Beats News

We're proud to unveil a brand-new album by Phuture T, entitled 'Persuasive Funk', out 24th July on Inperspective Records.

An eleven-track release, Persuasive Funk kicks off with the title track, a soulful, jazz-inflicted D&B collaboration with legendary D&B stalwart Jungle Drummer, melding electronic elements with organic instrumentation featuring Live Bass from rising UK star, Tom Mason, and capped off by invigorating vocals from Sofi Mari. This sets the tone for the rest of the LP, with ‘Voyager’, ‘Uisce Beatha Haze’ and ‘Roosje’ all following a similarly funk-laden formula. ‘El Ritmo Mundial’ and ‘Frenzy’ channel the spirit of free jazz into a melange of trumpets and high-energy drum patterns, before ‘Tumbleweed’, ‘3000’ and ‘Lord Apache’ provide a fittingly triumphant finale.

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NX Records is a collaboration between Matthew Herbert's Accidental Records and the Department of Music at Goldsmiths, University of London.

In May 2013, the label launched with an introductory mixtape and live performances as part of the Puregold Festival launch at the Southbank Centre. NX Records has continued to release new, critically acclaimed music, host numerous events and run an annual pop up record shop.

The label's mission statement is to create a new model for the music industry, connecting exciting talent from the renowned creative hub of Goldsmiths - and the wider community of South East London - with the ever-experimental Accidental Records.

Our aim is to build connections between emerging artists, education, the industry and audiences. NX is a professional label that works alongside, not in opposition with, DIY artists.

The first in our series of experimental split 12"s focuses on instrumental electronic music.

Goldsmiths student and modular wizard Sam Hostettler evokes a daydream meeting between Vangelis and Burial, with his impossibly lush synthscapes shot through with dubbed out percussion. Meanwhile, La Leif's blend of crunchy, electroacoustic techno and outernational field recordings should hit the spot for fans of Karen Gwyer or Shelley Prior.

NX12X is out on Feb 1, with a launch party at The Glove That Fits on Feb 14. Come grab a copy of the vinyl, and have a dance...

Club-fueled horsepower drives this 9-track "Cinnamon Behind the Wheel," as the Asheville-based producer DZee weaves together a collection of shapeshifting landscapes of euphoric breaks, gritty industrial rhythms, hypnotic-induced dub and UK rave stunners into a cross-pollination of both UK and US inspirations. As the cofounder and operator of TRAM Planet, DZee forges new frontiers for the label with this wild ride into pure dancefloor heat for all sound system terrains.

Whether it's the arpeggiated vocals in the rave anthem "Expired Lotion Aug 29," the kinetic feedback beatdown of "Ho Ken Waa" or the electro breaks hybrid opener "Phantasy Rewind" - "Cinnamon" has as many shades of styles as it does bangers. But DZee flexes more than just versatility prowess here, as it clocks in at nearly 50 minutes, the release covers a masterful blend of wide range BPMs and seamless arrangement structures that run as smooth as the shifting gears of a high octane engine.

Born and raised in South London, Hector Plimmer is a multi-faceted producer, composer and DJ whose sound is drenched in tribal rhythms and beautifully crafted bass. Influenced by beat-makers like Flying Lotus and Theo Parrish, but with the subtleties of the classic Metalheadz era drum and bass, his second album 'Next To Nothing' is released on 25th October 2019. The album features guests Ego Ella May, Emma-Jean Thackray, Andrew Ashong, Pie Eye Collective and Alexa Harley.

After featuring on Brownswood Bubblers 11, curated by Gilles Peterson, Hector proved his talent when he was selected as a winner of the PRS Steve Reid InNOVAtion award. At a performance at ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ Record store, Hector caught the attention of Albert's Favourites' label heads Adam Scrimshire & Dave Koor. A conversation was started which led to the transfer of almost a whole album's worth of material and resulted in his debut full length record ‘Sunshine’.

