nab the digital via Bandcamp and there appear to be copies of the vinyl on Redeye – move quickly before they all get snapped up!

Competition – Win a Lynch Kingsley 12″

The kind folks at Beat Machine Records have given us a 12″ of their brand new release from Italian producer Lynch Kingsley, so we felt it only appropriate to run a wee competition! The vinyl features two fresh footwork/jungle inspired beats from Lynch and a cracking remix from the mighty Om Unit, all of which you can check out below.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is like the DNB Dojo Facebook page, like the Beat Machine Facebook page, and send an email to competitions@dnbdojo.co.uk with your name & address and the subject line “Lynch Kingsley Competition”. The lucky winner will be drawn on March 7th.

DNB Dojo Mix Series 12: G.H.O.S.T

MixSeries12_GHOST

We were so impressed with the last G.H.O.S.T release here at the Dojo that we just had to hit them up for an exclusive mix! The boys have obliged with a fantastic all vinyl/dubplate selection featuring some of their own beats alongside techy cuts new and old including classics from the likes of Dillinja and Kemal & Rob Data. Check it out via Mixcloud below or head to Hearthis.at for streaming and Dropbox for a download.

Tracklist:

G.H.O.S.T – Caught Slippin [Music House Dubplate]
Overlook – False [Narratives Music]
Spirit – Cobra [Ineractive Music]
Fracture & Neptune – The Limit [Astrophonica]
Om Unit – Timelines [Metalheadz]
Sicknote – Cold Chamber [Music House Dubplate]
Dom & Roland – Prisms [31 Records]
Stakka & K-Tee – Bad Influence [Liftin Spirits]
Lemon D – Break it up [Reinforced]
Dillinja – Threshold [Prototype]
Capone – Guess Who [Hardleaders]
G.H.O.S.T – Snatch [Music House Dubplate]
Kid Lib – The Rifle [117 Records]
Nucleus & Paradox –  Analogue life [Metalheadz Platinum]
Breakage & Jubei – Still Here [Emcee]
Kemal & Rob Data – Konspiracy [Industry]
Rhyme Tyme – Payback Part II [DISCI4]
Cause4concern – Research (Usual Suspects Remix) [Renegade Hardware]
Mampi Swift – Trippin [Charge]
Kemal – Re-Animation [Architecture]
Vicious Circle & Nocturnal – Skylark [Quarantine Records]
Cause4concern – Sensor [C4C Recordings]
Kraken – Side Effects (Stakka & Skynet Remix) [Underfire Recordings]
G.H.O.S.T – Soho [Music House Dubplate]
Ed Rush & Optical – Bacteria [Virus Recordings]
G.H.O.S.T – Rattler VIP [Music House Dubplate]