Beats News

Although inspired by the legendary cartoon, Spyro the Dragon, this fantastic EP has nothing to do with dragons. Hailing from Birmingham, although now residing in East-London, Dr. Shemp provides three speed-garage future classics are accompanied by a weekend 2-step gem (What Must I Do) which will guarantee packed dancefloors and selectors pulling for these gems for months to come.

My Selecta has been lauded for its re-imagination of the jungle classics Mutant Jazz and Demon’s Theme.

Manchester duo Cortese return to Time Is Now with their second release, a sonic rambling through UKG, 4x4 garage and breaks.

Whilst the title track and 'SPU1' use flute melodies and warped basslines to create immersive atmospheres, the aptly-named 'In Transit' is all about movement. Finally 'Regulate' provides a blissed-out take on UKG before '2 b wit u' brings things to a dramatic close with a full-bodied soundscape and skittering breaks.

Bookending a year of Time Is Now releases, close label affiliate and master of the UKG revival scene, Yosh returns with The Warning. The London-based producer is skillful in his creation of break-heavy, dubbed-up tracks to fire up the party, and blown up with releases on Dansu Discs and Holding Hands under his belt this year.

This EP hits from the start; hyper breaks meet down low sub bass on "How We Roll" in a minimalist roller. "2 Times" goes back to the classics with a stylish two step groove and expansive diva vocals, one for the old schoolers while the frenetic energy of "It Goes" will rumble
easily through a club.

Yosh slows the pace for "Shape The Future", which grows from a staccato rhythm into a cheeky distorted stinker that rolls smoothly into "Pigments", the playful bassline closer with an explosive drop which requires a reload.

Time Is Now White 3x12" sales pack including:
* Daffy - Run Around EP TINWHITE006
* DJ Chupacabra - Time Is Now White Vol. 8 TINWHITE008
* Yemi - Vibrations EP TINWHITE013

Vinyl was made in two versions - black and limited to 100 copies black&white vinyl. Both 180g.

The debut album from our specialist in bass sounds from Wrocław - TVB. AAfter many bootlegs and two acclaimed EPs (including official Sam Binga remix), the time has come for the official cross-genres long play, where, apart from solo tracks, there are many vocal guests - Mila, Bryndal, Cheeba, Krzaquu, Marceli Bober and JupiJej. An amazing mix of experienced MCs with a new generation of artists.

"The Very Bass" LP is a fresh club sound inspired by the British wave of bass music, which resulted in a mix of 2step, UK garage, dubstep and drum'n'bass.

Vinyl was made in two versions - black and limited to 100 copies black&white vinyl. Both 180g.

The debut album from our specialist in bass sounds from Wrocław - TVB. AAfter many bootlegs and two acclaimed EPs (including official Sam Binga remix), the time has come for the official cross-genres long play, where, apart from solo tracks, there are many vocal guests - Mila, Bryndal, Cheeba, Krzaquu, Marceli Bober and JupiJej. An amazing mix of experienced MCs with a new generation of artists.

"The Very Bass" LP is a fresh club sound inspired by the British wave of bass music, which resulted in a mix of 2step, UK garage, dubstep and drum'n'bass.

Following the success of his label debut - the raucous 'Bun & Cheese' EP - Dudley bassline stalwart DJ Pantha - is back with a full-length LP. 'The 140 Archives' sees Pantha prove his prowess in harnessing a sound which captures the genre in its antecedents whilst resembling something altogether new. Funky rhythms and rude melodies energise the first two tracks before the half-time 'Vibez' represents a slightly darker, more contemplative take. Elsewhere, Grime's influence lives through 'Four By Niche' and the title, claps and chopped choral vocals of 'Blackberry Riddim', whilst the gunshot-happy 'Emmerdale' and 'Protein Shake' represent bassline at its most playful.

