Beats News

Leaders of the new generation and purveyors of dancefloor chaos Serum, Voltage and Bladerunner return to the frontline of drum & bass with their debut, self-titled album 'Kings Of The Rollers'. Whilst each have their own high-grade production style, these three royals have managed to create a sum greater than their parts, as they steamroll through all the rules to deliver an absolute bruiser of an LP. Across seventeen tracks expect up-front rollers, techy 2-step beats and pure knockout D+B
bangers, complemented with slick jazzy numbers and a wide variety of vocallead tracks. It's safe to say they've lived up to the hype with their most dynamic and diverse release to date.
Amongst the carnage highlights include 'You Got Me'. A towering tear-out beast ladened with thrashing amens and a thundering bassline that's ready to push every speaker to it's limits. Low frequency growler 'Shella' is peppered with steppy jungle nuances, with Mancunian dance music innovator Chimpo
featuring on both production and vocals for an all-round roughneck sheller. 'Round Here' is a brazen jungle prowler with Bristolian lyricist Redders at the helm for a future classic anthem.
Whilst being predominantly known for their heavyweight productions and outrageous D+B screamers, the new album also showcases a variety of different flavours. Jungle roller 'On The Run' features the smooth spoken word of Queen Rose and 'Tisno' brings a warm steppy swing, inspired by their time
spent at the very first Hospitality On The Beach.
Hospital's three kings have set the scene on fire with their electrifying DJ sets and headline festival performances. Their new 'Royal Rumble' tour takes them
all over the UK in 2019 with shows in London, Bristol, Brighton, Manchester and beyond.

Nahash lands on Shanghai’s SVBKVLT label with his debut album, a frenetic re-mapping of dembow and junglist blueprints made in the image of the label’s wild and thrilling programme, featuring a collaboration with Osheyack plus remixes from Elvin Brandhi, Gabber Modus Operandi and DJ Plead.
Following a crazy run of releases from 33EMYBW, Gooooose, Slikback & Hyph11E, GMO and others, ‘Flowers of the Revolution’ almost feels like an updated mission statement from the label; a wild and futuristic tangle of opposites inspired by the legacy of U.S. interference in South American politics, deploying a rhythmic energy that feels angry and vital.
It’s an Amen-heavy landscape disrupted by a world of incongruous sounds like some colossal babushka doll revealing layer after layer of angular and liquid rhythmic structures, from the symphonic strings and clipped gun reloads on opener ‘The Horns’ to the adrenalised dembow mutation “A Secret Christian Influence” and the more brooding sci-fi swagger on ‘Pluie Éternelle’
On the remixes, Elvin Brandhi enlists Kanja from Nyege Nyege Tapes’ soon to be unveiled Duma project for a brilliantly unhinged sci-fi jamboree that reminds us of the wildest and most exhilarating end of the DHR spectrum, Gabber Modus Operandi turn ‘A Secret Christian Influence’ into a stripped, prism-pushing KuduroXGabber fantasy, and DJ Plead provides the biggest highlight here on his closing ‘A Better Future’ refix; a widescreen, sub-heavy anthem with signature Mahraganat drums and fucking amazing sidechain pads that makes for an almost misty-eyed finale to the dance.

Nídia flashes peak time dancefloor chops on a club-ready partner 12” to her superb 2nd album.
Where the album explores slower, melodic taraxho and R&B, Nídia’s 12” is built strictly for the rave with four tracks of proper dancefloor shapes made in her own style of electrifying body music compatible with heat from Nigga Fox to Nazar and the kind of style you might hear in a Shannen SP set.
‘Chef’ boots off royally with militant snares and rave fanfares locked to a churning technoid flow somewhere between Kuduro, Baile Funk and EBM trance, while ‘Hard’ rolls out on a stentorian, rictus march recalling vintage UKF, and ‘Jam Master’ strikes up high intensity trance riffs synched to industrial strength rhythms a la Nkisi, and the tumbling drums of ‘Munun’ sidewinds off along rhythmelodic vectors recalling a tempered Shackleton piece or a prime, deep Peder Mannerfelt workout.

One of the UK’s most respected electronic artists, Al Wootton (formerly known as Deadboy) presents his first album under the Al Wootton name, Witness.

