Monthly Archives: November 2014

Hydro & War – Censorship [Blendits]

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Blendits return with their biggest release yet, snagging a pair of techy rollers for the label’s increasingly impressive discography. Hydro & War provide the A side, combining crisp beats and techy bass with a layer of spooky melodies and atmospherics, apparently passing some comment on the production of pop music in the process.

Eastcolors comes in for remix duties on the flip, bringing a new slant to Mindmapper & Silvahfonk’s Polygraph. The soft pads and chords of the original are embelished, richer and fuller, and the previously steady mix is swapped out for a frenetic array of chopped breaks. The mixture of musically beautiful elements and rough and tough drumfunk beats is a potent combo! Check out the clips below and look for this one on vinyl and digital from November 24th.

Autorun, Iaco, Rune & Kaiza – Icarus / Experiment [Transmission Audio]

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Transmission keep the releases coming thick and fast with a fresh new single from quadruple collab team Autorun, Iaco, Rune & Kaiza. Icarus builds the tension with a big floaty intro before dropping into hard snares and a big warping bassline. Over on the flip Experiment keeps the bass fierce but switches the beats up, opting for an off-kilter percussive assault that refuses to roll to a predictable pattern.

Check out the clips below and head to Digital Tunes to pre-order the release now!

Marginal – Every 1 Needs a 0 EP [Translation Recordings]

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It’s always a good day when a new release from Translation hits the Dojo inbox! The label has carved a great reputation for forward thinking electronica crossing over from conventional D&B into other tempos, genres and styles, and their latest release from Marginal is no different in terms of either variation or quality.

Plastic World opens the EP with a slouching, downtempo fusion of hip-hop, reggae, synthy ambience and contemporary bass music, with the result sounding shimmering and lightly toasted. No sooner than the last chord echoes out over the speakers that the mood switches, retaining the futuristic synth vibes but bending them to a more intricate composition on Datasaur; this one doesn’t float so much as being driven along by crunchy bassline goodness.

The titular Every 1 Needs a 0 ups the ante, bringing rapid syncopations and the influence of trap and footwork to the table. Percussive details form the backbone of the track, with spacey FX echoes and big warm, dubby bass filling out the vibe to occupy a massive sonic space. Last but by no means least, the creepily titled Anesthesia Is Useless comes the closest to “traditional” D&B in outlook, pressing forward with tight, insistent beats and heavy sub rumblings alongside wild synth stabs and robotic warblings. Futuristic business!

Check out the clips below and head over to the Translation Bandcamp now to pick this up right now – full digital release to come November 24th.

Q&A – Altered Perception [Alchemic Breaks]

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Alchemic Breaks are busy gearing up for their first release later this month, so we thought it was high time to find out more about the operation from bossman Altered Perception. Read on for the low-down on the new imprint, his thoughts on the deeper side of D&B and how he came to be at the helm of no less than four labels!

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Gerwin & LaMeduza – Life Cycle [Dust Audio]

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Dust Audio present their fifth release with three great new tracks from some of the best producers in the scene. Gerwin teams up with vocalist LaMeduza for a soft liquid stepper tinged with grimey bass in the inimitable liquid-tech hybrid style that I always enjoyed from the French producer. Next up rising star Trilo delivers a typically militant slice of rolling tech D&B, with crisp breaks and dark, dirty bass the order of the day.

Last but not least, the mighty Break steps up to remix Gerwin’s A-side, upping the energy on the beats and lending the tune a more dancefloor-friendly vibe while retaining the soul of the original. Check out the clips below and watch out for the release dropping on vinyl and digital December 15th!

SCAR – Call It What You Want EP [Dispatch Recordings]

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SCAR continue their assault on the D&B scene with four fresh new beats for Dispatch Recordings. Call It What You Want heads straight in with warped bass and rolling breaks for an atmospheric tech workout that should have more than enough juice to move a dancefloor or two. Dank follows suit with a slightly more stripped back beat and some big squelchy bass rumblings driving the tune along.

Twice Shy is pure dancefloor fodder, with an old school set of stabs and a catchy bass riff giving the tune a good stomping rhythm. Last but not least Zero One switches things up with chopped up breaks and creepy FX combining nicely on the EP’s least conventional track.

You can check out the title track from the EP below – full audio previews and pre-order are available at the Dispatch Store. Look out for this on vinyl and digital from November 24th.

Classic Track: Alex Reece – Pulp Fiction

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This one barely needs an introduction…if you’ve never heard it (or the 2010 Lynx edit) then frankly you must have been living under a rock for the past two decades, or at least never have been to many D&B raves. Released on Metalheadz back in 1995, the simple combination of jazzy brass samples, catchy vocal snippet and that oh so memorable bassline make this a firm favourite. I have immensely fond memories of Goldie closing the 20 years of Metalheadz night at Sun & Bass with this track and the crowd singing along to the bassline…epic stuff. Check it out below and relive a true piece of D&B history.

Om Unit – Inversion [Metalheadz]

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Om Unit is a name that we just can’t get enough of over here at the Dojo and his latest work for Metalheadz could well be his best yet. Apparently Goldie himself went digging in the vaults and handed over some DATs as sample material for these tracks, and the EP definitely carries an old school ‘headz feel, combined with Om Unit’s future-jungle stylings.

You can check out a minimix of the tracks below; head to the Metalheadz store to pre-order the release on vinyl or digital now, and look out for release from Nov 17th.

Q&A – The Invaderz

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The Invaderz have had a busy year, the highlight of which is undoubtedly their debut LP for Commercial Suicide. Showing off the trio’s varied production styles, the album covers all the different flavours of D&B from mellow liquid rollers through grimey tech business and out into full-on bangers.

To find out a bit more about the album we caught up with the gang for a quick Q&A about their creative process and how the LP came to be. Read on…

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Alchemic Breaks 001

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Apparently running three D&B labels and finding time to produce and DJ just wasn’t enough for Leeds-based D&B obsessive Altered Perception, as we’ve just gotten wind of a brand new imprint from the Terabyte/Transmission/Sub:mission boss in the form of Alchemic Breaks. Judging from the first release the label’s MO will be focussing on the deeper and more experimental side of D&B, with minimal stylings at play throughout the tracks.

Jaydrop serves up a tidy slice of tribal half-step business on Camo, while Transmission/Terabyte alumnus Automate brings the dark drumfunk vibes on the appropriately titled Breaksrus. Xsetra delivers the EPs heaviest hitting track with a showering of hard kicks and snares set to a backdrop of warping bass modulations, while Mystic State and Hidden Life team up to close the EP with the dub and IDM-tinged vibes of glacial halfstep number Defrost. Check out the clips below and watch out for the release dropping at all good digital stores from November 22nd.