On 'Models', Lee Gamble liberates sonic spectres to inform a suite of illusory anthems, subliming vulnerable, half-remembered fragments of dream pop, Soundcloud rap and trance in the process. Sung by cybernetic voices in an almost wordless language, his widescreen memories reverberate across the last few decades of pop history, smudging Elizabeth Frazer's surreal poetry into disembodied diva cries and Lil Uzi Vert's abstract, AutoTuned mumbles. Extracting haunted fragments of synthetic corrupted chatter and indecipherable non-words to sculpt dreamy pop simulacrums, Gamble takes the concept of the pop producer to its logical extreme; examining how intonation and language is engineered to monopolise our attention, his magical inversion of pop playing like a bewitching symphony of earworms.

Infinite Pleasure presents another debut release, this time by Rotterdam based, new kid on the block, Pettson. Showcasing his versatile talent with a smashing 5 track EP named Satchidananda.

Skillfully blending intricate beats with profound melodies leaving no genre untouched. Breakbeat, Electro, Deep Dub, 2Step & Ambient it's all there, laced with a unique freshness.

The title is a nod to the renowned yogi, who believed that pleasure is our natural state of being and we couldn't agree more!

Silver Vinyl

O'Flynn und Frazer Ray - zwei gefeierte britische Produzenten und DJs - kündigen ihr gemeinsames Album,„Shimmer“ auf Technicolour an. Das Album ist das Ergebnis der Liebe von O'Flynn und Frazer Ray (fka Soundbwoy Killah) für die britische Dance-Music-Szene, von Speed Garage bis hin zu Breaks und Hardcore, und ihr umfassendes Wissen und ihr Respekt für Underground-Kulturen und -Genres scheinen als direkter Einfluss durch. Insgesamt ist diese Herzensangelegenheit eine nostalgische Hommage an ikonische britische Nachtclubs und den Eskapismus, den sie bieten, selbst bei ihrer Abwesenheit während der Pandemie - „Musik für diese Räume zu machen während sie geschlossen sind, war eine Form des Eskapismus für uns - ähnlich wie ein Videospiel zu spielen oder ein Buch zu lesen, wir wollten einfach an einen anderen Ort transportiert werden.“.

O'Flynn hat sich in den letzten Jahren einen Namen in der britischen Electronic-Dance-Szene gemacht und bekam Support von Künstler*innen wie u.a. Four Tet, James Blake, Ben UFO, Gilles Peterson, die ihn in ihren jeweiligen Radioshows spielten, sowie von Bonobo, mit dem er auf dem Track „Otomo“ (aus Bonobos aktuellem Top 3-Album „Fragments“) zusammenarbeitete. Bereits 2017 veröffentlichte er bei Ninja Tune seine 12“ „Pluto’s Beating Heart“/ „Eleven“, bevor er 2019 sein von der Kritik gefeiertes Debütalbum „Aletheia“veröffentlichte, für das er eine 18-tägige UK-Tour absolvierte und vom Guardian als „One to watch“ bezeichnet wurde. Frazer Ray veröffentlichte ebenfalls 2019 sein Debütalbum, „Halcyon Daze“ (als Soundbwoy Killah), das auf Vinyl schnell ausverkauft war.

