Beats News

Repress!

Your favourite futuristic dance duo Bop x Subwave are back on Hospital Records with their highly awaited debut album Renaissance
Following on from the huge successes of their previous EPs Love and Other Drugs and Dream On which furthered solidified their commendable reputation in the electronic music scene, the pairing's first- ever collaborative longplayer consists of 14 tracks which perfectly demonstrate their creative mastery and unmatched abilities to experiment with various styles spanning indie electronic, lo-fi jungle, garage, techno and more.

Setting things in motion you'll find Cold Tear of a Dreaming Vacuum Cleaner, a mellow yet energising electronica- meets- D&B cut guaranteed to permeate your headspace with hypnotising synth plucks, bouncy drumwork and ambient atmospheres directly transported from a futuristic nearby universe.

Expect nothing but 80's euphoria on Storm In A Teacup featuring Isaac Howlett - the frontman of synthpop group Empathy Test. Bop x Subwave provide late night nostalgia in its purest form with retro drum machines and catchy electronic hooks as Isaac Howlett supplies distinct melodies and imaginative lyricism.

The strikingly titled Rave I Didn't Know Was The Last is a glimmer into the now distant past of lockdowns and worldwide no- dance policies. Delving into a beautiful combination of garage and breakbeat influences, you'll soon become immersed in hands-in-the-air piano stabs and downpitched vocal chops instantly taking you back to the last rave you blissfully danced the night away at.

Hush featuring fellow Russian drum & bass don Enei, and Hospital's freshest signing SOLAH, is a techy drum & bass liquid number layered with hazy chimes, minimal 2-step drums and a sinister bassline. Stripped back and rolling, SOLAH's vocals are a sublime addition as she graces the track with her delicate harmonies and captivating lyricism.

In true Bop x Subwave fashion, Addicted To Space is a UK- garage stepper complete with subtle lo-fi injections. As they step into the 130BPM territory brace yourself for dissonant chord stabs, distorted vocal chops and a womping bassline. This isn't the duo's first rodeo in the world of garage either - their initial UKG collaboration 'Haze' topped the Beatport Garage charts back in 2020.

Other notable album moments include the irresistable 80's synth- pop anthem Wait For Me released earlier in 2022, as well as Euphoric Rush featuring the vocals of Enter Shikari's very own Rou Reynolds. Karina Ramage also makes an appearance

A special collaboration between Metalheadz and Reinforced, celebrating breakbeat culture and the history of both imprints over the past 3 decades.

This is a direct repress of one of Kniteforce's very much sought after releases from the early 1990s. At the time, Dj Vibes and Wishdokta were the leaders in remixes and releases, and this EP showcases the reason why! Both remixes have stood the test of time, and if anything, sound even better now they have been remastered from DAT and cut using the best modern techniques. Unmissable!

This inaugural release from new underground electronic music label Rubi Records celebratesthe welcome return of minimalist drum & bass producer Ashley Tindall, aka Skeptical, showcasing his first solo productions for over two years. Working with the clean slate that comes from setting himself no stylistic constraints, Ashley offers three new tracks that, although stamped with his meticulous trademark style, hit a little different than you might expect. If you’ve listened to the most recent remixes he has done, you’ll have heard a hint of what’s in store here: a maturity of style with an evolved sonic palette that takes his signature sound into new territory.

Ashley Tindal has always been forward-thinking when it comes to his productions, but never more so than with this EP, which delivers three slices of the highest quality, cutting-edge D&B.

The EP kicks off with ‘Thru My Head’, a sinister, dub-tinged beast that builds up with a dark,mesmeric melody before dropping some serious ‘stepper’ beats and an undulating low-end that rolls as only a Skeptical b-line does.

‘Push Up’ delves into much heavier territory. An intro of claustrophobic pads and menacing keys leads into a savage drop of surgical beats that have been crafted with military precision, underpinned with a monstrous bass line, and injected with the simple but effective ‘push up’ vocal hook. Add in some trademark Skeptical sounds and you have a certified dance floor weapon to get the crowd moving.

The EP closes with ‘Initiate’, a dystopian slice of D&B futurism that mixes up dark pads, beats so tense they ooze nervous energy, and some of the most twisted sci-fi sonics yet used by Skeptical. This is a masterclass in next-level business!

