Beats News

* With the dust settled from Gerra & Stone's Unbreakable EP, we invite some of their favourite producers to give their own slant on the tracks.

* Developing on the original elements from last year's superb EP, the three remixers each take things in unique directions, amply reflecting the duo's diverse palette of influences.

* Zero T provides the remix treatment for title track "Unbreakable", to deliver a soulful, more rolling rendition, with a warm low end groove, rehashing the sultry vocals of Lucy Kitchen.

* Blocks & Escher transform the more gritty "Plates" into an old skool percussive pursuit reminiscent of Special Forces, slowing things right down and bringing eerie atmospherics to the foreground, to give a real authentic feel.

* Mako then revisits "Almost U", with his "Faithful Remix" providing more of a stepping approach. Remaining true to the original, the piano, string and brass elements are consolidated and carried by a heavily dubbed out bassline.

Trani has been representing the Detroit sound in Italy for some years now, with releases on Minimal Soul Recordings, as well as his own Pushmaster Discs (a label that has also hosted the likes of Ilario Alicante, Myles Sergé and Percyl). His latest outing will be his first full-length, an album inspired space travel, that continues to push Detroit sounds, as well as venturing into some jungle rhythms.

DJ FEEDBACK
early support from
Jeff Mills: I like the Alien Pattern Track!
Robert Hood: nice tracks from Mattia.
Dimi Angelis: Like this! Thanks!
Marcel Dettmann: Thanks.
Thomas Hessler / IMF: Nice one! Thank you!
Darko Esser aka Tripeo: Excellent album, right up my alley!
John Heckle: Thanks, some stuff I really like on here.
Marco Zenker: Sounds really dope! Thank you.
Jonas Kopp: Great stuff, will check carefully! Thanks.
Ben Sims: Plenty of great moments here, nice to hear some Detroit/real techno flavours on an album. Thanks!
Milton Bradley: Very nice tracks, 'Traffic 2 Traffic' is my fav.
Truncate: Downloading, thanks.
Donor: Really looking forward to giving this a good listen after download. Thanks.
Marcelus: Wow that's pretty... Very nice one, great tracks and the all thing makes sense, congratz!
Ben Gibson: Looking forward to having a proper listen to this.
Zadig: Really into electro stuff here, and 'Alien Pattern' is also great. Thanks.
Radio Slave: Great sounds here.

Med School's philosophy to seek out and champion fresh talent continues with the return of the pivotal 'New Blood' compilation series. The A+R division has examined every strand of drum & bass DNA, selecting a flawless formula of boundary pushing artists who are set to be key players in the progression of the genre.

New Blood 016 offers a true international perspective of the genre with producers from Ukraine, Italy, Australia, Japan, Canada, Estonia, Russia and the UK showcasing a myriad of influences, club nights and collectives that are vital in keeping the D+B bloodline pumping all over the world.

Former 'New Blood' graduates include Etherwood, Synkro, Enei, Hospital Records' Urbandawn, Med School's most recent signing Frederic Robinson and many more since the series' creation in 2010.

Tap into 'New Blood 016' for an influx of originality, obscurity and most crucially an insight into the future of worldwide drum & bass.

Med School's philosophy to seek out and champion fresh talent continues with the return of the pivotal 'New Blood' compilation series. The A+R division has examined every strand of drum & bass DNA, selecting a flawless formula of boundary pushing artists who are set to be key players in the progression of the genre.

New Blood 016 offers a true international perspective of the genre with producers from Ukraine, Italy, Australia, Japan, Canada, Estonia, Russia and the UK showcasing a myriad of influences, club nights and collectives that are vital in keeping the D+B bloodline pumping all over the world.

Former 'New Blood' graduates include Etherwood, Synkro, Enei, Hospital Records' Urbandawn, Med School's most recent signing Frederic Robinson and many more since the series' creation in 2010.