2x12'' bundle includes the original album and remix EP with
reinterpretations by Freakadelle resident artists Pawa, Mad Rider, Juergen Vonbank, Markmechanik & guests Patrick Pulsinger & Karafiat.

This vinyl double pack EP brings you the flavours of 1989-92 when the underground scene was changing from hardcore and the beginning of Junglism. These 8 tracks of gems from Noise Factory and Potential taken from Ibiza's back catalogue showcases their musical impact and progression from the start of the rave scene...

A.Box Bass: This track made in 1989-90 was the 2nd release by Ibiza Crew which then changed to Noise Factory in the early days of the label. It was a game changer with that one finger bassline that shook windows n doors LITERALLY…

A first release for Seba & Paradox as a duo on Metalheadz is as special as its billing makes out to be. Although being situated in Sweden and Lithuania may provide many stumbling blocks, not to mention Paradox's insistence on physical 'in personal' studio sessions, the guys still manage to retain a production line amongst the best in underground jungle.

The impeccable brand new Metalheadz single is a brief excursion from their flourishing joint label venture and kicks off which looks set to be our busiest year ever.


PRESS/ONLINE:

Support from Mixmag, DJ Mag, UKF, Drum & Bass Arena, Hyponik, Bass Explorer, Tsugi , PhutureLabs, Bonafide Mag, In Reach, FACT, The Wire, DJ MAG USA Data Transmission, Resident Advisor, RBMA, Electronic Beats, Big Up Magazine, XLR8R, Skank N Bass, Boiler Room, Faze Mag, SB.TV, Noisey, Rolling Stone, Dazed and Confused, The Ransom Note, Electronic Beats, The fader, Billboard, Drum & Bassics, Mixmag Asia, Vice, Faze Mag, Bitch Slap Mag, In Reach, Thump x Vice, Track It Down Feats, DJ Mag Aus, Complex, Nu:Sounds, Complex, Noisey, Insomniac, Ninja Ninja, OneHourOneDJ, Dnb Dojo, Inflect, Bassrush, When We Dip, Nest HQ, Pilerats, Soundplate, Dummy Magazine, De:bug, Streetwear Today, Groove Mag, Clash Magazine, Different Grooves, Laif Magazine, IAMMUSIC, iD, Dancing Astronaught, Stoney Roads, Clash Magazine, Your EDM, Less Than 3, Beat Plexity, Inverted Audio, earmilk, This Song Is Sick, Esquire, GQ, NME, ShortList, SPIN, Time Out, Noise Porn, Eargasm, The Burning Ear, This Is Fanatical, All Things Go, Pidgeon’s and Planes, Neurofunk Grid, Stereogum, One Hour One DJ, Louder Than War and Shadowboxing.org.

Steppas Records is back with another heavyweight single in collaboration with Dubzoic, Alpha & Omega and Fikir Amlak.

The earth-rocker sounds of Italian producer, Dubzoic, alongside A&O's mystical foundation style, blend with Caribbean/American singer Fikir Amlak's ethereal and enchanting lyrical and vocal talents to deliver a stand-out Soundsystem single.

This release features Dubzoic and Fikir's original vocal edit, with a mystical flute cut plus two incredible mixes from UK dub pioneers Alpha & Omega (Greensleeves, Steppas Records).

Until now played as an exclusive dubplate, Steppas Records is excited to unleash this tune to the world, beautifully mastered and pressed to limited edition vinyl.

Though citizens the world over are trapped inside under lockdown measures, freshly minted Brighton label, DNO Records, continues traversing the globe to highlight rising talents from the international bass community.

Release number two - the ‘Kiswahili’ EP - comes from CITY1, himself something of a wandering spirit. He hails from the Okinawa islands in Japan’s tropical southern tip, a place of teeming coral reefs and long golden sands, where inhabitants are known for living long lives. Having moved to the bustling capital of Tokyo, CITY1 has since joined Goth-Trad’s Back To Chill crew.

Ibiza Records is now collaborating with the legendary DJ SS who played an important role in the '90s development of Jungle n Drum & Bass, genres n becoming one of the major recognized producers in the U.K.

In 2020 releasing a number of back catalogue tracks on his co-owned Formation label.
This album showcases both released and unreleased tracks influenced by the musical paradigm shift from hardcore and acid house into the much darker and faster jungle sound that still packs a punch to this day.

