Monthly Archives: October 2014

Survey – Object Relations EP [Protect Audio]

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Protect Audio return with a top new EP from German production outfit Survey. Fresh from releases on Invisible and Authentic, Survey are slowly carving themselves a rep for crisp, techy beats and this latest EP sees their style and talents honed once again.

Collapse kicks things off with a smooth slice of rolling techstep which brings to mind early Ulterior Motive productions for Subtitles Music. Jumpat gets in on the action for 9814, which keeps the grimey bass texture but switches the drum rhythms up in favour of weird, tribal syncopations aimed more at your head than your dancing shoes.

The tone and detail continue through Fragment and Inhale, both harnessing a darkness and industrial quality which may well be inspired by the atmosphere of Survey’s current home, Berlin. Check out the clips below and watch out for this dropping on CD and digital from October 20th.

Dread – Geometry of Sound EP [Critical Bass]

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It’s always nice to get something a little different in the Dojo inbox so Dread’s new EP for Critical Bass made a welcome change from the more traditional D&B releases we’re often sent. Geometry of Sound presents four tracks of hard, nasty crossbreed with all the edge and fury you’d expect from the style. If you like your D&B with a touch of the gabba to it then check out the clips below and look out for the EP dropping from October 19th at all good digital stores.

Classic Track: Noisia – Vanishing Point

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vanishingpoint

Wind back to 2004 and Noisia are far from the titans of the electronic scene they’ve become over the past decade; at this point they’re beginning to enjoy their first successes, turning heads in the scene with 12″s for Nerve, Subtitles and Citrus. Vanishing Point saw them building on their success with a release for Mayhem’s influential (though now sadly defunct) Shadow Law imprint.

The tune is a masterclass of relatively restrained but still dancefloor worthy tech – heavy breaks, tasty atmospherics and weighty sub bass all coming together to produce a recognisable roller. The drum roll and bass hits before the main drop followed by the infectious synth stabs always make me smile, and the little details in the progression of the tune make all the difference. Snap it up if you see a copy on vinyl!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KPcgootqBw]

DNB Dojo Mix Series 11: Hanzo & Randie

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MixSeries11HanzoRandie_new

The eleventh installment in our exclusive mix series comes from Avantgarde alumni Hanzo & Randie. The duo celebrate their forthcoming track for the label’s Theory of the Avantgarde LP with a tasty mix focussing on the techier end of the D&B spectrum but still with place for melody and soul. Check it out via Mixcloud below or head to Hearthis.at for streaming and Dropbox for a download.

Tracklist:

Inward – Monochrome (Avantgarde dub)
Cern – Tiamat (Dispatch)
Ulterior Motive – Longshot (Metalheadz)
Dabs – Objection (Dispatch)
Break & DLR – New Design (Symmetry)
Concept Vision & Segment – Deserted (Blackout)
Alix Perez, Phace, Misanthrop – Burn Out (Shogun Audio)
Enei – Hot Plate (Critical)
Dabs, ArpXP & Grotesque – Keep Shut (Avantgarde dub)
Spinline and Hydro – Perimeter (Demand)
EBK – Strength (Dispatch)
Break – Love So True (Symmetry)
Enei and Emperor – Liberation (Critical)
Inward, Hanzo & Randie – Tetra (Redlight)
Concept Vision & Segment – Mindshaker (Blackout)
Signs – Desert Storm (Cause 4 Concern)
Maztek – Limber (Renegade Hardware)
Noisia – Running Blind (Vision)
Stealth ft. Codebreaker – Nightfall (RAM)
DLR and Script ft. Martyna Baker – Blue room (Metalheadz)
Hybris, Quadrant, D-Struct & Iris – Graphene (Dispatch)
Animal Defection – Arcadia (Avantgarde dub)
Kasra & Enei – Breath (Critical)
Blu Mar Ten – In Your Eyes (Ulterior Motive Remix) (Blu Mar Ten)
DLR, Nymfo, Need for Mirrors and HLZ – Totem (Dispatch)
Heavy1 & P-Fine – Melee (Avantgarde dub)
Hanzo, Randie & Bayou – Totentanz (Avantgarde dub)
Foreign Concept – Ask yourself (Critical)
Sabre and Riya – Injustice (Critical)

Infra Audientia Part 1 [Dark Manoeuvres]

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London label Dark Manoeuvres return with a new four track EP showcasing some bright new talents from various corners of the scene. nScape turns in a tough but still melody-tinged roller, bursting with cheeky amens and warm sub, while Beaton turns to slightly moodier territory on the ominously named Cavern.

