Monthly Archives: December 2013

Kush T – Tense / Waiting [Terabyte]

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Terabyte round off a fantastic 2013 with their 9th single, this time from Southampton’s Kush T. A-side Tense featuring the vocal talents of Serge has picked up widespread DJ support from some pretty big names and it’s not hard to see why – menacing bass, skittering beats and a grimey vocal all contribute to a militant slice of minimalism.

Over on the flip Waiting continues the trend of heavy hitting leftfield percussion and weighty sub pressure that we’ve come to associate with Terabyte releases. Tasty stuff. Check out the clips below and look out for the release dropping at all good digital stores from December 16th.

Dubmonger – Re-Translation to Another Galaxy! [Translation Recordings]

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Translation Recordings rounds off a successful year with a very special project from Morphy’s Dubmonger alias. Re-Translation to Another Galaxy! sees Glasgow’s finest dub soldier going to town on five tunes from the Translation vaults with live bass, guitar, tape echo and warm analogue reverb all employed to great effect. Just to add to the authenticity of the whole thing, Translation are releasing the EP on cassette tape (with digital download of course) for extra analogue joy.

Highlights of the EP include the upbeat, dubbed out skanking of Rascal, the classic echo-drenched vibes of Babylon Dem (I challenge you not to nod your head to this one) and the epic, spacey psychedelia of Lion of Judah in all it’s eleven and a half minute epic glory. Check out the beats below and pre-order yourself a copy from the Translation Bandcamp. Cassette’s ship from December 9th!

Evolution of the Giraffe LP [Diffrent Music]

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Purveyors of all things eclectic Diffrent Music celebrate their 20th release with a various artists LP featuring a varied cuts from the extended label family. The tone of the material varies greatly, from the beautiful, laid-back beats of Fybe:one and Kolectiv, through the slouching, tripped out dub of Jekyll’s Horcurso and out into the brutalised industrial bass and heavy snares of M-Zine, Skepticz & Mtwn’s Choices.

The common thread is that almost all the tracks on the album eschew the familiar drum patterns of most D&B compositions in search of percussive innovation, the only real exception being Arkaik’s broody stepper Wax. If you’re looking for DJ friendly crowd pleasers this definitely isn’t a collection of them, but it’s proof that the 170 tempo range continues to be a hotbed for experimentation and truly interesting music. Watch out for this dropping via CD and digital from December 9th.

To celebrate the release of the album Diffrent are throwing a party in London this Friday. With a stellar lineup of the label’s best producers and tickets available for only a tenner, those in the nation’s capital should be sure to check it out – details over on Facebook here. As if that wasn’t enough, they’re also giving away a free track from Fybe:One – check it out below and head to the Diffrent Facebook for your download.

Gremlinz & Ahmad – Nibiru / The Orchard [Paradox Music]

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Paradox Music return with an unusual release – their first 12″ to feature music from artists other than Paradox since 2010’s PM020 (featuring Equinox on the flip). Toronto badman Gremlinz teams up with new name Ahmad to provide two rough and tough slices of dark jungle.

Nibiru gets straight down to business with heavy hitting breaks, meaty sub and old school stabs – this is a beat crafted via years worshipping at the school of Photek, positively oozing 90s D&B soul. Over on the flip The Orchard trades in the full tempo breaks for a kick driven half-time beat punctuated with distorted amens and reverb heavy toms, while bass growls and haunting synths slither in and out of the mix.

As usual the release will be available on a beautiful limited edition vinyl pressing and the standard digital formats – watch out for this one dropping from December 9th.

 

Classic Track: Audio & The Sect – Pounded

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Audio has been steadily establishing a rep as one of the tightest producers in the Techstep/Neurofunk scene, with a knack for combining the harder edge of drum & bass with dancefloor sensibilities. For today’s classic track we look back to 2008 and Audio’s first LP for Dylan’s Freak Recordings.

While the album is packed full of tasty hardstep including some other memorable tunes, Audio’s collab with The Sect for Pounded remains one of my favourite tunes from this era. Unrelenting in the pressure of it’s drum lines and featuring deft use of a sample many will recognise from a 2 Many DJ’s mix, the tune still kicks just as hard now as it did five years ago. Check it out below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwoeqcr920o]

Strange Sound – Love Lost [Free Download]

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Edinburgh producer Strange Sound conjures up the ghost of Drum & Bass past with a freebie that could well have been taken from the Total Science back catalogue. Rolling breaks, subtle jazzy samples and a warm sub line with a tasty edge, what’s not to like? Check it out below and keep an eye out for more from SS including an appearance on the forthcoming Liquid Boppers compilation.