1.Rampage 95: Between The Lines: The alias for this project came from SS always wanting to go deeper into subjects and read between the lines…. In terms of the track 1995 was one of DJ SS’ biggest years for killing the Jungle scene and was storming the scene in a Rampage…

2.Were Rolling: This track made in 1995 under the alias for this project came from SS always wanting to go deeper into subjects and read between the lines…. In terms of the track 1995 was one of DJ SS’ biggest years for killing the Jungle scene and was storming the scene in a Rampage…

3.Smokers Rythmn: This tracked made in 1994 under another alias of Dj SS n during the 90’s a lot more people smoked than now a days. However always being a non-smoker SS had to spend a lot of time around people who did, so the name was a gimmick for the time. SS has never endorsed smoking…

An assemblage of production across labels such as DEXT, Fabric/Houndstooth, Sound Pellegrino and his own GUNNER imprint has seen Troy traverse a multitude of tempos and club conditions. Paving the way for his debut EP on Only Ruins, ONRU004 is a luminous four-track 12" that exercises a complex and heavy-duty sound design.

DJ Support
Call Super, Will Bankhead (TTT), Breakwave, Batu, Jon K, Laurent Garnier, Minor Science (Whities/AD 93), Madam X (NTS), Peder Mannerfelt, Zenker Brothers, re:ni & Laksa (NTS), Machine Woman, TSVI/Anunaku, Hodge, Aquarian, Pessimist, Anina (Happy Skull), DJ Plead, Solid Blake, Simo Cell, Om Unit, Boris (Berghain), Dr Banana, Edmondson, Orson (version), Ciel (Discwoman), Nabihah Iqbal (NTS), Feloneezy, Gigsta, Secret Sundaze (NTS), My Nu Leng, Barely Legal, Danny Daze (Omnidisc) +more

Great collection of tracks released on the Warriors Dance label, This is an updated and expanded 2019 version of the compilation 89' that boasts some unreleased DAT tape outtakes and cuts that have never seen the light of day - until now! This compilation is crammed full of the breakbeats, deep as the centre of the earth basslines, left-field influenced acid cuts and dubwise new-wave esque dance sounds..

This new compilation, a statement of intercultural music production, features collaborations of Slikback (PAN), KMRU, Tite (Fragile), Jinku, Pier Alfeo (Backwards) ... recorded during a residency in Elefant Studio, Nairobi.

The compilation will follow a 45mn documentary dedicated to the Kenyan Scene.

After two vinyl releases highlighting two musical currents rooted in an era and a territory - Benga in Kenya and Tarantismo in Italy; Flee Project unveils its sub-label, Extra Muros, linked to an itinerant creative residency program that aims to bring together innovative and creative artists from all around the globe for a two-week long production and writing camp. Open to all, it promotes underground sounds and artists in search of sonic experiments and discoveries. Is held every year in changing locations and countries.

Extra Muros - Kenya, is the result of the creative residency program organized by FLEE in September 2019 in Nairobi at the Elefant Studio. For three weeks, seven musicians: Slikback (KE), Karun (KE), Jinku (KE), KMRU (KE), Flexfab (CH), Pier Alfeo (IT) and Tite (FR), and producers from all over the world and from Kenya came together to produce and to create this unique sound that emerged from a large variety of artistic environments and soundscapes. This compilation is a statement of intercultural music production in the digital age.

Apollo welcome Metalheadz veterans Om Unit AKA Jim Coles and Kid Drama / Jon Convex AKA Damon Kirkham for a 4 track EP of blissed out autonomic dnb.

The duo originally met on the DJ circuit, Coles had been a longtime fan of instra:mental, Kirkham's pioneering project with Alex Green AKA Boddika
"I had their fabriclive CD with dBridge in my car on repeat," Coles enthuses. "What those guys were up to felt like a new start for my appreciation of modern drum n bass music. It was like a new form of architecture."

Kirkham picks up the narrative; "Yeah it would have been during my Convex period, I was bouncing back and forward between London and Sydney and playing with people like Machinedrum and Mark Pritchard. I'd heard some of Jims stuff and we had a long chat and in 2013 we did a collab on Exit with my Kid drama alias.

