Beats News

Ragga jungle french label Psychodynamic continues his crusade to the loud master sound !!
Inviciting Chopstick Dubplate, Mr Williamz, Cutty Ranks, Dub Pistols... bloody bigh fat sound here !!

Oh look! We are very proud to have the legend that is Ron Wells AKA Jack Smooth aka Electronic Experienced on the label. Very limited amounts (we are talking less than 5!) of the testpress of PARA019 will be available to the public this coming Bandcamp Friday, 4th March 2023 at 12:00 (UCT+1) alongside the Parallax Superbundle and more!

A classic of the classic :)
With on bloody minimal hardtek killer, a ragga jungle BIGUP and a hardfloor with a pinch of raggatek long killer !!

ROUGH SOUND !

Deliciously seasoned with a more than a little kick! Following up his 2020 debut, TYPE returns to SweetBox with two fiery jungle cuts built on his Akai MPC X.

Known as the MPC Jedi, TYPE is the tech wiz behind the Tubedigga YouTube channel, where he serves up music production and sound design tutorials from his hoard of MPCs and other vintage and modern tech. As a hardware devotee, he performs live on MPC rather than DJing, and it was during one of these live sets, for the launch of his previous SweetBox EP in 2020, that Dexta and the Diffrent crew first heard ‘Cherry Bomb’ and ‘Eclipse’ and immediately snapped them up.

‘Cherry Bomb’ is a quintessential junglist workout, pushing a combination of four sampled and homemade breaks to their limits over an otherworldly sound bed. With kicks that land like a mortar strike and the explosive militancy of a supercharged drill sergeant, this one’s ideal for peak-time switch-ups and ready to send any dancefloor into a frenzy.

‘Eclipse’ shuffles and steps with the South London producer’s signature precision, though the percussion takes something of a backseat this time. Front and centre instead are an array of monstrous technoid rasps, elasticated subs and an LFO-esque, earworm bleep repurposed from TYPE’s days as a video game sound designer. This is heavyweight business screaming out for a dark room and a big rig.

Before the Odysee, there was the Iliad; a tale of the golden age of heroes and warriors.'

The idea behind the new Iliads series is to return to the sound of the golden age of Jungle/Drum & Bass, and more specifically the original ‘heroes’ of the Odysee label.
This second in the series pays homage to the unique sound of the Mirage releases. The influence of these releases on the SD sound that followed has often been overlooked, principally because it was assumed that the ‘Mirage’ moniker was simply another pseudonym for Source Direct, when in actual fact it was a lethal combination of the powerful engineering and arrangement skills of Jim Baker (Source Direct) and the sound selection and co-production of Odysee’s founder, Tilla Kemal (T-Mirage).

Face In The Shadows immediately opens with that slightly darker feel, with tracks like Feel My Dreams and Stonekiller in mind. The trademark SD style of break switches (aptly named ‘call & response) are immediately evident, although the Funky Mule gives the track its primary momentum. The sound selection is eerie, focusing on the 70’s Film-Noire, and deep Electro in line with Tilla’s particular preferences. The spoken word quotes are also unmistakably ‘Mirage-esque.’

Regenesis is a classic Odysee B-side track; lighter, more experimental and Jazzy in it’s feel. It showcases intricate and crisp rolling break work, and a beautifully refined selection of real stand- out musical quotes; from the sweet R&B-esque vocal ad-libs to the lush 70’s style sleaze of the Rhodes rolls. The interaction of these elements is the glue that holds this tune together.

The Darkness Within is the final track of the E.P. and it is the arrangement of samples that really emulates the ‘Mirage’ sound. Tilla & Jim were very particular about grouping sounds to work with & answer each other in each section of a tune. Samples were often sourced from obscure Film OST’s or rare electro albums which had sample diggers scratching their heads for many years! This track is dubbed out deeper, with a punching & rolling Soulpride features as the hero break and a repetitive deep chord stab forming the foundation of the tune.

Look out for the final instalment Volume III, where we will be focusing on the dystopian Jazz sound of the Hokusai releases!

