Rockwell – User EP [Shogun Audio]

Rockwell’s work over the years has set him apart from many other producers; taking a quality-over-quantity approach and constantly seeking out innovation (much to the annoyance of some heads who clamour for more of his early sound), you always know you’re going to get something interesting from a new Rockwell release.

His latest work for Shogun Audio is no exception to this rule, drawing on various bass-music influences for an EP that is at one decidedly drum & bass and still almost completely spurning of its traditions. Roni Size collab Easy rips up the rhythm rule book, keeping the energy and sound palette ravey but refusing to settle into a stale groove. ’09 Track fuses classic dub and more modern dubstep influences for a huge halftime head-nodder, while Inventor recruits Flowdan for vocals on an infectious clash of bashment and jungle.

User rounds off the release nicely by reminding us that Rockwell still knows how to serve up an old fashioned roller, and a decidedly catchy one at that. Crisp breaks, warm bass swells and a weirdly manipulated vocal hook combine for an instantly recognisable track. More essential listening from one of the brightest names in the game; check out the clips below and hit up your favourite store to grab a copy on vinyl or digital right now.

Moby – The Drum & Bass Remixes [Shogun Audio]

Shogun Audio present a very special release this month as four of their label family go in on remixes for the legendary Moby! Tackling such iconic and recognisable material is both an honour and a daunting challenge, but thankfully each of the artists has risen to that challenge and turned in some really memorable new versions within the D&B template.

Pola & Bryson and Technimatic turn in perhaps the most obvious remixes of the collection, sticking to their strengths and bringing some delicious liquid reworks to the table. The P&B remix of Porcelain in particular is just so lush; all the instantly familiar parts of the original are there, within a crispy framework of rolling breaks, warm bass and bubbling arpeggios.

Fourward also do a commendable job on their remix of Go, with the classic string segment matched by swelling reese basslines before a rough techy drop. Possibly the best of the bunch comes from Icicle though, harnessing the piano and vocals of Natural Blues into one of the wonkiest halftime compositions we’ve heard in a while. The beats and bass are positively lurching on this one, giving a really seasick lilt to the lyrics. Sick!

As with all the best remixes these are instantly recognisable yet entirely distinct from the originals; the Shogun camp have smashed this one. Check out the clips below and hit up your favourite digital outlet to grab the EP now.

Mitekiss – Final Hours EP [SGN:Ltd]

We’re feeling a bit of a warm glow about this one; longtime Dojo favourite Mitekiss, who we’ve been following since his early releases for the likes of Sub:mission Audio has landed an EP on SGN:Ltd! It’s always refreshing to see a young talent move up the ranks and with recent releases for MTA and Skank & Bass in the bag too, it’s safe to say Jonny has a promising D&B career ahead of him.

Fans of his previous outings should find plenty to enjoy across the four tracks here; from the laid back musings of Final Hours, through the spine tingling atmospherics and shimmering bleeps of Chasing and out into darker roller No War Inna Dance, Mitekiss is on top form, showcasing his varied productions while keeping things rolling. Closing track Just Begun says it all really; we’re expecting big things next year from this man! Check out the clips below and hit up the Shogun Store (or your favourite digital retailer) to grab the EP right now.

Competition: Win Tickets to Shogun Audio Leeds!

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Shogun Audio hit Leeds later this month with a huge lineup of label favourites and special guest Culture Shock, and we’ve got two tickets to give away! To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is like the DNB Dojo Facebook page and send an email to competitions@dnbdojo.co.uk with your name and the subject line “Shogun Audio Competition”. We’ll draw the winner on Thursday Oct 27th – good luck!

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March Roundup

We round up the best of the rest once again! New music from Shogun Audio, Hospital, Soul Trader, Lockdown, Terabyte Records and more…

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January Roundup Part Two

Another month has flown by in a flurry of wind, snow (here in Scotland at least…) and beats, so it’s time for another roundup! New material from Ed:it, Ghast, Saxxon and more after the jump… Continue reading

Classic Track: Jo – R-Type

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Today’s classic track selection takes us back to 1993 for a cheeky rewind on Jo’s jungle classic R-Type. Named after the legendary side scrolling shoot ’em up from Namco and imbued with a cheeky 8-bit style melody set to crisp breaks, this slightly unusual take on the jungle sound still resonates today. No wonder Shogun Audio picked it up for re-release for their very first 12″ back in 2004 (backed with a Friction remix which brings it up to modern speeds nicely without losing the original character of the tune). This one is a bit of an anthem and rightly so; yes selecta!

Top 10 Albums of 2015

2015 has been another strong year for the D&B LP in what seems to be a growing trend for more established artists to explore their sound across a full length record rather than just churning out singles. As the year draws to a close, here’s our run down of the then best albums we’ve heard this year. In no particular order… Continue reading

Competition: Win Tickets to Rockwell’s LP launch!

After years of waiting Rockwell’s debut LP is nearly upon us, with the album dropping on CD, vinyl and digital from Nov 27th via Friction’s Shogun Audio imprint. Featuring some big collabs with the likes of Phace, Breakage and Sam Binga and a wide variety of material, there’s everything from the unashamedly pop stylings of Faces to out and out D&B bangers like Rave Cult and Itsok2behapp-e with plenty of room to take in hip-hop, grime and future bass in between. It’s a fantastic album from a man who has clearly spent time ensuring he won’t be pigeonholed.

To celebrate Obsolete Medium’s release Rockwell is throwing a launch party on Nov 25th at The Brewhouse in London featuring a special past/present/future 100% Rockwell set and sets from “undercover Shogun artists” whose identities shouldn’t be too hard to guess from the tongue in cheek names on the lineup. Full details of the event can be found on Facebook.

Best of all we’ve got a competition to run! We’ve got a signed copy of the album and two tickets to the launch party to give to one lucky winner; all you have to do is like the DNB Dojo Facebook page and send an email to competitions@dnbdojo.co.uk with your name and the subject line “Rockwell Competition”. We’ll draw the winner on Monday 23rd – good luck! Please note the album will be available for collection at the event only – make sure you can get to the club if you enter!

October Roundup Part Two

Once again we’ve had too many good releases dropping into the inbox so here’s part two of our roundup for October featuring Arcatype, Silent Witness, Rockwell, Dub Berzerker, Soul Intent and more!  Continue reading