Martyn Releases New Album Voids, His First For Ostgut Ton Over The Past Year, Dutch-born, Washington D.c.-based Producer Martyn Has Undergone A Metamorphosis - One That Began With A Medical Emergency And Has Dovetailed Into Personal Musical Transformation. Having Narrowly Avoided Death After Suffering A Heart Attack, Martyn Reentered His Studio And Began A Process Of Reassessing The Elements That Drive Him To Make Music: Sampling, Unpredictability, Melancholy, Sci-fi, Polyrhythms, Texture, Ecstatic Moments, Detroit, Interlocking Percussion And Bass. However, The Initial Spark To Start Producing Again Came Through His Experience Listening To Max Roach's 1979 Ensemble Percussion Album M'boom. In His Own Words: that Was The First Record I Listened To In My Studio After Coming Out Of The Hospital. It's A Project Where He Works With A Slew Of Top-notch Percussionists And Drummers And Rotates Them For Every Composition. Playing This Record Was Such A Surreal Experience, The First Music I Consciously Listened To After My Recovery. I Could Hear So Much Space In The Music, Something I Had Never Noticed Before, Almost Like A 3d Experience, With The Most Striking Aspect Being The Emptiness Between The Players.' Over The Next 8 Months Martyn Would Go On To Write Voids, His First Lp For Ostgut Ton And In A Few Other Ways Markedly Different Than Previous Records, It Features No Guest Appearances Or Collaborations And At 9 Tracks, Is Musically Stripped Down To The Essentials. It's Also A Highly Personal Take On Forging New Paths Forward In Genres Where The Berghain/panorama Bar Resident Has Long Been Known For His Production Wizardry And Innovation: Post-dubstep And Uk Garage. Voids Is Roughly Split Between These Musical Foundations, Recontextualized With Elements Of Nyabinghi, Drum 'n' Bass, And Gqom To Form Snarling, Bass-driven Hybrids. The Direction Was Hinted At Last November On His Gl Outtakes - Reworks Of His Landmark 2009 Album Great Lengths. In Contrast However, Voids Is Also An Attempt To Work Through Personal Trauma And Loss, Including The Passing Of Close Friend And Fellow Producer Marcus Intalex Aka Trevino, To Whom The Track manchester' Is Dedicated. The Sound Of Voids Is Big And Unapologetically Rough Around The Edges. It Is Music As Therapy, Drawing On The Healing Elements Of Music Past, But Is Far From Retrospective. Indeed, Martyn Is No Stranger To Electronic Futurism, As His Numerous Solo Productions For Ostgut Ton, Dolly, Hyperdub, Brainfeeder, Ninja Tune, Warp And His Own 3024 Label (run Together With Visual Collaborator Jeroen Erosie) Have Shown. On Voids, However, These Futuristic Sonic Qualities Coalesce Into Something Darker, More Biographical And Untethered From Expectations. woken By The Spirits Of A New Life Dawning.' - The Spaceape

Since the early days of electronic music, white label records have been inextricably linked to DJ culture and the ways in which underground music has been disseminated. unknown - untitled draws on the white label concept withholding details about the producers behind the tracks and leaving listeners to draw their own conclusions about what they’re hearing.

The concept label focuses primarily on vinyl releases, with previews of the tracks available online, but information about the artists only to be found within the record sleeve itself. The roster ranges from new and emerging producers to more established artists looking to explore new sounds.

Picking up where they left off, the fourth release on the label is a powerhouse of mind melting, UK-flavoured, twisted techno-not-techno and breaks. Intricate rhythms, chest rumbling sub bass and deft samples destined for a heavyweight club system. With online personas often eclipsing the focus on music itself, here lies a return to form.

LIMITED

BLAHH and 2TUF4U Records are proud to present the Transparent Grooves E.P…

UKG Heavyweights Karl ’Tuff Enuff’ Brown and Crazy Bank combine to give you this 4 tracker full of underground Garage flavour..

Encompassing UKG,Garagehouse & 2 Step.

Deadly Habitz debut release on Lost City Archives, delivering the goods with four stomping cuts of Garage & Speedy G. No nonsense, straight talking beats.

Coming hot on the heels of his debut on Distant Horizons, London breaks-master Yosh joins the core label family with a killer 4-tracker on Lobster Theremin.

As one of the most recognisable names from the emerging UKG re-rise (it never went away, y’know), Yosh has developed a reputation for dutty 2-steppers and screw-face breakbeats designed to delight and devastate the rave.

‘My Fire’ is a jungle-influenced cut of broken breaks - malfunctioning, soulful and electric - the perfect accompaniment as day turns to night, the atmosphere loosening as it does. A sun-setting stepper brimming with v i b e s.

‘Hold On’ sees Yosh venture towards his traditional garage territory - low-swung percussion, wubby stabs and ambient dreamscape aesthetics spraying contemplative thought patterns into the air as we sway from side-to-side, before ‘I Feel’ reignites the junglist inspiration with its rumbling bassline, bouncing breaks and underground energy.

We reach our climax with the most ‘heads down’ cut on the record; ‘Outa Sight’ maintains that light and dark sensibility that has become such a staple of Yosh’s productions, simultaneously taking us from moments of sweaty intenseness to moments of blissed-out ecstasy.

