Czech label Authentic Music have been a bit on the quiet side this year, which usually means they’re plotting something big! We caught up with label founder Panorama to find out what they’ve got in the pipeline for 2015.
Seba’s remix of Overwhelm remains one of my all time favourite Blu Mar Ten releases. Taking the lush pads and beautiful melodies of the original but switching up the drums for a faster and more dancefloor friendly rework, this is a beautiful, elegant remix which pulls me in time and time again. Deep, lush, wonderful!
Music with feeling is often a bit absent from the world of D&B (and indeed the wider world of club-oriented electronica) so fresh releases from the likes of Soul:Motion provide a bit of a breath of fresh air; for all that we like a gnarly drop here at the Dojo it’s not all that this music has to offer.
Their latest single for Rush Records certainly has plenty of emotion to it, with a spalsh of dancefloor sensibilities for good measure. Sentiment proves plenty soulful with soothing pads and soft vocal snippets, but Lonely Road is the true star of the show. Simple piano chords and soft strings combine with a crisp liquid break for a track that just shimmers effortlessly. One to lose yourself in. Check out the clips below and grab this one right now!
German production outfit Audio Habitat return to T3K with a fresh new EP of dark, detailed techstep. Most of the EP explores fairly stripped back, gritty stylings but for us here at the Dojo it’s all about the more up front vibe of Crotoan; growling bass and rolling breaks make this one a bit of a belter. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital store now!
Kiwi duo Perverse are best known for their productions in the 140 realm, with a host of deep dubstep releases for the likes of Tempa and beyond. It seems they’re dipping their toes into the D&B pond now though, and the results are pretty impressive!
Both tracks on show here carry the influence of the original dubstep sound but set to a half-time D&B tempo; deep sub, nice atmospherics and sparse but detailed drum rhythms characterise the compositions, with Terrain keeping things light and airy while Petrichor scuzzes up the bass and brings in a slightly more militant tone via metallic percussion and a more insistent back beat.
As usual Flexout don’t disappoint, and I for one hope to hear more 170BPM material from Perverse. Check out the clips below and cop this one from the Flexout Bandcamp now!
If you like your D&B on the soulful side then you’ll enjoy this one; Redeyes returns to Vandal’s Ltd imprint with four new rhythms exploring his influences from soul & hip-hop. Old school loop sampling definitely seems to play into the sound, such as on the prominent piano of Memory Lane, and the whole EP carries a pretty lush tone.
Aside from the title track the highlight is undoubtedly the shuffling, mournful Underneath, dropping the classic liquid breaks in favour of a more experimental rhythm and a great selection of sounds and atmospheres. There’s also a cheeky ’99 hip-hop mix of Psychonauts for good measure which should have your head nodding. Check out the clips below and grab this one right now from your favourite store.
The latest release on Cirrus’ Terra Null Recordings imprint comes from Romanian producer DYL who brings an experimental sound to the table, blurring the lines between techno and D&B. Macelarie kicks things off with a weird rhythm which just refuses to drop the kick drums where you expect them to land, set to a rich texture of atmospherics. Occultism straightens out the groove a bit, keeping things pretty dark and ominous as it drives along at a steady half-time gate.
Signal 1 amps up the industrial vibes, with static and crunchy drum impacts pervading the mix to great effect. Last but not least Galleria sees DYL teaming up with Mauoq for a slice of moody halfstep punctuated with jungle style break fills. Tasty stuff! Check out the clips below and look for this one from April 13th.
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Brighton duo Allied bring their cinematic neurofunk sound to Mindtech for the sixth in the label’s occasional 12″ series. Heliox sees scene mainstay Nphonix hop on board for an insistent slice of dancefloor tech funk with weighty sub and tons of movement. Universe amps up the bass with some epic synth swells and plenty of distortion; toughness!
Last but not least Ataraxia (that’s greek for “tranquillity”) provides a cheeky digital bonus playing with halftime drum patterns within the neurofunk template. Check out the clips below and look for this on vinyl from April 13th, with digital following two weeks later.
Brain Crisis returns to Subtitles with two more tracks pushing his unusual style of 170BPM explorations. Spline collab Mad explores frantic junglistic breakbeat syncopations underpinned by an almost hip-hop style half-time backbeat, dropping down into creepy strings and pitched down vocals in the bridge before building back into a frenetic crescendo of snares.
Camatcho explores similar territory, with rapid drum syncopations via harsh, distorted breaks and rapidfire single hits alike proving the mainstay of the tune under the chopped up vocal line. Check out the clips below and look for this on vinyl and digital right now!
We’ve long been fans of Warm Communications here at the Dojo; the label’s knack for releasing tracks which have dancefloor appeal without sacrificing musicality and soul is up there with the best of them, and their latest release from newcomer Chorux fits that mould perfectly.
Don’t Even Know brings together a soulful vocal and classic liquid piano chords with a tough break and growling bassline for some of that tech-with-soul/liquid-with-teeth that we love so much. Polaris keeps the beats chunky and the bass growling but swaps the melancholy piano for a manic, sweeping, bleeping lead. Hints of dub and a playful tone make this one stand out.
That playful theme continues on It’s All Happenning; this one’s a deep, wobbly roller that should move a floor without any bother. Away From The Light closes things out with plenty of cheeky back and forth between the shimmering lead and the wompy bassline, each element coming to the fore before rapidly running for the shadows once again.
We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Chorux in the future; check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital store now!