'Sunshine' was met with rapturous acclaim. The record went on to be awarded Gilles Peterson’s album of the week on his BBC 6 Music show and was championed by both Lauren Laverne and Tom Ravenscroft on the station as well as Jamie Cullum on BBC Radio 2. Its success on the airwaves transcended to streaming with the inclusion in the top 50 viral US chart on Spotify.

"This album has been a real labour of love. I spent the most part of a year trying to make music I thought would be fitting to follow my last album, whilst not actually knowing what that might sound like. 'Sunshine' had been received way more positively than I had anticipated and although praise is a lovely thing, it was the cause of much anxiety when the time came to start on this record. I put a lot of pressure on myself to produce music and kept going down routes that felt forced or just didn’t click for me, in hindsight I realise this was me making music not for myself, but for what I imagined other people might want to hear. In a way 'Next to Nothing' is my first real album, 'Sunshine' was more like a collection of four to five years worth of music compiled into the shape of one. This is my first dedicated attempt at creating a cohesive project, something that shows who I am right now and what got me here."
- Hector Plimmer

As a DJ Hector has a monthly slot on NTS radio. He has played alongside the likes of Gilles Peterson, Kutmah, Alexander Nut, MNDSGN, Onra, Dego, Kaidi, Max Graef & Glenn Astro; Hector finds himself in the good company of those talented selectors who play genres across the spectrum of Hip-hop, Beats, Funk, Soul, Disco, Afro-beat, House and Jazz.

Aesthete 'Obfuscation' (Computer Club)
Computer Club presents, Aesthete (aka Thom Barnett) with his debut release 'Obfuscation'. A 4 track EP of bass-heavy minimalism.Micro-precise percussion bursting through minimal electronics with chattering industrial machines, the 4 tracks take an experimental approach directly to the dance floor. We first encountered the unique Aesthete sound in a dark former ballroom in Sheffield in early 2016 and were mesmerised by his sonic assault.As the name suggests, Barnett's skill isn't confined to audio. A talented designer, he runs Mamnick, an internationally renowned brand sold online and via outlets including a flagship store in Tokyo. Mamnick clothes and items blend Sheffield craftsmanship with a love of cycling and a sharp aesthetic eye.
Everything Barnett turns his attention to is expertly crafted and this debut EP on Computer Club is no exception.

An Gleann Dubh continue to disregard trends to focus on their own thing on Full Dose, presenting an enriching 3 track EP where the listener is submerged in futuristic contrasts, with respect given to the drum in a way that it has been done for thousands of years. '

The first imprint on SHERELLE and NAINA’s label Hooversound brings together Surrey based DJ /producer Hyroglifics and Detroit DJ/ producer Sinistarr for an exciting dancefloor-ready EP.

‘BS6’ sees two of the most consistent and exciting names in the underground electronic music scene joining forces on Hooversound’s highly anticipated debut release.

Having both released on iconic labels in the past (Sinistarr with Exit Records, Hospital, Metalheadz whilst Hyroglifics with Critical, Astrophonica, 1985 Music - to name a few), the two producers shine in this new collaborative EP which merges together elements of footwork, jungle and techno.

The EP has two collaborative tracks that stand by two solo tracks from each producer. Electronic pioneer and legend Scratcha DVA brings his GQOM and moody percussion on the official remix.

Alejandro Baltazar Moreno’s (Alex M) debut EP “New Culture” manages to be simultaneously haunting and childlike. The artist pulls inspiration from a multiplicity of cultural anchors- from Marxist class theory to 80’s/90’s video game soundtracks; from Situationist International to social isolation. He creates a sound outside of geographic boundaries that projects vibrations meant for a hidden observer at the edge of a dream. Alex credits artists like Paul Johnson, New Order, Daft Punk, Kraftwerk, and DJ Deeon as some of his earlier influences that helped shape his sound. Despite being from Texas, Alex constructs his own sense of identity through his productions and that is directly reflected throughout his work.