Pointillist club rhythms and dense, porous dub clouds encircle the Wrecked Lightship as Laurie Osborne and Adam Winchester set sail for phantom islands once more. The nocturnal boatswains chart a course guided by pronounced percussive impulses, using physicality to navigate the looming atmospheric pressure that has become their signature style.

Opening tracks ‘Arial’ and ‘Third Law’ speak to the roots of Osborne and Winchester’s respective work as Appleblim and Wedge, dealing in dancefloor abstractions where techno, electro and dubstep once stood, but there’s much more at play than simple genre tags could ever express. ‘Third Law’s electro-static interference calls back to Winchester’s work in Dot Product, while the twitchy urgency and gnarly bass echoes Osborne’s ALSO project with Second Storey.

Wrecked Lightship is an anchorless concern, free to drift into experimental waters if the currents surge that way, and so ‘Kill Mirror’ and ‘Hydrotower’ head away from forthright structures to play around with sound design and full-frequency manipulation. It’s too kinetic and jagged to be considered ambient, even if it willfully shirks the dancefloor. But for every starboard swerve there’s a prevailing wind, and the likes of finely-tuned club weapon ‘Take It Back’ whip ahead with laser-eyed focus.

Nailing their split interests between immediacy and the avant-garde to the mast, Wrecked Lightship deepen the reach of their project on their second album. Whatever shape a specific track might take, Oceans & Seas serves as a paean to the art of sonic manipulation and spatial processing.

Written and produced by Adam Winchester and Laurence Osborne
Artwork by Chloe Grove
Layout by Takashi Makabe
Text by Oliver Warwick
Mastered and cut by Simon at The Exchange

Functional dancefloor music doesn’t come much better than DYL & DB1’s latest 5-track EP on UVB-76 Music. Encompassing elements of dub, techno and drum & bass the EP playfully executes a less-is-more aesthetic where groove rules above all, a seductive proposition.

Friske comes off the back of a standout year for his personal label Requisite with no signs of easing up the pressure for 23. Three cuts of sunrays selections for warming bass bins and dancefloors

Opener “Someone” sees Friske expertly channeling the Jungle cannon by extracting key snare fills and rolls from Plastic Jam’s – Wicked Beat and reconstructing their swing with futurized 808 claps. Ethereal pads, distant voices and pulsing reese complete the halcyon skank out.

Two mixes of “Daydream” to choose from both pairing echoes of rare groove with drifting synth atmospheres and ear worming arpeggios. Both versions nod heavily to Bukem’s ambient intelligence with true connoisseurs recognizing the harder stepping drums of “Mix 1” gearing towards his Voodoo Magic sets whilst the subtler roll of “Mix 2” anchoring the head down sway of his Speed era.

J:Kenzo is an artist we have long admired here at Metalheadz and it was only a matter of time before we brought him into the fold for a full EP.

Titled 'ZegaFunk', J:Kenzo's 4 track offering was instigated by the 2020 lockdown and fiercely spurred on by Goldie over the course of the year. There is a real classic feel to the EP, so acutely influenced by the sound of 1997 with dystopian pads and groove-laden basslines readily bursting from each track. Innovative dub influences and engaging patterns keep the listener captivated throughout a slick EP with both substantial weight and flavour.

We're also honoured to have another incredibly accomplished artist join the camp in .EPOD who delivers his trademark skillset on an exquisitely reimagined version of the Metalheadz logo.

Old skool and reinforced legend Alpha Omega returns with another Monster killer EP and in true Alpha Omega style, he does not hold back and gives you a selection of various beats and styles.

Everyone is already talking about Monster Killer which has already become a dance floor hit with vocals, stabs, and amen edits that make you lose your shit on the dance floor. Then takes you on a technical Journey with sciences 95 followed by beautifully crafted tracks Crystal Ball and Look Into My Eyes.

Digital searches through old Dat tapes and hard drives for unreleased music and combines them with new tracks for Digital's Dirty Dubs. Volume 1 features Spirit, DJ Ratty & Nick EP.

