Beats News

AKO10 sees its 2nd instalment in the series and this time Tactical Aspect brings 2 soulful jungle riddim to follow Specialist X.
This 10 series is simply about bringing a soulful vibe that will take you on a journey and T.A have done just that.

We are pleased to introduce you to 'MURKT' - The brand new label from Villem.

With a decade of music already under his belt on legendary labels such as Metalheadz, Hospital/Med School, Utopia Music, Spearhead , Dispatch, V Recs/Liquid V and Symmetry, Villem is certainly no new kid on the block. Last years 'Playing The Changes' album (with McLeod) on Spearhead only further cemented his place in the hearts of fans of the soulful side of his production. Then of course he is also one half of the infamous 'The Vanguard Project' alongside BCee with a whole string of first class EP's and modern classics. The launch of Villem's own imprint 'MURKT' demonstrates another side to his already impressive productions.

The first MURKT release are both Villem built beats harking back to his formative years and ultimately his favourite period within Drum & Bass. Think mid to late 90’s dancefloor Drum & Bass, with funky, rolling drums and huge melodic basslines.

This isn’t a nostalgia trip though, these are tracks created for 2019’s DJs, produced with the combination of digital and analogue equipment, All Day E'ry Day and Shake Weight are full on bangers guaranteed to get a crowd reaction.

Montreal’s earnest-kitsch-explorer CFCF (aka Mike Silver) has been honing gentle revisions and updates on the outmoded luxuries of pop and new age music for years now. Now he returns with a ‘spiritual sequel’ to his much-loved 2015 ambient opus ’The Colours of Life’, refitted with an eye towards the bygone future: oxygen lounges, chillout rooms, luminescent spas, and breakbeats. Told in 15 movements, ‘Liquid Colours’ is a 42-minute new age jungle odyssey, perfect for a journey into a dreamworld of pure consumerism. Like all of CFCF’s work, it’s as sincerely and painstakingly composed as it is gently sardonic. In Silver’s own words:
“Liquid Colours started just like The Colours of Life, as a simple challenge to myself to see if I could follow through on a continuous 40 minute suite in one style. Much like COL, it was a break in working on another more involved, complicated album. I was interested in ‘corporatized’ pop jungle — totally inauthentic to the genre’s roots. The jungle tracks on ‘Ray of Light’, Everything But The Girl, Towa Tei, Bahamadia, each member of YMO has respectively released some solo work exploring the genre. Bill Laswell plowing his fucking bass over a DJ Spooky remix of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or something. TV interstitials, ads. At its most oversaturated, jungle and d’n’b was briefly the sound of capitalism. In fact once while I was in the middle of working on the album I had to make a call to some customer service line or other, my bank or something, and the on-hold music sounded exactly like this record I was making! I really knew I was onto something then.
Like The Colours Of Life, I’m being very sincere with the musical approach by focusing on song-craft, but there’s a lot of tongue-in-cheek, slightly satirical thinking in there too. I know I’m doing it wrong, I know it’s stupid, I just think it’s more honest when I do it this way. I’m paying homage and teasing at the same time. One track is kind of a piss-take on Boards of Canada, it’s like ouroboros’d nostalgia loop - the 60’s viewed from the 80’s viewed from the 00’s viewed from 2019. I was also thinking about Roni Size’s New Forms; it won the Mercury Prize, it was viewed as this groundbreaking, futuristic work. It’s a really great record, but it’s fascinating to think now about the status it had compared to now. You can picture some young New Labour minister spinning it on his Discman between policy meetings. Just totally failed optimism.
I love all these things. I get excited to take influence from things in a sincere way while also acknowledging why they are slightly ridiculous. I love the cast-off Spooky/Laswell JSBX remix sitting on a CD-single somewhere (it doesn’t exist). My friends give me weird looks because we’ll be record shopping and I’m blowing $2 on a Fantastic Plastic Machine single. There’s a risk of coming off like an ironic-hipster-trash-peddler, but I have genuine affection for this stuff because it is dripping with undeniable life and sincerity.
I tried to make the record feel like a covetable object. It’s super commercial. If it were a place, it would be a mall designed by Marc Newson and Karim Rashid. It’s MUJI background music. You could buy a bucket hat to this album, but like, a fashion bucket hat.”

