Beats News

Frendzone returns with another split EP featuring tracks from Violet and Denham Audio.

Refreshing, ruff & ready sounding white label that’s landed out of nowhere, pulling on sounds from the early days of FWD>> as well as old-skool hardcore and 8-bar grime.

The first Exit Records release of 2020 sees borderlandstate_the best kisser in l.a join forces for an EP that traverses through different shades without compromising on identity. The collaboration between the pairing came to being very organically according to Borderland State: "Me and The Best Kisser in LA started messing about in the studio a few years back. No intention to finish anything, let alone play it to anyone."

dBridge then heard the tracks and the result is EXIT088, a debut on the label and a great way to start the new decade. The label owner picked ‘Hello Mainframe’ out as his key track from his recent Essential Mix.

The guys go on to shed more light on the creative process:

"Our music develops chaotically. We add things and add things and throw most of them away. We use synths, pedals, and delay units and record them into a laptop which, against all odds, continues to struggle on. tracks live across three or four project files because the layering of sounds is dense. we sample ourselves back and forth, not knowing where things will end up, looking for the right texture"

The significance of dBridge, Exit and Autonomic shouldn't be underestimated for Borderland State and The Best Kisser in LA, we're told that "Our influences are disparate but Autonomic was a constant. without him (dBridge) and Instra:mental, these tracks would not exist."

EXIT088 is a new interpretation of the Exit sound by borderlandstate_the best kisser in l.a, the branches have stretched further and the roots have become stronger as the label continues its unstoppable growth.

Repress!

London’s Will Hofbauer has been steadily making a name for himself in the UK capital over the past few years via his own Third Place Records and Co-Select, an event series he runs alongside his collective with a focus on gender equality in DJ Culture, curating back to back sets with a balanced representation. Here we see Will mark a new milestone in his career with his production debut via New York’s HOMAGE Records, while hotly tipped producer and DJ Desert Sound Colony steps in on remix duties, known for his material on labels such as Scissor & Thread, Me Me Me, Futureboogie and of course his own Holding Hands.

DJ Support
The Black Madonna - (We Still Believe) "Great!"
Jason Kendig - Honey Sound System (Dark Entries) "wild and fun."
Red Axes - (I'm a Cliche, Phantasy Sound) "Thanks!"
Gramrcy - (FTD/Ancient Monarchy) "A1 bangs :)"
DJ Autumn (Banoffee Pies) "ace record. and cool remix from liam. rocks off is a roller. supporting x"
DJ Fart In The Club - (Imaginary Friend (Berlin / South Korea) "thanks 4 the bangers"
Barely Legal - (Rinse FM) "lively"
Jennifer Cardini - (Correspondent, Kill The DJ) "Thank you"
re:ni - (NTS) "think whiplash would go down well in the club"
HAAi - (Coconut Beats, Rinse) "This is excellent! Thank you <3"
Shy One - (RinseFM, Balamii) "nice!"

'Hold Your Colour', the debut album from Pendulum gets a one off limited Vinyl repress (1000 copies worldwide) on Breakbeat Kaos of it's original 2005 pressing, with original artwork and features 6 album cuts (one track per side as DJ friendly vinyl)
Breakbeat Kaos celebrates its 15th Birthday in 2018 with this limited repress and a brand new compilation 'Junglesound: Revenge of the Bass (15 Years of BBK)"
'Hold your Colour' was originally released in July 2005 on Breakbeat Kaos and went on to gain Pendulum worldwide critical acclaim and festival headline slots. This vinyl pressing comes with some of the more club friendly tracks from the album.