2 x BLACK HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL, GATEFOLD SLEEVE, PRINTED INNERS, DOWNLOAD CARD

DJ Plead hits top gear for Livity Sound delivering four tracks of his inimitable rhythm workouts for the aptly titled 'Going For It' EP. Filtering influences from both UK Funky and jungle alongside Dabke and Mahraganat, these irresistible percussion tracks fizz with energy and invention.

Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground electronic music.

D Double E & Footsie the Newham Generals return to Butterz with archive material following up their 2015 drop 'Scars'. Frontline is an unreleased Grime classic from 2005 that comes from the versioning era of Grime, where MCs would all do their take on the same instrumental. Humpty Dumpty, is a lower profile unreleased banger that has been unearthed for the first time since 2006. War Wid and Prangman are two forgotten Grime classics that saw short run vinyl releases back in 2004, but have long been out of print. This release marks 10 years of Butterz the label, and begins a run of a new slew of 12"s to come out through the remainder of 2020 and 2021.

After the success of the first Slam Jams last year it seemed like an obvious shout to return for a second trip round the mulberry bush. This edition has two label stalwarts Breaka and Guava in fine form, slamming it and jamming it till the cows come home. Coming in at 160bpm Loose Subs is also the first track on the label to start reaching the lofty heights that all you nasty speed freaks are after. Outerbody Innerspace takes the tempo back down but in no way takes the foot off the pedal. Freaky deaky shit from start to finish.

Is this the sound of the future or fragments of the past coming back to haunt us? Is a remix of a classic thirty years after the fact an exercise in hauntology or a time loop closing? When hardcore came bowling out of the UK underground, it was sci-fi postulating rendered on wax, but it also reflected an inescapable reality at street level. Idealist, escapologist music that said as much about decades of inner city pressure as it did about outer space fantasies. A sweet refrain underpinned by a necessary ruffness, the elegant ballet of a break dissected 16 different ways over 16 bars, the protest pulse of the subs carrying the torch from one soundsystem culture to another.

What hardcore successfully struck on was so definably alien it set a new paradigm which has been cast back and forth in dialogue ever since. Whole scenes have risen and receded around these principles, and the constant remains – masses of bass carrying angular rhythms, unnerving echo chambers of disembodied voices and moments of staggering beauty and masterful ugliness. These principles have a universal appeal that burns bright generation to generation, never seemingly diminishing but rather fortifying with time. Sometimes a surge of inspiration finds the principles reinterpreted in head-spinning new ways, but the ethic remains the same.

Those shaky, intrepid years of lo-fi samplers and narrow band broadcasts were defined by their lack of definition. Take a punt on a rare groove lick and work out how to get the low end louder. Then everything got organised – in the face of mass appeal scenes started splintering and preferences catered to. It may not have been a force for unity, but it engendered more intensive investigation. Years of scenes, styles, subgenres, niches, furrows, corridors, avenues, detours, each more hyper-specific than the last. Eventually though, everything breaks down so much it all becomes one mass again – a constant cross-contamination between these intensely cultivated strains, creating ever more potent hybrids that simply feed back into the temporal swirl.

London-based Kouslin's Le Chatroom imprint presents LCR003; a percussion-heavy release of four tracks from close friends and affiliates.

Taking inspiration from rhythms around the world and the uproar within the new-gen UK Funky scene, Le Chatroom once again exhibit their ethos of eclecticism that has found them in the record bags of the likes of Ben UFO and Call Super.

Big Brothers' frontman Amor Satyr (also of Parisian collective Boukan Records), channels heavy baile funk on 'Hohohoi', with razor-sharp low-end separation and haunting harmonies.

Soreab (Baroque Sunburst/BeatMachine) serves up a hearty cut of low-slung, tribal drum funk with a groove synonymous of Hessle Audio sets.

Having recently featured on an R&S Records compilation, plus a release on More Time Records, rising artist DJ Tess presents her new “Mala Femmina” alias and offers up a triplet-based 4x4 groove with relentless icy blows and rotating polyrhythms.

Livity Sound's Cando close out with a remix of Soreab's 'Cave Walk'. Racing away with dancefloor panic, the intricacies of the remix shine through via its claustrophobic and pristine mixdown.

