Quentin Hiatus – I’m Neither Quentin Nor Hiatus Vol. 2 [Free Love Digi]

US beatsmith and sonic experimenter extraordinaire Quentin Hiatus returns with the second volume of his split LP, I’m Neither Quentin Nor Hiatus. After the mostly experimental and introspective sounds of the excellent Vol. 1the second instalment seems to shift focus towards the dancefloor while keeping that trademark QH playfulness when it comes to sitting slightly outside convention.

There’s certainly plenty of variety on show here; After Image kicks things off with a hypnotic slice of rolling, tech-edged D&B, while Always Sunny immediately flips things around into a moodier and more techno inspired groove. Elsewhere we’re treated to lower tempo garagey vibes on the fantastically groovy Danny Tanner, jacking house on Steppin Out and scuzzed up footwork on Edison before I Stop closes the album out with a slice of IDM-infused halftime hip-hop.

If Vol. 1 was the sound of a man’s innermost thoughts and feelings wrapped in an eclectic array of electronic instrumentation, Vol. 2 is that same man jumping out of the armchair and heading straight to the dancefloor to throw some mean shapes. Another thoroughly enjoyable outing from a producer who constantly impresses us here at the Dojo. Check out the clips below and hit up your favourite digital outlet to grab the LP now!

Quentin Hiatus – I’m Neither Quentin Nor Hiatus [Free Love Digi]

Quentin Hiatus’ work has been skirting the boundaries of Drum & Bass for some time now, blending hip-hop, halftime D&B, footwork and who knows what else to craft a style which is almost impossible to pin down or pigeon hole. His latest mini LP, I’m Neither Quentin Nor Hiatus Vol. 1, drops on his own Free Love Digi imprint next month, and it features some of his most exciting aural experiments to date.

Let’s be clear straight away; this album isn’t drum & bass by any conventional definition. The influence of 20 years of jungle and its offshoots undeniably informs Quentin’s music, but this latest release features few if any of the genre’s standard tropes beyond a shared tempo region. Purists expecting 2-step rhythms or amen breaks may well be disappointed, but open-minded listeners should find themselves drawn into a rich tapestry of sounds and feelings unconstrained by the more formulaic standards of electronic music.

The LP features a wide range of vibes across its seven tracks, ranging from the funky halftime hip-hop of Wait Right Here to the threatening techno infused sounds of 56 and out into the semi-ambient synth ramblings of Kuchi Kopi. While some of the tracks feel like they could move a few dancing feet, for the most part this feels like a man trying (and indeed succeeding) in converting his inner thoughts to music without much concern for how the end product will fit into anyone else’s expectations.

Abstract, beautiful and challenging, this is an LP that may well be overlooked in the sea of more easily consumable DJ friendly-fare, which would be a great shame. Expand your horizons via the clips below, and look out for the LP dropping from November 11th via all good digital stores.

Quentin Hiatus – Time Continuum / Gully [Onset Audio]

The ever prolific Quentin Hiatus is back and this time he’s dropping experimental riddims for Onset Audio. Time Continuum harnesses the spirit of Techno for a quirky, robotic workout with some interesting switchups, apparently exploring the vastness of time & space via it’s various peaks and troughs.

Gully meanwhile drops the tempo slightly to the 160BPM region and blends the techno influence found on the first track with crusty old school breaks and more unusual rhythmic manoeuvres. These beats will have you constantly guessing! Check out the clips below and hit up your favourite digital outlet to grab them right now.

Versus LP [Free Love Digi]

US label Free Love Digi have been making moves recently with some top releases from both homegrown stateside talent and other producers worldwide, and their latest project sees them bringing together 17 tracks from the extended label family for a massive compilation showcasing all the styles of D&B.

Label boss Quentin Hiatus contributes a few tasty collabs, including a spacey footwork-tinged venture with Resound and the quirky rhythmic groove of The Struggle 2 with Sinistarr. Elsewhere there are chunky rollers from Fade, theStandard and Kaset, liquid from Stunna, and gritty halftime from Goreteks and Dominic Ridgeway.

There’s even space for some lush downtempo from AE on Forevergreen and Ghast on the absolutely serene New Lust. Overall it’s a fantastic selection of tracks, showcasing the breadth of FLD’s artists and the scene as a whole. You can check out all the tracks via Atic’s promo mix for the LP below; watch out for the release dropping July 20th at all good digital stores.

Ever the generous bunch, FLD have also teamed up with D&B Arena to give away a free track from Ghast to celebrate the release. Check that out below and head over to D&B Arena to check out their interview with Ghast.

Quentin Hiatus – Passive Boycot EP [Translation Recordings]

When two of the most innovative names in US D&B get together, you know you’re in for a treat! The latest release on Translation Recordings comes courtesy of Free Love Digi bossman and general 170BPM badman Quentin Hiatus, who regular readers probably already know we’re big fans of.

Melting down glitch, techstep, footwork, soul and more into the pot, QH comes correct with an eclectic selection that should be capable of moving both your feet and your braincells. The EP explores the slow/fast thing the likes of Om Unit have been pushing, playing with the shuffling half-time D&B pattern across a variety of tonal palettes.

The ultra-insistent, hyper-syncopated conga drums of Obsessive Nature and the swaggering bassline shenanigans of Keep It Gangster stand out as highlights among a strong four track selection which you can hear below. Hit up the Translation Bandcamp to pre-order now, and look for this one dropping at all good digital outlets from March 16th.

