Beats News

Andain present an extensive remix package of their brand new single "Turn Up The Sound" on the Black Hole imprint.
Andain (Josh Gabriel and Mavie Marcos) have a history of divine electronica, spine-tingling lyrics and considerable patience. The band began in 2000 and after their first single ÊSummer CallingË and follow-up ÊBeautiful ThingsË (best known for the Gabriel & Dresden Remix, now a classic, sporting over 20 million views on Youtube) their name was launched into instant celebrity. Andain just finished working on their brand new artist album and already released the successful single "Promises" which appeared on many compilations, and reached #13 in SiriusXMÉs BPM Top 51 of 2011. In support of the album, the single "Much Too Much" was released, accompanied by a beautiful video directed by Jamie Redford. The third single was handpicked by Andain and now ÊTurn Up The SoundË sees the light of day in a state of the art remix package.

Announcing the onset of night, Driftmachine - a Berlin-based duo comprised of Andreas Gerth (Tied & Tickled Trio) and Florian Zimmer (Saroos) - have created Nocturnes, a psychoactive, dream-inducing stimulant of sorts: Evoking and maintaining a trancelike state, the duo's six-part journey into the dark was originally inspired by reading 'The Rest Is Noise' and listening to the music discussed in Alex Ross' seminal book. The resulting soundscapes, written and recorded since 2012, redefine the lines between insomnia and slumber, between wraithlike dub grooves gone awry, the dancing flicker of a slack-joint bedside lamp, and eerie electronics.

The internet sensation finally coming on vinyl! ANDY MILONAKIS, DIRTY NASTY and RIFF RAFF do crazy X-rated raps on the now classic "NEATO" and "WE ARE LLAMAS" (the re-recorded version of the cease & desisted "WE ARE FARMERS") which includes DIPLO's first rap, plus productions from DIPLO, SINDEN, 5kinandbone5, DEREK ALLEN, and more! 8 tracks. Full pic sleeve.

FLEAS ON SKIS IS THE NEW PRODUCTION MONIKER OF THE LEGENDARY DANCE MUSIC MAESTRO, ADAMSKI. 'IT'S A MAN'S MAN'S MAN'S WHIRLED' AND 'HAPPY NESS' SHOWCASE ADAMSKI'S FUTURE WALTZ SOUND ALREADY BLOWING UP IN THE HIPPER CLUBS IN AND AROUND EUROPE. THESE TRACKS ARE SET TO CREATE A SUBSTANTIAL STIR THIS SUMMER ON THE TURNTABLES OF VINYL AFICIONADOS AROUND THE GLOBE.

Having both previously released on Phuture Shock Musik, garage experimentalist's Roof Light and Lostlojic return to share the honours on a split single set for release on the Bristol label.
Always one to maintain an eclectic approach in his work, Surrey resident Roof Light returns to his forward-thinking best, offering up 'Pearl' a sultry number, where jerky beats intertwine with fragmentations of female vox that saunter through swathes of synth pads, glitchy blips, and warm dubby bass.
On the flip Lostlojic continues the regular theme of passion in his music, bouncing back with 'So Much', another R&B inflected dancefloor gem, incorporating a saccharine vocal hook over a bed of lush rhodes chords. Soulful as ever, and riding a 4/4 rhythmn just beyond the familiar 140bpm region, this tune premieres a departure from the typically cold, brooding style that the Ukraine based producer is known for, to something more suited for the warm summer nights.

Bristol-based Facta has transitioned from an intriguing new talent to one of the most exciting producers around in an instant, cementing his rep with two standout releases on Badimup and Idle Hands. It comes as no surprise - ever since a few earlier bits aired on Keysound's Rinse FM show, Facta seemed certain to make some serious waves with his fluid, multifaceted productions on the murkier side of soundsystem music. Soundman Chronicles' DJ Parris has been supporting Facta dubs throughout and it was only so long before some of his tracks cropped up on the label. SMNCHR004 features two Facta beats that showcase his knack of reconfiguring the weight and pressure of early dubstep into something undeniably fresh. 36thChamber builds around a deep-set bassline with hollow, chiming melodies and ricocheting percussive incisions that deliver brisk swing and movement - a proper roller. Zodiak comes taut, tough and minimal; a matrix of bass hits, quaint samples, glitches and razor-sharp drums that progress through layers of varying complexity. Both tracks will challenge systems, don't sleep. Listen: https://soundcloud.com/cargorecords/facta-36th-chamber-zodiak-smnchr004/s-bOVjH