Tap into 'New Blood 016' for an influx of originality, obscurity and most crucially an insight into the future of worldwide drum & bass.

REPRESSED !!
Blocks and Escher have over the space of 2 years grown from being acclaimed newcomers and solo artists to establishing themselves as one of Drum and Bass' most exciting and sought after production outfits. Their debut releases in 2009 found their way into the record bags of scene luminaries such as Fabio, Marcus Intalex, DJ Hype, Spectrasoul, and Alix Perez- as well as gaining attention outside of the genre for their emotive and progressive take on Drum and Bass with support from artists as varied as Rob Da Bank, Jazzanova, Mary Ann Hobbs and Laurent Garnier. Coming bang up to date, 2011 saw their music grace some of the biggest and most prestigious labels in bass music with releases dropping on Renegade Hardware, Horizons Music and arguably one of the most highly awaited singles of the year 'Shadowplay' on Shy Fx's huge Digital Soundboy imprint.Entering in to 2012, Blocks and Escher present their own label, Narratives Music. Formed primarily as an outlet for their own work alongside collaborations and remixes; the emphasis is on releasing music which encapsulates the atmosphere, emotion and excitement that made them fall in love with the genre in the 1990's. The Narratives name itself, is derived from the imagery and stories felt and gathered from music; the way that a listener may cast their own interpretation and build their own subjective narrative. The three tracks on the debut release demand to be listened to in their entirety. Three journeys together, inscribing a balanced impression of the Narratives 'sound'.DJ Support : Rockwell, D Bridge, Loxy, ASC, Doc Scott, Flight, Nerm (BBC Radio 6)

* Dexcell have been locked away in the studio for the last year working on their debut album.

* 'Silence' is the first single taken from their forthcoming album and demonstrates just how good this production trio are.

* The Vanguard Project aka BCee & Villem step up on remix duty and inject some jungle into 'Silence'.

* 'Take Control' is a peak time dancefloor workout and showcases the harder edge of Dexcell's sound.

* Lookout for the debut Dexcell album dropping later this year on Spearhead Records.

* Support from BCee, Logistics, Grooverider, Nu:Tone, Etherwood, TC, Technimatic, Bryan G, Doc Scott and a whole load more...

* This full length album for Headz from Jungle Drum & Bass alumni Dom & Roland comes at a perfect time for the artist and the label, it follows his massive "Outta Endz / Unofficial Jah remix"release and comes at a time where the label has been at its most fertile in recent memory.

* The album harks back to pioneering 90s aesthetic of the music but it doesn't feel retrospective, in fact it feels futuristic- a thread that Dom has made sure ties all his work together. The reference points for the album stretch far and wide, from the inspiring and equally green eyed Sunday Sessions at Blue Note to RZA's approach to sampling.

* Dom's own words on the album perhaps shed the most light:
"The album is inspired and processed via a collection of moments I had through growing up, the things i was into, memories of good and bad times i'd had and the music i was listening to at the time'
Collaborations are kept sparse and potent, US legend Hive turns in a very rare appearance on "D.M.T"and vocal features come from Robert Manos and Natalie Duncan.

The album is Dom & Roland exorcising his artistic demons and we're proud to be releasing the project on Metalheadz.
Let's leave Goldie to have the last word on the album:
"It blows everything else away. Hands down...Right now.... Dom's album destroys everything.

Long awaited solo EP on Invisible by Xtrah. 180 grams 12inch vinyl featuring six tracks, including two Noisia collabs.

Horrific James and Voyage's Theory 16 with it's dark-tech-step amen sound is not for the faint hearted, a re-work of an early work by them in 2002 is brought up to speed with this modern 2016 take. It is a track laced full of old school samples and processed drum breaks throughout.

'Project 998'

Deep and Jazzy project 998 brings us closer to a classic metal head 96 sound. A deep Jazz sound is captured here on wax. Hypnotic and mysterious Rhodes stabs combine with a clean sax sound that locks you in. The breakdown with its stepping mid 90's Speed style rhythm comes in smoothly with occasional break edits that drop in and drop out. This track is pure class, superb production of the highest grade.

