Beats News

Lokane has confirmed himself as a crucial player in the London bass scene in 2015, having already played at Scratcha DVA's ALLYALLRECORDS' Boiler Roomamongst veterans Mickey Pearce and Addison Groove, before even dropping his first record.

Now, after having released his debut EP on Infinite Machine last year, Lokane, akaLoz Caulton, has his next one soon to drop. 'Visions EP' is set to drop on vinyl and digital early in March on his affiliated label, Nervous Horizons as well as a remix ofScratcha DVA and Addison groove's 'Allyallrecords' being released on Hyperdub inMarch.

Lokane first caught attention when key producers and radio dj's began bringing his tracks to light across London clubs and radio stations. Plastician, SBTRKT andScratcha DVA were amongst the first to help build Lokane's reputation within the scene. Having aired guest mixes on Rinse FM for Plastician and Roska, Caulton has since shown us exactly what he's about in his outstanding ID Magazine mix, later followed by his high energy 'On Deck' mix for Vice's, THUMP.

Having progressed a long way from his previous low end, 140 inspired productions, Lokane has since transformed into the electric, Club based artist that we know him as today. With his unique style deriving from a diverse background of genres, you can be sure to expect an explosive merge of Club-inspired, future 808 sounds in his latest work and sets.

Dubplate’s Don Persian has repressed this Hardcore Breaks Techno Riddim, seeing there were only 100 in existence before going for crazy prices, now including a mix from S.Bell capturing a shimmering soundscape vibe, adding perfection to his unsung abilities. This E.P. has some speaker destroyer’s on there, introducing the MixMaster Max into the pot alongside the Persian doing what can only be called world dub music. Sterling breaks shuffling at a downtempo 8 bit vibe with a really heavy bass! MixMaster Max’s history is interesting to say the least...

Born October 1966. Break Dancer in 1984, under the moniker Mad Max, started a crew named The Back Street Warriors, busking all over the UK at places such as Covent Garden/Leicester Square Performing on stage & in clubs. They once jammed with The Rock Steady Crew in Camden Palace in front of an audience.

Then in 1987 he became a DJ, playing all genre’s of music, he first played on RJR Radio, playing Electro, Hip Hop, Soul, R&B & Reggae. Moving forward he started playing Acid House & Four to the Floor Music styles, by the early 90’s he played on Weekend Rush & then went onto Defection, Touchdown, Don & Passion FM, playing Acid & Hardcore Jungle.

In the early day’s, MixMaster Max was one of the Innovator’s of Jungle music by mixing Hardcore, Reggae & Hip Hop together, helping other’s to produce, fuse & gain idea’s in the music industry. He was by Far the most Original, Innovative, DJ anybody had ever heard.

In 1991 he played alongside John Saunderson at the Camden Palace on a Friday night, he also played at the Famous Hacienda Club in Manchester.

He was the first DJ to create the Topsy Turvey, which is one turntable on top of the other, he came runner up in the DMC World Championships in the early 90’s.

He played at some of the Biggest Rave’s back in the day, Pirate club 93, Fantazia 92, Dungeon’s 91/92, Turnmills 92, to mention a few. He also played on Avenues FM & People’s Choice, which were legal Radio Station’s, not forgetting Kool FM & Centreforce.

He performed on stage with the We Papa Girl Rapper’s in 1990 at the Notting Hill Carnival. This Legendary Cult figure is a Master of the Nunchucker’s & TurnTable’s!

His innovative Mixes were ‘legendary’ he was a pioneer precursor to the Art form known as Jungle Music, not to mention his Scratching abilities, which was ‘extraordinary’!

For those that listened to pirate radio back in the day, he was the legendary cult figure that inspired us all, giving us the freshest musical styles that had never been heard before!

He can still be heard on Radio today...What an inspiration this Unsung Hero has been to us All!

If Not Now When is the first release by Tizzy on Slivers. Created over 12 months in the Deep Blue Studios of Vancouver, Canada, the backbone of the 808 takes the listener on a journey through past and present. The purposefully short tracks on ‚If Not Now When' invoke the history of artists such as J Dilla, Madlib, and Prefuse 73 in its journey.

Tizzy has quietly been behind the scenes of releases and performances for a number of artists on Hybridity Records, the New Forms Festival, and a number of other projects over the past 20 years. Tizzy has performed and presented in festivals such as MUTEK, Transmediale, ISEA, the FCMM, the New Museum and Next Wave under a number of different monikers.