Various release the first offering from new signing 'hardware', already getting airplay from Rob da bank (Radio 1), Marry Anne hobs ( radio 6) and John Kennedy (Xfm). This 12' will definitely start of a busy year to a great start. Checking One - Future proofed Tech-Jungle beat droplets fight their way through a corridor of synths. Vocal stabs drift from locked rooms each containing their own distinctive drum pattern. Half way through the track salvation is reached, doors open and all the components meet with a realisation that dark may lead to light, part Soul, part nervous, part shrouded horror entity. In 1996 Drum and Bass label Liss Fuzion put out its final release Your Move by owner and producer Pager B-TZ. Taking inspiration from this little heard classic hardware have re-worked and re-chopped. With Your Move they soften all the edges of the jittery beats and use drum and bass sounds that float in and out. Your move feels re-assuring, filtered and like a memory of that track, that stayed in the back of your head for weeks but you could never recall where you heard it. In 2014 the label will release an app including exclusive material from forthcoming music from 'hardware'.

In the space of three years, Dutch producer Krampfhaft has established himself as one to watch with a small string of functional yet emotive dancefloor releases that have garnered support and acclaim from a broad range of contemporaries including The Gaslamp Killer, Om Unit, DJ Shadow and Kutmah. He returns to the Rwina label with Before We Leave, his debut album and most complete statement to date. ! Once more pulling from the twin roots of electronic/dance music and sound design that have defined his work to date, Krampfhaft sidesteps genre specific formulas on Before We Leave and instead rides a fine line between dancefloor and headspace. There are hard hitting moments and ecstatic peaks, but these are carefully balanced with more introspective, melodic reflections designed to give the listener an experience that isn't limited to the club. Before We Leave is just as driven by atmospheres and imagined sonic places as it is by the desire to make people dance. ! This juxtaposition of the dancefloor and headspace is reflected in the album's tracklist and how the 16 tracks flow across its length. 'Superfluid' offers the first upbeat moment, solid drums against grinding synth melodies, but the accumulated energy of the track is instantly pulled back by 'Frostbite' as Krampfhaft plays with imperfections and bright, distant melodies to paint a sonic picture of slow deterioration across a sparse rhythm. The imperfections and noise found lodged throughout the album bring to mind a digital rot, as if the music was slowly unravelling in the hard drive of its maker. Tracks like 'Dormant Code', 'Before We Leave', 'Mostly Empty Space', 'Unfold' and 'Immensely Small' all sidestep any obvious genres,instead scraping away at imposed stylistic boundaries by subverting populist tropes and challenging the listener to embrace them for what they are. !! As a contrast to the album's more reflective moments there are rays of hope, such as 'Veluwe' and 'Extrasolar' with its low-slung drum pattern, uplifting melodies and manipulated sounds that evoke seagulls over washing waves. And there are also moments of darker contemplation, like 'Clip Point' where the all-encompassing weight of the bass drums is cut by a lead melody that buries itself in your subconscious. Aside from 'Superfluid', the energy of the dance floor is celebrated on 'Spinner' and 'Toekan', two tracks with clear intent that still manage to reference the album's underlying idea of rot and distance from any established genre or scene. ! There's a real magic to pulling off an album of dance/electronic music that isn't obsessed with the dance floor or instantly recognisable tropes, and this is precisely what Krampfhaft achieves with Before We Leave. Keen to not find himself trapped in the corner of a specific sound, he instead opts to paint a broad picture that treats the listener as more than just a body in the dance. At times hopeful and introspective and at other times dark and obsessive, Before We Leave is the sound of a producer in full control. Listen here: http://www.official.fm/playlists/Yp5a  

