Monthly Archives: November 2013

Indigo – Storm EP [Samurai Music]

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Manchester producer Indigo has been busy lately – he’s signed a deal with R&S offshoot Apollo, released a new album with partner in crime Synkro under their Akkord alias and to cap it all he’s put together an essential new EP for Samurai Red Seal.

The EP sees that trademark cinematic Indigo synth work thrown into a full on soundclash with jungle-hearted breaks and some deft sampling. Dark bass and echoing percussion characterise opener Volta while Versa collab Spirit of the Winds takes a few leaves from the Paradox book of drumfunk with subtle sub taking backstage to the frantic choppy syncopation of the ever changing drum line.

The titular Storm changes gears once again, adopting a more ominous tone on a track characterised by glitchier percussive elements and a sparser composition with a much more tribal vibe. Finally Condition drops the tempo for a slice of reverb drenched deep house. As usual with Samurai you can pick this up on limited edition marbled vinyl or digital from their Surus store – don’t sleep!

In The Mix…Fallen Gemini

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Eatbrain unleash their 11th podcast with a mix from the winner of their recent DJ competition by the name of Fallen Gemini. FG provides a two hour onslaught of all things neurofunk featuring some healthy double drops and a selection of banging tunes old and new from the catalogues of Eatbrain, Lifted Music, Ram, Vision, Renegade Hardware and more. Check it out and grab a free download below!

Ghost – War Paint EP [Brain Network]

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Brain Network return with another storming EP from Leicestershire upstart Ghost. The tracks display a true talent for rolling, dark neurofunk – crisp breaks imbued with heavy hitting kicks and snares and some nice percussive overlays characterise most of the tracks and gritty, modulated basslines abound.

War Paint kicks off the EP with a rolling break and some classic Virus-esque spooky synth work before a big reese line kicks the tune into gear. Time Bandits keeps things moving with a more modern sounding modulated bassline, while Body Count heads for more technoid territory with an infectiously hyperactive loop. Finally Megalomania sounds the rave alarm for one more banger to close the release.

Check out the beats below and pick up a copy from your favourite digital outlet now!

Double Helix – Muffler / Nebula [Deep Field Audio]

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Deep Field Audio return with another pair of futuristic neuro beasts from Austrian producer Double Helix. Intricate and monstrous in equal measure, the influence of producers like Phace shines through on Muffler, imbued as it is with darked, warping basslines, epic synth work and glitchy, heavy-hitting percussion. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the German neuro legend should certainly be flattered, and anything the track lacks in originality of style it makes up for in heft, intricacy and production quality.

Over on the flip Nebula continues the trend with crisp percussion fused together into a less angular, more rolling beat. Dialing back the aggression and amping up the groove, this one should provoke a little less bassface and a little more movement on the floor, a theory I’ll definitely be testing in future DJ sets. Check out the clips below and decide for yourself! You can pre-order the release via the DFA Bandcamp and it’ll be dropping via all good digital outlets from December 2nd.

To celebrate the release Double Helix has put together the third instalment of the DFA podcast, featuring cuts from himself alongside new beats from the likes of Phace, Noisia, Mefjus and a few classics for good measure. Check it out and grab a free download below.

Maztek – M-Theory [Renegade Hardware]

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Maztek returns to Renegade Hardware with another storming EP packed with cuts that display an effortless technicality and dancefloor teeth in equal measure. Title track M-Theory fires in all guns blazing with some seriously aggressive mid-range synth-work accompanying chunky breaks and a nicely wonky lead. The attention to detail is definitely what makes this track, with every synth pulse, drum impact and glitchy sample perfectly placed in the mix.

Slinky sees the Italian producer take things down a notch, amping up the atmosphere and concentrating on gritty bass and intricate percussion on a tune that oozes funk and swagger. Crank It Up sees familiar partner in crime Nuclear MC rolling in to provide vocals on a trademark dirty roller while closer iMaz delivers another glitchy, skittering mix of precise drums, warped bass and well judged breakdowns.

Check out the clips below and watch out for the EP dropping on vinyl and digital from December 2nd.

