Djrum – Plantain [Samurai Red Seal]

Samurai Music continue the relaunch of their trio of labels with a new single from Djrum on Red Seal. Samurai’s expansion beyond the confines of traditional D&B and into the wider worlds of electronica seems set to continue, with the tracks on this single melting down the merest hints of jungle into a sonic pot alongside a plethora of other influences to create something almost impossible to pigeon-hole.

Plantain brings together ethereal soundscapes, hewn from soft strings and mournful vocal samples, with constantly evolving percussion lines which at once seem quite junglist in heritage and on the other hand are anything but. The unusual combination of sounds bring to mind some of DJ Shadow’s best work, albeit without the hip-hop shine.

The rather obtusely titled What I Was Doing When I Was Doing What I Was Doing ups the tempo somewhat, with more insistent yet unusual drumwork layered under a tapestry of weird samples and spaced out atmospheres. The detail present in both tracks is incredible, with every crackly edit and drum hit seeming perfectly and lovingly placed. As usual Samurai can be counted on to push the envelope in exciting and unusual directions, unconcerned with genre tropes or mainstream popularity. Check out the clips below and grab this one from the Samurai Store now!

AMIT – 4 Stories EP [AMAR]

Fresh material from AMIT is always a treat, and a relatively rare one at that. The elusive producer seems content to buck the trend that sees many in the scene releasing new records as much as twice a month, preferring to bide his time and hone his craft, and the quality of his output is a fierce testament to that ethos.

As with the previous two releases this latest selection of beats comes via AMIT’s own AMAR imprint, and spans a variety of tempos while exploring his very distinctive sound. Hunted follows in the footsteps of Human Warfare and Killer Driller, blending ominous vocal samples and old school reese bass with a half-time gate and more than a hint of techno as the kick drums drive the tune on. Chalvey Town meanwhile brings a dub vibe to the table set over another techno-esque kick beat, bending the 170BPM tempo to his unusual template and sending it out to space.

Frequent vocal collaborator Rani pops up on Survivor, which sees the tempo drop to 140BPM and the tone back in haunting, creeped out territory. Last but not least, Mind Over stops the flirtation and jumps into techno territory with both feet, to great effect. Check out the clips below and look for the EP on vinyl and digital via the AMAR Bandcamp.

Nuage – Cloud Maps Vinyl Fundraiser

Attention Nuage fans! Ever wished you could get your favourite tracks from the Russian producer on vinyl? Now’s your chance; Translation have launched a crowd funding campaign to press a triple LP featuring 12 of the most requested tracks from his back catalogue. Check out the video below and head over to IndieGogo for full details on how you can get involved!

Sunchase – The Truth EP [Med School]

The latest release from Med School comes from Ukrainian producer Sunchase, who dishes up a fantastic 6-track EP blending deep D&B with chilled out, melodic electronica. Standout moments come on the rolling, minimal and at times glitchy Electrosoul System collaboration Thing, the serene yet techy Kolo with Blu Mar Ten and the spacey, autonomic-esque vibes of Slowly.

The release is up for pre-order at the Hospital Shop and will be dropping on marbled vinyl and digital formats from Feb 23rd, so check out the clips and get your order in!

Chilling On The Couch 2 [Scientific Records]

Mav’s Scientific Records imprint returns with a sublime new album of chilled out electronica from the fringes of D&B. The album lives up to it’s title, providing some effortless musical and entirely un-banging cuts like Bop’s sublime microfunk remix of Mav’s Skylines. Other highlights comes on the jazzy licks of LM1’s remix of Time & Space, and the smooth downtempo of Naibu’s Bird’s Eye View. This one will be best listened to on your most comfortable chair with a warm cuppa; relax and lose yourself in the grooves. Check out the clips below and grab this one from Juno right now.

Hidden Element – Other Forms EP [Translation Recordings]

January is proving to be the month of deeper beats so far this year, and the new Hidden Element EP for Translation is up there with the best of them. Opening with lush microfunk and seguing through meaty yet melodic dubstep, robotic halftime and out into atmospheric 160BPM liquid, the EP provides a more than ample showcase of Hidden Element’s varied talents. There’s a thoroughly enjoyable Dexta remix thrown in for good measure too, jungling up Hot Panks nicely with plenty of break choppage. Check out the clips below and head to the Translation Bandcamp to pre-order this ahead of the Jan 26th release.