Immediately hitting it off over a shared affinity for cold architectural aesthetics, a friendship blossomed; "Getting to hang out with Damon here and there over the years has always been insightful, we both think about stuff deeply, we come from a fairly broad appreciation of music in general, rooted in rave stuff but loving loads of types of music."

The pair continued to send tracks and ideas back and forth for subsequent years but nothing was finished, until recently when something shifted and progress began to come quickly and the four tracks of 'The Untitled Works EP' began to form. The release sees the duo explore their affinity for widescreen synth pads and hypnotic rhythms with a rich seam of jungle influences shooting through the gossamer ambiance. While well suited for headphones, in the right hands a couple of the tracks will cause dancefloor damage.

Santé's AVOTRE returns for its 58th release with 'Trust the Matrix' EP, two tracks from Mathias Kaden and a remix courtesy of Joey Daniel.

Hailing from Berlin, Kaden has released on an array of respected imprints, notably Freude am Tanzen and Vakant which shaped his early production and DJ career. Following a busy schedule of international touring, the Cocoon Ibiza resident now steps up for his AVOTRE debut.

Lead track 'Matrix' jumps immediately into peak-time pace, a winding bassline laced with jacking and hypnotic melodies. 'Trust' follows suite and is an unassuming dancefloor destroyer which is already a staple of label boss Santé's sets.

Rotterdam's Joey Daniel delivers a robust reinterpretation of 'Matrix' that rounds off this weighty package. Daniel's been a mainstay of the Holland house scene having carved his career via his renowned 300MPH parties.

DJ Support:

Roman Fluëgel, Archie Hamilton, Maceo Plex, Joseph Capriati, Tiga, Nicole Moudaber, Richie Hawtin, Claptone, Kollektiv Turmstrasse and many more.

After a two year hiatus VARY imprint is back with their third installment called “HiConcentrated Music“ which is a 5 track strong trip through Footwork, Beats, Ambient & R’n’B Bits, produced by Schmeichel in his basement studio underneath the store. Fans of DJ Rashad, RP Boo, post Dilla beat scene to Jordan Rakei should dig this.
Comes with another homemade graphic design by Julian Kramer.

Astrophonica maintain pace in 2020 as Philip D Kick returns to the label with the 6 track “As We Continue”. Following 2018’s “Pathways” Jim Coles aka Om Unit aka Philip D Kick adds some shine and sparkle to his already near perfect and persistent formula. Coles remains dedicated to blurring the lines and joining the dots. As we continue . . .

786 Recordings launch another series from a new roster addition: ISKELETOR
The 78666 is a series born with the idea of having NO RULES AT ALL. Every BPM / Track Length / Structures is admitted. What’s important? Music have to come directly from your worst nightmares.

Infernal Sounds welcome back Taiko to the fold as they celebrate their 20th release on the label with a stinking 3-track EP from the Sheffield-based producer. Having previously featured on IFS009 with Darkimh on the track 'Unwarp', it's time for him to take centre stage and unleash this all-rounded release, showcasing exactly why he's one of the most sought after producers under the 140 spectrum. The 'Giant Big Man' EP delivers all of the known traits from Taiko's productions - a dynamic percussion, intricate use of vocal snips, laced with grimey undertones. The EP is pressed on 180g vinyl, and finished with a full sleeve design from returning illustrator, Emily Dayson.

Having received major support from the likes of Sicaria Sound, N-Type and Truth, amongst many other top drawer DJ's, this is a must-own piece of art to add to your collection.

The second album to be reissued by Mannequin and Platform 23 Records of the music from Bourbonese Qualk, Hope saw the politically active musical entity expand on their mix of music, art and politics.

Staunchly independent, doing the recording and design via their Recloose Organisation label, by 1984 the group had occupied a large disused building on the Old Kent Road, becoming the base for the band's activities as well as other creative and political activism.

Recorded at the Ambulance Station, Hope is full of unceasing drum machine rhythms, electro pulses, echoing samples and lo-fi synths matched with strummed guitars and dub bass. The accompanying drones and snarled vocals go beyond any early 80's industrial tag to be something more unique, with the uncompromising, conceptual and avant flashes showing a more experimental buzz, an awkward quasi-funk noisy nuisance.

Remastered by Rude 66, this is music as much for then and today, a radical, revolutionary cultural force that acts as a positive social charge.