NC-17 is a Drum & Bass duo of talented producers based in Toronto, Canada. Their namesake refers to the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) rating system which undertakes that a film rated NC-17 would be one based around violence, sex, aberrational behaviour, drug abuse or any other element that
most parents would consider too intense for viewing by their children. The groups love of film reflects not only in their name, but equally in their music, combining both deep and techy vibes with a cinematic edge that has resulted in releases on an eclectic set of labels such as
Charge Recordings, Viper, Renegade Hardware, All Sorts, Proximity, DSCI4, MAC II, SOM Music, Vampire, Big Riddim, and more.
NC-17 have now formed their own label, Grindhou5e Audio, which is set to feature tracks from artists such as The Upbeats, Smooth, State Of Mind, Mr. Explicit, Treo, Grimm and more. Set up as outlet for music with attitude, Grindhou5e represents one of the only Canadian drum & bass labels representing international artists around the globe. Featuring two remixes from DnB scene veterans, The Upbeats and shining star Smooth, the first release from Grindhou5e puts a new spin on NC-17's 2006 hit, 'Slug Path' - a tune that quickly squirmed its way into the sets of DJ's such as Andy C, Noisia, Ed Rush & Optical and DJ Hype upon its initial release.

NC-17 - 'Slug Path (The Upbeats Remix)'
A reworking from the legendary Upbeats, the first remix kicks things off with a bang. Featuring all the hallmarks of The Upbeats production, this track shows why the Kiwi duo are set to release a full-length album on Noisia's Vision record label later in the year. Combining all the atmosphere of the original with a relentless bassline, forceful drums and eerie synths, this gritty remix will be found in only the darkest raves.

NC-17 - 'Slug Path (Smooth Remix)'
The second reworking comes from Smooth, one of Viper Recordings brightest talents. Coming off his debut EP on Viper, the young Slovenian shows his prowess once again after recent remixes of Camo & Krooked and dubstep sensation Seven Lions. Full of adrenaline from the very beginning, Smooth transforms the morbid tones of the original into a dancefloor weapon, with soaring metallic synths clashing over an infectious drumstep beat. Definite rewind material here.
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Peter Aldanmaz, aka NC-17 is a Drum & Bass producers based in Toronto, Canada. His namesake refers to the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America).

NC-17's love of film reflects not only in the name, but equally in the music, combining both deep and techy vibes with a cinematic edge that has resulted in releases on an eclectic set of labels such as Renegade Hardware, Viper, All Sorts, Proximity, DSCI4, MAC II, SOM Music, Vampire, Big Riddim, and more.

Having now formed his own label, Grindhou5e Audio, NC-17 brings two rising producers to the forefront for the labels sophmore release following up from The Upbeats and Smooth remix package from the labels debut release. Grindhou5e 002 features Dread Recordings artist Mr. Explicit with the dark techy vibes of 'Fear No Distance'. On the flip, Ukraine's Fade brings the dark old skool vibes with 'Guerrilla Radio'.

With early DJ support from Andy C, Ed Rush & Optical, Friction, Bailey, Crissy Criss, Matrix, Trace, Fierce, and Break, Grindhou5e is a label quickly making a name for itself.
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Grindhouse Audio returns for their 3rd installment in their hard hitting string of releases. This time around they have the label's head honcho NC-17 and Mr Explicit on duties. Sublime Dnb grooves with soaring basses for the appreciators of the harder dnb sounds.

'Number One Station' features the smooth vocals of Bobby Blue on this jungle anthem which brings phat bass and pure soulful vibes, one of the most sought after titles on the Knowledge & Wisdom catalogue. 'No Escape' features funky horn licks and the infamous vocals of the mighty Sizzla.

