Get To Know: Rua Sound

Based in Galway, Ireland, Rua Sound have been operating for just under five years, but in that relatively short period they’ve already established themselves as purveyors of some of the most exciting sounds in the 170 sphere. The main label plays host to the melting pot of sounds crossing grime, dub, jungle and D&B while sister-imprint Foxy Jangle sprang up to provide more “straight up” jungle outings.

Quality control has been their hallmark on both fronts, with just 11 releases on the main label and 6 more Jangle 12″s, but the results speak for themselves; all killer, no filler. Read on for five of our faves…

Continue reading

San – Subject 9 [Rua Sound]

Rua Sound land with their tenth release this month and it comes from mystery artist San – described by the press release as “the jungle alias of a Bristol based techno producer”. Not sure if this will become the next Dawn Wall style D&B whodunnit, but in the meantime we have a pinch of intrigue, and a cracking new EP!

Subject 9 is certainly channelling classic jungle and drumfunk influences, but with a modern level of complexity that certainly doesn’t feel retro. Think of the atmospherics of Andy Skopes, the breakbeat intricacy of dgoHn and a pinch of Source Direct and you’re halfway there…eerie breakbeat jazz with hordes of character. We’ll let the music do the rest of the talking on this one; check out the clips below and hit up the Rua Bandcamp to grab the EP on vinyl or digital right now!

Premiere: Touchy Subject – Shudder

Touchy Subject returns to Rua Sound (and the Dojo spotlight) on today’s premiere as he dishes up a fantastically wonky slice of halftime bass fiya! Grimey low end, slouching drums and a catchy vocal hook combine with off kilter melodies for a tripped out head nodder; yes yes! Look out for this coming as part of The General EP, dropping March 15th.

Continue reading

Premiere: Comma – Gasworks (Itoa Remix)

Rua return with their 7th release featuring more of that hybrid 170 sound melting down sounds at the edge of jungle, grime and all things bass. Today’s exclusive sees Itoa on the remix for Comma, turning the wonky halftime bass of Gasworks into a high energy clap-driven club workout. Dangerous! Look for this dropping Oct 12th at all the usual outlets.

Continue reading

Premiere: Tim Reaper – Fridge Magnets

Tim Reaper steps up with the latest 12″ for Rua Sound’s Foxy Jangle imprint and we’ve got the exclusive on flipside amen smasher Fridge Magnets! Employing some unusual samples alongside the chaotic breakbeat assault, this one is pure fiya! Hit up the Rua bandcamp for pre-orders now ahead of the Aug 3rd release.

Continue reading

Premiere: Lynch Kingsley & Neve – Deadly

Rua’s talent for signing exciting releases from artists at the cross-section between D&B, jungle, halftime and other bass music influences continues on today’s exclusive as we present the premiere of Lynch Kingsley & Neve’s Deadly! Blending dub vocals, deep bass, skittering breaks and a halftime backbeat, this is pure slow-fast euphoria; proper head-nodder! Look for this on vinyl and digital from June 29th alongside three other sick new beats from Lynch…

Continue reading

Premiere: Lewis James – Clash

Irish imprint Rua Sound continue their journey to the cutting edge of experimental D&B with a fresh EP from Lewis James. Clash melds a host of different influences, with soft, evocative synths on the intro giving way to darker elements as the tune drops into a weighty slab of jungle-infused halftime. Skittering drums and a big bad bassline are present and correct and the arrangement eschews the traditional “intro-verse-breakdown-verse-outro” format in favour of a gradual build and then a gradual fade, something we don’t see nearly enough of in the rigid structures of modern dance music. Watch out for the EP coming March 2nd at all good stores…


Continue reading

Kid Lib – Blue Dreamers [Foxy Jangle]

Irish tastemakers Rua Sound launch a new sub imprint this month in the form of Foxy Jangle; having focused on the intersection between grime, jungle, d&b and other bass music for the main label, the new outlet will focus entirely on more conventional jungle releases. They couldn’t have picked a better artist to kick-start the label either – Green Bay Wax boss and all round junglist badman Kid Lib is at the controls for the first release, and as you’d expect it is straight fiya!

A-side Blue Dreamers goes in deep with lush pad atmospheres and trippy samples on the intro, lulling you into a false sense of security before the breaks crash into the mix. When the drums come they come hard, replete with tasty edits and classic snare rolls. Flipside That Special Way follows a similar template, with pitched vocals on the intro taking us back to the spirit of the mid 90s ready for another helter skelter selection of kicks and snares.

As with much of the jungle-revival sound there’s nothing especially innovative going on here, but as love-letters to a largely bygone sound go it doesn’t get much more finely engineered than this. Foxy! Check out the clips below and hit up the Rua Sound Bandcamp to pre-order now; vinyl and digital drop Oct 27th.

Premiere: Touchy Subject – Synchronisation

Our latest premiere comes from the fine folks at RUA Sound as they present their fourth release from London producer Touchy Subject. EP opener Synchronisation blends elements of dub, halftime D&B and footwork for a big bassy head-nodder with more than a touch of soundsystem culture flowing through its sonic veins! Check it out below and watch out for the Skyward EP dropping June 2nd at all good stores…

Continue reading

TMSV – Fission Chips [RUA Sound]

Few labels in recent memory have started as strong as RUA Sound. Their first release featured future jungle heavyweights Sully and Sam Binga and unsurprisingly sold out in no time at all (c’mon guys, repress…) so we were more than a little pleased to hear of a follow up from promising upstart TMSV.

Continuing RUA’s quest to unearth the best genre-bending sounds from the bleeding edge of the 170BPM spectrum, we’re treated to two weighty cuts with more than enough muscle for the dancefloor but plenty of playful experimentation to boot. Fission Chips kicks things off with an 8-bit grime hook, rapid footwork-style hats and hypnotic arpeggios set to a hefty slab of sub bass pressure; proper head nodding business.

Over on the flip things take on more of a dub/jungle vibe, with classic reggae sounds mixed with a sparse beat and some super tasty snare rolls. Yes please! Another fine release from a label we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on; check it out below and hit up Redeye or Kudos to grab the wax right now.