Friction Vs. Volume 1 [Shogun Audio]

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Friction gets his collab on for the latest single on Shogun Audio. The A-side features a rather forgettable dancefloor roller from the label boss and Total Science, but ultimately this release is all about Battle Scars on the flip. Fourward bring their growling bassline expertise to the table and the instantly recognisable vocal stylings of MC Jakes ice the rolling, techy cake. Check it out below and watch out for this dropping from June 8th on digital and June 23rd on vinyl.

Fourward – Countdown EP [Shogun Audio]

Austrian neuro powerhouse Fourward drop the latest release on Friction’s Shogun Audio imprint, coming correct with three fresh new slices of big room neurofunk. As with previous releases such as the Aftermath EP for Audioporn (which I’m still rinsing in sets!) the new tunes combine the team’s proficiency for tasty bass textures with hefty drum lines and a knack for dancefloor sensibilities.

While none of the beats on show here are necessarily pushing the envelope that far, they’re all masterfully constructed and sure to move a crowd, and sometimes that’s all you need! Check out the clips below and grab yourself a copy on vinyl and digital now!

Way of the Warrior 2 LP [Shogun Audio]

After the success of 2011’s Way of the Warrior LP, Shogun return with another installment and 12 new tracks spanning the D&B spectrum. DLR brings us soulful vibes with a techy undertone and some superb percussion on Sleep Talk, and Rockwell and Joe Ford vie for position with Fourward and Mefjus to see who can turn in the dirtiest neuro belter!

Elsewhere on the LP Spectrasoul, Total Science and Technimatic serve up some smooth liquid rollers and Friction gets on the remix for Addison Groove and Sam Binga turning in a trap-infused rework of RZOR. Something for D&B heads of all tastes here. Check out the beats below and watch out for the release from November 10th.

Total Science – See Your Face EP [Shogun Audio]

Scene legends Total Science drop their debut EP for Friction’s Shogun Audio imprint, showcasing a nice variety of sub styles of D&B. The titular See Your Face sees the duo team up with go-to female vocalist Riya for a silky smooth liquid roller, all crisp drums and piano. While the tune isn’t gonna win any medals for innovation, the execution is flawless and the combination of Total Science and Riya isn’t one I’m gonna get bored of anytime soon.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0F03eWF3KA]

Straight into track two the duo switch things up immediately with the deadly vibes of Hush Ya Mouth, clattering straight into energetic territory with a tear-out dancefloor smasher. This one will be doing the damage in the clubs!

Out into the back end of the EP Just Want You provides an interesting juxtaposition of cut up vocal samples with blasting techstep bass set over a pretty cut-up drum line. Finally, Riya gets involved once again with a surprise tempo shift down to deep Garage territory on Suspicious. Something for everyone! Check out the previews and look out for this dropping on vinyl and digital from Monday August 26th.

Fabriclive 70 Mixed by Friction [Fabric]

Friction’s entry to the ever popular and varied Fabriclive mix series is out now, and to celebrate Fabric have shared an eight minute video of Friction carving things up across four decks, offering both a plethora of tasty beats and an interesting insight into the Shogun don’s tricks in the booth. Check out the mix below and grab yourself a copy of the full release from the Fabric store.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NAnFeXrtUY]

Rockwell – Detroit / Back Again [Shogun]

The inimitable Rockwell delivers yet another slice of top notch D&B for Shogun that is as innovative as it is infectious and absolutely pounding to boot. Blending influences from Techno and Ghettotech, the appropriately named Detroit brings a distinctly booty-bass vibe to D&B with a sub line that will knock your socks off. This is possibly the biggest tune of 2013 so far…expect rewinds on this one.

Back Again takes the bass down a notch and brings a glitchier, juke-ish vibe to the fray; think Fracture on meth in a foam party with DJ Funk and you’re somewhere in the ballpark. Watch out for these two dropping June 10th on Shogun Audio.

Alix Perez – Annie’s Song (S.P.Y Remix) [Shogun]

I was pretty disappointed when I heard Annie’s Song since Mr. Perez seems to have abandoned everything distinctive about his style in favour of producing pop music. Good job then that we’ve got S.P.Y on remix duties, giving it his trademark D&B roller treatment. The samples are really nicely used and fit the higher tempo well, and the tune hits a tidy sweet spot between dancefloor vibes, deeper musicality and (dare I say it) pop sensibilities. Get in Carlos!