"Motherland Dub" is a heavier dubbed-out mix of Digital's "Motherland". Haunting, eerie vocals glide over pitched-down chunky breaks and serious deep subs that will pummel your bass bins.

"Dread Life" combines a moment from an '80s reggae dancehall session with jumping breakcore grooves and wobbling bass, creating a ragga piece of Jungle.

"An Evil Source", Digital, Spirit, Ratty & Nick EP created An Evil Source in the late hours of a party at Digital's house. Rave stabs, riffs, Mentasm, Amen, and Funky Mule breaks show they went for that dark n dirty 93/94 Rave / Jungle sound championed by Dj Ratty. Stay til the end because this one builds perfectly.

"Stay", Syncopated rhythms and a percussive synth lead merge with a frantic vocal and dynamically juicy breakbeats. Slightly unusual, but it's unique!

Here is the new label Major Defence by AKO. You could call it arcade 2.0, the same authentic Jungle that will provide unreleased remixes repress, and new music.

We start off with a track by Stretch and Enjoy - Without You. Soulful jungle with beautiful vocals and something you really need to listen to until the end.

On the flip stretch and enjoy remix an AKO classic Stay by Demented Soul and this is something we think you’re really going to enjoy having in the box.

New label Major Defence by AKO.You could call it arcade 2.0, the same authentic Jungle that will provide unreleased remixes repress, and newmusic.

Next up we have two tracks by Waterproof, another Marc and Dego alias that was done in 1995 and only had one release which is no longer available.We’ve gone through the dat tapes and found alternative unreleased mixes of Wicked Likkle Bwoy & Ruff & Tuff.

This is authentic jungle at its finest by two of the best to do it.

From Karma Recordings comes their ninth EP. Another huge producer in Dead Dred brings his famous basslines and overhauls the track Tina by DJ Ande. Adding awesome brekbeats and you have a sure fire jungle anthem on your hands Oldskool style.

The second track on the A side is the creepy original Tina which builds to a scary crescendo. We are very proud to be introducing the first vinyl release from Dubious, an absolute jungle master and his track Iron Lung fits on this EP with ease.

Then last but not least we have an absolutely blinding Tina remix from the hardware extraordinaire 12Bit Jungle Out There who hails from down under. An absolutely brilliant 4 tracker not to be missed. Karma Recordings are going from strength to strength.

From Karma Recordings comes their ninth EP. Another huge producer in Dead Dred brings his famous basslines and overhauls the track Tina by DJ Ande. Adding awesome brekbeats and you have a sure fire jungle anthem on your hands Oldskool style.

The second track on the A side is the creepy original Tina which builds to a scary crescendo. We are very proud to be introducing the first vinyl release from Dubious, an absolute jungle master and his track Iron Lung fits on this EP with ease.

Then last but not least we have an absolutely blinding Tina remix from the hardware extraordinaire 12Bit Jungle Out There who hails from down under. An absolutely brilliant 4 tracker not to be missed. Karma Recordings are going from strength to strength.

The latest excursion into deep waters from the UVB-76 Music camp comes in the form of Bristol based Tavis Hitchcock AKA Karkossyn and his Troubled Youth EP.

Across six tracks Karkossyn mediates a disturbed exchange between trip hop, IDM, techno, pitched down breakbeats and guttural moans. Fully opening the next chapter from pages previously flirted with by UVB-76 Music label mates.

this will not be pressed and distributed

Pink Vinyl

Northern Front Records 6th release entitled Worse Off EP consisting of tracks by Response, Pliskin, Digital and FLOetic Lara Lee.
Full front and back artwork by Mark McGuinness, on 180g vinyl.

Over/Shadow celebrate their first album release with a collectors pack. Against a Dark Background perfectly defines Dom's skill at creating beautiful darkness as only he can do.

Nerve Collect is a new label co-founded by Dutch collaborators Identified Patient and Gamma Intel. The first release is Identified Patient's Elevator Music for Headbangers EP and it comes digitally with two bonus cuts, or as a six-track 12". It's a freaky journey into exactly the sort of leftfield electronics to expect going forwards complete with AI artwork by Nina van den Berg and Design by Sander Molenaar.