UPFRONT HEAT
A short story soundtracked by Consulate:
Track 1 - skipping into the rave, reefer on the go, and you're just about to hit a tab...!
Track 2 - you stumble into the blue room, gun shots going off!!! locking and loading all over the place..? f*!!
Track 3 - huh? sounds like the DJ is playing a lost Photek production at half speed - oh wait...I'm tripping, good sh*t though!
Track 4 - you're out the other side, pure rave/ euphoria..."I love my m8's, now where did I leave them?!"

A short description:
4 dubbed-out cuts in deep rave mode...


DJ Support
Gerd Janson, FaltyDL, Happa, Pugilist, The Black Madonna, Ronan, Claire Morgan, Neil Barnes (Leftfield), Yushh, DJ bwin, Extrawelt, Vera, Darwin, Stacey Sexton, William Djoko, Butter Sessions, Matthew Herbert, ItaloJohnson, Animals Dancing, Danny Daze, Karima F, Object Blue, Sherelle, Amy Becker, Andy Garvey, Upsammy, Kikelomo, Nina Kraviz, Chris Farrell, Marco Zenker, Gigsta, Vladimir Ivkovic, Photonz, DJ Barely Legal, Asquith, Dogpatrol, Breaka, Jossy Mitsu, Ciel, Mad Miran, Nick Craddock, JD Twitch, Mosca, Mark Archer, Lovefingers + more to follow

Repress

Properly head-melting debut album from Beatrice Dillon featuring/including contributions from Kuljit Bhamra, Laurel Halo, Batu, Untold, Kadialy Kouyate, Jonny Lam, Verity Susman, Kenichi Iwasa, Lucy Railton, Petter Eldh, James Rand and Morgan Buckley...bit early to call aoty 2020?

"‘Workaround’ is the lucidly playful and ambitious solo debut album by rhythmobsessive musician and DJ, Beatrice Dillon for PAN. It combines her love of UK club music’s syncopated suss and Afro- Caribbean influences with a gamely experimental approach to modern composition and stylistic fusion, using inventive sampling and luminous mixing techniques adapted from modern pop to express fresh ideas about groove-driven music and perpetuate its form with timeless, future-proofed clarity. Recorded over 2017-2019 between studios in London, Berlin and New York, ‘Workaround’ renders a hypnotic series of polymetric permutations at a fixed 150bpm tempo.

Mixing meticulous FM synthesis and harmonics with crisply edited acoustic samples from a wide range of guests including UK Bhangra pioneer Kuljit Bhamra (tabla); Pharoah Sanders Band’s Jonny Lam (pedal steel guitar); techno innovators Laurel Halo (synth/vocal) and Batu (samples); Senegalese Griot Kadialy Kouyaté (Kora), Hemlock’s Untold and new music specialist Lucy Railton (cello); amongst others, Dillon deftly absorbs their distinct instrumental colours and melody into 14 bright and spacious computerised frameworks that suggest immersive, nuanced options for dancers, DJs and domestic play. ‘Workaround’ evolves Dillon’s notions in a coolly unfolding manner that speaks directly to the album’s literary and visual inspirations, ranging from James P. Carse’s book ‘Finite And Infinite Games’ to the abstract drawings of Tomma Abts or Jorinde Voigt as well as painter Bridget Riley’s essays on grids and colour. Operating inside this rooted but mutable theoretical wireframe, Dillon’s ideas come to life as interrelated, efficient patterns in a self-sufficient system. With a naturally fractal-not-fractional logic, Dillon’s rhythms unfold between unresolved 5/4 tresillo patterns, complex tabla strokes and spark-jumping tics in a fluid, tactile dance of dynamic contrasts between strong/light, sudden/restrained, and bound/free made in reference to the notational instructions of choreographer Rudolf Laban. Working in and around the beat and philosophy, the album’s freehand physics contract and expand between the lissom rolls of Bhamra’s tabla in the first, to a harmonious balance of hard drum angles and swooping FM synth cadence featuring additional synth and vocal from Laurel Halo in ‘Workaround Two’, while the extruded strings of Lucy Railton create a sublime tension at the album’s palatecleansing denouement, triggering a scintillating run of technoid pieces that riff on the kind of swung physics found in Artwork’s seminal ‘Basic G’, or Rian Treanor’s disruptive flux with a singularly tight yet loose motion and infectious joy. Crucially, the album sees Dillon focus on dub music’s pliable emptiness, rather than the moody dematerialisation of reverb and echo.

The substance of her music is rematerialised in supple, concise emotional curves and soberly freed to enact its ideas in balletic plies, rugged parries and sweeping, capoeira-like floor action. Applying deeply canny insight drawn from her years of practice as sound designer, musician and hugely knowledgable/intuitive DJ, ‘Workaround’ can be heard as Dillon’s ingenious solution or key to unlocking to perceptions of stiffness, darkness or grid-locked rigidity in electronic music. And as such it speaks to an ideal of rhythm-based and experimental music ranging from the hypnotic senegalese mbalax of Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force, through SND and, more currently, the hard drum torque of DJ Plead; to adroitly exert the sensation of weightlessness and freedom in the dance and personal headspace."

This is something special... Certain:Dubs continue their journey through the realms of original onground muzak with special guest Aztek from Sheffield/UK.

Aztek brings deeply moving energy vibes with 'Pacinos Dub' and 'Walk The Plank', two solid and bass heavy tunes with a distinct atmosphere. Proper speakers are recomended. This sound is designed to be felt!

This is a limited vinyl only release.

As witnessed in the preceding decades of electronic music fragmentation, it is a bit of a phenomenon that entire threads of sound exist elusively between the tempos and syncopation of rhythm and percussion of each respective genre. just as dubstep was evolved into & somewhat stumbled upon it is somewhat certain that many more areas of illumination lurk in the echoes & shadows of sound.

As has been hinted on sonically with Surface Tension I, Clubroot's previous release & first foray into the second decade of the new millennium, the elusive aforementioned producer from St. Albans has managed to alloy a new sound with the swing and BPM of uk garage, space, air and atmosphere of true dubstep, and with all the unparalleled virtuosity and unmistakable aural DNA of Clubroot, which we dare say is rarely equaled. in doing so, clubroot illuminates the realm of uk garage and electronic music in general towards a currently unforeseen future.

Surface Tension: II further explores these discoveries and further reinvents them in the process. starting with the expansive 'Infatuated'; with its gradual, intensifying movements towards the ultimate reveal, and supported by the equally singular 'Explorer' and 'For You', Surface Tension: II is as much an additional high watermark in clubroot's overall discography as it is a companion piece to Surface Tension: I in both its genre-straddling style and overall ethos, with the vinyl release being pressed on one-time 'solar flare' color vinyl featuring moving original art which stylistically continues the narrative through the as of yet not fully revealed tetraptych.

It has been a long time coming. Birmingham producer ENiGMA Dubz has not only influenced dubstep as a genre, he truly shaped the duploc platform from literally the very beginning, going back all the way to October 2012 when he was featured with the channel’s first ever upload.

Along the way several releases from ENiGMA Dubz have been pushed on platform while the support and respect have been mutual. ENiGMA Dubz did already work together with the DUPLOC imprint as well a few times, although now he is releasing his first ever solo vinyl record and of course that is coming through on DUPLOC.

For “DUPPLATES Vol. 4” he carefully prepared a collection of his absolute finest productions. Expect a mixture of raw cuts as well as heavyweight rollers with "The Eyes" holding an iconic sound on his full-fledged 12-inch debut plate.

Proudly presenting the 3rd instalment in our 'Edition' series - Edition 3 (Various artists LP). It includes tracks from Alix Perez, Machinedrum, Lordel, Deft, Visages, Monty, Ternion Sound, Drone, Cesco, and Bredren. In keeping with our ethos as a platform for multiple styles of music, this release spans tempos from 85-140-170 bpm. The artwork is a continuation of our previous releases, made by Sineater. This release will be available as a 3 piece vinyl set, and as digital.

A loose, organic swarm of steel-bound percussion, meditative bass frequencies and improvisational tonal shifts mark the second instalment of Gaia Tones, with the label’s vision remaining conscious: one track per side filling the entirety of the 12” plate, giving these tunes a life of their own. GT002 sparks to life with side A’s “Chains”, a warped, mystical groove that speaks for the imprint’s deep-rooted sufferation. With a slow-burning swagger of four-to-the-floor, side B’s “Shackles” digs deeper into the earth’s elements, allowing the room to fill up with that familiar gust of machine haze. Experimentation with a message."

