RAM Annual 2015 [RAM Records]

RAM close out the year with their usual compilation of the biggest releases from this year’s catalogue, plus a few exclusives. The release features a solid selection of dancefloor D&B from RAM and sister label ProgRAM including tracks from Audio, Sub Focus, Teddy Killerz and many more, and as a pleasant bonus there’s a chunky new tune from Gerra & Stone and the VIP of Mind Vortex’s massive dancefloor roller Hotbox. Check that out below, head to Soundcloud for clips of the full selection and pick this one up from your favourite outlet now!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27J9OtrJuM8]

Chroma – 201 Dub / Sovereign [ProgRAM]

The latest single from ProgRAM sees production trio Chroma on fine form with two crisp new rollers. 201 Dub harnesses the spirit of Jamaican dub culture for a deep, subby roller imbued with warmth, weight and an impressive clarity on the breaks.

Sovereign changes things up, heading for brighter and more liquidy territory. This one’s got some really impressive break-chopping; time and effort have clearly been spent on getting the drums just right, and it shines through. Slightly mellower business than the previous Chroma releases but no less enjoyable – check out the clips below and grab this one exclusively at Beatport now – full release following in a couple of weeks.

Audio – Nil By Mouth EP [RAM Records]

Anyone concerned by Audio’s move from Virus to RAM and the implications for his sound needn’t have worried if this latest EP is anything to go by – his signature high impact sound is in full effect and hasn’t softened at all at his new home on Andy C’s imprint.

All four tracks provide gritty hard-edge D&B in spades, but my favourites come on Break It and Gotham, the former making great use of ever shifting drum samples and some old school reese bass business while the latter brings the more angular, menacing beat patterns that fans of Audio’s older work for Freak Recordings will remember fondly. For the sample spotters amongst you, this isn’t the first time Audio has lifted dialogue from a Batman movie – see his excellent Power of Fear release for Subtitles for another nice bit of cinematic appropriation.

The nil by mouth EP drops on vinyl and digital from all good stores from Sunday 19th October – head to the RAM Store or your favourite outlet and grab it!

Stealth & Stylus – Homage (Back To You) [ProgRAM]

Stealth’s latest single for RAM sister-label ProgRAM comes hot and heavy! Stylus collab Homage (Back To You) combines hefty bass and rolling breaks with an infectious vocal sample that the attentive among you may well recognise from old Evol Intent favourite The Ladies.

Over on the flip Smash It amps things up even further with an absolute savage selection of bass groans set to a stomping kick/snare riddim. Subtlety is not on offer here, but if you want a big bad belter then look no further! Check out the clips below and grab this on vinyl and digital from your favourite outlet.

Delta Heavy – Apollo EP [Ram Records]

Ram Records have long been the kings of the polished, big room D&B sound where the bight of tech and neuro cross over with the energy of jump up and the sheen of liquid to create a sound that’s difficult to argue with in many ways. Their latest EP from Delta Heavy sits very much in that vein and while it may not be the cleverest selection to see the light of day in recent years it certainly makes up for it with sheer production quality and dancefloor vibes.

Apollo gets things off to a flying start with huge a huge bassline, rolling beats and melodic swells all coming together for a full spectrum workout. The World Is Yours drops things down for a more rhythmic workout with a little more euphoria on the breakdowns and less teeth on the bass. Last but not least Badboy Style combines an old skool reese bass line with some distinctly trap infused beats and a hint of old skool rave for a tune that’s sure to polarise opinion; this one’s a bit marmite folks.

Check out the clips below and grab this on vinyl or digital from your favourite store now. Watch out for Delta Heavy on the road over the next couple of months too – they’re playing a string of dates in Australia, Europe and the USA between now and the end of June.

Eastcolors – Toys / Creeper [ProgRAM]

Russian producer Eastcolors follows up his contributions to the ProgRAMmed EPs with a new single for the RAM sub-imprint. Toys shows a great flare for combining dancefloor sensibilities with more musical elements, lush chiming chords taking centre stage on the intro before giving way to clean breaks and weighty sub.

Creeper takes things a bit darker with a jungle influenced break and heavier filtered mid-range characterising the tune; this one is definitely the beast to the A-side’s beauty. Check out the beats below and grab the release on vinyl and digital now!

Q&A – June Miller

Anglo-Dutch duo June Miller have been going from strength to strength over the last few years, from strong beginnings on releases for Horizons and Inneractive, through tunes for Commercial Suicide and out into their recent signing to Andy C’s RAM Records. They’re kicking off 2014 with a bang with a brand new 12″, so we caught up with them for a quick Q&A about the release, their studio dynamic and their plans for the coming year.

DNB Dojo: The new 12″ is sounding sick! Upfront dancefloor business on the A-side and dark funk on the flip. Can you tell us a bit about how the tunes came together?

June Miller: Thank you! Empathy is all about the bassline and pads. We wanted something with a big bassline but still uplifting. We’ve been looking for vocalists but in the end we decided to just do it ourselves. 🙂 We wrote Operation Ivy a long time ago and recently gave it an update. It’s one of those tunes we enjoy making because of all the small details going on.

DD: Operation Ivy sounds like a reference to the punk band, especially with the bass sound you’ve employed. Is that part of the JM musical heritage? Any other influences you’d like to tell us about?

JM: Yes, that’s exactly what we’re referencing 🙂 We’ve played in punk bands when we were younger and we still like to listen to punk music. I think all the music we listen to is somehow incorporated into our own music. It might not be that obvious all the time but, for example, the energy and dynamics in punk rock is really important for us and we always try to make our music intense and energetic as well. It’s the same for playing live – it’s sort of a way to get all our energy out.

DD: You’ve moved from strength to strength over the last couple of years with releases on RAM, without a doubt one of the biggest labels in the game. How does it feel to be up there with legends like Andy C? Do you find it comes with any extra pressure?

JM: Well, we’re always trying to reinvent ourselves, trying to improve our own music, so being on RAM doesn’t really change the way we approach music. I think our strength is our versatility and that keeps things interesting and unpredictable. When we signed to RAM, it felt perfect for us because RAM, as well as Andy C, is a great example of the whole spectrum of drum and bass. We don’t have to pigeonhole ourselves.

DD: What’s the June Miller dynamic in the studio? Do you have set roles when writing tunes, or is it pretty fluid?

JM: We don’t really have a specific role. Usually one of us comes up with a rough idea for a tune and then we get together and make decisions about where we want to take it. We haven’t got the time to do everything together, so whenever we’re both in the studio we’ll be working on making creative choices in a tune. You don’t wanna sit in a studio together tweaking a snare for four hours. 🙂

DD: Anything in the pipeline for 2014 that you’d like to tell us about?

JM: We’ve just started working on ideas for an album which is quite fun but that’s just in the early stages. Right now we’re concentrating on making singles. We’ve finished two tunes with Nymfo and did some deeper stuff as well.


Check out the brand new Empathy/Operation Ivy 12″ below and watch out for the release dropping on vinyl and digital from January 12th.