Dusky’s Life Signs project for Running Back remixed! The Londoners and their distinct hallmark of euphoric, yet multilayered dance floor dynamite get treated by Cinthie, KiNK and Rumu. Similar to the scope of original artists themselves, their interpretations are a wide choice of styles and suitable for different usages. Berlin’s true school house head Cinthie delivers her tried, tested and desired method of disco bass lines and deep house melodies on „Static“, while everyone’s favorite live act from Sofia turns the sounds of „Fridge“ into a lost mid-90ies techno classic. KiNK’s high-octane take would fit perfectly on every fantasy mixtape of Derrick May or Laurent Garnier of those days. Last, but not least, Dusky very own discovery and 17Steps artist Rumu uses „Lea Valley“ to punch his ticket with the UK bass and breaks fare. These goods sell well!

blue + red + pink vinyl

It's a huge link-up. We proudly present our fifth compilation, celebrating seven years of service. Over the course of the 18 tracks, divided across 3 discs, a whopping 25 individual artists show us what they can do, repping the distinct sound they bring to the label.

On the first disc, techno giant Alan Fitzpatrick teams up with Drumcode affiliate Reset Robot on a big-room techno slammer before Israeli duo Red Axes take us into the big room of our mind with a transcendental techno cut. Laurence Guy guides us in a different direction completely, joining Lis Sarroca, Marc Brauner and Tender Games in creating a groove that you can sit back into, losing yourself amongst Lis' syrup-smooth house, Miller Blue's soul-stroking vocals and MB & TG's piano tickles.

Before you get too comfortable, the Time Is Now lot come through with a suitable dose of ruffage, from Main Phase and Soul Mass Transit System's giddy UKG and speed garage, to the '90s-inspired atmospheric garage house of Borai and Coldpast & Tufftrax.

Closing proceedings are SNF's melody specialists. Ams, Kassian and Kaysoul each offer their take on blissed-out deep house whilst Module One & Soela and Alex Virgo & Benjamin Groove infuse stripped-back garage and breaks instrumentals with contemplative atmosphere.
Order SNFLP013 now

Bristol native Daffy returns to Shall Not Fade with his second solo EP, focusing on the darker aspects of 4x4 garage.

The title track typifies Daffy's unique and forward-thinking take on UKG. The dynamic chant of a dancehall MC is ramped up to invigorate a UKG stomper, the product: a rude, flavoursome track which evokes Spooky and Riko Dan's "High Power". Serious. The aptly-named "Darker Days" is more reminiscent of El-B with cool-toned low end growls before "Take It Easy" and "Warped" bring things to an energetic close with a stomping 4x4 rhythm and warped bassline which nod to old school speed garage.

Daffy debuts on Hot Haus Recs with 3 tracks of Bassline 2-step garage infused house muzak! Having made a name for himself with releases on the super hyped TImeisnow - check the original flavour!

Next up on Time Is Now is a fresh cut from prolific Japanese producer Stones Taro: a kaleidoscopic EP which traverses the boundaries of genre to create something truly unique, occupying the intersection of UKG, electro, breaks and house.

After the raging success of previous releases on Scuffed Recordings, Breaks 'N' Pieces and more recently on his own imprint, NC4K, the Kyoto producer makes his Time Is Now solo debut with Super Hot Floor EP. Kicking things off is the pacey, club-ready banger "Integration" with stuttering synths and a driving bassline which leave little room for respite beneath a fierce breakbeat electro rhythm. On "Straight Walk" Taro offers a new take on speed garage with a sharp two-step rhythm and the suggestion of acid-tinged synth stabs which lure you in before reaching their full form in high-energy intervals of 4X4.

After "Watching You" strips things back, the B-side brings the energy with Pulse X style stabs ("Super Hot Floor") and old school house-indebted Korg organ melodies a la Robin S ("Dry Flower").

"Plastic Music For Deep Thinkers" is a peculiar fusion of electronic music inspired by a cross-section of Warp Records releases, enriched with intelligently used elements of jazz, hip-hop and experiment. This multicolor creates an original mixture with a very emotional expression. Post-hip-hop, irregular beats intertwine with the club pulse and jazz harmonies, and the omnipresent sounds of synthesizers meet organic samples.