Lossless Music's rave and jungle mad little brother 'Dope Plates' returns after the hugely popular "Love Me" release.

For DOPE002 Soul Intent enlists the help of two massively talented underground producers. German breakbeat scientist Acid Lab brings some classic 90s headz fire with his track "Ancestors" while ex Out Da Ville hip hop vocalist Ms Tempz (formally known as Tempa) brings some absolute lyrical dynamite on half time jungle bomb "2 Bad". Not forgetting "Bad Boy" hot of the computer of label boss Soul Intent.

2 fresh remixes of S.C.A.M. "Put Up Your Hands" have just hit Jungle Cakes, ready to excite you ears and provide aural pleasure! The
first comes courtesy of The Freestylers and Unknown. That unmistakable Jungle Cakes sound you know and love is all over this one.
Classic vocals, pulsing basslines with huge beats and amen breaks set the groove throughout and gel together into a cohesive roller
that's sure to cause damage on the dancefloor.
Run Tingz Crew are next up on the remix and deliver a syncopated beat and break, crafty use of the ragga vocal and stabs, add some
finely tuned vocal delay and reverb and some seriously whompy bass blended to perfection. Unstoppable energy floods through the
speakers making it impossible not to rinse out, hard! Let me hear ya say Whoaooohhh, Yeahhhh!

REPRESSED !!
Never afraid to write music from the heart rather than trying to fit a mould Synkro & Indigo bring a refreshing and inspirational sound to the table and Exit Records are proud to provide an outlet for their work. Their dedicated followers have eagerly awaited guidance, and there's good reason. Awash with lush atmospheres and vocals it's a track that manages to touch the listener's soul and becomes more addictive the more it's listened to. Delayed snare rolls and fills create an ocean of space for the ambience to develop into a warm and cosey blanket of pure bliss. Reflection contains the same emotion triggering qualities as the A side and is the perfect partner. A little more drum based than its accomplice but just as soothing, it takes you through a workout of intricate beat edits and mixes distant classical vocals with subtle chord progressions.

* Closing out this superb trilogy of releases, we find Djrum exploring the upper reaches of the BPM register. If you've even witnessed a Djrum DJ set or listened to his mixes or indeed his releases on the brilliant Samurai Music label, you'll know he frequently journey's into drum and bass territory, and here over two epic tracks, he offers two supreme cuts of exhilarating music..

* Much like the classic track 'Dam' on his debut album, Seven Lies, 'Space Race Pts 1&2', switches things up nicely, kicking things off at house tempo, before picking up the pace to unfold into a celestial DnB roller. But, as with all Djrum productions, nothing is quite that straight-forward; he constantly weaves percussion, space, bass and melody together to create something other-worldly..

* 'Pt 3 Sometimes I Share' closes out the EP in awesome fashion, the track is dominated by a honeyed vocal sample, which is defly danced around by cleverly deployed hand claps amidst the tight, rifling percussion and on/ off bass line. A fitting end to an epic trilogy.

* On artwork duties is a unique and compelling artist from Tel Aviv. We stumbled across the bold and challenging abstractions of Klone Yourself on Instagram, immediately connectiong with this visionary and confornatational artist who's surreal tone is often offset pefectly by his simple yet striking imagery.

* No stranger to Spearhead Records fans, we are pleased to present Nymfo with the incredible 'Everyday Emotions EP'.

* The Everyday Emotions EP sees Nymfo flexing his musical style while still retaining his signature dancefloor sound.

* Melting Pot sees a collaboration with one of the scene's most established vocal talents, Robert Manos, who does not disappoint.

* Switching up a gear Nymfo drafts in Ad-Apt for vocal duty on 'Cheetah' to round the EP off with a bang.

* Support from Radio 1, Kiss FM, London Elektricity, LTJ Bukem, Technimatic, Bryan G, Etherwood, BCee, and a whole load more...

* Basement Records is proud to present the debut album from Shadow Cartel (Andrew MacFarquhar).