The last few years have seen Chicago Footwork rise to international success, and Traxman's debut album - 'The Mind of Traxman' on Planet Mu - played no small part in that. It showcased Cornelius Ferguson's brilliant ability to synthesise the beat digging of classic hip hop with the high-speed abstraction of Footwork's house-derived beat science. the selection of tracks on this second chapter show a slightly different take on Traxman's abilities. Instead of bringing in concepts from other genres, he simply creates a wider variety of Footwork, made with a minimal, reduced palette. Often just one or two samples are selected and diced into brain-blurring cubist puzzles that bear little relation to their original sources, or anything else for that matter. A number of the tracks here show off the high-speed micro-edited possibilities of Footwork, that end up bringing the sound closer to a faster, hands-on, mpc-punched version of micro-house, bringing out a jagged, fitful character that keeps you on your toes. Tracks like 'Time Slip' echo SND, but cut with hip hop breaks and flying snares, while 'Blow Your Whistle (Tha Out Of Here Remixx)' chops up a short vocal and whistle noise to ridiculously energetic effect. Other tracks pull on a techno edge, 'Computer Getto's galloping game of hide and seek with Kraftwerk, 'Bubbles'  electronic arcade game blips, or 'Under Cover Jack's 303 groove, remind one of the house origins of this music, while 'Can Nutin Hold Me Back' has a leg in soul's history, with its detached accapella chopped into twitchy choruses. Later on '15146' cuts up barked numbers over sprightly woodwind while 'Gone and Hit that Shit' reduces words to rhythmic shapes, darting around meaning. 'The Edge of Panic' is an unexpected and incredibly aggressive detour into Footwork x Speed Metal that could be a micro-genre of its own. We catch our breath with 'I Wanna Be High' before the album ends with the gentle bass and chopped jazz drums of 'U Got Me Running (Remixx)'. The mind of Traxman dazzles again. Traxman, a.k.a. Corky Strong, real name Cornelius Ferguson, is a Chicago Footwork veteran whose discography also includes many classic Ghetto House and Juke releases going as far back as the mid '90s with music on labels like the legendary Dance Mania. He's worked as a DJ for over three decades and was a member of the Geto DJz and Ghetto Teknitianz crews alongside two other Footwork scene leaders, DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn. He describes his style as "funky, soulful and a bit eccentric." Read a Simon Reynolds review of his first internationally-distributed full-length album for Planet Mu "Da Mind of Traxman" at Spin

The second of the Decadub vinyl-only releases dedicates three of its four sides to a volley of woozy and twisted footwork from most of the key members of Chicago's Teklife crew. Side One starts with DJ Rashad and Gant Man's squiggly 303 banger 'Acid Life' and moves onto Taso & Djunya's Darwinian banger 'Only The Strong Will Survive'. Side Two descends into DJ Spinn's bombastic 'All My Teklife' and then Earl, Rashad & Taye's 'Bombaklot' which takes Hyperdub full circle with a yardcore bomb like a 2014 upgrade of the label's early days. Side Three leads with DJ Earl's immaculate diva vocal cut-up of 'I'm Gonna Get You', then moves on into DJ Taye's fizzling R&B jam 'Get Em Up' and the stone cold, warped humour of 'Icemaster' by Heavee. On the fourth and final side, Tokyo-based ally Quarta330 returns to craft 'Hanabi', an epic, uptempo synthesiser jam. Young gun Champion follows with 'Power Cut', its minimal, energetic and militant kicks and bass molded with cowbell and lots of tight edits, before dropping some neat keys and a warping bassline two thirds in. Ikonika finishes things off with the solemn march of 'Tug Zone', opening slow but building in flickering high hats and gaseous cymbals into a track which could have emanated from Battlestar Galactica.