Compiled by Dead Man's Chest and drawing from some of the freshest talent in the contemporary jungle movement, Blunted Breaks Volume 01 aims to capture & document one of the most exciting musical resurgences of the era.

Blurring the lines between future & nostalgia, Blunted Breaks is intended as a true long-player, paying homage to the roots of jungle music & it's disparate & eclectic nature.

THUGWIDOW & Bruised Skies land on Hooversound with a new EP

“music for everybody, to think to, to dance to.”

The 12th release on the Hooversound imprint sees THUGWIDOW and Bruised Skies come together for ‘Blimey’ (HOO12), cultivating an evolving new sound: a dark and deep soundscape - ready to immerse, whether on the dance floor or at home. The release also features two remixes from Denham Audio and Response which will be available on the digital version only.

THUGWIDOW is the ambient jungle project of Alex Lowther-Harris, who’s sound is a formation of tastes, otherworldly guidance and obligation, evolving organically from nothing more than an adolescent love rebirthed in a new millennium.

Bruised Skies (Matthew Heywood) creates layered, visual music that captures a melancholic isolated landscape, oceans of sound lapping against shores; guiding the listener. With previous releases on Blank Editions, Intervention and Astral Black his solo music is a cross between season 3 of Twin Peaks and John Carpenter’s experimental scores; beautifully dark, bleak and isolated in its journey throughout.

Completing the Shadow Rhythms series, Western Lore presents an 8 track various artist EP featuring Response, Denham Audio, Elkie, Eusebeia, Bluematter, Pod, Wrecked Lightship & Low End Activist.

There’s an eclectic mix of junglism on offer here, from deep end esoteric to traditional tearout, flowing toward more ‘outsider’ techno, dubstep & bass music influences on plate 2.

Welcome to the unmissable second part of this momentous collection, collecting the output of a true outlier in UK creative culture, an artist that has helped change the landscape of electronic music, KRUST.

Introducing 'Irrational Numbers,' a meticulously curated collection of five parts, available on both vinyl and digital formats. This compilation is a treasure trove of hand-picked records and archival gems from Krust's extensive discography, thoughtfully remastered and presented anew for both devoted fans and newcomers.

'Irrational Numbers' features a dizzying array of self-released 12" cuts, exclusive unreleased VIPs and dub-plates, alongside epic major label widescreen classics. It's an unmissable journey through the sonic output of one of the UK's most distinctive and forward-looking producers.

This 2nd volume of seminal and forward thinking music from the legendary Bristol producer and DJ boasts a plethora of unmissable cuts; the staccato and clipped jazz funk of 'Blaze Dis One', the widescreen epic futurism of 'True Stories' and the all-time classic anthem 'Warhead' all feature, proving what a formidable and original force Krust is.

For longtime Krust enthusiasts, this project serves as a fond reminder of the boundless creativity and originality that flourished during the early 1990s and beyond. For those new to his work, it presents an enthralling introduction to innovative electronic music that has comfortably set the tone for generations to come. Get ready to experience the evolution of sound and immerse yourself in the visionary artistry of Krust.

Fresh takes on 90’s jungle and atmospheric drum & bass by Finland’s ODJ Pirkka. Starting track ‘OMG’ combines soulful R&B vibes with blunt basslines, radical samples programming and hard hitting beats. DJ Sofa remixes ‘OMG’ into a dope Bristol style roller with infectious bassline and some hi-energy buildups and cuts. Flipside ‘Bookworm’ is an atmospheric roller with memorable sunrise synths and a sneaky dark section in the middle that slams you with a crazy reese bassline and some red hot amens. Lastly Msymiakos from Norway uses the supplied atmospherics to remix ‘Bookworm’ into an intricate and brooding drum workout.

Part 2 of the Settle Down debut on E-Beamz with 2 tracks connecting the dots beween the eras of UK club music history.

The clattering drums & undulating bassline of 'Sniper' give way to warping mentasms that evoke memories of some of the earliest strains of dance music from acid house to jungle tekno and hardcore.

