Trilo & Vegas – Rush (Kemal Remix) [Bad Taste]

Kemal’s return to the scene continues! Following the release of a slew of remasters and a handful of new tracks via the Kemal & Rob Data Bandcamp, the neurofunk pioneer touches down on Bad Taste with a fresh remix for Trilo and Vegas.

This new take eases off on the raw bassline aggression of the 2019 original, focusing instead on a hypnotic synth lead for maximum earworm energy, lending a taste of old-school rave to the modern D&B sound. Delicious and tantalising…here’s hoping for plenty more where this came from. Check out the track below and hit up the Bad Taste store to pre-order a copy right now – the remix drops Apr 30th.

DNB Dojo Podcast #54 – Apr 2021

Hex returns to the Dojo decks with an hour of brand new beats! Fresh tracks inside from NC-17 & Dauntless, Don Piper, Flava D, Villem & Alpha Rhythm and many more, plus dubs from Shudder and The Faraday.

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

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Black Sun Empire – Driving Insane Remixes [Blackout]

Black Sun Empire’s early output holds a very special place for a lot of D&B heads of a certain age, an exciting time when the relatively nascent neurofunk style was developing in interesting new directions, and the Dutch trio’s trance-infused take on the sound captured imaginations and dancefloors alike. Nearly twenty years on from the release of their debut Driving Insane LP they announced a remix contest, allowing producers the chance to provide fresh takes on these yesteryear classics with the stems to no less than five tracks from the album. But would these new remixes do the originals justice?

Thankfully the competition inspired some superb work and the resulting remix EP provides varied and entirely worthy adaptations of the source material. Myselor’s contest-winning take on Breach opens the EP, retaining the recognisable twin-leads of the original but imbuing them with additional melodic elements that utterly change the vibe of the track. Brooding and atmospheric is replaced by uplifting and heroic, elevating the feeling to truly epic levels.

Russian scene stalwart EastColors delivers a respectful take on title track Driving Insane, keeping the flavour intact while providing a modern switch on the drums and bassline elements with a touch of foghorn for good measure. Australian duo V O E serve up the heaviest dancefloor number with a mashup of Don’t You and Stasis, landing the punches with their aggressive modern neuro sound.

Rounding out the EP, Waeys dives deep into hypnotic territory with unusual rhythms and driving drums on his experimental remix of Stasis. Finally Rillium gives us a short and sweet 3-minute take on Arrakis which crescendos into intricate drumwork and pulsing synths, fading as quickly as they rise.

Varied and exciting reworks from all concerned; the Driving Insane Remixes EP is out now at Beatport and available to stream on the usual platforms.

DNB Dojo Podcast #53 – Mar 2021

Spring rolls around and Hex is back on the decks with the usual monthly selection, this time featuring new music from Monika & Akuratyde, Evolved, Kray, Subp Yao, Krypta, Break and many more!

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

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Guest Mix: Habit

Kiwi producer and DJ Habit lands on the decks for our latest guest mix! Between a packed calendar of appearances in his homeland (where clubbing is actually a thing…we envy you so New Zealand) and releases for ProgRAM, The Dreamers, Samsara Beats, SBK and more, Habit has been a busy man over the last few years, crafting his signature brand of high-energy D&B.

The mix feels like the mirror of Habit’s production style; energetic, but varied in style, crossing dancefloor, neuro, halftime and deeper beats to boot (including a fistful of his own tunes, of course). 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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Classic Track: Treo – Machinist

When I found this tune some years ago, one could say I was under hypnosis of groove; Machinist, by the short-lived Treo, carries one of the most vibrant and dynamic basslines I’ve heard in Neurofunk. Despite its 2012 release, which I’m a little loathe to identify as a classic predicated simply upon its recency, it will always remain a classic in my mind. 

This Syndrome Audio slapper carries a groove so infectious that one is easily compelled to bop along with it. The dirty bassline and hefty drums are so fluidly intermeshed in a way that feels natural, belying a style that screams “tech”. The arrangement is refined, with quick synth stabs providing further rhythmic appeal, against backdrops of harmonic tones that gracefully fade in and out of the mix.

Amid a sea of amazing Neurofunk tunes past and present, Machinist is a stand-out classic.

Written by Luke Kessler

DNB Dojo Podcast #52 – Feb 2021

It’s that time once again; Hex is back on the Dojo decks with a fistful of new beats from GEST, Phonograph, Zero T, Radiax, Loxy & Resound, Sleepnet and many more, plus unreleased music from Joakuim and a new track from Hex’s forthcoming EP on Free Love Digi. Check it out!

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

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Sleepnet – Angel Blade [Vision]

Since the late 2019 announcement that Noisia would be parting ways as a creative project, neurofunk fans have been waiting with anticipation to see what new projects might emerge from the trio…and we may just have heard the first music from one or more of them. All we know for sure about the mysterious Sleepnet so far is that their first track is coming out on Vision, though the internet rumour mill is already churning with many suggesting the project is a collaboration between Noisia’s Nik and fellow Vision artist Former.

Whoever might be behind the project, the first track certainly bears the hallmarks of the Vision sound; intricate sound designs build tension on the intro before releasing into crunchy breakbeats and growling reese basses, though interestingly Angel Blade doesn’t feel like it’s been primed for the dancefloor as much as the home listening environment.

We’ll certainly be keeping our eyes peeled for more details (and more music) from Sleepnet…for now you can find Angel Blade at digital stores and streaming services.

Premiere: Blockdata – Exas

We’ve got an absolute face-melter on today’s premiere as UK hard D&B producer Blockdata lands on the well-respected Ohm Resistance! Exas delivers exactly the sort of precision sound design and heavy hitting bassline modulations you’d expect; haunting breakdowns and savage verses. Look for this on vinyl and digital from Feb 14th!

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DNB Dojo Podcast #51 – Jan 2021

Hex returns to the Dojo decks for the first podcast of the year. New music inside from Data 3, Boston, Scartip, Tephra, Qua Rush and many more, plus dubs from Soul Defiance, Patience and an unreleased track from Hex to boot!

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

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