Brooklyn based 369 Records returns with its second release, a split 12'' featuring artist Co La and Jeremy Hyman.
A side is laced with the freaky self extended edit of Co La's "Barricade". This track sculpts sound into a club ready fast pace tune sure to leave people intrigued and begging for more.
On the B side Jeremy Hyman introduces a hypnotic melody unlike many you have heard before. Building on this melody it slaps you with the clap, and beats you with the bass. Dance floor tested , this release is not your average twelve inch.
Both Co La and Jeremy Hyman have a rich discography and sick pedigree before their solo careers.Co La aka Matthew Papich played in Ecstatic Sunshine ( Carpark Records) before starting his solo project Co La (Software Records, Primary Information) , and also a key contributor to Lifted (Pan Records)
Jeremy Hyman is a rare breed. A classically trained drummer who has played for more legendary bands than one can name (Ponytail, Dan Deacon Boredoms, Animal Collective, Lifted) . He has recently started a wild independent self titled electronic solo career. He has already released tracks on Future Times Records

TIMEDANCE019 see's Air Max '97 join the ranks and introduce his signature unclassified sound to the table. The London based New-Zealander refines his sound here with a emphasis on functionality and groove. Contemporary sonics interact with a FWD>>> attitude for a sound that is rude, tough and different.

Montreal’s earnest-kitsch-explorer CFCF (aka Mike Silver) has been honing gentle revisions and updates on the outmoded luxuries of pop and new age music for years now. Now he returns with a ‘spiritual sequel’ to his much-loved 2015 ambient opus ’The Colours of Life’, refitted with an eye towards the bygone future: oxygen lounges, chillout rooms, luminescent spas, and breakbeats. Told in 15 movements, ‘Liquid Colours’ is a 42-minute new age jungle odyssey, perfect for a journey into a dreamworld of pure consumerism. Like all of CFCF’s work, it’s as sincerely and painstakingly composed as it is gently sardonic. In Silver’s own words:
“Liquid Colours started just like The Colours of Life, as a simple challenge to myself to see if I could follow through on a continuous 40 minute suite in one style. Much like COL, it was a break in working on another more involved, complicated album. I was interested in ‘corporatized’ pop jungle — totally inauthentic to the genre’s roots. The jungle tracks on ‘Ray of Light’, Everything But The Girl, Towa Tei, Bahamadia, each member of YMO has respectively released some solo work exploring the genre. Bill Laswell plowing his fucking bass over a DJ Spooky remix of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or something. TV interstitials, ads. At its most oversaturated, jungle and d’n’b was briefly the sound of capitalism. In fact once while I was in the middle of working on the album I had to make a call to some customer service line or other, my bank or something, and the on-hold music sounded exactly like this record I was making! I really knew I was onto something then.
Like The Colours Of Life, I’m being very sincere with the musical approach by focusing on song-craft, but there’s a lot of tongue-in-cheek, slightly satirical thinking in there too. I know I’m doing it wrong, I know it’s stupid, I just think it’s more honest when I do it this way. I’m paying homage and teasing at the same time. One track is kind of a piss-take on Boards of Canada, it’s like ouroboros’d nostalgia loop - the 60’s viewed from the 80’s viewed from the 00’s viewed from 2019. I was also thinking about Roni Size’s New Forms; it won the Mercury Prize, it was viewed as this groundbreaking, futuristic work. It’s a really great record, but it’s fascinating to think now about the status it had compared to now. You can picture some young New Labour minister spinning it on his Discman between policy meetings. Just totally failed optimism.
I love all these things. I get excited to take influence from things in a sincere way while also acknowledging why they are slightly ridiculous. I love the cast-off Spooky/Laswell JSBX remix sitting on a CD-single somewhere (it doesn’t exist). My friends give me weird looks because we’ll be record shopping and I’m blowing $2 on a Fantastic Plastic Machine single. There’s a risk of coming off like an ironic-hipster-trash-peddler, but I have genuine affection for this stuff because it is dripping with undeniable life and sincerity.
I tried to make the record feel like a covetable object. It’s super commercial. If it were a place, it would be a mall designed by Marc Newson and Karim Rashid. It’s MUJI background music. You could buy a bucket hat to this album, but like, a fashion bucket hat.”

Celebrating the 50th release on the Nonplus label, Instra:mental return with their sophomore album Timelines. A long awaited record that finally uncovers the unreleased gems of the legendary Autonomic Podcast series. This eleven track album features five, previously vinyl only cuts, with another six unreleased tracks from the vault. This is an album that will feel nostalgic to some but new to others. Classics like Photograph and Pacific Heights transport the listener back to a time where Instra:mental started to blur the boundaries in a pool of multiple genres, allowing artists to dip their toes with creative freedom. This release is mainly rooted in 170bpm (with the exception of “More Than”) but effortlessly feels like its spanning multiple tempos. With the techno infused Encke Gap to the slow pulsings of Deep Night. Timelines represents the embodiment of the Autonomic “Drum & Bass” movement, a slice of time that sounds modern despite being more than a decade in existence.

