Classic Track: Raiden – Fallin

Raiden’s artistic contributions to the harder end of Drum & Bass over the years yielded plenty of iconic tracks, and his absence from the scene is felt keenly now that his output is more focussed on his Kamikaze Space Program and Dot Product projects in lower tempo arenas.

For today’s classic selection we’re winding back to 2002 and possibly his most anthemic track, the epic Fallin. Released on Renegade Hardware as part of the Four Elements EP series, the combination of hypnotic lead melody, haunting vocal echoes and rugged bass and beats make for a track that still does the damage nearly 15 years on. Whether it’s the original or the more recent “Revisited” mix (which you can grab for free here), this one always smashes up the dance. Pure vibes.

Fearful – XIII [AutomAte]

AutomAte round off their year with a fresh release from one of the label’s first artists, Fearful. Crisp, precise beats and growling basslines are the order of the day on this one, keeping things deep and dark. The EP also features remixes from Mtwn and Raiden; the former refixes the track into a skittering percussive workout with all the menace of the original but a distinctly different vibe, while the Offkey boss lends his signature tribal drum sounds to turn in a brooding mix for my pick of the three.

Check out the clips below and look for this at all good digital stores from December 1st.

Raiden – Experiments In White Noise [Techn:nology]

After nine strong years organising D&B events in the capital Tech:nology are branching out and starting a record label, and for their first release they’ve secured an EP from Raiden, who returns to the scene following something of an absence while he concentrated on techno production under his Kamikaze Space Program alias.

The EP sees Raiden blending elements of techno, hard drum & bass and industrial noise to great effect, and while all four tracks are a treat, the harsh noise and clattering amens of 657 are the pick of the bunch to my ears. Check out the clips below and watch out for the EP dropping from March15th.

DNB Dojo Mix Series 02: Enorme

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DJ Enorme steps up to deliver the second episode of our exclusive mix series! Enorme started building his rep in the UK scene under the guise of Doom Boy and soon started making regular appearances around the north of England warming up for names like Andy C, Shy FX, Noisia, TC and more at nights including Turbulence, Curves, Bass Militia, Lockdown and the now defunct Syndicate.

Since moving to The Netherlands, Enorme now represents the deeper side of Techstep, holding down a residency at Drum Addict in Amsterdam and presenting the Blackdub podcast with regular mixes from upcoming and established artists alike. For this mix he’s dropped a tidy selection of forthcoming releases alongside some older classics, keeping things simmering nicely with deep but rugged beats. Check it out below and grab a free download from Mediafire, or check out the mix over on Mixcloud.

Chris Octane – Synthetics [Forthcoming CO:RE]
Arclight – Pluroform (Raiden Remix) [Forthcoming AutomAte Tech]
Cern – Hollow Moon [Dispatch Recordings]
Andy Pain & Z Connection – Outsider [Demand Records]
Hybris – Face Of Change [Dispatch Recordings Freebie]
Freeze – Calm Your Ego [Proximity Recordings Freebie]
Nymfo – Air Jacks [Commercial Suicide]
Naibu – Use Of Weapons (Fracture & Neptune’s Astrophonica Remix) [Warm Communications]
Clarity – Cold Blank [Samurai Music]
???? – ???? [????]
Isotone – Trip [Obsessions]
L33 – Ironic [Syndrome Audio]
Icicle – Dreadnaught feat. SP:MC [Shogun Audio]
Cause4Concern – Paranormal [Cause4Concern Recordings]
2Sides & Kije – Black Planet [Structured Music]
Survival & Silent Witness – Speedbag [Dispatch Recordings Freebie]
FD – Blue Sky Research (Sun & Bass VIP) [Sun & Bass Recordings]
Zero T – Tavistock Dub [Nu Directions]

In The Mix…Raiden

To celebrate his forthcoming appearance at Tech:nology Raiden has recorded an hour long mix of D&B cuts featuring some heavy amen business and rolling techstep, including some excellent edits and mashups, of which the Amen Edit of Lion VIP is definitely one of the highlights.

Check out the mix below, and look over here for details of the event – you can catch Raiden alongside Prolix, Xtrah, Trace, Survival & Silent Witness and Dom & Roland at Techn:nology on May 4th at London’s Hidden Nightclub.

Philth & Wreckless – Poison [Automate]

Bristol’s Automate DnB have been carving themselves a nice little niche as purveyors of dirty tech beats via their Automate Tech imprint and their latest release delivers more of that from big and small names alike.

The A side sees Philth & Wreckless team up for a deep, dark, reese-imbued stepper with some deftly off-kilter breakbeat work that brings to mind some of Skitty’s older releases. Filled with both depth and grit, the track marks out these new producers as ones to watch.

Over on the flip the label scores a remix from the mighty Raiden who puts his touch to Arclight’s Pluroform. Gone are the clattering breaks of the original, replaced with a deeper, more tribal rhythm and some nice bass sweeps, making a great match for the deep and dark of the A-side.

Look out for this one dropping May 6th via all good digital stores!