Presenting the new ‘Inferno’ EP from Bredren (Belgium). The title track has found heavy rotation since its first main outing when label head opened his set at Rampage with it. Their rack ‘Swayed’ (released on Edition 2 - Various Artists 1985 Music) saw repeated radio play in Belgium.

Bredren Invites has now become on of Europe’s most desired nights for producers to play in Europe. Their dark and minimal signature is strong across he whole EP. These are 4 dynamic and varied tunes that provide a great journey for the listener, and when played live. Undress shows that this trio are experts the musical side of dub as well. Out 11th October on vinyl and digital.

FHUO Records has been pushing the limits of its own diversity by releasing an ambient soundtrack album, hip-hop beats, neo soul and electronic music during the last months.

But here it comes back after a short hiatus with something powerful and very special, the first solo album of one of the all time finest french jazz pianist on the scene, Marc Bianco.

Known for his house productions and his project Kimosabe with Folamour, Marc Bianco decided to go back to the roots for his first long format under his real name. Coming from improvisation, live jazz and the connection between composing and sharing energy, he decided to mix all these ideas into a beautiful experience going through cinematic universes from one track to the other. Different worlds while we're still on the same trip. One for the books!

AB disc from the Project Trendkill LP

Heavy heavy heavyyyyyyy!

With his ice-cold debut album Pessimist delivers a defining work which to us represents the culmination of nearly a decade of collective research and development in underground drum'n'bass. It is hard to think of any producer, past or present, who has so skilfully and successfully bridged the sonics and sensibilities of d'n'b and techno. In fact Pessimist makes drum 'n bass work as techno: combining the monotone, infinite-horizon quality of the latter with the rhythmic swerve and soundsystem heft of the former. The perfectly formed 'Balaklava' 12' for BEB's A14 sub-label in 2016 was his first work to attract serious attention outside of d'n'b circles, but the young Bristol producer's singular aesthetic had been honed across important records for the likes of Samurai and Ingredients, and as a member of the Ruffhouse crew, and since then the experimentation has continued across releases and remixes for UVB-76, Osiris Music and Ilian Tape. Cutting edge techno-dnb hybrids form the backbone of this, his first LP, but there's more to it than that. Out of its relentlessly noir, paranoid, smoked-out dubscape emerge fierce, Babylon-shall-fall jungle tear-outs ('Through The Fog'), zoned, acidic rave ('Peter Hitchens'), downtempo breakbeat excursions ('Glued'), sleek and rude 'Balaklava'-esque steppers ('Spirals'), and passages of bleak, bombed-out industrial ambience. At times it feels like the missing link between British Murder Boys and Source Direct, or what might have happened if late 90s UK junglists had listened more closely to Chain Reaction. But really, it sounds like Pessimist and Pessimist alone. The ruthless minimalism, and the tension which comes of that restraint, the swing and propulsion of the drum programming, the abyssal reverbs and long trails of delay, the deep and body-numbing sub-bass, the uncompromising palette of blacks and blues.

EF disc from the Project Trendkill LP

CD disc from the Project Trendkill LP

GH disc from the Project Trendkill LP

As one of the founders of Japan’s drum & bass culture, Makoto is a man who needs little introduction. On his sixth studio album, ‘Tomodachi Sessions’, he presents 15-tracks of exquisite, sun-drenched drum & bass soul.

It's been three years since founding UVB-76 member, Pessimist put out a Drum & Bass release. The last time you could find a 170 track by Jabs was back in 2017 for his critically acclaimed self- titled debut album released on Blackest Ever Black. So we present in 2019, the Burundanga EP for UVB-76, which has been destroying dance floors across the planet.

The Burundanga EP consists of three Drum & Bass cuts. Think Ruffhouse meets tribal shamanism, gutter breaks with amazonian field recordings and thick atmosphere, you'll feel like you've been spiked by some ritualistic witch doctor. Also included within the four track EP is the long awaited Paian remix by Downwards Records and CUB affiliate, Simon Shreeve aka Mønic & Kryptic Minds, taken from Jabs's debut EP for The Buzzer. Trust us when we say this is not for the faint hearted, we're truly excited to have Pessimist back on the label with these four vintage, signature Pess, killer cuts.