Timelines is a collectors piece that will sit happily in your physical or digital collection, an essential record that highlights the golden era of Instra:mental’s illustrious career.

DEEP MEDi welcomes Samba to the label!

Fracture presents Turbo, a sound Astrophonica label boss has been pushing in his productions and sets over the last 18 months. 8 tracks of uncompromising dancefloor cuts that merge together the sounds of Techno, 160/Footwork, Jungle, Bass and Electro. Featuring Addison Groove, Sam Binga, Moresounds, Philip D Kick, Lewis James, Hyroglifics and ONHELL.

Murderous on dub for some time, “Cambridge Road” (named for Green King Cuts’ HQ where the tune originated) is a weighty, slyly menacing 140 rocker featuring Akcept’s signature syncopated percussion chops & a slithering, minimalist bassline. A disquietingly distorted hook, pitched & chorused vocal snippets and test tones lead the way through a dark dance equal parts eyes down & wariness - danger lurking around every corner.

“Over & Out” is the secret weapon, a loping, lumbering behemoth of dubwise built for serious Sounds, a stew of filtered hi hat, heaving bass, sampled drum fills, swung shaker, oddly-looped reggae horns, and claustrophobic spaces navigated by cagey reverbs.

Limited compilation disco 12"
300 COPIES ONLY!!

S-Type returns with his first full EP project in three years with the expansive “S-Type-Beat”: dedicated to the art of hip hop production for its own sake.

The sound of S-Type has been defined by producing massive, melodic instrumental hip hop played out in clubs as dance music - but this was always a side effect of growing up far away from the rappers he sought to collaborate with. His track ‘Billboard’, released alongside the first TNGHT and Baauer music was seminal in the genre that some American festivals mistakenly termed “trap”. But the reality has always been that S-Type’s primary inspiration is hip hop. For the online subculture of DIY producers dating back to early ‘00s Louis Den beat battles to his own releases to his co-writing, S-Type is a leader of the beat scene.

The recent term “type beat” refers to the scene of uploading your instrumentals replicating the sound of your favourite production on commercial releases, tagging the original artist in the title of the upload in the hope your track gets exposed to the fans of the original ie. “Drake-Type-Beat”. On this new S-Type ep he celebrates the booming scene of producers and affirms himself as one of the best doing it: your favourite producers favourite producer.

As one of the founders of Japan’s drum & bass culture, Makoto is a man who needs little introduction. On his sixth studio album, ‘Tomodachi Sessions’, he presents 15-tracks of exquisite, sun-drenched drum & bass soul.

For Blip Discs’ eighth instalment, label head Tom Blip presents two bass-loaded, grimy workouts recorded with local Ugandan MC, Swordman Kitala. Spoken in a hybrid of Luganda and English, Swordman’s lyrical lines fittingly compliment the skippy 808-driven instrumentals laid down by Tom Blip, gaining early support from Auntie Flo, Call Super, Ploy, Roska and even UK funky legend, Donae’o.

Basic Rhythm follows up his album 'On The Threshold' with an EP that lays out theexplicit connections between hardcore and footwork. A connection made even clearer by the inclusion of a rare remix by Chicago footwork originator RP Boo.

2 Da Core's punchy rolling drums are levelled up against rough samples and a vocal hook pitched up and down in classic hardcore style. Get Up runs a tubby bass under hazy vocal samples and weird sound effects. RP Boo's remix of 2 Da Core disassembles the track into pieces, building a stalking helicopter-like rhythm which plays hide and seek with the samples, while the closing track Nuh Ramp rounds off the EP with tumbling micro-edited rhythms and a melody built from small colourful sounds that draw on the Caribbean roots of this music.

Off the back of the highly conceptual project 'Plata - Last Dayz', Circadian Rhythms quickly return to focus on their white label series and solidify their signature sound. CRWL003 takes form of three club driven tracks from the arsenal of Leicester based producer R@ (Lewis Ireson). The 21 year old's current studies in Video Game Development have evidently started to seep into the ferocious sound that has drawn him attention.
His praised debut EP 'Neural' was released on Stella Beats in October 2018 and following his DJing debut at the CR003 Live event alongside Mssingno and Plata, he now continues this run with his first vinyl release, showcasing his signature production.

We're delighted to welcome Critical Impact back to Metalheadz for a solo single, 8 years after he first appeared on the label as part of the Genesis EP series. Known for his work with vocalists, Critical Impact's trademark style is rolled out and only complimented by the unique vocal tones of both DRS and Fats across their respective features, making for a release that intertwines soul with gritty, accomplished beats.

