Monthly Archives: October 2014

Ed Rush – Scarabs / Boxcar [Piranha Pool]

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Ed Rush launches his brand new Piranha Pool imprint with a pair of big bad neurofunk killers. Both tunes have their eyes firmly focussed on the dancefloor, and while they don’t offer tons of surprises they’ve got bass groove and production sheen in spades. Scarabs is the more up front of the two tracks while Boxcar aims for deeper but still pretty grimy territory. Check out the clips below and grab this on vinyl and digital from your favourite store now!

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jvm96V0E4U]

Ulterior Motive – The Fourth Wall [Metalheadz]

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After a lengthy period of writing and a quiet buildup of hype, Ulterior Motive’s debut LP for Metalheadz has finally dropped this week. It’s clear the duo have taken the task of their first album incredibly seriously (they reportedly whittled the tracklist down from 120 demos) and they’ve managed to create a pure D&B album which still feels like a journey rather than just a collection of songs.

While all the tracks bear some hallmarks of the Ulterior Motive sound, The Fourth Wall definitely sees the duo branching out from their traditional grimey tech D&B, with tributes to the Bristol sound (Sideways) and old skool rave (Tape Pack) alongside the deeper flavours of tracks like Muted, You Must See and Chapters. There’s still plenty of room for the more “classic” UM sounds mind you, with Inta-National and Keep It Moving standing out as the best dancefloor workouts.

Doubtless everyone will have their own favourites so check out the clips below and head to the Metalheadz store to pick up the album on CD, vinyl or digital.

Son of Kick – Hours (SPL Remix) [Midication]

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Long ago, before Dubstep, before the rise of “EDM”, Samuel Pool aka SPL made a name for himself making vicious darkstep D&B with releases on Freak Recordings, Evol Intent Recordings and Tech Itch Recordings, among others. In recent years he’s mostly been preoccupied with lower tempo flavours but his latest remix for Son of Kick sees the LA based producer returning to the monstrous 170 sound he first made his name with.

Playful breaks and pitched up vocals on the intro set the tone before the main event; a huge portion of growlingly filtered bass and the sort of balls to the wall breakbeat assault that will absolutely slay a dancefloor. This one is dangerous! There are also respectable lower tempo mixes from Marshall F and Two Fresh which you can check out over here. Check out the remix below and grab it from Beatport now – other stores should get the release from October 12th.

TR Tactics – Time Slice / Cone [Addictive Behaviour]

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Austria appears to be a hotbed of D&B talent right now, with Fourward and Mefjus both at the top of their game and tons of other great producers plying their wares, including TR Tactics. The duo return to Addictive Behaviour with another no nonsense neurofunk release, featuring two tracks of crisp, weighty, futuristic D&B. Cone comes out on top for the sheer bass grime factor of it, but both tracks are well worth a listen – check them out below and look for the release on Beatport from October 6th with full release following from October 20th.

Famous Lost Words Remixes: Part 3 [Blu Mar Ten Music]

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Blu Mar Ten unveil the third and final instalment of their Famous Lost Words remix EP series with new mixes from Ulterior Motive, Nuage and their latest signing Kimyan Law. Ulterior Motive make In Your Eyes very much their own, swapping out the frantic amens of the original for a slower paced half-time beat. The twinkling atmosphere of the original is largely gone too, replaced with ominous bass growls and a spooky, pitched down version of the original vocal.

Nuage turns his hand to Famous Lost Words, channelling the autonomic spirit for a glitchy, slouching remix with tons of the lush pad work I’ve come to love on his productions. The real star of the show here though is Kimyan Law’s absolutely beautiful re-imagining of Half The Sky. An insistent beat combines with a soft chiming melody that has either been crafted fresh or has been re-sampled from the original beyond recognition, and the atmosphere of the track is dialled right up to 11. The result is effortlessly emotive and hauntingly beautiful, and I can’t wait to hear his debut album when it drops later this year.

Check out the clips below and head over to the Blu Mar Ten Music store to pick up the release on vinyl or digital now.

Chimpo – Out An Bad EP [Exit Records]

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Exit Records continue to push the experimental sounds on the edges of 170BPM territory with a brand new EP from Manchester MC/producer Chimpo. Restless Leg Syndrome kicks the EP off with rapid fire footwork infused beats and vocal snippets, paired up with a cheeky rave stabs and hefty sub hits – bouncin’ stuff. Haymaker heads for darker and slightly less frantic territory with warm bass growls and a half-time rhythm, while title track Out An Bad sees the man providing vocals in his usual playful style over a tasty beat which owes some of its stylings to the LA Bass scene.

The EP also finds space for two collaborations with Diffrent alumni Fixate, both of which play with a fusion of dub, soca, trap and hip-hop to pretty stomping effect. Overall fans of the “slowfast” 170 style currently gaining traction in the scene will definitely enjoy this EP; check out the clips below and grab it on vinyl and digital from your favourite store now.

Freebie Roundup

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Time for another roundup of the best freebies to land in the Dojo inbox in recent days. So in no particular order…

Cern drops a meaty slice of tech D&B to celebrate the impending launch of his Under Another Sky LP for Dispatch Recordings. Check that out below and click the download arrow on the widget to grab a copy.

Diffrent drop a nice little freebie from Andy Pain ahead of the imminent release of their latest single – head over to Bandcamp to grab this one. Chunky beats and plenty of swagger.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 track=1251034705 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Leeds tech outfit Transmission Audio have got a cheeky half-stepper from label boss Altered Perception and frequent collaborator Automate; once again you can grab via the Soundcloud player below.

One of the editors at NeurofunkGrid is kindly giving away the personalised VIP he won as part of backing Gridlok & Prolix’s Project Trendkill LP kickstarter last year. Fans of the album should definitely be all over this – grimey neuro vibes! Hit up Mediafire for this one.

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

Last but by no means least Free Love Digi have not one but *two* great new freebies; first up there’s a dark roller from Kaset to celebrate his new single for the label (which is out on Monday), and label bossman Quentin Hiatus is giving away a collaboration with Thomas B and Ghast which pushes the boundaries at the edge of the 170BPM envelope. Once again downloads available via the Soundcloud players below.

Get To Know…Nerve Recordings

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nerve

Glasgow-based Nerve Recordings sadly closed it’s doors in 2010 but for nine strong years the label flew the D&B flag under the keen stewardship of Pyro and Paul Reset, with releases from homegrown and international producers alike. For this week’s #TBT posting we take a look back at 10 of the best from the Narve vaults. Don’t forget you can grab all of these releases for free from either the Nerve Bandcamp or their website.

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Urban Survival Kit Part 1 [Future Sounds Of Sofia]

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Future Sounds of Sofia are a relatively new Bulgarian D&B team who, having spent the last few years running events and bringing all manner of underground talent to their native land, are now branching out and starting their own label. Their first release showcases 13 tracks from Bulgarian producers spanning a variety of styles, from upfront tech and neuro to deeper minimal and liquid tunes.

Familiar names make the roster by way of tracks from Cooh and L33, who both contribute slabs of hefty, rolling tech funk. Similarly banging beats are available from lesser known producers such as Smartech and Ogonek, who contributes an interesting track bringing together melodic elements with an absolutely rattling drum/bass underpin.

Deeper vibes come from Presize’s minimal drum workout Initial and Underspawn & Robustus’ jazzy liquid roller Scotty & The Sun God, the latter of which stood out for me as a nicely polished slice of deep yet dancefloor oriented beats. You can hear clips of some of the tracks below so check it out and head over to the FSS Bandcamp page to pre-order the album on CD or digital, dropping October 6th.