Atmomatix Records return to black wax with arguably their biggest release to date. Taking three favourites from their growing back catalogue and reaching out to some of the scenes most respected for remix treatment was always going to come up trumps. Add a fresh original from the ever collaborating head honcho Critical Event into the mix and it is easy to see why this is getting pressed. Zero T features once more on a velvet smooth rolling twist up of Humanature's jazzy "Upside Down" from last year. It has all the warmth and grit we have come to expect from Irishmans's output and sets the tone perfectly for the remaining tracks. Remix competition winners Bert H and High N Sick take on the second Humanature track on this release "Cosmos" flipping it around with fresh vocals silky piano licks whilst retaining the sumptuous atmosphere of the original. Macca makes his spectacular Atmomatix debut with a vintage remix of fan favourite "Take Your Soul Away" by Low:r and Hiraeth. Pure euphoric amen scattered bliss, Macca builds on the vibe of the original to create a 3am hands in the air piece of classic liquid. Rounding out the release is a collaboration from Critical Event, Humanature, Hiraeth and Pixel entitled "Never Let Me Go". The close friends linking in perfect harmony to bring forth a soothing glide through their unified take on the Atmomatix sound.

his is a beautifully remastered, remixed and reimagined repress of the brilliant third release from Hyper On Experience. The original Moving Shadow version of this release featured three superb tracks that have all become definitive classics over the years. Here, they have been lovingly remastered and you get a bonus remix from Alex Jungle of Monarch of The Glen, one of my personal all time favourite Hyper On tracks.

Cl ub / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Clayfighter, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Ant To Be, Ponder and many others

We're delighted to welcome Critical Impact back to Metalheadz for a solo single, 8 years after he first appeared on the label as part of the Genesis EP series. Known for his work with vocalists, Critical Impact's trademark style is rolled out and only complimented by the unique vocal tones of both DRS and Fats across their respective features, making for a release that intertwines soul with gritty, accomplished beats.

For our 4th "Exkursion" we welcome Lithuanian artists Hathor and Sotus into the camp.

"Lurker" and "Autonomous Parasite" see the pair conjure dark and sinister atmospheres alongside retro breakbeats and eerie percussion. Hathor makes a more dancefloor friendly solo effort in the form of "Primer" who's weighty bass line has been causing a storm in Soul Intents sets over the past 6 months.

3024 is back with another fully loaded release bringing together an unlikely band of artists into a surprisingly coherent Various Artists EP. Label owner Martyn kicks off the show with the twisted UKG reese bass roller "Frozen Bread Snaps", followed by a nifty dnb workout by Sin, Gremlinz & Jesta called "Door of Guf". The flip features UK "hard drum" master Noire with the headzy "Ballas" and last but certainly not least there's the sonic bliss of "Dusty Glass Bubbles" by the inimitable Parris. Enjoy!

When he signed to Hospital Records in 2004 Logistics made his mark with classic EPs like ‘Space Jam’, ‘Release The Pressure’ and ‘Wide Lens’. Now the Hospital heavyweight and connoisseur of soulful drum & bass, presents his four-track ‘Waveforms’ EP.
The first in a brand new series that takes it back to where it all began. Opening the EP is the title-track ‘Waveforms’, a warm dose of the classic Logistics sound. Its big rolling basslines and uplifting vocals make this reminiscent of his anthemic tracks ‘Together’ and ‘Everlasting Days’. Dipping into darker territory is ‘Ancestors’.
Hypnotic, piercing sonics rattle around the body with steppy kicks to boot. On a similar wavelength comes ‘Rhythm Track’- a 2019 tint on the original jungle roots. These two tracks are indisputable evidence that Logistics knows his way around the rougher side of D+B, as well as his smooth liquid melodies. Coming full circle is ‘Oslo’ with graceful harmonics and soothing instrumentation. With nine studio albums and an impressive back-catalogue ofsingles and EPs under his belt, Logistics has become one of the most prolific artists in drum & bass. He’s garnered support from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac and Rene LaV- ice, as well as 6Music’s Mary Anne Hobbs. He’s one of the most well-respected producers and DJs in the scene and this year he’ll be heading to flagship drum & bass events such as the all-day festival Hospitality In The Park in London, on the shores of Sardina for Sun & Bass, ADE and many more around the globe.

