Beats News

Mastered by Juke and Footwork Prince from Poland, Rhythm Baboon. The Mix was made by DJ Earl from ''Teklife'.

Opening with 'Squid Girls', the A side emphasises the washed-out gloom we're used to from Agrippa. The title track, however, drives his rhythmic intentions home in no uncertain terms, and exemplifies his recent progression towards producing certified depth charges, strictly for club deployment.

On the flip, Agrippa further demonstrates an aptitude for creating sounds with a wonky edge to them. The low-passed, scything lead in 'Spice Raiders' harks back to his 2018 release on Version, and rolls along with similarly battering perc. While the rumbling lows and sparkling tops of 'Scabs' fall away in a decidedly minor key, ending the communication on a characteristically sombre note.

Clearlight brings his wonderfully tripped out production wizardry to Foundation Audio for a 3 track journey into the void!

Clearlight has always stood out from the crowd and pushed boundaries with his unique take on the genre. It sounds like dubstep swallowed a bottle of LSD… or smoked some DMT… There’s no point going into detailed track summary as it won’t do the music justice, - just sit back, spark one up and get sucked into another dimension.

In the last few years, Lewis James has gone from being an artist on the rise to establishing himself as one of the most exciting act to emerge from electronic music. His debut EP on Exit Records backs this statement up without question. The features on the EP speak for themselves: Lorn, dBridge and Alia Fresco. Aesthetically Lewis James has put together an EP that traverses different shades of electronica whilst not losing a sense of identity, an identity that is truly Lewis James by way of Exit Records.

The fair was a symbol of the unity of the estate – a multi-ethnic working class community bound together both by the looming presence of the car factory (where a massive portion of the residents worked) but also the long simmering social divide in Oxford. Since the founding of Oxford University, the country’s elite have needed people to do their dirty work, predictably exploiting and marginalising them in the process. As the city and its colleges expanded, so these communities were ushered out of town. The tensions between the classes reached a flash point repeatedly throughout the centuries, and it was no different during the 1991 riots on the Blackbird Leys estate.

As with similar riots elsewhere in Britain – Brixton, St Pauls, Toxteth, and elsewhere – heavy handed, not to mention misguided, police tactics loom large in the story, where the elite and the authorities fail to understand the community, how and why it functions the way it does.

Drawing on this snapshot of Oxford life, far from the international facade of the city’s privilege and power, with a deep-rooted, personal perspective, Low End Activist channels the raw energy and expression of Muzikon’s sound and frames it in the dread bass pressure that such soundsystems directly led to. It’s not dark music, but rather an intense one, defiant and proud like the Blackbird Leys community and so many of the social situations that gave rise to rave culture in the late 80s and early 90s.

The people from the estate would take their skill, knowledge and access to ‘the factory’ and use it to joyride high-end sports cars – a celebration of personal liberty in the face of social barriers enforced by the very people who would buy such things. Now Low End Activist applies his own craft to an amazing artefact from decades past, not so much joyriding with it as respectfully doffing his cap to the community in a show of solidarity, letting the jubilant sound play out once more.

DJ Support
Nina Kraviz "Thank you for the music! sounds dope!"
Toddla T "Low end activist stuff is weighty. sold.. sick story too"
Denham Audio "Really like this EP man! can really hear the influences"
Plastician "Yes mate some interesting bits in there! Old school vibes, enjoyed the use of the samples too."

Blawan, dBridge, Sim Hutchins, 96 Back, Szare, DJ Plead, Breaka, Dr.Banana, Loraine James, Perko, Gigsta, Nazira, DJ Barely Legal, Vladimir Ivkovic, Appleblim, West Norwood Cassette Library, Barker, Nick Craddock, Rob Smith/ RSD, Etch, Minimalviolence, Kate Miller, Photonz, FaltyDL, Filter Dread, Wheelman, Dead Man's Chest, Morgan Wright, Pugilist, upsammy, Sinstarr, Addison Groove + more to follow

After a busy year putting on the hypest club nites and radio shows all across town, the Munich based club label Ruffhouse joins forces with the dynamic duo of Schlachthofbronx and their Rave & Romance imprint to bring you a long awaited 10“ record by Tymotica - a founding Member of Ruffhouse who now resides in Berlin.

For their ninth record TRUSIK enlists the German producer bhed whose long form constructions blend ambient, dub, techno, and dubstep into forms that stretch each genre’s signifiers to their breaking points.

Silver Vinyl

Woe are King Midas Sound on ’Solitude’, their crushingly desolate new album, auspiciously cued for a Valentine’s Day release on Shapednoise’s Cosmo Rhythmatic label. A meditation on loss, narrated by Roger Robisnon and produced by Kevin Martin (The Bug), ’Solitude’ sees KMS gut out their sound following the bittersweet shoegaze-dub blooms of their ‘Edition1’ 2015 collaboration with Fennesz, resulting in a starkly noirish elegy to extinguished romance and love in the endtimes

Combining the grown-up, confessional vulnerability of Robinson’s lyrics and dreader-than-dread delivery with the most stripped back arrangements in Kevin Martin’s entire catalogue, the duo drill deep into emotional sufferation with simultaneously suffocating yet somehow beautiful results. Over the course of 12 songs, they glacially limn a coming-to-terms with a loss that has been enforced or unexpected, and ultimately arrive at the starkest conclusions with cinematic effect.

’Solitude’ pushes King Midas Sound’s pessimism to heart-rinsing degrees. Staging Robinson in a series of vantablack scenes veiled by smoky, minimal synth-lighting, the poet processes irrational and incessant feelings of rejection and loneliness. From the aching desolation of ‘You Disappear’ to the unflinching realisations of ‘X’, the ache imparted by Robinson’s lyrics is only amplified by his quiet stoicism, while Kevin Martin finds power in a sense of deferred gratification and his embrace of negative space.

The effect is nothing less than transfixing in the physicality of Robinson’s descriptions and the detached nature of Martin’s sferic electronics on ‘In The Night’, while pangs of lush optimism lend an exquisite contrast to the desiccated riddim and gloom of ‘Alone’, and the sylvan keys in their sensuous reverie, ’Her Body’.

‘Solitude’ is a more than worthy follow-up to King Midas Sound’s two albums for Hyperdub and their collaboration with Fennesz for Ninja Tune. It’s bound to reset what you know about KMS, and become a go-to album for anyone going thru conscious uncoupling, domestic strife, or meditating on love in the age of info overload.

Mega dope party sh*t!

As is the norm with Holding Hands I very rarely releases anything by someone I’m not already close to and Harry is no different. We run our party Sock It To Me along with Dr. Banana and Alec Falconer and are in the process of setting up a label together as well.

Harry starting sending over bits and pieces about a year ago that he thought might Dit well on the label and I was completely in love with basically everything that he threw my way. In the end this EP has come out very well rounded in my opinion with a good mix of heavy, sneaky and melodic goodness strewn throughout. Sarky is a total snakey breaky weapon, M1 is a sunset cruiser for the summer months, Howzat is a classic Holding Hands dance Dloor destroyer and Nudge is a back pack full of sleaze to get you groovin’ at the end of the night.

OK enough of my blather. Go and listen to the damn things yourself and decide if you like them, rather than trying to work it out from reading a bloody press release you weirdos.

All four 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...

TANGO & RATTY ('93 DUBPLATE MIXES)
Remastered and recut by MUSIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Gear Check:

Elektron Digitakt
Mode Machines ADX1
Roland Juno 106
Dreadbox Abyss
Korg Minilogue
Korg Monologue
Korg Volca Keys
Roland RE-201
Boss RE20
Strymon Blue Sky
EHX Small Stone
FMR RNLA
Soundcraft LX7II
Cymatic Audio Utrack24

LUSS is cleared for descent.

Announcing Mad Zach's debut release on MethLab Recordings with his No Past Lives EP, which is available on 12" vinyl and digital formats. The four tracks within unfurl an exquisite and alluring journey into the recesses of the human spirit, circling between nostalgic yearning and a steadfast, driven intensity. No Past Lives will be available on Tuesday, October 1.

An intoxicating myriad of complex soundscapes, Mad Zach stuns yet again with impeccable sound design through four thoughtful tracks. A compelling story through the inner workings of the mind, Mad Zach does not hold back in his enigmatic MethLab debut. Featuring production techniques signature of the prolific producer, Mad Zach’s many influences shine through in No Past Lives; a mix of dub, hip-hop, techno, jungle, and various other styles, No Past Lives is the amalgamation of artistic passion and drive.

Four years on from his release on TIMEDANCE002 as L.SAE, Joseph Higgins is back on the label under his flagship moniker Metrist. Pollen Pt. I is the first part of a trilogy of records, showcasing Metrist's latest developments in twisted beat-science.
The release combines four tracks of rudeboi electro swagger, offkilter vocal chops and imaginative grooves.

Since his L.SAE record in 2015 Metrist has released on Where To Now?, Neighborhood and a LP Opal Tapes, here he refines his sound palette even further, striking a unique balance between the avant-garde and dancefloor.

... Very nice live modular recordings by 'Oxynucid' of "Planet Mu" and "Neo Ouija fame" - Hope, you enjoy!


Information about this LP :
First, it's presented as a limited edition of 200 Copies.
The LP is regular designed as a orange-coloured Vinyl (in the Inside), were shipping to you in a designed Bild/Pic Sleeve ... and to top this, it's also in a transparent Sleeve.
The Bild/Pic Sleeve as a full coloured Sleeve: Artwork done by Fred Gambino.

140’s freshest innovator, Cartridge, sizzles three cutting-edge styles into one eclectic record. Thuggish flutes, electro-magnetic basslines and heavenly chimes ring throughout Albion Collective’s 11th release.

Holding its own on the A-side, ‘Cashmere’ snaps your fingers with nimble, eski flute-work and fuse-lit 808’s. The extra-terrestrial ‘Antimatter’ shudders earth’s tectonic plates, carving deep, spacious basslines into the B-side. Rounding off, the smile-driven melodies of ‘Sacred Scrollz’ lift your spirits above airtight percussion and foot-shuffling trap grooves.

Sifting the rhythm of the soul through his signature, crystal-clear sound, Cartridge elevates 140 in his Albion Collective debut.

DJ Support
Sicaria Sound, Distinct Motive, N-Type, The Greys, Mentha, BunZer0, Kodama, LSN, Cuttah & BSay + more

London based DJ, producer, and Holding Hands label boss Desert Sound Colony turns to Moxie’s On Loop imprint for the sprightly Can Can Wingspan EP. Featuring three dynamic and experimental club tracks, the EP channels the same raw energy and excitement that typifies On Loop’s infamous touring club nights.

Opening cut ‘Can Can Wingspan’ is a fiery garage-indebted, dancefloor focused track, loaded with explosive breakbeats, bubbling synths, and a throbbing low end. ‘Mox Diamond’ is an up-tempo house gem featuring clattering percussion, seductive whispers, and infectious keys. Closing track ‘Zoom To Your Doom’ is a tripped-out experimental jam with hallucinatory vocal samples, jacking snares, and kaleidoscopic synth splutters.

DJ Support
Metrist​ "the big man on the big buttons xx"
Ciel​ "everything liam makes is bombtastic"
Chaos In The CBD​ "zoom to ya dooooooom <3"
Luz​ "Fresh release! Dance floor oriented but keeping it intriguing and interesting."
Sean OD ​"DSC = GOAT"
dBridge "​Zoom to Doom is tight"
Eric Cloutier ​"Mox Diamond, besides a solid Magic: The Gathering nod, is a BEAST!!"
Iron Curtis ​"massive fan of DSC. been playing out their tracks all year. superb follow up! thanks, johannes"

‘I Want You To Be Mine’ has all the hallmarks of classic 1960’s Rocksteady, an era which many refer too as the Golden Age of Jamaican music. Over the top of a live one-drop beat, cool & deadly sax and warm analog guitar & bass Deemas J rides the riddim in a ‘old time style & fashion’ whilst Rachel Wallace provides the perfect accompaniment with her gorgeous vocal. On the B-Side we have the deeper cut ‘Questions’, where Deemas delivers a poignant poem over Adam Prescott’s moody instrumental in the style of Linton Kwesi Johnson. Featuring live instrumentation from Harry ‘Papa B’ Bradford (Sax), Clifford Junior (Guitar) & Guillaume Metenier (Hammond Organ). As an integral part of the Reggae Roast Soundsystem team Adam has established himself as one of the finest selectors in the world. Initially with some early support and guidance from Mark Iration (from the Leeds based Iration Steppas), Adam was quickly recognised as one of the key players in the re-emergence of British Reggae, producing first class original songs featuring the likes of Cornel Campbell, Macka B, Sugar Minott, Ranking Joe, Rod Taylor, Johnny Osbourne & Earl 16 to name but a few. Add to that consistent play on BBC Radio One & Rinse FM plus huge support from Sir David Rodigan, featuring Adam on his ‘Best Of British’ show on 1Xtra, Adam has become one of the hottest prospects in the revival of soundsystem music. Deemas J has built a formidable reputation as a go-to MC & vocalist with equally genre-busting credentials; His background in Reggae & Jungle means that his lyrical skills and style holds no bounds. He currently works with 3 of the top London Reggae Soundsystems, Unit 137, Reggae Roast & Solution Soundsystem as well as running his own Sound Limey Banton Bass in Guernsey. He has released music on some very well known labels such as Irie Ites, Irish Moss & Tru Thoughts, which released the cult LP ‘Wrongtom Meets Deemas J in East London’. More recently his latest release ‘Muhammed Ali’ received fantastic support from Don Letts, Sir David Rodigan & Ras Kwame. His virtually endless CV boasts collaborations with everyone across the worlds of Drum & Bass, Old School, Garage, Reggae and Hip hop, including High Contrast, Andy C, DJ EZ and Nick Manasseh to name just a few as well as touring the world with Manudigital

3x12"

The SENTINEL LP represents the manifesto of one part of the spectrum of MethLab's club-oriented sound. Featuring a cross section of our forward-thinking artists and special guests and illustrating a dynamic set of sonic aesthetics to usher in a new era of diverse music and an open-minded approach to the dancefloor. Expect searing audio that resides on the very cutting edge of bass music.

We’re delighted to welcome Bradley Hutchings aka Guava to the Control Freak family for his first solo EP to round off 2019.

Between a busy touring schedule as a session guitarist, Bradley has developed a distinctively meticulous approach to songwriting and production which has already earned him acclaim for releases on Holding Hands & Nick Hoppner’s Touch From a Distance.

The A-Side features two dancefloor heaters which take influence from across the spectrum of UK club music. Title track ‘Lift’ is a playful wobbler, combining a wubby baseline with trippy sample manipulation. Segelflugzeug is guaranteed to do peak time damage, driven by an atmospheric, rising synth line, rolling breaks and explosive low end pressure.

On the flip, Can’t Catch Me brings a distinct flavour of UKG to the table with it’s glitchy percussive fills & tightly chopped vocal sampling. The record closes with Alt-Love, a lush and delicate ambient guitar track.

“The third part of our "Ode To The Soundsystem" is here and the abstract sound of the last Ossia album is no longer evident. The influence of the early Disciples 12"s shows up for the first time, with a Drexciyan connection happening on the b-side, creating one of the most lethal and militant 12"s that we have ever released. Ossia is back on Berceuse Heroique and we are very happy about it.”

Clear Vinyl.

Raime explore exquisitely honed rhythmic instincts with scintillating results on the 2nd release on their RR label.

Where the London duo’s 2018 EP and RR debut ‘We Can’t Be That Far From The Beginning’ evoked a meditative mood from the info overload of their home city that left acres of space to the
imagination, the ‘Planted’ EP rejoins the dance with four tracks that icily acknowledge strong influence from Latin American and Chicago footwork styles in a classically skooled mutation of hardcore British dance music.

In four fleetingly ambiguous dancefloor workouts they carry on a conceptual theme exploring the digital subconscious with persistently invasive, alien ambient shrapnel - half-heard voices, aleatoric prangs, and tag-covered signposts - woven into and thru their tightly coiled and reflexive drum programming.

UPTOWN, ’Num’ flexes tendons and hips like a Leonce riddim that danced all the way from NOLA and ATL to the wintery dawn of a LDN warehouse, while the lip-biting tension of minimalist 160bpm jungle/ footwork patterns and jibber-jawed vocals in ‘Ripli’ suggests the Alien film’s protagonist lost in a mazy rave space, chased by H.R. Giger-designed face huggers (or gurning energy vampires).
DOWNTOWN, ‘Kella’ then catches them on a grimy dubtech bounce, cocked back and straining at the harness, before ‘Belly’ shuts down the dance with invasive, demonic motifs exploding over dark blue chords and palpitating jungle subs with impeccable darkside style.

This first EP of the new installment comes from the label owners DPRTNDRP, also known as D-Operation Drop, delivering the heavy-weight once again.

Unshaken is an intoxicated sound system destroyer, with its multiple kick sessions matched perfectly with the mental bass movement, creates earthquakes every time this heater have been tested out.

The Disturbed creepy voices of the second track called Relief, working with the complex drum elements, bringing imagination to another level, rocking the listener up and down with his melted sub-line

Closing the EP with Parsley Tea, another anthem which finally see the lights, with shredded wild percussions and dirty wobble textures.

Sonic innovators 'BROKEN NOTE' are proud to present their long awaited second album instalment 'EXIT THE VOID' - a collaboration between creative label forces MethLab Recordings, Slug Wife Recordings & Broken Note Recordings – available on 12” vinyl and digital formats.

'BROKEN NOTE' mark the bleeding edge of bass music across 15 tracks as they display an unerring commitment to the creation of boundary breaking sonic sequences. As a symbol of social cohesion in divided times manifested through the collaboration of independent labels and artists, 'EXIT THE VOID' serves as a soundtrack for a disenfranchised generation.

A cutting-edge body of work emblematic of the Broken Note sound, 'EXIT THE VOID' draws on a wide array of influences from across the autonomous and subversive spectrums of the underground.

'BROKEN NOTE' have been hard at work in the nine years that have passed since the release of their groundbreaking Terminal Static LP, releasing a full seven EPs that have further solidified their multifaceted heavyweight sound.

'EXIT THE VOID' follows in the wake of these previous works, presenting a cohesive collection of music that draws from past, present, and future as it delivers a new chapter of the project’s densely amalgamated audio vision.

Airplay on Tom Ravenscroft (BBC Radio 6 Music), Re:lax w/ Re:ni, Laksa & Biggabush (NTS), Gage (NTS), From The Depths with Drakeford (NTS)

Premieres of Four Feet and Blasphemy on Trax Mag and Ransom Note

Review on 2 Hungry Ghosts

DJ support from Midland, Bruce, Re:ni, Troy Gunner, Maya Jane Coles, Minor Science, Via Maris, Mosca, Blackdown/Martin Clark, Horse Meat Disco, Tony Thorpe, Daire Carolan (All City Records), Deft, Phototherapy, Shadow Child / Polymod, Lukas Wigflex, Soulphiction/ Jackmate

After the great success of his last EP, 8Ball is back with a 3-track single featuring the already well known Jungle staple "You" plus two brand new cuts.

"Been Higher" is ode to the sometimes overwhelming dread of a post party dip. It features haunting synth lines with a looping vocal and deep under-laying bass. This is taken straight out of the 8Ball hardcore revisited back catalogue.
"Table Spice" is a jam roly poly wrapped in custard being eaten in the garden of De Skool Amsterdam. 8Ball here strips back the drums to leave the bare bones of atmospheric hardcore tune.

Comes housed in a hand-screen printed sleeve and stickered centre label. Designed in house by Grade 10 International.

So release number five for Warehouse Rave falls to Skin Teeth and his brand of Heavy Jungle influenced Breakbeat. Nostalgic and forward looking at the same time this E.P. wears it's love for all things early ninety's firmly on it's sleeve!

Two of Russias finest drum & bass producers have combined forces for an exciting new project. St Petersburgs Microfunk mastermind Bop, and Moscows minimalistic groove guru Subwave, unite for their debut collaborative release Love & Other Drugs. With their elegant approach to drum & bass, this four-track EP fuses futuristic indie-electronica, 2-step UK garage, glitchy beats and 80s inspired vocal stylings.

Progressive euphoria is the name of the game in Teardrops as Bop x Subwave pick apart the structure of D+B in this warm, delicate and hypnotic glitch number. Following suit is Space Warp - darker with eerie undertones, packaged as a sub-heavy stepper. The second half of Love & Other Drugs sees the duo branch out beyond the realms of traditional D+B. The bittersweet ballad Dont Wake Me Up is kitted out with a definitive 80s style. Seeing the EP home is The Touch with the syncopated beatwork of 2-step UK Garage, complete with skippy breaks and snappy vocal sampling. In the decade since the release of Hospital Records Future Sound Of Russia LP, Bop and Subwave have produced an impressive array of tracks across Hospital Records, Med School, Liquicity, Shogun Audio, Metalheadz and Microfunk, cementing their reputations for going beyond the boundaries of D+B.
Keep your eyes peeled for more collaborative musings from Bop x Subwave in 2020.

WRXX4 is Y U QT’s first release on Warehouse Rave. Leicester based Garage new boys making some Melodic upbeat Bangers.Track 1 Can’t Hold it in is a Melodic Journey of Baselines/Strings/Vocals and skippy drums that compliment and set the tone for the EP. I Wanna Know is an upbeat Garage/House Club Track. Much like I wanna know we have Deeper Love a Housey/Garage Club tool With some Big basses and Nice Breakdowns. Fort Wibbler is a 4x4 Heater with a Dub Break down Champions taking the EP a little Darker. Slew Dem is a 2 step Bass Driven track ending the EP off in a moody but still upbeat style of Y U QT.

Spandau20 presents the next 12", another family affair including tracks by Fadi Mohem, Balas, Claus Schoning & FJAAK

In compiling a remix 12” for the most recent Homemade Weapons LP - Gravity, we approached 2 titans of underground electronic music who have both been supportive of Homemade Weapons and Samurai Music. Donato Dozzy and Tommy Four Seven have each been utilising our releases in their sets and we have been inspired and grateful for their fearless deployment of drum and bass to their predominately Techno audiences.

No stylistic directive or requests were given. We trusted these two gifted artists to interpret the music in their own unique fashion, but in all honesty expected remixes around the techno tempo. What we received back are 2 landmark drum and bass versions that re-define the nexus between Drum and Bass and Techno.

Samurai Music has worked for many years in both Drum and Bass and Techno and constantly explored the middle ground between the two. Many Drum and Bass producers have been releasing their version of this cross over but producers from the Techno sphere coming at Drum and Bass have been fewer and less successful.

Donato’s remix is a poignant reduction that strips Svalsat to a potent shuddering core, splashing grey swatches onto a constant rhythmic build. The maestro’s power of subtle, hypnotic transformation applied to the 170 tempo sculpts the rhythm to searing perfection.

Tommy Four Seven reforms Red Tide into a grinding undulation, a thrusting and propulsive menace with titanium strength breakbeats bulging at the edges of it’s construction.

Repress


Egoless joins DEEP MEDi with his highly anticipated Empire of Dirt EP. If the crowd (singalongs) are any indication, this is already an anthem.
An amazing debut single from the Croatian dub master.

Another exceptional talent has been brewing in the Idle Hands homestead of Bristol for some time now. Daisy Moon has forged strong ties within the creatively bustling city, from her current DJ spots at the ever popular Housework nights, alongside Shanti Celeste, Gramrcy and Golesworthy, her continued work with Bristol's Women In Music group via DJ workshops and industry advice sessions and her former residency alongside Idle Hands founder, Chris Farrell, and Danielle, at the much loved BRSTL nights.

In a sideways step away from the dancefloor, Daisy has prepped a diverse and absorbing EP for the label. Celestial tones and shimmering vocals form the building blocks of 'Geometry Of Curves' whilst 'Halycon' moves at a seductively smooth pace as it combines time stretched vox, sparse yet crunchy beats and plummeting soundscapes to great effect. Deft melodies and woody percussion signature the almost kitsch pop sounds of 'Anemone', whilst EP finale, 'Chambers', locks down ethereal sensations floating on a hefty rhythm, signing off a wonderfully impressive debut release from Daisy for Idle Hands.