Respite [Audio Plants]

Russian imprint Audio Plants offer up a superb selection of beats from the fringes of 160 and 170BPM electronica, taking in influences from ambient and downtempo on a wide variety of sonic excursions. Highlights come on the bleak atmospherics of Torn’s Believers, the soaring melodies of Thankee & Urban Trip’s The Absyss and the ominous autonomic microfunk of Hidden Element’s How Can I Trust You, but the standout track is the manic 160BPM garage infused beats of Drillcut’s Snow Walk. Check out the clips below and grab this one from your favourite digital outlet now!

Touchwood – Ad Astra EP [Reserve Audio]

Czech label Reserve Audio return with a fresh new EP from Touchwood. The tracks blur the boundaries on the edges of 85/170BPM electronica, taking in spacey melodies and a hint of jazz, and bring to mind some of the releases on the (sadly now defunct) Space Cadets imprint.

Starglider lives up to it’s name with lush synthwork and a generally “out there” vibe, while Zen Garden heads into that loungey downtempo territory that The Flashbulb has turned his hand to so well in the past. Mothership brings a darker and more ominous tone to the table, with bleepy melodies over a backdrop of growling bass and intricate percussion. Last but not least, Back in 1995 provides a love letter to the classic “intelligent D&B” of Good Looking and the like.

Overall this is a really enjoyable listen – if you like your electronica a bit on the cerebral side or just want a change from the endless dancefloor bangers, definitely give this a listen. The tracks are available now at the Reserve Audio Bandcamp and all good digital stores.

BMTFSOLFLW4 [Blu Mar Ten Music]

Blu Mar Ten close out their Famous Lost Words remix project with a remix from the legendary Future Sound of London. The release is coming out on a single sided 10″ vinyl (with free digital copies) and the only place you can buy it is from the Blu Mar Ten store. With pressing limited to 300 and only 94 left at time of writing, you better be quick if you want this one! Check out the teaser clip (or this longer one on Facebook) and look out for this shipping sometime in December.

Update: FSOL’s rather beautiful remix of Night Shift is out now at all good stores. The 10″ vinyl is entirely sold out so bad luck if you slept on that one, but the digital is still available via the Blu Mar Ten store (and should be available elsewhere too). Check out the Soundcloud clip below and get buying!

Kimyan Law – Coeur Calme [Blu Mar Ten Music]

The wait is finally over on an album I’ve been keenly anticipating ever since the first glimpses of the young producer’s music surfaced a couple of months ago – Kimyan Law’s debut LP for Blu Mar Ten Music is upon us. It’s pretty tough to take in the depth and breadth of the album at first listen; the tracks vary in energy and tone, but there is a calm, soothing quality to the music and an intricacy to the sonic textures on show here which places the guy ahead of many producers with plenty more years in the game.

The use of natural (or at least, natural sounding) instrumentation nearly exclusively in preference to synthetic sounds gives the music more shared ground with the likes of Four Tet’s early material than with much of contemporary D&B, and that’s probably also what makes it sound so fresh – the influence of D&B has been melted down here and distilled with a pinch of soul, a hint of ambient, a splash of world music and little dashes of a dozen other styles, and used to paint a vivid aural picture, and one with a softness that the loud mastering and hard snares of modern electronica seldom achieve.

The use of space and reverb is masterful, allowing the compositions to breathe without sounding quite as ghostly as some of Burial’s work. The instrumentation is crisp and clear, but the elements aren’t fighting one another in the mix; each chord or drum beat has been carefully positioned to complement the other parts of the track, and it shines through wonderfully. I have no doubt that this LP will be on heavy rotation over the coming months, and no doubt that it’s impact and enjoyability will grow and grow on repeat listens. Check out the clips below and pre-order your copy from the Blu Mar Ten store now.