"Conceptually, this album is the result of an insight into the current state of the apogee of "plasticity" and confusion of the world, and at the same time its downfall in shape we know it. The title, full of contradictions, speaks of an artificial and exaggerated reality, but also of necessary, deeper reflection on it. Plastic, integrated circuits and synthetic sounds tell the story of human transformation in modern realities."

As the author himself admits with a grain of salt: "This record sounds familiar, but it is similar to nothing - like the reality I observe."
Szymon Burnos is a pianist/keyboardist, composer, producer and improviser. With his eclectic sensitivity he combines various, often extreme, musical worlds and his inclinations and inspirations reach many languages - from electronic music, through jazz, hip-hop, ambient, to avant-garde. He's known mainly for his activities on the Tri-City improvised music scene and from groups such as Algorhythm, delay_ok, Nene Heroine, Tomasz Chyła Quintet or Mu and the Alpaka Records label.

Szymon Burnos is a pianist/keyboardist, composer, producer and improviser. With his eclectic sensitivity he combines various, often extreme, musical worlds and his inclinations and inspirations reach many languages - from electronic music, through jazz, hip-hop, ambient, to avant-garde. He's known mainly for his activities on the Tri-City improvised music scene and from groups such as Algorhythm, delay_ok, Nene Heroine, Tomasz Chyła Quintet or Mu and the Alpaka Records label.

Orange Vinyl Repress

Shall Not Fade welcomes Cologne’s DJOKO to the family with 5 slices of scorching feel-good house. Over a decade spent honing his craft, DJOKO has steadily gained recognition for his innate ability to craft a groove. Slick house infused with 2-step, garage and breakbeat energy - this one has us longing for the dance.

Kickin’ off with infectious, 2-step energy ‘Hooked On You’ is a poppin’ jam for hazy days and sunkissed dancefloors. Next up ‘Facettes’ takes retro elements and gives them new life in this glorious funk-filled, swinging cut. Taking it up a notch on, ‘Bad To The Bone’ is a chunky house pumper with all the right ingredients - stripped back vocals, swirly synths, piano stabs - dancing over a killer groove. Techy B2 ‘Jode Lade’ nod to DJOKO’s musical upbringing. Bouncy and minimal, his most stripped back offering on the EP but still prime dancefloor heat.

Time Is Now assembles another allstar lineup for their 3rd instalment in the allstars series. TIP!

Celebrating 25 years of garage history Locked On Records
are re-releasing a limited edition run of original vinyl
classics, including tracks from Crazy Bank, Antonio,
Suburban Lick and The Streets.

Shall Not Fade family member Tuff Trax is joined by fellow Melbourner Cold Past on an upbeat 5-tracker focusing on danceability and ultimately: fun. Fluffs EP is full of bubbly melodies, anthemic piano stabs and, at times, rolling timpani drums that add another layer of depth.

REN006 opens up with the cinematic lounge cut ‘Tino’, complete with a slow-burning chunky breakbeat and plenty of jazz instrumentation. ‘The Business’ has been teased since the beginning of the label, and for good reason - a perfect blend of jungle drum fills, smooth garage keys, and an unrelenting Reese bassline to bring all the elements together. On the flip side, ‘No Trick No Treat’ shows off Sky’s more experimental side, presenting electro melodies over a mix of daunting choir vocals and a 4X4 garage beat. ‘Keep It Coming’ brings the EP to an explosive close with ultra-punchy drums and serious oldschool ‘SkyKap’ vibes straight out of the late 90’s.

Dominus joins the Time Is Now family with 4 weighty bass driven cuts, backed with a Dayne Harper remix. TIP!!

Orange Vinyl Repress

Shall Not Fade welcomes Cologne’s DJOKO to the family with 5 slices of scorching feel-good house. Over a decade spent honing his craft, DJOKO has steadily gained recognition for his innate ability to craft a groove. Slick house infused with 2-step, garage and breakbeat energy - this one has us longing for the dance.

