Dead Man’s Chest – Nautilus EP [Ingredients]

We really enjoyed Eveson’s previous jungle explorations under the Dead Man’s Chest alias so news of a second EP (and indeed a third to come) was met with enthusiasm here at Dojo HQ.

The sound he pioneered on the Dreamscapes EP is very much continued here, with more crusty breaks, old school-style sampling and an open minded approach to musical textures. The whole thing plays like a love letter to the scene that Eveson experienced through his treasured collection of rave mixtapes. Liquid ’94 provides a perfect example, keeping things airy and almost ethereal in the first half before flipping round for an entirely darkside bassline on the second drop; an appropriate homage to the shifting tones of the original jungle raves.

The freedom and experimentation of early 90s dance music is present, with less concern for the rigid formulas that can make modern D&B a little sterile. The mixdowns too, punchy though they are have that warmth, crackle and general imperfection that is sorely missing from the perfectly engineered electronic music of today.

Overall it’s another thoroughly enjoyable selection, and we’re looking forward to the next volume already! Watch out for the release dropping on beautiful marbled vinyl (and digital) from August 7th, and if you can’t wait hit the Ingredients Store for preorders.

If you want a bit more from Dead Man’s Chest be sure to check out his latest mix to promote the release. Tracks from both EPs appear alongside classic selections from J Majik, Doc Scott, Dillinja and Omni Trio, and the results are absolutely delicious.

Klute – The Draft [Commercial Suicide]

After hearing the sampler for the album a few weeks ago I couldn’t wait to get my grubby mits on the full copy of The Draft. The handful of tracks on the sampler held the promise of an album that would be far more than just 12 tracks of back to back drum & bass, and the body of work delivers on that promise in spades.

From the epic, beatless serenity of intro track Sober Light of Day through the eastern vibes of Turnaround and into the deep liquid and unusual vocals of Seperation, Klute’s varied listening on the “creative vacation” he took before writing this album shines through in the compositions. Hints of everything from Brian Eno to Pink Floyd are present in the music, and some of the tracks like Last Words and Our Pretty Lives accomplish a kind of psychedelic texture seldom heard in electronic music (and I’m not talking about the cheap “trippy” psychedelia of psy-trance either).

Elsewhere Klute delves into beautiful, playful IDM on House of Maciver, takes a few tips from the garage school of melody on My Black And White and explores deep, soulful liquid on Gaze Into Your Eyes. There’s even space for a couple of good old fashioned hard-edged rollers in the form of Sick Drive and Best Bits Not Over. Overall the record not only sets a new benchmark for variety and quality within a D&B album but it proves that the genre still has so much space for exploration; that high tempo and traditional breakbeat patterns do not pigeon-hole an artist stylistically.

Check out clips from the album below, pre-order a copy on CD, vinyl or digital from Surus and watch out for the full release on Monday.