COLLECTING ORDERS FOR RESTOCK!

The recent data dump from DJ house get the remix treatment from Coco Bryce & Desert Sound Colony - "breaks-jungle-house" in the mix! Pressed on limited 12" vinyl 300 copies Worldwide.

xpq?4 was recorded in sessions spring/fall 2019 slap happy heavily mutated outsider cautionary speculative breaks w/ glambient sheen culled from fractal sludge

Phyzikal Flex delivers four absolute bombs from the vaults on this colabo EP from Doom Chakra and Parallax. The 12" features two revised and polished versions from his 2017 Doom Chakra Tapes album, “Keeping It Real Since 92”, plus two unreleased tracks - available for the first time now on vinyl.

Parallax & Doom Chakra joined forces on this PARADOOM 0001 release in order to finally release these four long-awaited gems on wax. The release will be delivered in a unique hand-sprayed sleeve, each record will be hand-stamped and will also include a batch of collectible stickers from both labels. The record was mastered by Norman Nitzsche @ Calyx Mastering and cut by Phyzikal Flex himself and will be pressed at Optimal Media.

Borai will be instore at Container Records launching the EP, date TBC
Bristol based Borai returns to THEM records with a 4 track EP of 140bpm Jungle and Warehouse Techno. Ruffneck club music for 2018

DJ SUPPORT:
JoeFarr
Manni Dee
Lag
L Major
West Norwood Cassette Library

3 months on from the release of his debut album, Friske returns to Metalheadz for a one-off single showcasing some of his best work yet. Set to be released this October, Friske displays his much-loved production traits and attitudes towards drum and bass music via the amen-riddled 'Untitled Killa' and the intergalactic journey that is 'Persevere', this is a part of Friske's discography too good to miss.

Frustrated with UK club music's current fixation with tempo, London based artist Kouslin's '2020 Vision' EP delivers four cutting edge, high energy clubs tracks that hover around the 100bpm mark. Drawing on both dancehall influences and the productions of artists such as Harmonic 313 / Mark Pritchard and The Bug, Kouslin carves his own vision for a new decade in UK club music where fine tuned low frequencies and a slower pace can deliver maximum impact.

When he's not working at London's Phonica Records, Kouslin runs the Le Chatroom record label and has a regular slot on London's Balamii radio.

This 12” vinyl release comes with full colour artwork reverse board sleeve with artwork from Tess Redburn.

Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground music.

We are proud to welcome back San Francisco based DJ and producer Sepehr Alimagham for his debut album ‘Shaytoon’. Drenched in nostalgia from his upbringing, ‘Shaytoon’ pays homage to 1970s Iranian albums that were on rotation throughout his youth. Eight tracks of twisted acid, left-of center electro, sludgy psychedelia, and things-you-can-maybe-call-techno are a few of the sonic elements found within. Regular listeners will find Sepehr’s signature perspiratory dance-floor vibe, but some songs also showcase a low-slung, cerebral approach. Sepehr's unique sonic palette carves an interesting space in the dance music world by harnessing the spirit of his cultural ancestors. The artwork pays tribute to ‘70s Iranian pop and funk albums with bold Farsi calligraphy and portraits by Sahra Jajarmikhayat. In relation to the music, the album cover creates a dichotomy much like Throbbing Gristle's ’20 Funk Jazz Greats’. Berakhs (Dance).

HTS005 bring East Man & Walton back together for another collaborative single.
The A side, ‘Screw Face’, is a hard as nails square wave 8 bar banger with a big bad bass line that makes you want to screw up your face and jump around the dance floor.

The B side is a hard stepper that plods along at a seemingly glacial pace. ‘Don’t Speak’ brings a mix of off kilter percussion and chest rattling sub bass that when combined bring a deep meditative quality to the track. This is one for the head nodders in the dark corners of the dance.