finally repressed!
Alongside Beneath and Visionist - both recent additions to the roster - Wen forms part of a new wave of producers coming through. With the capital awash with tepid tech house and, erm, housey techno, Wen's dark, bass-lead minimal sound is refreshingly uncompromising, looking back to the pirate spirit of earlier times in dubstep yet looking forward towards new horizons via the tempo matrix UK funky vacated. 'I'm still quite fixated on keeping things minimal,' he says. "I like space between each element... The gaps in the percussion can often tie it together better than a drum hit.' Yet also embedded in the DNA of Wen's sound are some of grime's base pairs and his singular talent is to find fresh new ways to express them. Vocal chops, eski square synths, concentrated anger-energy: these core grime elements find themselves in dread new surroundings in Wen's hands. 'Commotion' is the EP's lead track, taking the excited hype or 'commotion' of grime and cooling it down to absolute sub zero. Stratospheric early Metalheadz synths criss-cross its atmospheres while its run out groove contains a subtle nod to Wiley and his much celebrated beatless Devil Mixes. 'Spark It', 'Road', and 'Nightcrawler' continue the experimental blend of 130bpm bass drops, dread atmospheres, ill-defined percussive grooves and grime vocal calls-to-action. Wen has already played Fabric, and Rinse FM twice with Dusk + Blackdown, and had his tunes played on 1Xtra and covered by Fact Mag. Mix in his work with that of other Keysound family like Logos, Beneath, and Visionist, and you find yourself in an emerging and fertile new cluster of black secret teleology.

Two heavyloaded slabs of pure old-school junglist wax from LA veteran Raoul Gonzalez.
Witness the man chop the beats through a hazy cloud of skunk -
8 tracks of demented old school riddim across 4 sides of heavyweight cut vinyl.
Big tip goes for the unique remixes of new age Mexican synth luminaries Jorge Reyes
and Antonio Zepeda!!!
Pressed on limited vinyl.

Local Action is proud to present the debut EP by Finn.


A resident at Manchester's Chowdown clubnight, Finn divides his time between England and San Francisco. His music blends the best of the US and UK, taking Timbaland-indebted drums and chopped hip-hop / r'n'b vocals, but putting them in a 140bpm grime / r'n'g context. Like the best grime, footwork and jungle, he's not afraid to sample from anywhere, and keeps his chops rough and rude.


'Keep Calling', this EP's title track, is one of the key anthems at leading grime clubnight Boxed (Finn contributed to their Boxed Vol. 1 compilation), and comes backed with the high octane 'Dangerous' and the gorgeous 'Only Boy'. Like Blackjack, Low Deep and Iron Soul before him, Finn is combining r'n'b and grime without ever resorting to cliché, and the results are killer.
Vinyl only, 180 grm 12' in plastic sleeve.

Pure bassweight from Boka Records on show here for release number 43! New Zealand based duo Perverse step up after successful
missions on such labels as J:Kenzo's Artikal Music and Innamind Recordings for their debut on Boka - 'Tribute' is a sparse tribal
killer, guaranteed to send dancefloors into a trance like state, a tune originally championed by VIVEK on his RinseFM show and since
then the demand has been high for its' release. On the flip 'Seismic' is a collaboration featuring the talented producer Gantz, check
this drum-work on this one, track is crazy, such a mean slow-building beast of a track. Sit back, light up, enjoy.

Truth's fourth 12 for Tempa, features three tracks of their distinctive, sprawling and dramatic halfstep. While retaining the physical impact and dancefloor impulses that have long defined the genre, Truth tracks carve out colossal rifts within the mix, through which weave vocals, cryptic melodies and fluttering sound effects - all crafted for total immersion in the dance.

The 'How Strange' 12 is no exception. 'How Strange' is a supremely unsettling yet inviting listen, with a half-sung, half whispered voice slinking through the gloom, while all around sub-bass and lashings of peripheral sound distort your perception of space and time. Where the title track is built for sinking deep into, 'Justify' takes a similar set of elements and scorches you with its piledriving momentum, bounding forward atop an irresistible dancefloor skank. And the translucent textures of 'Yesterdays' frost like breath on a freezing cold morning, paired with rhythmic patter that arrives in fits and starts, forming a resonant and soulful end to the EP.

LX ONE returns with another stirling release in the warm up to dropping his much anticipated debut album on Wheel
and Deal. Reflect has had constant support from N-Type, Youngsta, J Kenzo, Icicle and Faze Miyake. It is the logical
progression in the style and quality of LX One's signature dark, minimal sound. This release once again puts his
productions at the pinnacle of modern Dubstep. Distorted Politics is a fresh tribal banger with rib shaking bass and infectious percussion. Once again this has featured massively in N- Type, Youngsta, J:Kenzo, Icicle & LX One's DJ sets, and is another testament to his talent.