2020 Repress

Joy Orbison has been celebrated for finding a sound that marries elements of house, two-step, jungle, techno and dubstep. Alongside the release of the gargantuan "Hyph Mngo" (released on Hot Flush in late 2009 and has topped the end of year charts across the globe) and material on his own imprint Doldrums, notorious mixes for Radio 1 have only served to cement Joy Orbison's renown. Both ‘The Shrew’ and ‘So Derobe’ pick up where ‘Hyph Mngo’ blasted off… devilishly catchy melodies and basslines, full of feeling and soul, evolve and grow as the arrangement develops to leave you on an almighty high. Big drops, super heavy drum programming and grooves that sound like only Joy Orbison right now. There’s shades of garage, shades of funky, shades of old school R&B. Pete wears his influences on his sleeve yet re-wraps them in his own unmistakable and truly unique style. Actress’s Neu Haus refix is the perfect foil for this package. A raw, almost unconstructed tool that in the right hands will create huge tension on the floor. Actress, aka, Darren J. Cunningham has in the last 5 years of running the Werk label set himself apart as one of the hottest A&R scouts within his field, having discovered and released some of the most widely talked about artists of the emerging bass generation, namely Disrupt, Zomby, Lukid and Starkey. As actress he produced the exceptional "Hazyville LP" drawing cries for a Mercury Award Nomination. He's remixed the too cool for school Various Production, written for the seminal techno imprint Soma and has recently confirmed an album deal to record on Honest Jons, the British Independent record label created and founded by Damon Albarn.

Shanghai’s game-leading Svbkvlt cru drop a vinyl edition of the Aphex Twin and Kode 9-backed ‘Cache 01’ set, brimming with forward club zingers by Tzusing, Gooooose, 33EMYBW, Gabber Modus Operandi, Zaliva-D and many more ‘Cache 01’ speaks to the abundance of prism-pushing electronic mutants presently at work in the Far East. Where too many Western artists right now are caught in the retro-vintage, shabby chic trap, every one of the artists featured here embrace the here and now, and what’s to come, with a fervently infectious alacrity and directness that’s hard to ignore and has seen the label showered with praise from all corners of the worldwide music media.
We’re all spoilt for choice with the highlights, but a few really stand out. The wildly ricocheting 808 proprioception of Gooooose’s ‘Arp Kicks’ is right up there with the best we’ve heard in recent years; Swimful impresses with the hard-ass, keening grime designs and descending sirens of ‘Nailz’; Indonesia’s Gabber Modus Operandi send us reeling with the mix of wailing traditional horns, gamelan and gabber kicks in ‘Sangkakala II’; Hyph11e precogs the deathly march of the robots with the reconfigured D&B and noise of ’Sinking’; MIIN strikes a class fusion of dembowdancehall and IDM in ‘Metagame’; and Zaliva-D exert a powerful sidespin with the rugged battery of ’Synthetic Sin’ inna Low Jack style.
Hands-down it’s the most vivid and thrilling showcase of new electronic music from the Far East,or anywhere else for that matter, in years. A real no brainer.
Flexing arm emoji. Fire emoji. 100% emoji.

Slackk first came to the attention of most with an EP of roughneck UK house on Numbers, before a series of more emotive, melody-driven records on Local Action and Unknown to the Unknown saw him emerge as one of the most unique and influential artists working in the peripheries of grime - taking the genre's hallmarks and audio tattoos but placing them in a context that owed as much to Eastern mood pieces and the complex melodies of classic jazz records, hinting at other key influences on Slackk's music. His debut album Palm Tree Fire was a particular success: Resident Advisor calling it a 'beautiful glimpse into the mind of an under-appreciated producer'.

Slackk has since expanded the breath and honed the details of his music through a pair of EPs on R&S - first Backwards Light, a record that expanded on the themes of his previous releases while taking in the label's legacy of groundbreaking acid and techno, and then on the more abrasive Aviary. A Little Light, his first album for the label, is his most idiosyncratic and personal release yet.

Partially inspired by the upcoming birth of his first child, this album sees Slackk drop the tempo to an r&b 90bpm crawl on tracks like 'Spring Mist' and 'Zip Me Up', with the newfound space between his drums allowing his delicate melodies to grow and spiral like never before.

Although the LP looks forward, it's also nostalgic: 'Old Petchy Shows' is a reference to the last embers of UK Funky, arguably the final chapter of UK dance music to rely on traditional physical hubs like pirate radio and record stores, while 'Paper Santos' and 'Reasons' nod to early 2000s grime and house, both influences on Slackk in different ways. Elsewhere, 'So Far, The Sea' and 'And The Sun' are two of the most outright emotional songs that Slackk has written to date.

Although there are clear reference points dotted throughout A Little Light, more than anything - following several years of honing and developing a trademark sound - it simply sounds like Slackk; equal parts nostalgic and optimistic, delicate and clumsy, with an atmosphere that could either be sunset or sunrise depending on your vantage point. It's an album filled with uncertainty and individuality, utterly unconcerned with what's happening outside of its own world, and there's only one artist around who could have written it.

* Walton kicks off 2019 for Tectonic with 4 cuts of pirate radio infused dancefloor orientated DJ tools. 'Inside EP' follows on from Walton's exceptional 'Black Lotus' LP, which dropped on Tectonic last summer, gaining widespread acclaim - even rated as The Guardian's 'Contemporay Album Of The Month'!

* What we have here is 4 tracks that all sit around the 130bpm mark, providing grime sonics to a techno compatible form. Built for those who don't really give a f**k if you call it techno, grime or bass blah blah so long as it bangs in the dance and moves those feet.

* Sampling snippets of MC's chatting between tracks, each track takes a mostly functional approach, building raw elements in a simple but effective fashion. 'Bullet #2' sets the scene, kicking off with a radio style wheel up - before dropping into rolling 4/4 square wave power moves. 'Inside' follows the mood, building towards a more rolling technoid construct. 'More Cowbell' bangs out like an old 4/4 grime anthem with a contemporary production sonic, while 'Gunshot Clap'
closes out the EP, with its swooping square wave stabs and background shouts from behind the mic.

Grimes releases her long awaited new album “Miss Anthropocene” on 21 Feb 2020 on 4AD. Includes the singles” So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth” & “Violence” and featuring collaborations with 潘PAN & i_o.

Not to be sold in stores before 28th Feb 2020.
A window, a portal, a room.
A space one can see, but not enter.
A fleeting force burning the ether.

Fast-rising Lisbon-based DJ/producer PEDRO has shared details of his long-awaited debut album, ‘Da Linha’, which releases on March 20 via Enchufada. First teased with the release of bubbling lead single ‘Calores’ in January, ‘Da Linha’ crowns a defining breakthrough three years for PEDRO that has seen him establish himself as one of Portugal’s most vibrant and exciting new-school producers. His debut EP, ‘EP ‘Damaia’ (2017) – named after the suburb of Lisbon he was born in – immediately signposted a bright, borderless club sound rooted in experimentation, which has since been best emphasised by 2019 releases including the Buraka Som Sistema-sampling ‘Rapazes’ and a breathless collaboration with Nigerian MC, Magugu (‘Too Much’), both of which feature on the LP tracklist.

First inspired by his older brother, who would introduce PEDRO to the latest electronic music coming out of Portugal, he still references DJ Rolando’s ‘Knights Of Jaguar’ as a memorable early touch point – a record he still credits with influencing the melodies he writes to this day. Living and growing up in Damaia, PEDRO also went to school with friends of Angolan, Cape Verdean, Brazilian and Mozambican descent, exposing him to a whole patchwork of new sounds and genres like kuduro and kizomba from a very young age. With such a rich and diverse musical upbringing, it is perhaps no wonder that ‘Da Linha’ is bursting with energy and colour across all 10 tracks, melding together the hyper-specific sounds, instruments and voices that have sound-tracked PEDRO’s life so far. From the marching, militant rhythm of ‘Stuck On You’ ft. standout Ghanaian MC, Bryte, to the silky, bubblegum vocals and gloopy, earworm melodies of closing track ‘Para Ti’ featuring Xcelencia, you’d be hard pushed to find a debut record that captures a city so viscerally.

Not to be sold in stores before 28th Feb 2020.
A window, a portal, a room.
A space one can see, but not enter.
A fleeting force burning the ether.

The history of Kahn's 'Dread' continues with these Dubkasm versions finally getting their official release!