Kickin’ off with infectious, 2-step energy ‘Hooked On You’ is a poppin’ jam for hazy days and sunkissed dancefloors. Next up ‘Facettes’ takes retro elements and gives them new life in this glorious funk-filled, swinging cut. Taking it up a notch on, ‘Bad To The Bone’ is a chunky house pumper with all the right ingredients - stripped back vocals, swirly synths, piano stabs - dancing over a killer groove. Techy B2 ‘Jode Lade’ nod to DJOKO’s musical upbringing. Bouncy and minimal, his most stripped back offering on the EP but still prime dancefloor heat.

DJ Swagger Minor Major Grand Schemes Nearing that halfway mark into 2022, you'd think Bielefeld's most illustrious producer DJ Swagger would have begun losing steam. Following a successful string of releases throughout the New 20's - consistently solid slabs on Thirty Year Records, ec2a, Timeisnow, plus killer collaborations with LUZ1E as DJ DOOM - the young musician pulls out his second full-length on his own GODDESS MUSIC imprint in the form of a slick, multi-genre double-pack: Minor Major Grand Schemes. MMGS is as much a refinement as it is an expansion of Swagger's stylistic bag of tricks, maneuvering through modern styles of club music, pop sensibilities and sleek production techniques that ticks off boxes for both DJs and casual listeners alike. You got your cheeky intros/interludes and your trap-pop miniatures; dusky UKG street devotionals and bonkers dubstep tools; sexy vocal features, clickity-clack percussion, and biiiig low-end. This is what DJ Swagger says about his new LP: This album is the most DJ Swagger sound yet. It wraps up all my influences from techno over hiphop to breakbeat and IDM. I had such a great time working on this and watching the process. I'm beyond grateful for the features and beautiful people that consistently helped me shape this piece of music. As said this is my very own project on my own label. Probably the largest project I ever started and drove to finish. Minor Major Grand Schemes stands for the balance between objective and subjective reality. Your perception of things mirrors on how you see them, feel them and take them for yourself. Minor major, so to say, important or not-so-important, grand schemes, means that things might get more or less important on how you value them. This is at least what I learned for myself doing a long-term therapy late 2020 into early 2021 against depression and OCD. As my view changed, so did my surroundings. As my surroundings changed, so did my view. I found that to be a really important and crucial lesson on how to deal with fear, anxiety and feelings alike. The toughest thing is to learn how to shift your mind towards another, more positive direction. That might take time, a lot of hard work and a strong will. Be sure that it is okay to ask for help, always. If I didn't get the help I got during my down times, I don't know where I would be now. This is why I decided on that name for this album. Consider yourself important and beautiful at any given time. Have fun and enjoy listening to Minor Major Grand Schemes.

Making his Time Is Now debut, Killjoy brings a kaleidoscopic EP jam-packed with UK flavours, from 4x4 garage to UK Funky and tribal house.

By no means a newcomer to the scene, Killjoy has long been perfecting his craft. Now residing in Sydney, he was instrumental in the rise of Nottingham's Tumble Audio: a musical heritage easy to detect in his current productions. Building on the stylistic tropes of bassline, UK Funky and Grime, Killjoy's sound istruly distinct, proven by support received from the likes of Scratcha DVA, Riz La Teef, Skream and Zomby.

For proof, look no further than TINWHITE016 which showcases Killjoy's myriad artistic identity, beginning with "Roof It (4x4 Mix)". Intervals of warmth and cool compete with each other - each one just as danceable as the other - later seeing a flip from TIN family member Soul Mass Transit System who captures the track's old school essence and enhances it with korg organ stabs that dance above. A marching triplet rhythm lends "E's Got Me" its driving propulsion: with plenty of swing and and weighty percussion, this one evokes the music of Tribal Brothers or Bakongo. Talking of UK Funky, "Bourbon" sees Killjoy put his spin on the genre with a broken rhythm that comes at no cost to the swing created by deep lower-end stabs that nod to bassline. These are then taken and drawn out on its VIP flip, occupying the intersection between Grime and UK Funky. This one begs to be played on a system.