Neko Neko drops the first part of his "Between Two Cities" series, entitled "Where", backed by remixes from everyone's favourite French beat-maker, Fulgeance.

Neko Neko's original mix on the A-side pairs lush harp samples with hefty kicks, claps and layered percussion loops. The track evolves nicely til the halfway point when it shifts direction, breaking down to a cosmic arpeggiated synth line that gets tweaked away while the other elements are expertly weaved in and out of the mix.

On the flip Fulgeance takes things down and dirty with a brutal remix aimed squarely at the clubs, chopping and filtering the main riff and layering it over his trademark rugged beats and subwoofer-shattering bass. This is followed by thugged out vocal samples and some innovative vocoder work.

To top things off, Fulgeance contributes another remix as a digital-only bonus track under his "Claude" alias, which comes free with the vinyl version via a download card. This time he steps up into housier territory with more subdued but still excellent synth melodies and uplifting piano chords.

Vinyl release includes original version and Fulgeance remix of "Where", plus download code for free download of all 3 tracks.

Limited to 300 copies - Neko Neko's last vinyl release sold out in under 3 weeks so don't sleep on this!

7 months on from TP#4, Demdike return with the 5th instalment in their ongoing research and development series - a double-headed monster split between gnarly reductions on the A-side, and industrial strength edits on the flip. 'Procrastination' edges through Grimey detritus and gunshot snares within a vast open space perfectly primed for that Demdike slow build. 'Past Majesty' on the flip offers up a feral take on some kind of cyber-industrial insanity, somewhere between Ministry and Powell - with a denouement which should probably come with a public health warning attached to it. All we're saying is - watch yr eardrums

EAN steps up to bat for Cosmic Bridge, bringing 4 tracks of heavyweight, eyes down 80/160-range BPM rollers blending footwork rhythms with deep soundscapes and tinges of Jungle and Techno. His past work has come in the form of remixes for Om Unit's Searching on Stretched records, Ghostpoet's Cash and Carry Me Home and his contribution to Project Mooncircle's recent 10 year anniversary box set entitled Pictarus. More recently Civil Music enlisted him for a blistering re-rub of XLII's No Cure which has been very well received.

Kokeshi has pressed up pink vinyl LP samplers for Irrelevant's 'Little Figurines'album which includes a fab remix from Compa . Also featuring is the stunning beauty'Moments' by Kokeshi-stalwart, Irrelevant.

Nearly an hour of dense ambient fog & early morning techno from former resident @ Panorama Bar (Aquaplano, Mule Electronic) known for 5+ hr sets of deep, hypnotic, techno & epic daybreak sets @ Labyrinth festival. LTD old school tip-on sleeve.

****Repress alert! Excessive prices on Discogs and high demand have lead to a repress of Dauwd's debut 12" release What's There. With releases on Kompakt and Ghostly International as well as tour dates with Bonobo under his belt, now seems like an appropriate time to revisit this 2011 classic.****

300 ONLY!!!

Skeptical's debut 12 for Tempa draws together a pair of his starkly minimal, yet driving dubstep tracks, including 'Chain Reaction', which has recently been doing dancefloor damage as a dubplate in the hands of scene lynchpins like Youngsta and J:Kenzo.

Since 2010 Skeptical has become an increasing presence within the drum 'n' bass community, with both solo tracks and collaborations with Dub Phizix released through labels such as Exit, Samurai, Renegade Hardware and R&S. More recently he's turned his hand to exploring 140bpm tempos, and the results are startling; stripped-back and intricate in construction, yet as tough and pliable as tensile steel, and possessing an intrinsic swing that sends kinetic shockwaves through a dancing crowd.

A-side 'Echo Dub' is sparse and considered, rolling out above a taut, prickly beat that whirls around your field of perception. B-side 'Chain Reaction' is a prowling monster of a beat, hunched low and stalking the dancefloor. Its subs bubble and roil, punctuated by violent staccato melodic stabs that shatter the atmosphere to dizzying effect.