Comes in hand made sleeve artwork.

New Zealand native and master of bass, Headland returns to System Music with another slice of production wizardry built and ready to shut down dancefloors and sound systems across the world.

On the A side sits Garbo, a monster of a track which rips through the speakers with aggression and bounce. It’s as intimidating as it is funky and as experimental as it is absolutely heavyweight. Bound to shut down every rave in which it graces its presence.

The B side homes Grits. A skippy stepper of a track with a densely dark atmosphere drenched in digital yet glacial sounds and nuances, easily translatable from the dance to the headphones.

One of the hottest upcoming artists in the 140 spectrum, Fiend debuts on Infernal Sounds with the beautifully mesmerising Emeralds EP. The Bristol-based producer has previously released on the likes of J. Sparrow's Navy Cut and most recently on Chord Marauders, displaying his versatility and ease to produce tracks of various styles and soundscapes. This release is no different, acutely bending between the lighter textures with 'Emeralds', to the more heavy and soundsystem kicking 'Solar', whilst finding the perfect balance of light and dark in the B2 track, 'Omen'. To top it all off, Infernal Sounds have called on their cavalry and one of their elite in dub-master Bukkha has given the title track, 'Emeralds' his own spin to add another tier of depth to this already, magical EP.

The aesthetic of the release is once again polished to perfection, with Emily Dayson Illustration returning to give the plate an extra special touch on the artwork centre labels.

Over the past year, the release has received heavy support from the likes of Truth, J:Kenzo, Sicaria Sound, Taiko and Quasar, among many others. It's one to add to your collection, so you can blast it at home, take it for a spin on the dance floor or even frame on your wall - a really special release from top to bottom, inside and out.

(Please note these are handpaintesd sleeves that have been handled and aren't always perfect - part of their charm - but please be aware)

One of 2020’s most distinctive new dance and electronic soul LPs, ‘Não Fales Nela Que A Mentes’ sees Kuduro auteur Nídia come into her own with a strikingly fresh, deep and original showcase of Afro-Portuguese dance music.
Five years on from Nídia’s debut 12”, and notable recent production and remix work for Fever Ray, Kelela and Yaeji, the Lisbon/Bordeaux-based wunderkind’s 2nd album lays out a supremely supple and crisply defined sound placing a critical, dare-to-be-different spin on elements of the African Zouk, Kuduro, Tarraxho and US R&B sounds she grew up with. Now after becoming something of a cult one-to-watch, and still only barely in her 20’s, Nídia’s sound has patently matured in terms of its emotional levity and pacing, but at no expense to the thrilling, rude angularity of her early 12” and 2017 debut LP ‘Nídia É Má, Nídia É Fudida’. Nídia’s music is now just cooler, concentrated and on-point stylish in a remarkable way that uncannily matches the mood of the times.
Showing off sharply honed melodic sensibilities and nudging her drums into singular syncopations, Ndia’s subtle but radical alteration to her sound now calls to mind beats by Timbaland, Lenky, The Neptunes or Equiknoxx (even LL Cool J) as much as her label mates on Príncipe. By stripping her sound down to its essence, rather than cluttering with FX or bait sounds, she’s arrived at a raw dancefloor blueprint that’s tough playing but sensitive, unafraid to go slow, heavy and heads-down in the club while also packing combustible peaks of excitement.
With effortless suss, Nídia shifts from an ‘Intro’ of experimental rave minimalism comparable to Rian Treanor,
to a mix of Arabic wind motifs and clipped Deep South bounce recalling Virginia Beach’s best on ‘Popo’, while a trio of ‘Rap’ instrumentals tilt the game from mutant drill to 3-step sickness and a super strong nod to LL Cool J’s ‘I Need Love’. Zipped in with the a bubbling 8-bit slow banger ’Tarraxo do Guetto’ and grimy shockout eruption of ‘Capacidades’, Nídia’s cool hand on the pressure gauge keeps interest rapt until the finalé fanfare of ‘Emotions’, which surely matches the likes of Lex Luger or The Dream’s brassy mini-symphonies for emotive grip, but in a less muscular, more sensitively ambiguous way that Nídia coolly owns.

*Plain Sleeve Repress*