Premiere: Black Opps – MicroKosm

Time for another exclusive today from up and coming Brazilian artist Black Opps who lands on London label Addictive Behaviour with a sick new EP this week! Title track MicroKosm dials the atmosphere up to 11, keep the beats sparse and the composition minimal for a rhythmic head nodder that gets under your skin. Check it out below and hit up Beatport to grab a copy right now…

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Premiere: Draize – Tell Me

Weighty sub vibrations and creepy sampling on our latest premiere as Tesseract Recordings ready their latest release from Rafiki and Draize! Tell Me sees the latter half of the duo on solo production, delivering a weird and slightly unsettling halftime rumbler; yes yes! Check it out below and look for the Connections EP dropping September 15th.

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Initial Breeding LP [Black Crane]

A disclaimer; we’re not generally big fans of the compilation LP here at Dojo HQ. While the format has its strengths, it can be difficult to form a coherent narrative on a compilation, and the larger ones often feel too big to digest sensibly, allowing great tunes to get lost in the wash. When they’re done well however they can be a powerful statement of intent; enter new imprint Black Crane’s debut release, Initial Breeding. 

Fans of the deeper end of D&B will only have to glance at the artists involved to get an impression of the kind of label movement Black Crane is; beats are provided by Thing, Dominic Ridgway, DYL, Mark Kloud under his ‘Yushan’ alias and a host of lesser known producers, so as you’d expect this is an exploration of the more experimental and less club focused end of the 170 sound.

The danger with a compilation of this ilk is that it might easily become a morass of third-rate Samurai Music wannabe tracks that blend into each other in a “12 tracks of industrial halftime with not much character” sort of fashion. Thankfully Initial Breeding avoids this scenario via three key elements; breadth, quality and sequencing. The breadth aspect is truly impressive, taking in everything from the more obvious gritty halftime of Yushan’s Hitchhike and Cuelock’s Grey Crowned, through the IDM-tinged melodies of Snik’s Anxiety, dubby business from Thing, autonomic-inspired ambient explorations from Eusebeia and future jungle from Dominic Ridgway. The material is all left of field but the diversity is more than sufficient to avoid the sameness of your average VA compilation.

The quality of the tracks on show is really impressive too; from percussive precision to abstract sound design to just sheer rhythmic joy, all the producers have knocked it out of the park. Last but by no means least, the sequencing from Istota and the label crew is perfect, taking the listener on a journey that gives the album poise and glues the tracks together. This trifecta of excellence puts this LP in that rarest of categories; a truly enjoyable compilation rather than just a bag of vaguely linked tracks. Check out the previews below and hit up the label’s Bandcamp to grab a copy now.

Premiere: Jazzatron – Bass Trump

Our favourite Italian label The Dreamers return to the Dojo spotlight with new beats from Torino duo Jazzatron. Bass Trump brings together halftime backbeats, jungle-tinged drum fills and a hint of samba for one funky-ass jam driven along by an infectious melodic hook. Sick! Look for this dropping September 15th at all the usual digital stores.

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DNB Dojo Mix Series 57: Manta

Our latest exclusive guest mix comes from Austrian neurofunk producer Manta. With releases for Fragmented, Culture Assault and Moshbit and club appearances alongside June Miller, Emperor, Agressor Bunx, L33 and many more, Manta certainly knows how to rock a crowd and this 40 minute mix of neuro rollers more than proves that! Beats inside from Mefjus, Hazard, Current Value, Neonlight and many more, kicked off with a fistful of Manta dubs.

As always you can check out the mix via Soundcloud below or head to Youtube or iTunes to stream. You can also grab a download from Google Drive.

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Dave Catalyst – Play Your Hand EP [Deconstructed]

In a little under two years, US imprint Deconstructed have already carved a solid niche for themselves as purveyors of high quality deep liquid rollers, and their latest EP from Dave Catalyst is possibly their best release yet. From the ethereal and faintly melancholy opener Strong Suit, through the noodling jazz piano and swing vocals of Slim City over to the darker bass-led vibe of Distant Notion and out via the playful, uplifting tones of Room for Manoeuvre, this is a joy to listen to from start to finish. If you like you D&B detailed, melodic and full of soul then this EP is for you! Check out the clips below and hit up the label’s Bandcamp Store to grab it right now.

Premiere: Forbidden Society – The Last Tone (Raise VIP)

Our latest premiere comes courtesy of Czech artist Forbidden Society via his own FS Recordings imprint, taken from his new and appropriately titled Depths EP. Traditionally known for his industrial-tinged, hard as nails D&B bangers, Depths sees the producer exploring other sub styles including bassy halftime and more rolling, less angular D&B.

The Raise VIP of The Last Tone falls firmly into that latter category, combining a rolling break with dark bass and the tone of early 00s era techstep; perhaps FS’s nod to Klute and the like. Whatever the influences, it’s a sick roller with tons of atmosphere! Check it out and look for the EP dropping Sept 15th.

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Love You Forever LP

As if the recently released Grenfell LP from Nurtured Beatz wasn’t enough, another corner of the D&B community has come together to support the survivors of the Grenfell disaster via another packed charity album. The Love You Forever LP  features a whopping 25 tracks of mostly dancefloor focused D&B from some of the biggest names in the game, including Whiney, Kenny Ken, Kasra & Enei, DJ Fresh, Genotype and many more. Hit up the iTunes store to grab a copy and help out this essential cause.

Premiere: Quentin Hiatus – Extreme Malice

US experimental beatsmith Quentin Hiatus continues his relentless onslaught of new material with a fresh EP dropping on the ever dependable Translation Recordings. The oddly titled Extreme Malice doesn’t really live up to its name, but it does serve up a delicious bongo-imbued rhythm, stark atmospheres and that unusual production that makes all of Quentin’s music so compelling. Look for this alongside four other tasty sonic concoctions from September 15th; pre-orders are up now at Bandcamp.

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Premiere: Neurotoxin – Component

Portuguese label Skalator are back with another solid EP as local duo Neurotoxin return to the imprint for their 3rd solo release, and we’ve got the exclusive on EP closer Component! Stripped back neurofunk business on this one as crunchy bass textures, rhythmic hits and detailed percussion combine for a tense, atmospheric head-nodder. Watch out for the EP dropping September 22nd at all good digital stores…

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