* Shadow Cartel AKA AMC has been producing since 2002 he has released on Deadly Records, Frequency, Cubik, Pandemic and Basement Records.

* He has worked with Peshay, Heist, Basement Phil and with his brother Neil Mac. The guys are also famous for running the Subfactory events in Reading which has been running for 10 years. Andy has produced a wide spectrum of Drum and Bass and influenced by Old Skool, Techstep, Jungle and Dubstep. on this debut album you can hear those influences.

Skeptical will be opening the Exit Records 2015 release schedule on 19 January with a 4 track 12" EP. Believe it or not, this is Skeptical's debut solo release on Exit, with previous contributions
consisting of his monster collaboration with Dub Phizix and Strategy, the mighty 'Marka', as well as individual tracks on the Mosaic series 1 and 2.

The EP features the percussive roller and title track 'Imperial', which has been taking dance floors deep into the jungle over the last few months in typical Skeptical fashion. As usual with his tracks this is not laptop music. Sub bass is essential to appreciate the full production qualities and the whole EP
demonstrates his power to achieve the utmost with the very minimum.

Skeptical has been building a head of steam and moving into 2015 he is set to come to fruition with more solo releases and collaborations in the pipeline.

* Utah Jazz returns with his best work yet for his fifth studio album.

* 'Despite hovering quietly at the contours of the drum & bass world, Luke Wilson's enduring status as a liquid-funk deity is down to his USP - which has barely changed in 15 years. 'From the off, album number five sparkles with the dusty, crackly, soul-sampling aesthetic that has made him an international promoters' dream.' - 9/10 - DJ Mag

* DRS features on 'Can You Handle It' and shows the harder gritter side of Utah.

* Random Movement also teams up with Utah Jazz to bring you the disco infused 'Be Right Here'.

* Support from Beats 1, London Elektricity, DJ Marky, Spectrasoul, Bryan G, BCee, Lenzman, Doc Scott, LSB, and a whole load more...

Critical returns, upping the ante once more with the ever-talented Emperor on board. Dropping a heady mix of peak-time performance drum & bass, the 'Into Black EP' is yet another piece of essential electronic fresh from the Critical vault.

Hallcuinator delivers their first album with 11 tracks on Yellow-Stripe Recordings.

After a huge release collection, and a lot of big labels they finally decide to make an album. This album is full of tracks that shows exacly what Hallucinator is and what are their influences since Metal, to Hardcore and obvious always having Hard Drum and Bass as a 'line'.

This album also includes a lot of collaboration with Counterstrike 'Revolver', Cooh' The Solution', C-Netik 'Drop Bombs' and featuring Mc Coppa 'Sick Society'.

Its impossible to mention only 1 track from this amazing album you have to listen and choose for yourself.

Four years after his 'Discovery EP' debut and a few VA features, NickBee is finally back on Invisible. Coming from Ukraine, Nick has been living very much near the recent conflict and war zones. Literally 'sounds of the war' have been used to create the music on this solo EP. Nick's sound is divined by beautiful, deep and strong material, on the fine line between old school and mainstream drum & bass and this body of work might be his most personal to date.

Asbo Records inaugurates a series of 12" releases celebrating the iconic mid 90s jungle label Joker Records with this 3 Piece Vinyl L.P that sees 12 classics from Joker founders The Dream Team get 12 contemporary but still eminently junglist remixes. For the uninitiated

1x12' vinyl, 3mm spine sleeve

* 'With my second Shogun installment I'm bringing something slightly dirtier but still soulful. I wanted to have more ammo for the dance floor but in keeping with the musical elements I produce, bringing meaningful expression as well as utilising my heavier influences' - Ed:It

* The name 'South City' EP came from a big move from Nottingham to London. The whole EP has flavours and inspiration from my surroundings here in the capital. The title track was produced with deep sampling & soul in mind. I think it carries the tone of the release with the drawn-out vocal/musical intro and life like drums on the drop. With 'Isolution' I wanted to showcase my tekkier side & influences. 'Heaven Sent You' came together as steppy liquid number. A track you can listen to on a every day basis but also one to rock the dance floor. Finally, my favourite of the EP 'Babylon Step' speaks for itself for me.

