MJD – Lifespan EP [Lifestyle Recordings]

MJD returns to Lifestyle recordings with four tracks of dark, industrial techstep showcasing the producers talents for rhythm and bass. It’s difficult to pick between the tracks given their consistent quality and tone, but particular highlights come on Tracer (which brings to mind Ulterior Motive’s early work like Featherweight) and the angular beats and creepy atmosphere of Crimmerean Dreams.

Lifespan and Vacuity meanwhile provide more straightforward but still worthy slices of rolling neuro-tech goodness. Check out the clips below and watch out for this dropping from June 26th at all good digital stores.

15 Yearz of Fokuz – Episode 2 [Fokuz Recordings]

Fokuz continue their 15 year anniversary celebrations with another three 12″ releases of crisp, rolling D&B. Plate one sees Spearhead boss BCee delivering two beautiful slices of his trademark uplifiting liquid funk, with Praying Man ticking all the lush melodic boxes while Magic Mirror goes in deeper with blues guitar on the intro and a slightly more muted tone.

Scott Allen graces the second single with a rolling slice of dubwize, replete with horns, reggae vocals and warm sub bass vibrations. Soligen & Type-2 provide the flip, showing their appreciation for classic hip-hop style loops on the intro before dropping into a hefty combination of jungle-style breaks and big gnarly bass hits. Danger!

Last but by no means least, the third piece of wax sees Lynx getting his remix on, turning in a jazzy relick of Enei & Intelligent Manners’ Midnight Runaway. The sheer funk and groove on show here is impressive to say the least, and as ever Lynx pushes the boundaries of what drum & bass can be. Finally Amaning & Dramatic turn in a disarmingly simple blend of rolling breaks, sub bass modulations and piano riffs to close out the triple pack.

As with part one Fokuz have truly outdone themselves both in terms of quality and originality. Check out the clips below and watch out for the 12″s dropping each week starting June 30th. There’ll also be a full CD and digital release dropping June 7th. Don’t sleep!

Inception Vol. 1 [Back2You]

Back2You present their 7th release with a varied selection of outings across the electronic spectrum. Trimer opens the salvo with an aggressive slice of dancefloor techstep, heavy kicks and growling bass characterising the tune. Drum Force 1 switch things up on Hear No Evil with a jazzy, uplifting roller, though for me the Revolver & Leona remix provides a deeper and more varied take on the original.

Taking the tempo down a notch, Joe Nebula & Rachel Wallace team up on a slice of chilled out dubstep in the form of Life After Life. Once again though the remix takes the cake as Planet Boelex turns in a super deep ambient rework, drenched in soul and reverb. Check out the beats below and head over to Bandcamp to grab the release now.

Bcee vs. Soligen & Type-2 – No Doubt EP [Celsius]

Celsius return with another pair of liquid rollers from their ever growing catalogue. Spearhead Records boss Bcee delivers the rich, deep, melow sounds of No Doubt on the A side, while Soligen & Type-2 head for slightly tougher territory on the flip, blending a heavy hitting break and twisted bass with a soulful vocal sample and soft atmospheres for a nice bit of “liquid with teeth”. Check out the clips below and grab this one on vinyl and digital now!

I Am Legion Remixes [Division]

I Am Legion return to your speakers after last year’s debut LP with a tasty selection of remixes spanning the electronic spectrum. D&B-wise Russian neuro badmen Teddy Killerz turn in an absolutely disgusting remix of Make Those Moves, dBridge gets on the controls for a psychedelic D&B refix of Loose on the LeavesWarp Speed Thuggin’ gets the Phace deutsche-robotik treatment and Alix Perez turns in a heavy hitting new mix of Dust Descends.

Outside of the 170 realm there’s a deadly grime rework of Farrda from the genre-hopping Perez, a top-notch wonky trap-ish cut of Jelly Fish from EPROM and a big chunky electro remix of Choosing For You from Nightwatch. Something for everyone then! Check out the beats below and grab this one from your favourite store now.

Gridlok – Motion Picture [Free Download]

It’s always interesting to hear what D&B artists get up to creatively when they’re not rinsing the 170+ tempo range and Gridlok’s latest album explores distinctly slower territory. Blending his knack for heavy hitting beats and bass with a ton of atmosphere and a healthy dose of hip-hop, the LP explores a grimey, industrial sound across 13 brand new tracks.

Highlights include the creepy dub and interesting percussion of Daisy, the lurching offbeat psychedelia of Seasick and the sheer head-nodding hip-hop groove of Big Sound, but honestly the album is a stellar listen from start to finish. Best of all it’s absolutely free! Check out the clips below and download via Soundcloud.

Fuj – Terror Firmer / Pressure Plates (Remixes) [AutomAte Deep]

Automate Deep return with a bit of tasty remix pressure as Dexta and Mtwn rework Fuj’s tunes from his previous release for the label. The Diffrent boss kicks things off with a half-time refix of Terror Firmer, all stomp and growl with an insistent riddim and bassline modulations taking centre stage against a backdrop of reverbed atmos and FX sprinkles.

Mtwn step up for the B side with a deep, dark re-imagining of Pressure Plates, stripping the tune back to it’s basic elements and working it into a twisted, dubby vibe with off kilter percussion landing left, right and centre. Check out the clips below and watch out for this one dropping at all good digital outlets from July 7th.

Bass Sheriff – Comedown / The Bot [Default Recordings]

New signing Bass Sheriff steps up with the latest release for Default Recordings. Comedown sees him teaming up with MC K Sound for a vocal-led techstepper that’s all groove and no messing around. Drums, bass and a catchy vocal hook, simple but effective.

Over on the flip The Bot continues the rolling techstep sound with a nice selection of robotic FX samples and an appropriately grimey selection of bass grunts and growls. This robot apparently knows how to roll out in style. Check out the clips below and watch out for this at all good digital outlets from June 23rd.

EP.2 [Blind Music]

Blind Music continue their anonymous sonic experiment with three more slabs of 170BPM goodness and no clue as to who’s been pressing the buttons. BLND#4 pushes the boundaries of the 170 sound with a stomping half-time beat, ominous pads and a catchy vocal sample. BLND#5 takes things tribal with more ominous synths, dark sub bass and an insistent riddim. Finally BLND#6 heads for glitchy, minimal territory with idiosyncratic percussion and some great sampling.

Check out the beats below and pick up the release from Bandcamp now.

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Fourfit EP 02 [Soul:R]

Soul:R present the second in their Fourfit EP series with a diverse selection from some of the best names in the scene. LSB opens up the release with a shimmering deep liquid roller replete with beautiful strings, flourishes of piano and a crisp, rolling break. Silky smooth business.

Next up FD switches thing up with a grimey tech roller that ticks all the right dancefloor boxes. Anile raids the classic breaks and turns up the atmosphere for the appropriately titled Depths, and Kid Drama rounds things off by tapping into that serene Autonomic melancholia for a great slice of leftfield 170BPM action.

Check out the beats below and look for this one on vinyl and digital from June 23rd.