Welcome in 2019! Our first release this year comes courtesy of Iron Dubz & Mr Williamz. 'Haffi Bun', one of the anthems from Iron Dubz's recent album 'Sound Addict', will be finally available on vinyl, backed by a heavyweight dub version on the flip. Don't sleep on this one

Beaming from the success of Denham Audio colab mixtape Club Glow, and Hotline smasher Anyone from London, Borai is back with another couple of Breakstep bangers. Part resurrection, part new direction, this release harks back to a nascent scene, not yet eclipsed by the half time sound we came to know as dubstep. Picking up where others left off, Borai takes the tempo range down a fresh new avenue of exploration. Higher Level Records is Borai's long overdue foray into label management alongside Henry Bainbridge (Dub Studio / HLM). Not content with simply releasing their own records, the dub plate duo will put their 15 years' experience running club nights and a cutting house into every release. Only after each track has been cut to dub and road tested at their eponymous Cosies night will they be committed to lacquer and pressed up. A record cannot wish for better provenance than this.

When he signed to Hospital Records in 2004 Logistics made his mark with classic EPs like ‘Space Jam’, ‘Release The Pressure’ and ‘Wide Lens’. Now the Hospital heavyweight and connoisseur of soulful drum & bass, presents his four-track ‘Waveforms’ EP.
The first in a brand new series that takes it back to where it all began. Opening the EP is the title-track ‘Waveforms’, a warm dose of the classic Logistics sound. Its big rolling basslines and uplifting vocals make this reminiscent of his anthemic tracks ‘Together’ and ‘Everlasting Days’. Dipping into darker territory is ‘Ancestors’.
Hypnotic, piercing sonics rattle around the body with steppy kicks to boot. On a similar wavelength comes ‘Rhythm Track’- a 2019 tint on the original jungle roots. These two tracks are indisputable evidence that Logistics knows his way around the rougher side of D+B, as well as his smooth liquid melodies. Coming full circle is ‘Oslo’ with graceful harmonics and soothing instrumentation. With nine studio albums and an impressive back-catalogue ofsingles and EPs under his belt, Logistics has become one of the most prolific artists in drum & bass. He’s garnered support from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac and Rene LaV- ice, as well as 6Music’s Mary Anne Hobbs. He’s one of the most well-respected producers and DJs in the scene and this year he’ll be heading to flagship drum & bass events such as the all-day festival Hospitality In The Park in London, on the shores of Sardina for Sun & Bass, ADE and many more around the globe.

After completing the LUV trilogy earlier this year, Coco Bryce now returns with the first installment of yet another sub series to his Myor Massiv imprint.

On New Romantic he offers up a sweet mixture of jungle techno infused 4x4 beats combined with his signature lovey dovey vibes, whereas My Blue Heaven features a more drum & bass wise approach with staccato breaks and 808 subs in true mid 90s fashion, albeit with an undeniable late 2010s aesthetic.

Jem One's second EP for Metalheadz comes hurtling into the release schedulewith 5 tracks of solid steel.

The Midlands based producer is known for his heavy brand of drum and bass with the 'Transpose EP' delivering exactly that, something Jem One first introduced to the Metalheadz camp in 2018.

With further releases already lined up, Jem One and his no nonsense approach just can't be ignored.

Blistering heat. Manifesting itself in the form of superheated sound system music, the US-based Dub Sector substantiates another potent, sonic signature with its subsequent, physical release. Welcoming back one of their latest signees from a massive compilation, the gifted vibrations of Dalek One etch their grooves into the label's third vinyl outing and onto powerful stacks of speakers all over the globe. His discography is a sight to behold, supported by some of the scene's foremost figures from past to present - notably having released on Truth's as well as DJ Hatcha's imprints, Encrypted Audio, Duploc, and other quality Dubstep hubs. Ready to unload another ton of pressure, the man of the hour reveals his next three enormous aces up his boundless sleeves - game to shake up the dance.

Backed by the likes of Caspa, 'Can't Walk' advances its visceral sound design, carved out of fastidious distortion and frequency modulation. Most likely brought to you from another world, the resulting sound charge rejoices with livid, granular foley sampling and plenty of Breaks & Jungle influences - pure madness ensuing in the second return of its full might. Turning to a more intensely abysmal soundscape, 'Skincrawler' is fuelled by haunting echos and ephemeral drums. Ramping it up amidst the tape hiss, the proceeding brew of oscillations takes your head right off. Stripped down to its core and with heartfelt swing, the relentless sub-bass onslaught backing its every move - an incarnation of demonic spirits, supremely encapsulated.