As LionDub International charges into 2014 with mulitple releases and a newly-unveiled Street Series, we welcome a roster of
unheard talent to both its main label and the freshly-born sub-label. The next release features tracks and remixes from artists based all over the globe; contributions streamed in from Delhi, London, Toronto, Paris, Dublin, Glasgow and it is ultimately released out of Brooklyn.
First off are REDS, a recently-minted East London drum-and-bass duo who we proudly offer their solo vinyl debut featuring vocals
from India's Delhi Sultanate and remixes from Canada's jungle don Marcus Visionary, the inimitable Mungos Hi Fi out of Scotland,
Dublin's Dirty Dubsters and one of France's dubstep legends, Von D.The bouncy original from the pair falls close to a dancehall feeling, with understated and low-mixed drums dropping away to
accentuate the bounding bass rhythm and the center-stage vocal performance. The old-school jungle style of Marcus Visionary
comes through strongly in his rolling remix, which revels in the rush of tumbling drums and blasts of mid-range bass. Mungos Hi Fi give this release a solid reggae re-lick with new sound clash style vocals from Delhi Sultanate and sweet choruses from longtime collaborator Begum X out of India. This particular Mungos riddim released earlier in 2013 to great acclaim featuring vocals from none other than Soom-T on her "Bong Bong" anthem. The Dirty Dusters offer up a unique, Euro dancehall twist on their high energy remix.
Full vocals and simple, yet, catchy grooves wind up the track in a unique style. From his rich past on labels like Argon, Black Acre,
and Boka, it would be expected that Von D give an altogether more contemporary treatment, and fittingly he reduces the tempo, ups the atmospherics, and brings in brutal walls of battering bass in half-step time for the smokers in the room while leaving most of the vocals, which were so present in the other mixes, on the cutting room floor. Full Promotional campaign with Radio and club support from Toddla T (BBC Radio 1), Tru Thoughts, Bassnectar, Ashatack, Ray Keith, Chef, Daddy Skitz, DJ Hype, Dub Pistols, Itchy Robot, Kenny Ken, King Yoof, Nicky blackmarket, Serial Killaz, and more.

The highly anticipated Moonshine Recordings 'Steppin' Forward' album is finally here, compiling 15 exclusive, unreleased tracks from the most exciting up and coming producers as well as experienced veterans on the dubby side of bass music scene.

Munich-based Danny Scrilla brings 4 tracks of serious beats and bass to Cosmic Bridge for their 6th release, from the wrongspeed electro opener "X" to the closing hip-hop bruiser "hunch" (a collaboration with Om Unit) Flash Powder is a heavy slice of German engineered rawness!

Coming straight out of Paris, Moresounds drops a heady mixture of Dub, Hip-hop, and Dance hall melodies into a fierce electronic beat-scape full of colours most definitely aimed for the dance floor.

It has been a busy year for Sleeper having already released his killer debut Chestplate 12', Zombies/ Scanners back in January, and his collaborative 12' with District landing shortly after helping to solidify his status as one of Dubstep's premier producers. He rounds off 2012 in fine style with a pair of his meanest and most destructive beats yet, 'Dawn Of The Replicants' and'Zodiac', garnering wide support from scene heavyweights that include Mala, Youngsta, Distance, Icicle, Cyrus, J:Kenzo and Tunnidge. Sleeper's Neurofunk influences shine through on both tracks, utilising monstrous Reese synth lines to devastating effect. 'Dawn Of The Replicants' is as bleak and hard-hitting as they come, as he carves a sinister backdrop of sound before a vicious drop of pure sub-frequency pressure and wildly thrashing mid-range contortions; huge, club-wrecking stomper material on a darker tip.'Zodiac' builds up purposefully like a predator circling its prey before going in for the kill with snarling growls, monstrous crashing snares and deep chasms of penetrating low-end; more lethal firepower in trademark Chestplate fashion from Sleeper to complete a record that will remain a permanent fixture in your bag.