Quentin Hiatus – Chocolate Cosmos EP [Free Love Digi]

Free Love Digi continue their steady onslaught of releases with a fresh EP from label boss Quentin Hiatus. Pushing the boundaries as ever, Quentin explores more weird and wonderful takes on the 170BPM sound. The Struggle melts down influences from techno and beyond for a psychedelic and potent slice of 4×4 D&B, while Chocolate Cosmos hits those slouching, hip-hop style halftime riddims that Mr Hiatus does so well.

One Way Or Another goes into deep space, harnessing the power of dub for a tripped out, reverb drenched jam. Last but not least, Understatement ups the ante a bit with angular percussion and an ominous, robotic vibe. Check out the clips below and watch out for this dropping at all good digital outlets from Feb 23rd.

Generous man that he is Quentin is also giving away a nice little freebie to promote the EP in the form of Lucy. Treading similar ground to The Struggle, this one’s got more than a hint of techno to it; check it out and grab a free download from Soundcloud.

Freebie Roundup

Time for another roundup of the best freebies to land in the Dojo inbox in recent days. So in no particular order…

Cern drops a meaty slice of tech D&B to celebrate the impending launch of his Under Another Sky LP for Dispatch Recordings. Check that out below and click the download arrow on the widget to grab a copy.

Diffrent drop a nice little freebie from Andy Pain ahead of the imminent release of their latest single – head over to Bandcamp to grab this one. Chunky beats and plenty of swagger.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 track=1251034705 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Leeds tech outfit Transmission Audio have got a cheeky half-stepper from label boss Altered Perception and frequent collaborator Automate; once again you can grab via the Soundcloud player below.

One of the editors at NeurofunkGrid is kindly giving away the personalised VIP he won as part of backing Gridlok & Prolix’s Project Trendkill LP kickstarter last year. Fans of the album should definitely be all over this – grimey neuro vibes! Hit up Mediafire for this one.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCrPrPnw_Lo]

Last but by no means least Free Love Digi have not one but *two* great new freebies; first up there’s a dark roller from Kaset to celebrate his new single for the label (which is out on Monday), and label bossman Quentin Hiatus is giving away a collaboration with Thomas B and Ghast which pushes the boundaries at the edge of the 170BPM envelope. Once again downloads available via the Soundcloud players below.

August Freebie Roundup

With so many great freebies surfacing over the last few weeks we thought it high time to round up our favourites here at the Dojo. First up, the ever busy Quentin Hiatus dropped a tidy free track in conjunction with his recent interview for KMag. Brooding atmosphere, deep sub and a plodding half-time riddim combine on this genre-blending slice of 170BPM business.

Evol Intent continue their steady stream of free giveaways with the typically monstrous Cognitive Divergance; described by the trio as “a modern exploration into the late 90s tech era of drum and bass”, this one is full of big bad reese bass and a relentless drum line.

Terabyte/Transmission/Sub:mission boss-man Altered Perception brings us a tight techstep roller in the form of Neurosis. Swirling bass groans and a crisp break are sure to do some damage.

Arkaik celebrates 1000 Facebook likes with a deep dark remix of Shiver’s Crossover, featuring some top notch angular riddims. Head to DNBShare to grab this one.

BSE’s Blackout imprint get ready for the launch of their next EP with a freebie from Concept Vision & Segment – big nasty rolling neuro vibes as you’d expect! Head to the Blackout Facebook page to get it.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAd7U1EnT3I]

Amen badman FFF presents us with a full 6 track EP of his raggacore stylings – if you like your breaks chopped to hell and back, look no further! Download at the Murder Channel Bandcamp page.

[bandcamp width=400 height=340 album=3605023383 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=small]

Last but not least Dojo head honcho Hex gives away an old school techstep roller in the form of The Law to celebrate 500 Soundcloud followers. Big distorted 808 hits and gnarly reese bass are the order of the day here, with a few choice samples from Dredd thrown in for good measure.

Quentin Hiatus – Conspirators EP [Free Love Digi]

Quentin Hiatus returns to Free Love Digi with a fresh new EP of deeper beats. Nyctophilia sees Kryptomedic taking the mic with a brooding flow which is more spoken word than traditional rap, set to a backdrop of skittering hi-hats and dark ambience. New Spirit switches things up, with lush synths on the intro dropping into an energetic half-time beat interspersed with tons of bass texture.

Hear Me goes in deeper once again, sticking to the half-time rhythm but opting for sparser beats punctuated with spookily pitched vocals and warm sub. Finally Don’t Touch That closes the EP out with the heaviest hitting riddim of the four tracks; booming kicks and snares and tons of percussive detail provide the backbone of the tune while synth swells and vocals ice the beat-laden cake.

Fans of the deeper and more experimental side of 170BPM should, as ever, be all over this! Check out the clips below and watch for the release dropping at all good digital stores from August 18th.

As a thank you for all the support he’s received lately, the ever busy Quentin is also giving away a free track in the form of Save The Planet, a tribal drum workout with beautiful, soft pads that give the tune a muted euphoria. Stream below and grab it from Soundcloud here.

Quentin Hiatus – Seppuku / Save Me [fld.Study]

Hot on the heels of his debut LP for Free Love Digi, Quentin Hiatus treats us to more deep rhythms on sister label fld.Study. Seppuku on the A side pushes all the right “dark roller” buttons with nice atmospherics laid on top of a solid bassline and a crisp break.

Over on the flip Save Me takes things leftfield with a glitched up snares and rapid panning giving the song tons of character. Check out the clips below and watch out for this one dropping from May 26th at all good digital outlets.