Amsterdam's Identified Patient has an off-the-hook approach that's seen him spend the last six years colliding techno, acid, breaks and dub into futurist sound worlds full of irresistible discomfort. With all that experience of playing Europe's most open-minded dance floors, he is now truly dialed into what works for him. He is making deeper-than-ever connections between what he hears in his head, what he plays, and what he makes. Now speaking clearly through his machines, Nerve Collect marks the start of an all-new conversation based around dark energy, paranoid tension and otherwordly seduction.



The first EP features music written between 2019 and 2022 and takes you deep into the netherworld. It feels both dystopian yet inviting, with hefty bass and twitchy acid that will make both brain and body dance. There's a taughtness right from the off when 'Walk With Me' marries cavernous and booming kicks with bright flashes of acid. 'You Are the Loop' is an AI hallucination with mangled synths, while 'The Fun Never Stops' is psyched-out mutant jungle. The b-side keeps on building with the dark and pressurised energy of 'Dead Demo' and screw-face swagger of 'The Devil is Blue' leading into the final cut 'Second-Hand Nostalgia' which is an industrial take on trip-hop. The bonus cuts spin out yet further into intergalactic electro-techno warfare and controlled rhythmic chaos.



The mind-melting sonics of this first release proves Nerve Collect is here to do things differently.

Includes download code.

REPRESSED !!

Bouncing, party Jungle music. 2011 brings a new Deekline & Ed Solo. Deekline himself has worked and continues to work with heavyweight producers such as Tim Healey, Wizard, Ed Solo, DJ Assault, DJ Fresh, Stanton Warriors, Arthur Baker, Freestylers, and Fort Knox Five, not to mention vocalists Ivory, Yolanda, Wiley, and Top Cat.

Full Artwork Sleeve. Remastered and Recut for 2022 by Lewis Hopkin at Stardelta Audio Mastering

The Vinyl version features six D&B tracks on 3×12' Vinyl. From the bright, florescent metallics of 'Celestial Navigation,'(feat S.P.Y.) through to the darker tinges of the sharp-edged, sparse landscape of 'Hot Hands.' D&B gets a slightly more menacing dub makeover, while 'Paulista' (feat S.P.Y.) & 'Wacky Races' both hold the layered, tightly produced drum programming that Intalex is known for. 'Meltdown' is a typically immaculate, roller that stems from collaborating with Calibre. The album's standout is the beautifully emotive 'Climbing Up The Walls, which features the vocals of Drum & Bass producer Danny Fierce, and stands as a breathtaking, adventurous take on Radiohead. These tracks are currently being championed by the main beat seekers of D&B such as Radio 1s Fabio & Grooverider, Hype, Friction, Tony Coleman, Nu Tone. Ant TC1, Andy C.

* Roni Size is a name synonymous with both V Recordings and Drum & Bass. A real pioneer of the scene, and one of only a handful of names to transcend the genre to become a real household name. Both huge underground and mainstream success followed, along with the Mercury Music Prize as part of Reprazaent, and a discography of original productions and remixes that still stand the test of time and find themselves in constant rotation in clubland and on radio. With so many seminal moment peppered over the V's history this Legends series just wouldn’t be completely without some of Roni's many unreleased gems making an appearance.

* 'Operation X' finds Roni in a musical mode, with lush horn stabs and rolling drums. Produced circa 20001 this one is a personal favourite of Bryan Gee's who's championed it continuously over the years, and so will be familiar track for many, especially those regulars to the V podcast!

* The moment 'Synction' kicks in you know you've entered the world of Roni Size. More of a rarity into today’s digital world, Roni and all his bellow Bristolians who made up Reprazent and the Full Cycle family had an inimitable sound they made their own, which still resonates around the world to this day. A hypnotic intro breaks into an irresistible dancefloor workout which will make you wonder how this track was ever overlooked!

* The fourth part in this vinyl series, with yet more legends waiting in the wings. These are an absolute essential for vinyl collectors.

Purple Vinyl 2023 Repress


For the inaugural vinyl release of Psycho Bummer, we bring an EP from one of our label founders, DJ Scam (Brandon Ivers). Jungle and drum'n bass was the starting point for us as DJs, friends, and collaborators, so it seemed fitting to begin the story here.

The EP's opener, "Darkside Geezer", is a tribute to the transition point right before hardcore morphed into jungle in 1993. Although producers worked with a small palette of sounds back then, the emotion and freshness they were able to pull out of their limitations remains unrivaled. "Darkside Geezer" imagines an alternate reality of that period, drawing parallels between it and the transitions that 2020 brought us.

"Sodium Pentothal" is the roughest tune on this release, adopting the sonics of modern drum'n bass production, but channeled through the tropes of the music in its early stages. DJs like Sherelle, Tim Reaper, and Coco Bryce played a tremendous role in inspiring us (and keeping us sane) over the last year, so we wanted to stick to the tempo they helped rekindle.

The closer, "Black Swan", focuses on the simplicity of early hardcore and jungle, but breaks away with glassy chimes and a folding, geometric structure. Made with old samplers and tracker software, "Black Swan" was the first track Scam did for this release and it helped set the tone for what followed.

Psycho Bummer loves the feel of weighty vinyl, so we've opted for 180 gram pressings with a brilliant purple color. The album art, created by Canadian artist Ben O'Neil, is printed on a higloss laminant sleeve, which retains the striking colors of the original digital art.

Ibrahim Alfa Jnr released techno music since the age of 17. He started to play piano when was six years old and has a master degree in sonic arts. As a Live Act and DJ he is world wide known.

His first album on Mille Plateaux is a fine example of Hypercussion, which implies a new rhythmic A-logic when beats split or shoot each other off, or when they overlap and mutate into high-pitched hums and rattlesnake breaks; accelerating, before music again blurs into the grains of noise or calm science fiction landscapes and at the same time builds gigantic sound walls. And such music, as far as its conceptualization is concerned, does not have to submit itself to technology at all, but must understand itself as a form that can be recombined with technology.

Dispatch Dubplate makes its long-awaited return with the first of six new releases, brought to you by Mako - including a collab with Ben Soundscape.

Setting out to champion the best in unreleased music and those tunes which have been long cherished dubs by prominent figures within the dnb community, Dispatch Dubplate returns after an almost two year break with this special release from Mako. Heading up the release is "The Man", a tune that Ant TC1 has been playing for years and could never put down. One that prompted constant ID requests from DJs and ravers alike, this tune fully represents the Dispatch Dubplate ethos due to the mystery and hype surrounding the track. Originally made as an experiment, with Mako wanting to focus on crusty sounding production with no mid bass or prominent fog horns - it's a back to basic track that celebrates the raw energy of drum and bass. After much email
wrangling and WhatsApp based arm twisting we're pleased to finally get this stand-out track out there.

The Dispatch Dubplate series makes vinyl the focus, and each release features an exclusive track that will never be sold digitally. "Mission Critical" champions our favourite format on this release with a loop based roller dreamt up on a hazy, stoned day. Originally forgotten about by Mako himself, this one was championed by Mikal (and Ant of course) and has now found its way out there thanks to Mik's love and appreciation.

Completing the release is a collab with Ben Soundscape, Mako's personal favourite of the three. Utilising some drums from another tune called "Tell Me Something" released by Mako on Metalheadz, the pair set out to make something new. Originally signed by the late, great, Marcus Intalex for Soul:R it was eventually swapped out for a different tune of Mako's - this makes it another perfect fit for Dispatch Dubplate, given the love and following it created during live sets but never saw the light of day (until now). A welcome return to this fabled series, watch this space for more.

Detroit legend Rick Wade returns with his fourth Shall Not Fade release: a four track EP packed with different flavours from timeless deep house to drum 'n bass.

On Late Right EP, Wade delivers the classic Detroit-sounding deep house with which his name is synonymous, at times experimenting with stylistic elements borrowed from tribal house, acid and ghettotech. The title track is a punchy deep house track with a funk-infused bassline and jazzy ambience which carries through to the next two tracks where it's accompanied by the rattle of conga drums ("Kabukicho") and a gentle acid melody ("Acid Creep"). Finally, "Quantum Jit" brings things to a giddy close: a stripped-back club tune with skitterish claps and the syncopated breakbeat of drum and bass.

REPRESSED !

The Outside Agency and Sei2ure had never collaborated until this release, and in retrospect they were most likely doing the world a favor.