An EP That barely pauses for breath from start to finish, Sleeper is not holding back on what is
now his 4threlease on Distance's Chestplate Records.
A. Systema: Rolling congas and bold, grandiose synth sweeps and glitches, underpinned by the everpresent pummeling subs
conjuring Blade Runner images of industrial wasteland. Deadly!
B. Species: Drawing from a pallet of Eastern sounds, the snaking tablas in this resolutely 140 track give it a unique edge. This is what
dubstep would sound like in the desert.
Support: Mala, Pinch, Youngsta, J:Kenzo, Icicle, Tunnidge, Kryptic Minds

Jon Phonics (Jonathan Phoenix) has been steadily making a name for himself as a producer with releases on the likes of Giles Peterson's Brownswood Bubblers and a limited edition Cassette Tape through Bleep in 2013 (that sold out in under an hour). His signature brand of deep textured, soulful productions is hard to pin point; drawing as much from early 90's hip-hop as it does early 00's grime & 80s funk. Over the past 12 months his own label/club night, Astral Black, has been building a reputation as a platform for forward thinking producers in the burgeoning experimental hip hop and new wave grime scenes. The likes of Jaisu, Inkke and Opal Block have all contributed to the labels hand screen printed cassette series and there are some seriously heavy 12"s planned for the coming months. Packed out club residencies in both Glasgow & London are a testament to how this label has grown.


First Word is delighted to welcome Phonics to the fold for the release of his 'White Neckle' EP - 7 tracks that blend delicate melodies with tough beats and powerful top lines, with the addition of South-London rapper Rup and soul vocalist, Yasine lending their vocal talents to the mix. Having received early radio support from the likes of Alexander Nut, LuckyMe's The Blessings & Hyperdub's Scractha DVA - 'White Neckle' is another forward step for the talented producer. Available as a digi-EP and a limited edition 7" (featuring 4 of the tracks) it's the first of a run of projects for Phonics, with releases on Alexander Nut's 'Hotep' imprint and collaboration's with the likes of Pedestrian & Jam Baxter scheduled for release in the coming months.

Indie.. "Sára Vondrášková, known by her stage name NEVER SOL, is a Czech singer and composer based in Prague. Writing her first songs in the age of 15 mostly for herself and studying music for 8 years at the conservatory, the important moment came around 2011, when she has been offered to play her songs constantly at one of the most vibrant Bohemian venues in Prague at Café V Lese. Focused on piano and voice she shared the stages with friends and musicians, becoming more confident about her own artistic approach and vision. Shortly after her first concerts producer Jan P. Muchow got in contact with her and the two years long composing process of her debut album UNDER QUIET began. To give her songs a frame Sára Vondrášková created the rather abstract pseudonym Never Sol. The piano has always been central in her music writing, but in the past years she was more and more gaining knowledge in using music production software. Creating sounds turned out to be another starting point to evolve her music and to get rid of the patterns and techniques taught in her classical education. Sára Vondrášková is a regular guest singer with Czech musician and Denovali artist FLOEX. Touring and performing with Floex is an essential influence and of course strong female artists like Cat Power, Fiona Apple, Jessie Ware Or Bat For Lashes keep inspiring her work. CD: digipak. Vinyl: thick gatefold covers, 180g vinyl, different vinyl colours, free download.

adies and gentleman, aliens and extraterrestrials, IM:Ltd finally make their 2014 come
back with the intergalactic 'Perspectives'.
Rolling at 140 beats-per-lightyear, our cadet Kantyze has knocked us into hyperspeed
with a dubstep album that can only be described as from the deepest, bassiest, and
funkiest quadrants of outer space.
Going where no producer has gone before, they have put together 12 tracks which would
have the whole Mos Eisley Cantina calling for rewinds and firing their blasters at the
ceiling.
One things for sure, you won't be phoning home - you'll be calling your local record store
for this one.

After making his killer debut with 'Stats' - Mode returns to Ingredients for his 2nd recipe! 'Warning' is minimal, moody, and bass heavy & is a nod to his peers Instra;mental & Dbridge. 'Realities' is a deep, delicate groove, and really well executed. If you liked his first 12' you'll be sure to love this!

New Zealands premier Dubstep unit TRUTH make a return to Boka Records for two fresh new slabs of ultra deep, heavy Dubstep just how we like it. Insanity a track living up to its name and originally showcased by Joe Nice on his Gourmet Beats radio show is arguably their most sinister and DIRTY dubplate, a brooding; menacing beat perfect for the dimly lit dance. Skitzo switches things up a notch, a sick DJ friendly tune with drops a-plenty - recently showcased on Von Ds mixtape. Ltd vinyl pressing so don't sleep on this one!Insanity on Joe Nice's show: