Andyskopes – True Chord Redux [Utopia Music]

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Andyskopes combines the spirit of 90s jungle with the deep, ethereal vibes we’ve come to know and love from Utopia Music on the labels 13th single. Soft, floating pads give the tune it’s soul and mesh perfectly with the clattering, filtered breaks that drive the composition, giving True Chord Redux much of the vibe and atmosphere of old drumfunk records from the likes of DJ Trax and Paradox.

True Human Emotion goes in even harder on the flip, with rough and tough amens smashing up the track after the strings of the intro have given way to a choice sample from Michael Fassbender’s android in Prometheus. Every drum hit is perfectly positioned for maximum impact; one for the old school heads.

Watch out for the release on vinyl & digital from August 5th.

DJ Marky & Invaderz – After Midnight / Break The Spell [Commercial Suicide]

Marky & Invaderz step up to the plate with a pair of liquid rollers imbued with the sambass essence that made Marky’s name. Equal parts groove & funk, After Midnight serves up a silky smooth liquid beat embossed with understated synth work and tasty filter sweeps.

Over on the flip Break The Spell heads for more euphoric territory with an irresistible hook and a tougher break that’s sure to get the party moving. Make no mistake, this is the sound of your summer on Commercial Suicide, and one I fully expect to hear on the beaches at Sun & Bass this year!

Watch out for these two dropping August 19th on vinyl and digital.

One In The Jungle Archive

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Anyone unfamiliar with the early history of Jungle / D&B would do well to investigate the now legendary One In The Jungle show. Broadcast on Radio One from 1995 to 1997 and spanning three series, the show gave Jungle a platform on the station for the first time and paved the way for the music to move from its roots in the infamous London pirate radio scene onto more legitimate broadcasters.

Some of the episodes have been lost forever but many have been salvaged from old tape recordings and a partial archive is available to download from http://oneinthejungle.co.uk/. Better still, many of the episodes are now on Mixcloud, and a few of the best are embedded below. Check it out, relive the memories, and feast your ears on the rise of a scene.

Roni Size & MC Dynamite – 03.08.95

Moving Shadow Special – 09.08.96

Ed Rush & Trace – No U-Turn Experience – 07.02.97

Future Forces – 05.12.97

In The Mix…Dominic Petrie

Deep liquid maestro Dominic Petrie returns with the first in a new mix series entitled Modus, exploring the deeper more experimental side of D&B. The mix features a tidy selection from the likes of dBridge, ASC, Instra:mental, Data, Morphy and Photek and is all drawn from Dom’s extensive vinyl collection. One for the heads!

Mosaic Vol. 2 [Exit Records]

It feels almost redundant to be reviewing this but just in case anyone has somehow slept on what is definitely one of the best compilations of 2013, then feast your ears on Mosaic Vol. 2. Bringing together some seriously deep and innovative cuts from thirty different producers and spanning four plates of vinyl for the wax enthusiasts, Exit have truly outdone themselves.

Among the standout tracks (and this is a tough choice given the quality on show from all concerned) are the glitchy madness of Rockwell’s *)*[808], the lush halfstep liquid of Synkro’s The Way and the classic Fist Level 2B from Insta:mental (only been waiting three years for this one guys…)

Elsewhere Kryptic Minds deliver a fantastic slice of moody halfstep with Burnt To Ashes (a rare return to the 170 tempo since their exit to Dubstep realms several years back), Om Unit and Sam Binga collab on some deeply hip-hop/footwork influenced business, and Fracture & Dawn Day Night bring us the sounds of the ghetto on Sick Wid It. Check out clips of every track below and watch out for this one dropping on digital July 29th with vinyl following on August 5th.

Break – Music Is Better [Symmetry]

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Hot on the heels of the mighty Steam Train Break drops another essential 12″ on Symmetry. Music Is Better on the A-side hits up that classic Break sweet-spot between tech and liquid that we’ve seen him leverage so well over the years on tracks like Love So True, Slow Down and Winter Sun. Jazzy piano and vocals on the intro give way to a meaty bass drop to give the tune equal parts summer vibes and edge. Liquid with teeth!

Backing things up on the flip the familiar team of Fields, Hydro, Mako & Villem give us Celestine. Crisp drums and soft synths on the intro once again give away to a tasty bassline, though the character is definitely in the infectious percussion rather than the low end, and the little flourishes over the top ice the proverbial cake in style. Look out for these two from August 5th on vinyl and digital!

Liquid Technology Vol. 1 [Terabyte Records]

Midlands powerhouse Terabyte Records switches tack on their latest release, moving away from the moody tech they’ve been building a name for themselves with and putting out an EP of smooth liquid just in time for the summer sun. Label co-founder Altered Perception provides the bulk of the tunes, teaming up with Zach Herer on the beautiful vibes of The Rain and the more leftfield beats of Bitter Expanse; the latter truly pushes the boundaries, combining an unconvential beat structure with some nice jazzy synth work and deep pads.

The man goes in solo on Lunar, serving up a deep, atmospheric roller in the style of the likes of Seba or Blu Mar Ten. Finally Automate (not to be confused with the label of the same name) takes things to a jungley place with the appropriately named Shuffle Hustle; it’s all in the skittering break on this one folks. Look out for these dropping on digital from July 29th.

Dabs – Skull & Bones / Hourglass [Horizons]

Dabs steps up with some seriously deep beats for his latest release on Horizons. Skull & Bones combines a creepy rasta vocal from MC Kwality with intricate, tribal percussion and what sounds like a sitar sample to create a creepy, cinematic vibe that could just as easily be used to soundtrack a ritualistic movie scene as to large up the dance.

Over on the flip Hourglass changes it up, teaming up with Mortem and keeping the beat rolling but muted on more of a deep liquid tip. Harmonic chimes sit delicately in the mix alongside soulful echo’d vocals and an insistent bass growl that gives the tune teeth without overpowering it.

Grab this now on advance white label from the Horizons shop and look out for the full digital/vinyl release later in the month.

In The Mix…Hex

DNB Dojo head honcho Hex brings us a 40 minute mix all vinyl mix for the Sun & Bass DJ Competition spanning deep, drumfunk, liquid, techstep and neurofunk D&B. The tracklist speaks for itself with old classics sitting alongside new material – check it out now via Mixcloud.

Tracklist:

Mode – Stats [Ingredients]
Fracture & Neptune – Get Lost [Astrophonica]
Paradox – Crate Logic [Paradox Music]
Subtension – Changes [Samurai Music]
Digital & Spirit – Backlach (Digital & Spirit Rework) [Phanton Audio]
Photek – Ni Ten Ichi Ryu (Teebee Remix) [Photek Productions]
DJ Trax – Syncopation [Outsider]
Vicious Circle & Nocturnal – Skylark [Quarantine]
T.E.E.D. – Household Goods (Enei Remix) [TEED]
dBridge & Vegas – True Romance [Metalheadz]
Martyn – Virgo [Play:musik]
Lenzman – Empty Promise [Metalheadz]
Calibre – Sick Of It All [Signature]
Amit – Killer Driller [Metalheadz]
Ulterior Motive & Judda – Timekeeper (Calyx & Teebee Remix) [Subtitles]
Phace & Noisia – MPD [Neosignal]
Mefjus – Signalz [Critical]
Apex – Inner Space [Subtitles]