Levi Bruce, aka Unknown Mobile, has been a prominent figure of the Canadian Underground for quite some time He resides in Montreal and has contributed to a number of North American labels. It seems only natural that he is the next release on Planet Euphorique. “Mobile Sorcery” could be his most rhythmically diverse 12” yet, recorded in just a couple of weekends it breaks free from 4 to the floor, experimenting confidently with syncopation, voices dipping in and out of focus. The opener Broke Melt presents a driving baseline filled with attitude, flickers of glistening synth arpeggios to soften the clanging drum patterns, working in harmony with delicate top lines. The hypnotic haze of textures carries through the record, A2 lifting in energy; shooting stabs, ricocheted sub base filling the space between commanding snares. The Beat Dub of Sorcery strips the track back to the essentials, resulting in a perfect tool for DJ’s building tension. Surprisingly keeping the essence of the tune whilst offering hints of more dubbed, percussive club pushing UK bass.

The B Side explores more of these unconventional rhythmic themes whilst highlighting the power of melody. Heavenly Depression accurately depicting it’s title, pulling on the struggle of your emotions through an ever-progressing lead woven tightly over sweeping pads. The closing track Wilders Lake ties the record together cohesively, lifted stabs to calm the tripped out percussion swooping in and out, growling bass alluding to darkness. The EP blends genres to create new feelings from familiar foundations, channelling Detroit inspired grit and emotion; well rounded to suit hazed and hedonistic dance-floors.

Paranorman are back with 3 expertly-crafted club torpedoes!

002RAIN comes from Bristol based producer Rygby and features one of his most anticipated tracks to date. Pasqualina has seen immense support over the last year, from big names across the 140 scene and beyond and recently featured in Commodo’s Boiler Room. The A-Side features highly sought after Pasqualina, a melody driven, certified crowd pleaser and coming in on the flip YU ME US, is a dancefloor focussed number that refuses to stick to boundaries. Both tracks make for a unique sounding release that shakes off expectations.

Club Culture is back with its second instalment of the series. Following the overwhelming response from Volume one in 2018, we felt the need to get planning on the next journey. Each track providing a different mood to bring us 4 tracks tailored for the
dancefloor.

Lone Delivers The Final Instalment Of His Stunning Ambivert Tools Series.

Started In 2017 Ambivert Tools Gave Lone The Chance To Step Outside The Confines Of Writing Music For An Album And Get Back To The Basics Of Crafting Tunes Primarily For His Intoxicating Dj Sets.

Inspired In No Small Part By The Rich Seam Of House That He's Been Excavating With His Fine Magicwire Imprint Ambivert Tools Parts One To Three Have Been Stacked With Breezy, Rugged House Excursions Full Of His Trademark Atmospheric Melody / Harmony . Each Track Instantly Recognisable As Music That Could Have Only Come From Lone's East London Studio.

This Final Transmission Again Finds Lone In Vintage Form - 'pulsar' Takes Inspiration From Classic Uk Techno And Idm From The Likes Of Stasis And B12. This One Shares Dna With The Rolling Breaks Of 'temples' From Volume Three But Goes Deeper In Search Of That 6am Dancefloor Feeling.
'oedo 808' As The Title Suggests Gets Busy With Some Tight 808 Drum Programming Bringing An Electro Feel To The Mix . The Rude Bassline And Glistening Electronics Only Work To To Tighten It Up Further For The Dancefloor.
'blue Moon Tree' Rounds Things Off In Style Staying True To The Dj Tool Theme Of The Series, A Killer Bassline, Crisp Drums, Spiralling Vocal Sample And Stabs Are All This One Needs To Be A Staple In The Right Dj's Boxes For A Long Time To Come.

Operating with unwavering musical dedication, St. Louis' Dub Sector imprint readies their next pressure volley with none other than Rumble on the controls. Also known through his prolific mastering efforts for various quality labels and artists, the London-based producer and engineer has been wreaking considerable havoc with his original productions - yielding support from the likes of Egoless in the process. A signature style that's gravitating towards industrial and experimental inclinations, authentically being paired with original sound system music flavours from his past single on the Dub Sector Compilation. Now really stepping into the limelight with a whopping amount of five heavyweight cuts (supported by The Widdler, Hebbe and Youngsta), it is safe to advise for you to get ready for Rumble’s first major breakthrough.