Altitude keeps the grimey flavour going with a dark stepper which alternates between sparse minimalism and hectic break choppage, all set to a background of creepy pads and warping bass texture. Victor Norman rounds off the EP with a tribal halftime number which fans of None Decay and the like will definitely enjoy. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital store now.

Theory of the Avantgarde – Cosmos LP [Avantgarde Recordings]

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Dabs and Grotesque’s have brought together a fierce selection of tracks for their Avantgarde Recordings imprint’s first LP, and fans of the deep but techy end of the D&B spectrum will definitely not be disappointed with the result!

Highlights include M-zine, Skepticz and Matt Pulsa’s tight, techy workout on Fumes, Fade’s big, bad reese bass driven business on Swarm and the grimy minimalist stylings of Kush T, who teams up with Serge on Hyperspace. Sadly only a few of the clips are only so far, but keep an eye on the Avantgarde soundcloud for more, and watch out for the LP dropping from October 20th. We’ve also lined up an exclusive mix from some of the Avantgarde crew so hold tight for that one soon!

None Decay – Night Terrors / Bicep [None Decay Music]

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None Decay return to their own imprint with another pair of dark, techy beats. Night Terrors provides a fairly hefty slice of rolling, industrial-edged D&B that brings to mind old school Virus Recordings business, but for me the star of the show is found in Bicep on the flip.

Imbued with tons of creepy atmosphere from the pads and FX, the tune flexes it’s proverbial muscles via crunchy bass growls and a stomping, insistent half-step beat. The little sonic details washing in and out over the backbone of bass and beats really make this one. Check out the clips below and grab this from the None Decay Bandcamp or your favourite digital store now.

Subtension – AK47 / Leaving [Renegade Hardware]

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We’ve been keeping a close eye on Subtension ever since his rather tasty Black Haze 12″ dropped for Samurai Music last year and his latest release for the veritable Hardware imprint doesn’t disappoint either. AK47 kicks things off with a rolling break and staccato bassline rhythm doubtless designed to invoke the rapid fire of an assault rifle; it’s a neat sonic trick and an innovative break from the usual neurofunk bassline fare.

Leaving sees the young Slovakian producer moving into more experimental territory, retaining the bassline grit we’ve come to associate with labels like hardware while playing with a drum rhythm more in keeping with recent material from Exit or Diffrent. It’s nice to see Hardware willing to push the more experimental side of 170BPM music; more of this please! Last but not least the digital buyers amongst you are treated to a third track in the form of Offset, which proves a tasty if somewhat formulaic slice of rolling techstep.

Worldwide release hits on October 13th but if you can’t wait til Monday you can get your grubby mits on this one on vinyl or digital from the Hardware store. Check out the clips below and get your orders in!

Mitekiss – Vaxe / Deltica [Sub:mission Audio]

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Leeds based imprint Sub:mission Audio continue to impress with another great new single from an up and coming talent, this time in the form of new addition to the label Mitekiss. The Croydon-based producer serves up a pair of effortless liquid rollers – Vaxe on the A-side proves a melancholy, piano-led slice of emotion straight from the school of Tokyo Prose, while Deltica heads for slightly more unusual territory, combining soft pads with odd little FX hits.

Both tracks show an appreciation for the “less is more” stylings of deep liquid D&B and a thoughtful musicality that’s difficult not to engage with. Check out the clips below, and watch out for this dropping from October 15th at all good digital stores.

Deficit & Peak – The Watchmen [AutomAte Deep]

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Label boss Deficit brings us another fine pair of tracks for AutomAte’s Deep arm, including his first solo outing for the label. The Watchmen sees him teaming up with Peak on a brooding, snarling composition that does it’s best to defy genre boundaries. Beats fall from all around in rapid syncopations but eschew the familiar D&B patterns in favour of wandering, tribal rhythms, while the bass growls away in the background and a bleeping melody dances over the top. The whole track has a superbly dystopian vibe to it, epitomized by the quote lifted from the Watchmen movie in the bridge.

Over on the flip, Eternum sees Deficit going it alone on another dark, eerie composition, blending a half-time rhythm with robotic bass and creepy sci fi FX sweeps. Once again there’s tons of detail in the mix with all manner of weird percussion making an appearance over the backbone of kicks and snares. Once again we’re treated to a cinematic quote in the breakdown, this time from Sherlock Homes. Clearly Deficit is a man who knows his movies as well as his music.

If you appreciate the weirder end of the 170BPM spectrum and the defter end of sound design you should definitely give these a listen; check out the clips below and watch out for the release dropping from October 13th.