'No Shoes on The Carpet' speeds things up and doffs it's cap to the ragga jungle of the mid 90's as well as the first strain of what would become drum & bass with the deep, diving bassline recalling classics from the Philly Blunt & V Recs back catalogues.

This is no holds barred dancefloor weaponry of the highest calibre.

Club / DJ Support
Jay Cunning, Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Paul Bradley, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Jimmy J, Doughboy, Lowercase, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others

Mr Bunter returns once again, but this time on his own, well sort of! Featuring the vocal talents of Gem and engineered by Austin Reynolds, but this is the sound that Billy “Daniel” Bunter built his musical production vibe on. New Sensation is another track that always got people on the dance floor back in the day, driving them mad up and down the country. Then we have the other side of the record. The Way I Feel is just a mammoth track that is instantly recognisable from either the piano or the vocal. Hard hitting breaks back up this soundtrack to the weekend from the mid 90’s and still kicks arse today!

Here we have one of the most sought after tracks from DJ Rap’s back catalogue, Run To Me! The A-Side has the original unreleased 1992 version of this stone cold classic, and it is backed up by the amazing Underground Rave & Dub remixes. Whether you are a diehard hardcore or jungle fan you will love this! Just yet more proof that DJ Rap has been part of some of the biggest tracks in rave history!

A deep & weighty vinyl only 12”, from rising star Eusebeia. Following on from a pair of heavy hitting full length LPs on Western Lore & Samurai Music respectively, Seb returns to the LORE LTD series with a trio of esoteric jungle delights in his own inimitable style.

"One Love is a personal favourite of mine, blissful and thunderous in equal measure, a perfect track for taking peak time floors into deeper territories."
- Dead Man’s Chest

Just another repress here, nothing to see! That is of course a joke because this EP is proper fire! For many, Funky Sensation is their favourite N-Zo & DJ Invincible track…but for the rest it is this total classic “Take Me Away”! N-Zo & DJ Invincible had a sound that was distinctly their own, being able to take big vocals and pianos mixed with very jungle inspired chopped breaks but keeping the sound firmly hardcore. Take Me Away remains pure goose bump material to this day. With such a classic on one side it’s not surprising that the other side doesn’t get the airtime it deserves. Red 5 is another amazing track that shows off the style of N-Zo & DJ Invincible perfectly but this time without the big piano and female vocal. Don’t let that fool you into thinking that this isn’t really another A side in disguise. Once again you can hear the jungle influence in it, especially with the slightly darker tone, compared to Take Me Away.

Club / DJ Support
Jay Cunning, Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Paul Bradley, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Jimmy J, Doughboy, Lowercase, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others

The Sandman ‘Psychosis’ EP is one of the most original and unusual records ever to grace the early rave scene. Indeed, when listening to it now, you can hear that this is almost a template for what trance music would become, even though this EP is full on breakbeat madness. An underground classic and favourite of many producers, this repress changes hands for serious money even when used, and is, quite simply, a lovingly remastered and unmissable slice of rave history!

Club / DJ Support
Jay Cunning, Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Paul Bradley, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Jimmy J, Doughboy, Lowercase, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others

Head honcho of the brand new Core Breakz label KeeF gives us two hardcore breaks tunes in his own noticeable style for the first vinyl release.

New artist Tim Clay is 29 years old, born and raised in Camberley, U.K. Listen to his music; you'll recognise he has immersed himself in rave music culture since he was 12, resulting in excellent DJ skills and great music production.

Tim specifically zoned in on the early to mid-90s Hardcore/Jungle sound when he made Wounded EP (his first solo record), so Digital's four-to-the-floor track.
'Total Control' was a fantastic choice for Tim to get his teeth into and make it a superb addition to the EP.

'Sweet Dubplate' is an excellent example of a perfect, sweet, and rugged track. The soulful intro has warm pads, vocals, chords, and well-edited breakbeats. It leads to a heavy Amen break and a dubbed-out 808 bass line that moves pleasingly throughout an octave when it drops. All in all, the meticulous writing on Sweet Dubplate is first-class throughout.

‘Wounded' pulls the listener into a dreamy, hypnotic state before a weighty bass line frenzy tests your bass bins!