Callide & Intraspect – Heart of the Machine [The Zoooo]

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Callide & Intraspekt return to Crissy Criss’s The Zoooo imprint with another 12″ which harks back to the golden era of tech-edged dancefloor D&B around 10 years ago. Combining fierce breaks, an epic synth lead and some gritty reese bassline action, Heart Of The Machine hits the spot nicely – sufficiently “hands in the air” without veering off into utterly cheesy territory, and with enough grit to hold it’s own against out and out bangers.

Over on the flip Crowd Control tones down the euphoria and kicks down the door with hard snares and a monstrous warped bassline. As with previous collabs from Callide & Intraspekt the pair have hit the mark nicely between the grit and production quality of tech and neuro and the straight up energy of the jump-up production style Callide used to produce.

Check out the beats below and watch out for the release from December 2nd.

Terrahawk – Hawk Eye [Infidelity Records]

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Legendary jungle soundboy Aries steps up to remix Terrahawk’s latest single Hawk Eye, laying down a ruff and tumble refix characterised by tough breaks, dark bass stabs and classic dub horns. The single also features the original mix and an instrumental but to be honest the Aries mix takes the cake by a long way! Check it out below and pick up the release from Beatport now.

Get To Know…Warm Communications

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Established back in 2001, US label Warm Communications has long flown the flag for high quality, leftfield Drum & Bass. Early releases from ASC, Equinox, Seba and Banaczech explored deep liquid and drumfunk, with producers experimenting with the less dancefloor oriented styles of D&B.

Looking back over the label’s discography, it seems founder EHL was in no hurry, and still isn’t – despite the labels twelve year tenure it had only notched up a relatively modest release catalogue. The upshot of this however is that the releases are of a consistently high quality, with plenty of genuinely classic and interesting tunes to choose from.

Certain classics stand out from the pack, such as the effortless ambience of ASC’s appropriately titled Highbrow, the epic cinematic drumfunk of Fanu’s Footsteps Concealed and Seba’s brilliantly idosyncratic This Is Our House.

All of this brings us up to the present day and hot on the heels of a sublime 12″ from Seba and Blu Mar Ten comes another solo single from Utopia head honcho Mako. A Break From Ritual explores ruff, tough drum programming with a huge mashup of different breaks kicking in and out of the mix over dark bass stabs and samples pillaged from hip-hop, rave and more.

Over on the flip we’re treated to a deep, dubby roller in the form of What A Little Moonlight Can Do, taking things down a notch but still placing the emphasis on intricate drum programming and unusual sampling. Watch out for this one dropping on vinyl and digital from December 2nd.

Philth & Wreckless – Poison Remixes [Automate]

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Automate continue their assault on the dark end of D&B with the latest release on their Tech imprint featuring remixes of previous Automate release Poison. Berlin hardstep legend The Sect steps up on the A side to deliver a bone crunchingly heavy on the original that is sure to be setting dancefloors alight over the next few months.

Over on the flip Fortitude presents a totally different take on the sound, trimming the beats down to a halfstep gate and mixing deep, growling low end with shimmering, ambient synth work. Check out the beats below and watch out for the release from December 2nd.

Misanthrop – Greed of Gain EP [Neosignal]

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Neosignal continue their relentless assault on the futuristic 170 sound with another storming solo EP, this time from Misanthrop. Deadlock certainly defies expectations in terms of what we’ve come to expect from the German producer, mixing equal parts techno, dub and minimal D&B to create a relentlessly hypnotic and tribally rhythmic tune.

The titular Greed of Gain treads more familiar territory with a tearing mid-range growls and huge metallic snares dominating the composition after a synthy 80s intro. Out into Catch-22 and Misanthrop is breaking the mould again, combining the usual disgusting basslines with a plodding kick-snare drum line that only gives way to a tumbling full roll in the latter part of the track.

Last up System Crash ends the EP with the highest octane number of all, with stark lead stabs punctuating a maelstrom of full tilt drum breaks and cutting reese lines. Look out for the EP dropping November 25th on Digital and December 9th on limited edition vinyl.