* Since signing to Shogun Audio I've already gained a lot from fellow producers & the experiences it's brought me. The EP is an extension of this, through writing & DJ'ing over the past 6 months. I think this showcases where I'm going & the vibe that I'm delivering to the label.' Ed:it 2016

* Liquid V's iconic Club Sessions series returns for its sixth instalment, with original LV selector Bryan Gee at the controls.

* 23 hand picked liquid Drum & Bass gems from the likes of Paul T & Edward Oberon, Random Movement, Command Strange, L-Side, Bailey, Need For Mirrors and lots more mean this session is overflowing with feel good, soulful, funked up dancefloor rollers. Staying true to the original roots of this branch of D&B, Club Sessions goes deep, and keeps the vibes flowing throughout!

* First appearing on the scene in 2005, Liquid V's now famous Club Sessions have quickly become one of the slickest compilation series of Liquid D&B around. Featuring tracks from the scene's biggest producers such as Roni Size, Fresh, Calibre, D-Bridge the first album laid the foundations for the iconic Liquid V brand - launching Bryan Gee's vision to the world. Now, with five volumes to date, 2016 sees the release of the sixth highly anticipated edition of one of D&B's
institutions.

01. Blade - The Greatest
02. Dave Owen, Flaco & Glen E Ston - I Wanna Show You
03. L-Side - I Wish
04. Paul T & Edward Oberon - Somebody Else VIP
05. Dramatic & Command Strange - Try To Understand
06. Paul T & Edward Oberon - Tonight's The Night
07. Duoscience - Night Traffic
08. Phase 2 - Come With Me
09. L-Side - Sweet Blues
10. Paul T & Edward Oberon - When I'm With You
11. Simplification & Translate - Tonight [L-Side Remix]
12. Need For Mirrors - Son Of Sorrow
13. Intelligent Manners - Dem Tings
14. Intelligent Manners - How Sweet It Is
15. Command Strange - Let Me Love You
16. Dramatic - So Crazy
17. Rowpieces - Retreat
18. Rowpieces & Identified - Falling
19. Bailey - Stargazing feat. Tali
20. Dramatic - Together Tonight feat. dbAudio
21. Phase 2 - One Time
22. Jaybee, Dave Owen & D-Lo - SXSW
23. Random Movement - Savage Brutus

Neonlight have emerged from the shadows to become one of the leading lights in modern Drum & Bass, and in My Galactic Tale it seems that they have found a way to truly cement themselves into the fabric of the genre for years to
come.

With a catalogue spanning major D&B arteries such as RAM, Viper, BSE, Bad Taste & Ammunition Recordings, it's no wonder Tobias & Jakob are hot property and a more than worthy addition to Black Sun Empire's Blackout Music family. If Ed Rush & Optical license three tracks for their FabricLive compilation, Andy C wants to add you to the RAMLife track list and you jet off to Australia & New Zealand for a label tour, then you must be doing something right.

My Galactic Tale builds on the solid foundations laid in previous releases. Always packed full of energy and creativity, Neonlight's productions have been decimating dancefloors the world over for years and this experience can clearly be heard throughout the LP. From the atmospheric breakdowns of Queen Beth V and Ignition to the unrelenting pace of Microbots, each and every element has been carefully crafted for maximum impact.

Juicy hooks, sumptuous melodies and pounding, almost death-defying basslines are the order of the day for Neonlight, all packaged beautifully in a 16 track long player that is sure to be a favourite with the duo's fans and set to elevate them even higher in the drum & bass standings.

Masterpiece of Footwork...Rashad never die !