Collaborating with Max Mischief on 'Sicim' - the final blow sends us backwards into vintage tape delays, embedded on a profoundly nostalgic piano melody. Eccentric drum patterns swing from one high- amplitude sine wave to another, keeping the amplification hard at work and the dance floor unwaveringly aflame.

Adam’s first release on Holding Hands was a special one for the label. It really felt like the first time that we had a release that was properly doing the rounds. All the big dogs and cats were playing the living shit out of it and dance floors around the world were slamming’ and a jammin’ to the sound of Holding Hands.

Since then Adam has gone from strength to strength with more dynamite releases on Wex and Seven Hills, as himself and also in the duo Space Cadets with Lisene.

I knew that his return to the label where it all began had to be even bigger than the first outing and boy did he bring not just the biscuits but the whole bloody tin along for the ride.

DJ Support
Roza Terenzi (Dekmantel Boiler Room), Call Super (Boiler Room)

Al Wootton comes with 4 more UK Soundsystem bangers one on his own TRULE label. on the A side Body Healthy layers dubbed out breakbeats over a heavy 4x4 garage dub while Graver is a clipped and rustling swung out warehouse techno 2 step shuffler.

On the B side Bad Sound is a heavy breakbeat rave steppers dub and Prophecy is all garage techno dread.

Following a monster 12" from Bones & Natty earlier in 2019, Foxy Jangle returns with one of modern Jungle's freshest up and coming artists – Lynch Kingsley.

With previous releases on Rua Sound, Med School and Flexout Audio under his belt, Lynch hinted at his own darker new sound with 'Void', on Inperspective Records last year.

LK's Foxy Jangle debut explores this dark, complex space further, delivering a double uppercut of cerebral, visceral jungle futurism. With a clear nod to past masters, Lynch's craftmanship takes classic signatures forward into the unknown, with hyperdetailed sound design and razor-sharp precision drum programming across both sides.

Coming in at a combined length of 15 minutes, both tracks have a dense, epic feel, making for an intensive headphone workout. This is challenging music at its rewarding best.

Global tracks is a mystery; browsing the name online gives nothing associated with the artist. All we really know is that Gothenburg is home base. Most points toward that this is Global Tracks first release and Hoga Nord Rekords are more than proud to be first out giving his/her music out.

With albums like 'Selected Ambient Works' by the Aphex Twin and cities like London and Sheffield as a ground for the sound, Global Tracks displays how breakbeats should sound in 2019. The music is mostly influenced by Jungle, but also by Footwork and Dancehall. The roots lie shallow but the phantom behind this music don't give up with trying to recreate the nineties straight up, instead he/she develops the legacy from all the best and most drug marinated DJ:s from England circa 1995.

Breakbeat has a new vanguard in this mysterious shadow crawler that we know almost nothing about, but rumor has it Global Tracks is locked up with the machines under ground somewhere in Vastra Gotaland in Sweden working on new broke up beats, ready to surface when the time is right for more, deep and ganja oozing dance music!

Next up we have a new dnb EP from label head Alix Perez - the Phantonym EP. One can really hear the many years experience and influences that have helped shape this masterpiece. It is beautifully complete, and is undoubtedly some of his best work to date. This is jungle/drum&bass in its truest unfiltered form.

This EP covers the whole spectrum from signature Perez soulful dnb (SWRV qand Vibrations), to gritty bubblers (Trinity), and finally the harder minimal percussive dnb he is renowned for (Phantonym). Mature, concise, and graceful dnb at its best. Out September 13th 2019 on 1985 Music on vinyl and digital.

Lithuanian producer Mantas Povilaika, aka DJ JM, has announced new five-track EP, ‘No Days Off’ – his inaugural record for blossoming club label, Nervous Horizon.

After first starting to emerge on the London club scene radar back in 2015, Nervous Horizon label heads TSVI & Wallwork played some early JM material at their debut London Boiler Room session in 2016, sparking a relationship that has since birthed collaborations on TSVI EPs ‘Sacred Drums’ (2016) and ‘Rambo’ (2018).

After releasing a further two full EPs on NKC’s hard drum label Even The Strong, ‘No Days Off’ forms a natural extension of his work with TSVI, only this time more extensive and detailed. From the anthemic, late ‘90s euphoria of the title-track to the searing club energy of ‘Mad Move’ ft. TSVI to the dark, pulsing techno flicker of ‘Bar Bell’, it is an EP forged at peak time and only tempered by mystical EP closer, ‘Original Taste’ – a track inspired by local Lithuanian club sounds and faraway worlds.