Catch Tim Clay's show, ‘Pure Vibes', on Subtle FM, where he plays music from 1991 to the present.

Digital joins 2 of Manchester's finest Drum and Bass producers, Response and Dub Phizix, to give you a record blatantly influenced by labels that played a massive part in developing rave culture, like Reinforced Records and Moving Shadow.

Dub Phizix remixes Digital's classic, 'Deadline', in a clinically executed Footwork Jungle style.

'Forever' smashes out heavy Mentasm for the hardcore crew, and 'Silver Lining' is right up a junglist's alleyway.

repress !

Repress!

Part two of the Various Artists Shadow Rhythms series on Western Lore.

London-based DJ and producer 1991 has emerged as one of the most exciting artists in dance music. Since starting the project back in 2016, within a year he'd won the 'Best Newcomer' award at the 2017 Drum & Bass Awards. He has held down a steady release schedule of hits, collaborating with the likes of Sub Focus and Netsky, and remixed Axwell, Chase & Status, Claptone and Basement Jaxx. His touring schedule has seen him travel across the globe, with sell out tours across Europe, North America, Japan and Australia & New Zealand.

Featuring Top Cat

Double 99’s speed garage anthem ‘Ripgroove’ celebrates it’s 25th birthday with a reinvented set of mixes to the original.

The seminal UK club weapon, and speed garage blueprint ‘Ripgroove’ by legendary garage outfit Double 99 turns 25 years old. The often imitated, copied and consistently worshiped dancefloor classic sees its story continuing a quarter of a century later.

Originally produced and recorded in a kitchen in London, N7 back in 1997 by Omar Adimora and Tim Liken aka Tim Deluxe. Distributed by Ice Cream Records label boss, Andy Lysandrou from the boot of his Mini-Metro; record shops from the South to North of England were staying open until past midnight waiting for new stock. Pirate radio stations hammered it from the moment the vinyl landed – The Sound Of The Summer of ’97 had arrived.

Mainstream radio stations refused to playlist the record on its first release due to it being “too different”, too urban and too underground, despite its unparalleled popularity throughout the summer. Thanks to A&R man Nick Raphael’s belief in the record, it was eventually playlisted on Radio 1 (the first ever UKG record to be added), with newly added vocals from Top Cat it went on to enter the charts at No. 13, opening the floodgates for a UKG takeover of British radio.

As well as Sherelle featuring the Fixate Remix in her seminal set at LDN Boiler Room, with an insane reaction and worthy re-wind, the track has been supported by a multitude of music heads from DJ EZ to Annie Mac to Four Tet to Pete Tong to Diplo… the list is endless, with it even appearing as the lead track for Kurupt FM’s “People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan” movie.

Double 99 have re-recorded the UK classic at RAK Studios with a 16-piece string section (The 12 Ensemble & Friends) alongside a newly recorded re-vocal from the legend Top Cat. Complementing their Reimagined versions are remixes from Ewan McVicar and Daffy, ensuring that the cultural relevance and unadulterated dancefloor power of ‘Ripgroove’ will live on for years to come!

DJ Support:

Marco Carola, Ramon Tapia, My Nu Leng, AC Slater, Nic Fanciulli, Pig & Dan, ANNA, Joseph Capriati, Chrissy, Chris Lake, Erol Alkan, Riva Starr, Oliver Heldens / Martin Garrix, Jamie Jones, Sam Divine, Tony Romera, Tommie Sunshine, Don Diablo, Tom / Groove Armada, Borgore, Marco Faraone, N.A.S.A., Laurent Garnier, and Severino / Horse Meat Disco

After previously releasing 2 EPs on Metalheadz Platinum, Fanu’s first foray onto the Metalheadz main label is finally here.

Once again the Finnish stalwart masterfully combines experimental breaks and punishing bass with impressive precision, with large doses of his characteristically crunchy sound throughout. This 4 track release packed with imagination and one that will no doubt demand several listens. Infader also returns after previously appearing on the ‘Legacy EP’, a fellow Finn who like Fanu has been pushing the sound for the last 2 decades and more.