The Visions EP is the debut release from London based DJ/Producer duo Suburban Architecture. Drawing heavily on influences from one of Drum & Bass' most innovative and rapidly changing eras, the mid to late 90s, the duo's productions place a contemporary spin on sounds rooted in this golden era of dance music.

This 4 track EP explores a selection of sounds that meet at the intersection of nostalgia and modern production: "Visions '96" fuses atmospheric jazz samples and haunting horns with fractured drums in a manner reminiscent of Source Direct, Photek et al. "Equilibrium" meanwhile gives a modern take on the classic roller, complete with lush synth pads and rolling Amens. On the flip are a pair of jazzy steppers: "Cubic Nature" delivers more lush pads, this time paired with subtle vocals and deep atmospherics whilst "Pulses" brings some bounce to proceedings fusing 80s soul style keys and jazzy horn licks giving stylistic reference to material by the likes of Alex Reece.

Triple G Recordings Presents: Hellfish, Akira & Khaoz Engine, Raxyor Feat Xodus & Aftermath, Blockdata

Triple G Recordings Presents; ggg001 A Slap In The Face With A Rolex, 4 Tracks On White Fucking Vinyl That Will Crush Your Soul And Give Your Spirit Something To Dance To In The Afterlife. Tracks From Uk Breakbeat Master Hellfish As He Smashes Us With Some Gritty New Blood, Akira & Khaoz Engine Slap Us Right In The Face With Some Spacey Core Anthem. Our American Ambassador Raxyor As He Gives Us A Swinger Dnb Into Hardcore Featuring The Likes Of American Dnb Act Xodus & Aftermath, For The Last Track Blockdata Gives Us A New Look On His Sound Design And Kick Drums At Around 175bpm. Prepare For The Vinyl Assault We Have Laid Out Here At Triple Vision Distribution. Ggg002 Coming Soon!!!

Mastering: Smac
Artwork & Logo: Tokebi

After completing the LUV trilogy earlier this year, Coco Bryce now returns with the first installment of yet another sub series to his Myor Massiv imprint.

On New Romantic he offers up a sweet mixture of jungle techno infused 4x4 beats combined with his signature lovey dovey vibes, whereas My Blue Heaven features a more drum & bass wise approach with staccato breaks and 808 subs in true mid 90s fashion, albeit with an undeniable late 2010s aesthetic.

Jem One's second EP for Metalheadz comes hurtling into the release schedulewith 5 tracks of solid steel.

The Midlands based producer is known for his heavy brand of drum and bass with the 'Transpose EP' delivering exactly that, something Jem One first introduced to the Metalheadz camp in 2018.

With further releases already lined up, Jem One and his no nonsense approach just can't be ignored.

Necrotype & Tim Reaper make their return to the main 7th Storey Projects imprint with the "Exclusive To Bandcamp E.P."

Featuring four untitled cuts, ranging from uplifting hardcore bangers to deep and mellow rollers - this EP showcases two very fine young producers' versatility and love of the 1993 vibe.

Mastered and cut by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Ltd, Illustration by Malx George.

In celebration of the Liondub International labels decade in the business, Liondub proudly presents another fresh 12” featuring Bristol based Jamaican artist Blackout JA. Blackout has been rising from Reggae to Ragga Jungle fame with features and performances alongside Congo Natty, Deekline, Ed Solo, and the Jungle Cakes crew, Aries, Daddy Freddy as well as multiple projects with the Liondub International camp including 2 Rumble releases and a forthcoming Reggae Dancehall LP with Liondub himself.

Absolute carnage on this release, kicking off with a mighty bang as Triple Sickz face off against Raw Science resulting in the aptly titled 'Bruiserville'. A serene intro with rolling breaks builds up using lush, soaring pads before breaking down to the drop: chunky stabs pave the way for a wall of drums and bass to swing through like an out of control wrecking ball to completely annihilate any dancefloor......No prisoners.