‘R U Happy’… A simple question. But is there a simple answer? Allow Guti and Tripmastaz to look you dead in the eye and find out once and for all.

Their first ever collaboration – conjured in a rare real life, real time, real vibe collabo scenario in Tripmastaz Moscow studio – this fact alone should be a reason for happiness. The music seals the
deal furthermore; a bubbling analogue bass, relentless jacking beats, filters set to their juiciest coordinates and that insistent loopy vocal sample, there are some serious strong tones of Chicago in the blend. The sharpness of early Trax, the fatness of early Classic and that rolling vibe that captures
the essence of house like no other city.
If your happiness status relies on more of a French lift then allow D’Julz to take your hand with his remix. Still just as jacking, but with a little more beef in the bass, more dynamic strip-backs and several new layers of funk-riddled filters, if you’re not happy by the time this kicks in, you need to consider some of your lifestyle choices.

With the Pets guys and Guti both fresh from big album excursions and Tripmastaz enjoying a rich vein of form on the likes of Tatouffe, Bass Culture and No 19 already this year, all parties are kicking with vitality on this one. Are you happy? We certainly are…

Om Unit kicks off 2020 with ‘Submerged’, a six-track EP comprised of varied uptempo grooves, which in his own way defy categorisation once again.

The EP draws influence from various aspects of the techno landscape as much as borrowing from tropes of previous work including his trademark use of space, rhythmic tension and sub-heavy hypnotic bass melodies.

A record that showcases further diversity and sonic innovation within the realm of what has been coined ‘160’, a loose term to describe a movement which he himself has helped to pioneer since the early 2010’s.

Gafacci is well known for notable artist collaborations, eclectic edits and his Asokpor productions. On this new four track EP, he steps out of familiar soundscapes, driven by his steady desire to ex-plore a more melodic side of his own production style. This led him to experimenting with the ,Lo-Fi' and infuse it with afrobeats as well as diverse tropical sounds.
Over the past three years, the Accra based producer, DJ and songwriter Gafacci had been circulating around the term ,Low Fidelity' and he dedicates this album to all those across the globe who can relate and support the music.
The Title ,TASH BNM', meaning ,Tash bought new music' is inspired by the notifications of a music connoisseur's weekly purchases on bandcamp.

Noteworthy are also the featured artists, from multi instrumentalist Nii Quaye to Chefbanku, singer Amaarae, Ghana Music's OG Kyekyeku and rappers Tinuke & Lazee, each guest complements to this timeless piece of music in their own unique way.

4Weed Records is very grateful to announce its new 12inch vinyl release.
Featuring Higher Regions’ boss Mighty Prophet outta Italy and the young and highly talented Baodub outta Spain.

On A side ‘Cradle Of Civilization’, Mighty Prophet shows his hi-quality dub producer’s skills. Played by King Shiloh as last tune in many dances, this track and its dub side fit perfectly in your heavy dubwise selection! Meditative melodies and spacey arrangements. Just powerfull!

B side ‘Echo Cave' arrives with an incredibly potent sub-line, combining tribal percussions, ancestral echoes and superb drum work to provide an energetic vibe. A jewel by Baodub!

Breaka presents ‘Breaka 001’, the first release on his own self-titled label.

“This record is a special project for me. Releasing myself has allowed me to collect four tracks reflecting different sides of my musical world. ‘Breaka 001’ opens with ‘Icy Grills’, a classic Breaka style track based on Breaks, 808s and euphoric melodies. ‘Stretch 130’ is a portal into the world of Stretchy Dance Supply, a workout-based club night I co-created. It’s one to limber up and get down to. The B-side starts with ‘Apricot Cocktails’, a track inspired by the classic Broken Beat sound. I made the instrumental in 2018, but the track got a new lease of life when paired with vocals written and performed by soul diva Lydia Kotsirea. The EP comes to a close with another collaboration, this time working with producer and session guitarist Bradley Hutchings (Guava). I often open my sets with this one. I think you’re going to love it.”

