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When it comes to raw, nasty hardstep it doesn’t come much bigger and badder than Manifest’s gangsta anthem OG Returns. Originally released on Renegade Hardware back in 2004 as part of the Skool Of Hard Knocks LP, this one packs quite a punch; hard hitting amens, dirty bass stabs and a solid selection of rap samples make for a track that takes no prisoners. “Raise the fuck up”!
Our latest mix comes from Italian upstart Lynch Kingsley who brings his brand of blended footwork/jungle to the Dojo decks for a storming hour of forward thinking selections. Featuring tracks from his new EP for Flexout Audio alongside beats from the likes of Homemade Weapons, Paradox, dBridge & Alix Perez, expect everything from chopped up breaks to low-slung hip-hop-infused weight. Big!
As usual you can check out the mix via Soundcloud below or head to Mixcloud, Hearthis.at or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Dropbox.
Amia Venera Landscape – Infinite Sunset Of The Sleepless Man [Self-released]
Paradox – Divination [Paradox]
Cult Key – Entice [Cylon Recordings]
????? – ?????
Mutants – Obeah [Inperspective Records]
Asymmetric – Thicket [Danger Chamber]
Homemade Weapons – Styrofoam [Samurai Music]
Lynch Kingsley – Horizon Line [Flexout]
Neve, Kiril & Bow – Mystical Lyrical (feat. Neekoshy) [dub]
Prefuse 73 – Quiet One (feat. Rob Crow) [Temporary Residence]
Blocks & Escher – Calla [Narratives Music]
Ibunshi – Relentless [Subtle Audio]
Mystic State – Lost Cause [CX Digital]
dBridge – Module Eight [Pleasure District]
Lynch Kingsley – Keiko [Flexout]
Amit – Operator [AMAR]
Fanu – Sleepwalking [Lightless Recordings]
Sinistarr – Scripted [Inperspective Records]
Hyroglifics – No Drama [Critical Music]
Lynch Kingsley – Romantique [Flexout]
Alix Perez X Eprom – Minotaur [Alpha Pup]
Submerse – Bokeh [Project Mooncircle]
Machinedrum – The $$$ [Dj Rashad Tribute]
Posij – Rover [Critical Music]
If you’re looking for some dark, nasty tearout jungle then the latest release from DJ Vapour for 36 Hertz hits the spot nicely. Old school break chopping, grimey bass hits and all the trappings of the 90s sound are present in abundance; cutting edge this is not, but highly satisfying it certainly is! Check out the clips below and hit up the 36 Hertz store to grab a copy now.
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When an artist we love and a label we love join forces, chances are we’ll enjoy the results, and that couldn’t be more true of US producer Cirrus’s latest work for one of our favourite imprints, Bristol-based AutomAte.
Unsurprisingly for those familiar with AutomAte’s triple-headed label family, Cirrus brings his creations to the leftfield “Deep” arm, continuing the legacy carved out by Fuj, Deficit, Tonic and the rest of the label’s experimental production roster. Drawing on cinematic sampling and rich, ominous soundscapes, both tunes play with the halftime drum & bass template to great effect, conjuring up weird and wonderful imagery over a backdrop of steady, driving beats and bass.
It’s all about the detail on these tracks, with different elements perfectly mixed, faded and reverbed to form a sonic tapestry full of intricacy and intrigue. Deeper beats powered by deeper thoughts. Check out the clips below and hit up Beatport to grab the single now!
Russian neurofunk troublemaker brings his latest beats to Vandal Records with two fantastic slices of dancefloor funk fuelled by weird and wonderful rhythms. Fck Dem combines pin sharp stacatto percussion with an onslaught of filtered bass hits cobbled together into a bizarre but utterly infectious composition that apparently gives exactly zero fucks!
Over on the flip Gas brings a hint of techno to the table, with a swung beat underpinned by constant kick drums and more unusual combinations of sounds. Anyone looking for the heft and dancefloor appeal of neurofunk but with a decidedly unusual twist should definitely check these out! Clips of the tracks in all their wonky goodness are to be found below, and you can hit up your favourite digital store to grab them right now.
XCUZMe steps up with the latest for Bay 6 Recordings, and true to the label’s aesthetic it’s smooth liquid vibes all the way. Despite the melancholy title lead track From The Ashes feels entirely uplifting, buoyed along by bright piano, playful bleepy melodies and warm sub.
Over on the flip we get an ode to Tomasso XCUZMe’s home town of Turin, with the cheery tones of the A side replaced by a fiercer and more dancefloor focussed vibe. The floaty pads prevent things from sounding too ominous, leading to a solid subby rollout. Tasty! Check out the clips below and hit up your favourite digital store to grab the single now.
Subscription-based net label Cut are back with another superb deep D&B release, this time from Latvian producer IRONIXX. Super laidback vibes are the order of the day here, giving the overall impression that the work has as much focus on the armchair as the dancefloor.
The tracks here are charge with emotional honesty, from the melancholy soul searching of Bitcrushed Heart through the talkative nuances of Conversations, to the yearning swells of More Than Anything and out into the exhausted-sounding yet blissfully bittersweet Tired But Still Awake. If anyone needed proof that drum & bass can be more than throwaway dancefloor fodder, this EP provides it in spades. Check out the clips below and hit up the Cut website to grab a copy right now!
If you’re looking for dark, threatening halftime beats then this one should make you feel warm and fuzzy in all the right places (or dark and threatened maybe, we’re not too certain on that one). Turbine Music’s latest comes from German producer Acid Lab’s Ahmad alias and it doesn’t get much grubbier than this!
As usual with the darker and less up front styles, the emphasis is on consistency and groove, with spooky pads, throbbing bass and crisp, echoing percussion fills characterising the tracks on the EP. A wide array of collaborators grace the different tracks but they maintain a nice consistency despite this. Fans of the likes of AMIT, None Decay and Red Army will definitely enjoy this! Check out the clips below and look for the EP at all good digital stores from September 4th.
We’re big fans of Actraiser here at the Dojo so naturally we were pretty excited to hear of a full LP of his lush, melodic tracks coming to the revered Fokuz Recordings, and if you’re into the deeper end of liquid D&B the Lonely Traveller LP should be right up your alley.
There aren’t any particular surprises here in terms of style but the tracks have depth and feeling in abundance, whether focussing on floaty pads, soft piano or some combination of the two. Actraiser has definitely mastered the knack of all great liquid producers to create tracks which are at once insistent and relaxed, energetic yet reserved and beautifully hypnotic.
We could wax lyrical about the album’s sonic qualities all day long but you’d be far better off checking out the clips and losing yourself in the melodies, so have a listen below and hit up your favourite digital outlet to grab a copy now!
After a strong showing for the Metalheadz XX series Friske returns with another solid EP, this time for ‘headz Platinum. The work follows on nicely from where the last EP left off, providing tough groove-led techstep with a hint of soul.
DLR & Ant TC1 step up with a super crisp remix of Requisite to open the EP before clearing the floor for Friske to do his thing. True to form the man serves up a pair of solid head-nodding rollers in the form of the hypnotic Temperamental and the smooth, jazzy tones of Down.
Out into the back end of the EP things get a bit more old-skool in flavour, with some rougher break chopping and classic vocal slices filtering through the mix on Your Loving before Question closes things out on a darker and more militant tip. Tasty business all round as usual from one of the leading labels in the scene! Check out the clips below and hit up the Metalheadz store to grab a copy on vinyl or digital now.