Brand new signing DC-N5S from Virginia, USA comes correct with the 2004 horseman vibes of the big nasty stepper 'Emitter', causing seizures with its incessant mentasm stab and stop-start drum patterns to keep you on your toes.

Closing things off on the flip, Grief brings the pain with the pure cyberpunk robo-funk of 'Bishop'. Drawing on the classic tech-step sound of the late 90s, this one could be a soundtrack to a dark future anime short; rich in atmosphere, weighty in beats and oozing class through every bar, this is an epic piece of music rounding off a punchy, nasty slice of wax.

R&S welcomes Brock Van Wey AKA East Of Oceans (also known as ambient legend dvdub for his stunning 2018 album 'Drowning in Daylight' on Apollo) "East of Oceans is a pure tribute to my rave history that brought everything into being; pure elation, pure drive, pure escape, and frankly, just hearing shit that was the fucking jam."

Van Wey debuts on R&S with his stunning new EP as East Of Oceans 'Neverlasting Love'. As always, Van Wey's music connects deeply into his past - his East of Oceans monicker draws on his time as a stalwart DJ and promoter of the halcyon 90s San Francisco rave scene, and features a much more direct aesthetic than the gauzy remembrances of his work as bvdub. "My music as bvdub is about pausing to remember what it means - East of Oceans is about moving to forget it all."

Before Brock began DJing, made his first ambient mixtape, or began down the road of ambient, deep electronics, and deep house to follow; "I began my rave life, as many did, in breaks and hardcore, the faster the better. The harder the better. But always the deeper the better.”

Packed with explosive breakbeats combined with haunting vocals and sepia tinged soundscapes, ‘Neverlasting Love’ is another stunning release that see Van Wey working at the peak of his powers.

Following quickly on his release on Fracture's Astrophonica label, Sully returns with the opening release from new label Rua Sound, with two slices of modern jungle vibes. Driven along with high-end breaksmanship and superb knack for melody we have come to expect from Sully, the release adds to an exciting movement which is reimaging and blurring the lines between uptempo genres.

The release is backed on the remix tip with an eyes down dancefloor pounder, courtesy of Sam Binga.

Strong support from Om Unit, DJ Madd, Danny Scrilla & Moresounds (both of whom featured tracks on Toddla T's BBC Radio 1 show), Fixate, Mantra and Law amongst others..

Boom Sound EP - Various Artists

Following a monster 12" from Bones & Natty earlier in 2019, Foxy Jangle returns with one of modern Jungle's freshest up and coming artists – Lynch Kingsley.

With previous releases on Rua Sound, Med School and Flexout Audio under his belt, Lynch hinted at his own darker new sound with 'Void', on Inperspective Records last year.

LK's Foxy Jangle debut explores this dark, complex space further, delivering a double uppercut of cerebral, visceral jungle futurism. With a clear nod to past masters, Lynch's craftmanship takes classic signatures forward into the unknown, with hyperdetailed sound design and razor-sharp precision drum programming across both sides.

Coming in at a combined length of 15 minutes, both tracks have a dense, epic feel, making for an intensive headphone workout. This is challenging music at its rewarding best.

Three tracks of darkness and mashup jungle by Sumone aka Sum. Sumone has been releasing since 2004 on various well known jungle labels like JungleXpeditions, Mosh-Hi Records, Aural Carnage Recordings, Sprengstoff Recordings, Planet Mu, Alphacut Records, Destroy Oh Boy and many others.

Four tracks of breaks warping and bass quakes. The Duke of Juke is known from his 10inch release on Anus Records and a 7inch on Ameise.

a1. Ulterior Motive - Trip Hammer
b1. Quadrant, Iris & Ulterior Motive - Intuition

Next up we have a new dnb EP from label head Alix Perez - the Phantonym EP. One can really hear the many years experience and influences that have helped shape this masterpiece. It is beautifully complete, and is undoubtedly some of his best work to date. This is jungle/drum&bass in its truest unfiltered form.

This EP covers the whole spectrum from signature Perez soulful dnb (SWRV qand Vibrations), to gritty bubblers (Trinity), and finally the harder minimal percussive dnb he is renowned for (Phantonym). Mature, concise, and graceful dnb at its best. Out September 13th 2019 on 1985 Music on vinyl and digital.