UK’s OPIA tell the tales of ‘Florence and the Machines’ via the form of otherworldly sounds. After a recent turn out on Melliflow, Etienne kicks off proceedings on the sixth release of the label with ‘Engage all Targets’. Distinctive drums and wavering synths zoning in on your senses. Belgian producer Innershades provides ’10,000 Steps’ a hard hitting jam, leaving nothing to the imagination. Rounding off the A side is sub heavy goodness from a man on fine form, Daif. Glitchy rhythms with the machine theme of the VA heavily embedded in its sound, ‘Vade Retro’ by name. Serving up on the B side are young duo and Slowlife affiliates, Primary Perception. Ice cold broken drums, riding an elastic bass that swallows you up. ‘Maelstrom II’ is one of their cleanest cuts to this day. Robotic conversations in the closing track from Berlin based Formas, the trio deliver a curious final chapter to the story with ‘A Su’. Another discerning VA from OPIA, bringing together vital and established artists once again.

Burial releases 2 new tracks on Nonplus, out in October!!

repress !

The fourth release is a big one for Holding Hands as they branch out into brand new territory with their first new signing on the label. Breaka usually runs in very different circles, producing footwork, juke and DnB from his home in Leeds. These are the first tunes of his at a slower tempo to be released but you can certainly hear those in6luences loud and clear in these certified UK 125-130bpm bangers.

Rory's Theme has the tension of an early Metalheadz release but when it drops it makes the hair stand on the back of your neck. The synths fly high with exultation whilst the 808 sub kicks and rolls up and down your body. The track has the truly rare combined qualities of a pure elation mixed with enough stank face to get your gun fingers punching through the heavy air of a pounding club. Basically, it's a certified peak time weapon.

As has become customary for Holding Hands, Puffer Jackets sits bang in the middle of several difference genres and influences. The sound of 2009-2012 UK bass mixed with the grime and 2-step of 2018. This one will turn a club upside down and inside out. You better hope you aren't standing too close to the subs when it kicks in...

For the B2 Holding Hands head honcho Desert Sound Colony steps in for remix duties of Puffer Jackets. Slightly slowed and dubbed out, this one rounds out the EP perfectly with a deeper take on the Breaka sound. Perfect for the beginning of a night or for a hypnotic section of a set late on, this one is built to captivate you and take you drifting away...

All three tracks are produced and sculpted for the club. They want big sound systems and dark rooms. Close your eyes, hold hands and experience transcendental space flight...

repress !

Little information about the reign of Osiris appears in Egyptian sources; the focus is on his death and the events that follow. The murder itself is frequently alluded to, but never clearly described. The Egyptians believed that written words had the power to affect reality, so they avoided writing directly about profoundly negative events. Osiris is connected with life-giving power, righteous kingship, and the rule of Maat the ideal natural order whose maintenance was a fundamental goal in ancient Egyptian culture.

After his outing at the beginning of 2018, Amrint Keen (an alias of Lake People reserved for his rawer, broken and more experimental productions) is following up on Uncanny Valley with a new EP. And boy, nobody else does dance tracks so unpretentious, but still demanding. Oscillating between house and electro rhythms, the tracks once again show his midas touch of combining subtlety and fun on the dance floor. A track like TRANSIENT LOSS OF RESPONSE explores the corners of urban landscapes and finds melancholy, but also a pumping urgency for the club. MAYBE IT WON'T BE comes with a pretty funny but throughout stable track architecture consisting of many different toy blocks disguised as sounds. DOOZY OF A DAY is indeed a doozy of a track that maybe just fell in love considering the infatuated synths. And also CREPUSCULAR can't hide its romantic qualities after an abrupt start with impetuous drumming. As with the first Amrint Keen record, the artwork comes from Murat Oenen, a painter born in Istanbul and now a graduate at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.

After years of releasing other artists on the label, Martyn returns to 3024 himself with two brand new tracks. Properly reflecting the music he has been DJ'ing out recently, these are two high energy drum workouts that can go straight in the bag. One Eye is an electro based melodic builder, while Nerve Centers is heavily inspired by a more international Drum sound, forwarded by producers such as Noire, NKC, Ahadadream, Principe crew etc.