In the years before ​Hunter Lombard​ perfected the gentle art of juxtaposing mega breakbeats with lush synth hooks, the New Yorker was an active rock musician. Citing the afterglow of her guitar background as a big influence for her current melodies and timbre, Lombard inhabits a sparsely populated intersection in dance music. For ​Schloss’​ third release, Lombard connects the dots between sweet rave nostalgia and clublands latest wrinkle. She has previously released on Volvox and John Barera’s label Jack Dept, and can often be found behind the decks at Elsewhere, Good Room or Bossa Nova Civic Club.
Slow Foam​ is mixed and mastered by Matt Karmil.

Various Artists: Introduction to Dungeon Rap ushers in a new movement in underground hip-hop. With a sound pulled from war time machinery, rituals and ancient runes, this 7" sampler pulls together cuts from the long sold-out tape release, with tracks coming from DJ Armok, Pillbox and DJ Bishop.

Released digitally last year, the idea for Skin Teeth's debut release Nebulous was the culmination of years of raving and listening to tapes from that golden era in UK Rave - early nineties.

Fresh filets to go,LP3 is on the menu

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Cropper has returned to Blah Blah Blah Records to follow up his world wide smash 'Forever'. Since marking BBB's tenth release in 2013 'Forever' has been snapped up by Universal, racked up half a million plays worldwide and played on Radio 1 by Pete Tong. To some such success may seem common place, or not that remarkable, however for artist and label these were very proud moments, not to mention moral boosting confirmations in their personal belief in the music they were presenting. A belief that has brought them back together for one more record. 'Sunlight FT. A.Z' is a hauntingly beautiful record with live double bass, searching strings, Jazz like keys and a whispy yet penetrating vocal all conspiring to dazzle the senses with its thought provoking beauty. Not your typical club record, but we're hoping that shouldn't matter. Following Sunlight is 'Shade' and like the title suggests there is a commonality as much as there is a stark difference between the two. An African spoken word sample sets the tone, as crisp weighty drums groove another 3am curveball straight into your record box. To be heard, not pontificated about with flowery words. Rounding out the package is a remix from the rather enigmatic and elusive Hackman. Hackman takes things down a slightly more linear route as he chops and reorganises the main elements to compliment his own engaging melodic interpretation of the source material.

As so many great schemes do, it started with a conversation in a pub. After several sporadic releases on Diffrent Music, including his renowned 2013 debut "Tongues", label boss Dexta wanted more music from Fearful. One thing led to another, and suddenly an album was in the works.

The result is "Interference"; a body of work that is reflective not only of the personal idiosyncrasies and aspirations of its London-based producer, but of an artist who has truly been set free of expectations.

Harnessing his own inbuilt need to defy convention, and looking to influences such as classical game soundtracks, experimental mastermind Amon Tobin, and the brooding tones of Akkord and Lorn, Fearful has crafted an album that's unpredictable yet cohesive, and definitive of his aim as an artist.

From the menacing ambient opener "Rocinante", through the glitchy techno of "The Traveler", skewed drum & bass of "Pulse 0" and "Through The Mist", to the roaring drone and pounding metal-inspired drumwork of closer "Gold To Dust", it's an album that demands full attention and repeat listening.

Nowhere is this free-roaming but pull-no-punches attitude summed up better than the title track. Building through eerie, twisted atmospherics - samples of electromagnetic interference, which can be found throughout the album - it clatters into a domineering breakbeat, before collapsing into a guttural, tribalist techno roller.

Where much of dance music draws on repetition, the concept of "Interference" is simple: progression. Whether that be changing motifs within tracks, switching genres within the album, or developing upon Fearful's own artistic strengths, it's an idea never more at home than on Diffrent Music, and we are very proud to present it.

Sense MC has teamed up with Diffrent Music to bring you "The Elephant In The Room LP", the debut album from Sense MC, produced by a hand picked selection of artists associated with the label and a few extra people who've worked with Sense in the past. It's been three years in the making, but is finally ready to be unleashed, #BuyTheAlbum

One of Detroit Electro's most unique producers Erik Travis is back!

