Kaset – Final Stop / Surface [Free Love Digi]

Free Love Digi’s latest offering from Denver producer Kaset touches down with a bang. Final Stop proves a no-nonsense dancefloor roller; crisp breaks, hefty sub and some nice bass distortion keep the tune moving along at quite a pace.

Over on the flip Surface takes the energy down a notch and cranks up the atmosphere. More frenetic breaks drive the tune along as creepy pads wash over the tune and a moving, almost talkative bassline lends the tune some bite. A tidy balance of dancefloor sensibilities and musical flourish – nice. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite online store from October 6th.

Clarity – Hell’s Gate [Samurai Music]

Samurai warm us up for the impending release of Clarity’s debut LP with a 3 track EP featuring the man’s deep, dark riddims. Hell’s Gate sees T Man take the mic for a gloomy stepper imbued with an appropriately confrontational vocal, while Engineering brings on board regular partner in crime Overlook for an exercise in atmosphere and percussion precision. The bongo rolls and rumbling sub give this a really hypnotic vibe.

Last but by no means least, Hours delivers more ominous, tribal rhythms, with reverb-drenched pads and echoing gongs washing over crisp hats and an insistent kick/snare line. Check out the clips below and head over to the Samurai Store to grab the release on vinyl or digital.

If you want more from Clarity look no further than the latest episode of the Samurai Music podcast where you’ll find an hour long mix showcasing tracks from the EP alongside other selections from the experimental end of the 170 spectrum.

Programmed V3.0 [ProgRAM]

ProgRAM are back with another fine selection of dancefloor focussed D&B for the third of their “Programmed” EP series. Slang Banger turns in an old school floor shaker in the form of Rip Slinger – distorted 808 hits, monstrous reese bass and huge tearout amen breaks are the order of the day on this one. Track two sees Audio teaming up with Meth for a tidy remix of Eastcolors Murderer; not their most remarkable work but a solid roller nonetheless.

Noel turns in a similarly solid roller with tons of groove on Defence, leaving Kelle to round out the EP with a sharp, angular belter in the form of Extortion. Frenetic, head banging rhythms on this one! Check out a mini mix of the tracks below and grab the EP exclusively at Beatport now.

Jungle War!

Anyone who keeps an eye on the Grime scene (or indeed, just the likes of FACT magazine) will probably be familiar with last years War Dubs contest. Over the last few days a new war has begun, but this time it’s Jungle producers clashing over Soundcloud; amens at the ready then! What started as Epoch calling out Sully and Etch has rapidly escalated into a massive clash with the likes of Om Unit, Fre4knc, Moresounds, Amoss, Dexta and many more. You can hear a few of the Dojo favourites below, and if you’re keen to hear more head over to Soundcloud where you can find well over 300 jungle war dubs! All credit to DSZ intel for compiling the playlist.

Ronin – Guillotine EP [Free Download]

Ever since I heard the excellent Battledrums EP I’ve been keeping a keen eye out for more releases from the rather talented Ronin. The evolution of his style has been interesting to watch too, and his latest work continues the trend started with the Once More With Venom EP and heads towards fairly D&B influenced territory.

Ronin’s cinematic style remains, as does the obvious influence of hip-hop, and the EP manages to bring together emotive piano and string elements with powerful bass and uptempo D&B-style drum work to great effect. It’s also been mixed for listening, with each track fading directly into the next to form a complete piece of music rather than four tracks with distinct beginnings and endings. Best of all you can grab the whole thing for free from Soundcloud. Highly recommended!

Coleco – Induction EP [Inflect Audio]

Bristol producer Coleco returns to his own Inflect imprint with a five track EP spanning a varied spectrum of uptempo electronica. Induction and Typtamine both explore the 170BPM domain, with the first characterised by weird rhythms and metallic snares while the latter goes in hard with a heavy hitting drum beat and big old school bass stabs; the influence of early Renegade Hardware shines through here.

The back end of the EP lowers the tempo for dubbier vibes; Micro provides a solid slice of deep, bleepy dubstep while Twenty One And Beyond experiments with the “purple” synth sound popularised by Joker. Last but no means least, Cluster combines funky soca-style drums with all manner of unusual FX and more than a hint of dub. Check out the clips below and look for this one at digital stores from October 1st.

Icicle – Problem / The Edge [Shogun Audio]

Icicle teases his forthcoming LP for Shogun Audio with a pair of MC-led beats. Problem combines the unusual style and delivery of Manchester MC Skittles with a heavy combo of kicks, claps and bass growls; the influence of grime and hip-hop clearly flows through the veins of this tune.

Over on the flip The Edge sees Metropolis (better known as one half of Foreign Beggars) lending his vocal weight to a more conventional slice of up front tech D&B; all groove and swagger, and sure to move a dancefloor. Check out the clips (and the rather impressive video for Problem) below and look for the single dropping September 28th, with more news on the album sure to follow.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNNtGFHe-jE]

Andy Pain & Z-Connection – Take It / Horizon [Diffrent Music]

Diffrent continue their quest to bring weird new sonic manipulations into the world with a pair of new beats from frequent collaborators Andy Pain & Z-Connection. Andy Pain goes in on the slouching swing of Horizon, drawing on hip-hop and deep, downtempo electronica for a soft, shuffling beauty of a track.

Z-Connection amps things up on the flip, bringing together frantic jungle-breaks with a hint of the footwork aesthetic and some rapid fire vocal chop ups. Fans of Fracture’s recent output will love this one. Check out the beats below and head over to the Diffrent bandcamp to pre-order a copy; the release drops there from September 27th with full digital release to follow on October 6th.

Klax – Binary Vol. 2 [Critical Music]

Critical continue their Binary series with a brand new three track EP from Brighton trio Klax. The boys only have a small handful of releases but with output on Renegade Hardware and now Critical expect big things in the future.

The EP showcases a knack for clean but hefty techstep, with crisp drums, dirty bass and plenty of groove. All the tracks are well worthy of your attention but Cornerstone stood out for me for pure weight and vibe; rolling business! Check out the clips below and grab this from the Critical Store now.

West – Contour Digital / The Other Side [Default Recordings]

Milton Keynes-based Default Recordings return with their 15th release from label co-runner West. Countour Digital heads straight for rolling liquid territory, with one eye on the melody and the other on the dancefloor; warm and welcoming in tone without becoming cheesy, this one should keep any set moving along nicely.

The Other Side switches the beat up and heads for deeper territory, with a soft vocal laid over a varied pallet of different sounds; spacey bass growls, echoing melody and occasional rough breaks all filter in and out of the mix. Check out the clips below and grab the beats from your favourite store now.