The latest from Flexout sees a veritable horde of artists collaborating on two deep D&B rollers which strike a lovely balance between soul and edge. The vocal talents of Anna Rune grace the absolutely blissful We Count These Moments while Shanna provides subtler vocal contributions to the altogether techier As I’m Drifting. The clips should speak for themselves on these ones; hit up your favourite digital store to get your mits on these ones right now.
AutomAte present the third volume of their Depth Of Vision EP series with four new tracks from up and coming producers in the scene. Fon serves up some nice chunky breakwork on Mistaken Coincidence, while Beaton provides the release’s most up front track in the form of the absolutely rolling Phantom.
The standout tracks of the EP for us here at the Dojo come from PRTCL and Scottish newcomer Maze. The former dishes up a weighty tech groover in the form of 5am, a track which should be more than capable of working the floor regardless of the precise hour on the clock. Maze meanwhile delivers the superbly wonky I Want To Live, chopping the breaks and throwing down glitched out FX left, right and centre. Tasty!
As usual you’ll be able to find this at all good digital outlets come release day on Monday, so check out the clips below and keep your eyes peeled!
Berlin producers Duo Infernale return to the scene with a great new single for German label Infiltrator Records. Closer provides a chunky teched up stepper with plenty of soul and some lush vocals from Panic Girl; a nice dancefloor warmer for that middle part of the night before the heavy hitters amp things up.
Over on the flip Cause4Concern’s Make Me Wonder gets a great new remix. The original saw release on the now defunct Shadybrain imprint and proved an unusually mellow number compared to C4C’s usually banging output, and this new remix does the original’s vibe justice while flipping things around with a rolling break and techy bass underpins. Nice!
Check out the clips below and look for this on vinyl and digital from June 15th.
Stray is that most rare of beasts; a producer who gets better and more innovative as he advances in years, rather than settling into a comfort zone and churning out the releases. His latest EP for Exit Records finds his work in rude health, with seven new tracks spanning hip-hop, D&B and electronica.
Paradise opens things up with a big, slouching slice of bassy hip-hop which those of you who’ve caught Stray or Ivy Lab recently may well recognise. The groaningly bassy Walkonby and cheekily funky Movements continue the 85BPM hip-hop trend to great effect; it’s a style that Stray has clearly become both comfortable with and adept at over his last few releases both solo and with Ivy Lab.
Queen sees the tempo switch up for the EPs only straight D&B affair, an enjoyable little roller with plenty more of those signature vocal cutups among the soft synths and crisp breaks. Without U moves things in a jungle/footwork direction with big chunky breaks and hints of dub thrown into the mix, before Branflakes drops things back to the hip-hop swagger once again with massive punchy sub and interesting percussion.
Last but not least Dizzy provides a perfect little outro of mellow downtempo, with soft jazz and funk licks set to loose breaks. Blissful stuff. Essential listening once again; check out the clips below and hit up the Exit Store to grab this one on vinyl or digital now.
I’m gonna be totally honest here; I wasn’t expecting much from this LP. Lynx’s previous productions have been incredibly hit and miss for me, and his recent EP for Hospital struck me as pretty average. Nonetheless, I always try and keep an open mind when listening to new promo in the inbox, and I Am Lynx proved to be a very pleasant surprise.
The first thing that struck me about this album as I listened through was the diversity of the productions on show. From the punchy dancefloor tech of Clap Track to the womped-up hip-hop swagger of Drop That, through the staccato rhythms and rap of Lights Out (which is absolutely boss, by the way) and the blissful rolling liquid of Chord Time, this is a record of many delights and little laurel-resting.
While it’s not all gold (I found the Zinc-esque jump-up of Satisfaction pretty tedious) the LP definitely has way more hits than misses, and it’s good to see a producer stretching themselves. Doubtless Lynx could easily have knocked out a dozen soft liquid rollers and called it a day; bravo for pushing the boat out a bit further.
As usual with Hospital releases you can find this on CD, vinyl and digital at the Hospital Store; check out the clips below and grab yourself a solid 12 track selection right now.
If you want a wee bit more of the Lynx flavours you can also check out his 60 minute mix for Mistajam below. Nice!
Dexta returns to None60 with two cracking new beats. Minirave lives up to it’s name, harnessing the sounds of old school hardcore and jungle for a chopped up raved out banger.
The Bunker sees Dexta teaming up with Gaunt for another track with more than a nod to the old school. Shadow Boxing-style basslines and junglist break chops meld with Dexta’s signature production for a nice groove, and a perfect complement to the more up front A side.
As usual you’ll be able to find this on the None60 bandcamp and all the usual digital stores; watch for the release from June 22nd.
Ukrainian producer Detail brings his crisp, punishing sounds to Nemesis Recordings with two slabs of gritty, precise tech funk. The Way leads the charge with staccato bass stabs driving a rolling kick snare rhythm, while Voco goes in harder with an array of mean bass stabs and reese bass. Dangerous business! Check out the clips below and grab this one right now.
Dust Audio sublabel Turbine returns with a menacing selection on their latest Various Artists EP, Future Tense. Acid Lab leads the charge with creepy atmospherics on the intro dropping into old school break chops and reese bass. Love the tension on this one! Slider and Expose keep it grimey on the appropriately titled The Wrath…definitely some angst in the mix here.
Out into the back end of the EP we’re treated to sparse, militant halfstep from Akinsa and industrial tinged business from Antagonist. Deep and dark all the way. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital store now!
Attentive readers may remember some coverage last year of Denver producer Atic‘s releases for Free Love Digi, which impressed us with a rolling techstep vibe. A year on, Atic is back with a six track EP for FLD featuring some tasty new tunes.
The work here brings to mind the likes of DLR and Mako, melding techstep heft with the more musical side of D&B to create tracks that balance atmosphere and dancefloor sensibilities to a very pleasing end. Favourite moments here at the dojo came on Blue Mountain, Critical Sound and Juil but the whole EP is well worth a listen. Check out the clips below and grab this one from Beatport right now – full release follows from June 15th.
Essex label Bay 6 are a new name to us here at the Dojo but definitely one we’ll be keeping an eye on in future. Their latest comes from Colchester’s Kairos who brings two deep, understated slices of liquid D&B to the table.
Ho2k layers up piano, soft pads and warm sub against a simple but effective 2step kick/click drum beat for a composition that feels effortless absolutely effortless. Walks of Life switches up the drums for a more shuffling rhythm set to a shimmering array of synths, once again keeping it understated but evocative.
Check out the clips below and head to Juno to grab these right now!