Acid Skanking is dedicated to cross-cultural riddims. the first one drops versions of the ‚planck‘ riddim: acid basslines meets dub science on 162 bpm. there we go ska rude girls and boys skanking on acid. the flip side with the ‚hypernism planck‘ brings back old school hardcore on the same bassline inclusive a proper slamming hoover ending.

TVII SON's self-titled album is a glorious concoction of local and global, and combines rich immersion in music history and in-the-moment immediacy with uncanny ease. The trio of Florian, Mika Shkurat and vocalist / writer Lucy Zoria make, essentially, a kind of stripped-to-the-bone industrial dub, fizzing with white noise and quivering with soundsystem bass – but given a glorious pop infectiousness, thanks to the earworm phrases and phrasing of Lucy's vocals.

The name was chosen purely for how cool the letters look on the page but conceals intriguing lyricism (it means "your dream" in Ukrainian), and likewise their sound's simplicity hides deep intellect and emotion. Their roots are deep in both Kyiv and Berlin, with a sprinkling of extra cosmopolitanism from Lucy's part-American upbringing. Beneath the surface simplicity lies an intellectual and musical richness that belies all three members' backgrounds in punk / alternative scenes, and their immersion in everything from 90s WARP records to anime soundtracks. And there's both a vivid expression of Berlin's deep rooted electronic music culture and a proud sense of increasingly confident Ukrainian identity, still carrying the energy of the 2014 revolution even as its optimism has mutated into something darker and perhaps more determined.

The trio's history is tangled – seeds were sown when Mika worked on some visuals for Florian's modular synth band Driftmachine and a lasting friendship was forged. Mika and Lucy didn't meet till much later, despite having many friends in common – but when they did formed the trio Nisantashi Primary School. Florian fell for Lucy's unique style and when Nisantashi played Berlin in 2018, a new collaboration was forged.

Over 18 months, they built their frameworks of abstract sounds made into immediate rhythms, with Lucy's style adapting to the grooves until the total sound you hear now had coalesced. You might detect hints of King Midas Sound in the dub spaces, a little Pan Sonic in the crackle and hiss, some classic electroclash in the sass of the songs, even a bit of cheeky dancehall and grime in the sprung rhythms of “Simple Ends” and “Kilang” – but most of all you'll naturally focus on the totality of those songs. It only takes one listen for Lucy's memorable phrases like “clinging to what we love as it slips out of vogue”, and “give me your chastest kiss” to fix in your mind, and a second listen for the songs to become old favourites. The roots of this record might be tangled but its effect is brilliantly, beautifully direct.

B•O•M is the fifth album by freak electronic producer NCHX (NOCHEXXX). A percussive planet of acid-techno, UK bass, house and electro-phonk, hosed down with a chemical wash of post-dubstep and UK bleep contaminants.

Departing with a tube station screech, HUNTING HIDES signals a lone defender’s ride through the underground - trace amounts of musique concrete dart around the tunnel walls, while sub-low cushions the rumble. ENTERCOL is perfect 3am mix fodder; saturation hot-points push beneath a middle eastern theme, whilst SEVENTH GUN TERRITORY is pure rapid-fire bongo bizness - a concrete terrain punctuated with corrugated metal grids and moving shadows: distorted poly-metered brutalism! CYBERTUSH is the perfect OST to a club littered with vape pens, while B-Boi bots flirt with promiscuous A.I.

Arguably the most fierce cut is TEFLONTUAN - an ode to NCHX’s favourite pro Antuan Dixon - the Deathwish skater lands bolts with the illest of steeze. Side-chained 303 squelch rattles alongside x0x sequenced drums as wavetable pads float above kinked rails. A nights gallop over city curbs. The LP signs off with LOCATION SCOUT, a SpaceX sample-return mission heading back to earth with a fistful of deep house red planet crumble.

“A dance floor’s dream and a mixing engineer’s nightmare” - Resident Advisor

Australia’s Consulate (1/2 of Senate) brings his dark mix of
techno, jungle and UK Garage to Bitterfeld for their 5th release.