Shogun Audio London Warehouse Party

Shogun Audio come correct with another massive warehouse party in London on April 26th. The lineup is nothing if not epic, with sets from Noisia, Friction, Spectrasoul, Icicle, Alix Perez, Rockwell, The Prototypes, Om Unit, Technimatic and more! Those in the capital definitely shouldn’t sleep on this one. Check out the Facebook event for full details.

DNB Dojo Mix Series 01: Hex

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The first in our series of exclusive mixes for DnB Dojo comes courtesy of blog owner Hex! The mix features a sneak peek at his newest track The Law alongside an hour of the best techstep and neurofunk, including brand new tracks from Telekinesis, Fourward and The Upbeats. The mix is available as a free download, so stream it below and grab a copy from Mediafire! The mix is also available over on Mixcloud.

Tracklist:

Hex – The Law
The Upbeats & Noisia – Creep Out [Non Vogue]
Telekinesis & MC Coppa – Pocket Full of Drops [Eatbrain]
Cause4Concern – Luca (Silent Witness Remix) [C4C]
Ivy Lab – Brat [Critical]
Mikal – The Chant (Rido Remix) [Utopia]
The Upbeats – Diffused [Vision]
Enei & Mefjus – Crawlers [Critical]
The Prototype & MC ID – Blackout [Shogun]
Telekinesis & Concord Dawn – Nightwalkers [Eatbrain]
Neonlight – Frozen Tape (Rregular & Dementia Remix) [Trust in Music]
Inside Info – Sundew [Viper]
Audio & Future Signal – Furyen [Subtitles]
Cause4Concern – Control Freak (Task Horizon Remix) [C4C]
Ewun & Spor – We Dominate [Lifted]
Cause4Concern – Pandemic (Octane & DLR Remix) [C4C]
Naibu & Ena feat. Key – Into The Distance (Break Remix) [Horizons]
Cause4Concern – Jinx [C4C]
BSE & Foreign Beggars – Dawn Of A Dark Day [BSE]
Optiv & BTK – Riptide [Virus]
Neonlight – Computer Music [Lifted]
Jade – Acid Flood [BSE]
Fourward – Street Knowledge [AudioPorn]
Jade – Venom (Mindscape Remix) [Eatbrain]
Memtrix – Mind Control [Breed 12 Inches]
Teddy Killerz & Nphonix – Earth Shaker [Bad Taste]
Joe Ford – City 17 [Bad Taste]
Apex – Malfunction [Trust in Music]
Villem – Splinter In Your Mind (Break Remix) [Ingredients]

October Roundup

So much great drum & bass has come into the inbox this month, it seemed like a good time for another roundup post!

First up, Ingredients have been going from strength to strength with their recent releases. The 29th label release saw them release a quality wee EP in the form of Mis En Place Pt. 1, featuring some great tracks by Villem, Mark Recoil and Foreign Concept, alongside my pick of the EP, dBridge‘s smooth remix of Kodo‘s The Jackal.

Not content to rest on their laurels, the label are gearing up for their 30th release with a 12″ from newcomers Ruffhouse, with a very tribal feel to it. Fans of the recent Loxy & Resound album on Exit should definitely have a listen to this.

Shogun sister label SGN:Ltd are back with another beauty from Technimatic (formerly Technicolour and Komatic) and as we’ve come to expect from this duo it’s smooth liquid vibes all the way. Unfinished Business leads the release but it’s She Knows It on the flip that really caught my attention.

Utopia Music‘s 10th release sees legendary producer Break teaming up with Fields, label owner Mako & Villem on a heavy techy roller. The deep atmospheric intro lulls the listener into a false sense of security before the drop, all clattering toms and low end growl.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXyDs1UdFGc]

French label IM:Ltd are back with a new EP featuring a versatile selection of tracks from a number of relatively unknown producers. You can check out the whole EP below; my picks of the bunch are Nuage’s Above Time (a lovely piano lead deep roller) and Atmospherix’s In This Life, which features some beautifully crisp breaks and a warm, simple bassline that proves just irresistible.

Critical are back with another deep release, this time featuring collabs with the vocal talent that is Riya. A side Injustice sees Riya teaming up with Sabre for a beautiful deep roller while the b-side switches production to Foreign Concept for an autonomic style melancholy half stepper. Essential purchase as usual from the Critical stable!

RAM‘s new sister label ProgRAM are back with another chunky dancefloor number from Kove in the form of Iodine/Open Ground which does the business exactly as you’d expect.

Last but not least, Lifted sister label Breed 12 Inches are back with an absolutely phenomenal release from Memtrix, who at the young age of 16 is already setting the world of drum & bass alight. Mind Control and Slipper both deliver some seriously heavy neurofunk business…one to watch for 2013, definitely big things coming from this guy!