New releases last two weeks: Breakbeat

Review: The Bird series is back once again with a fourth offering and it is label founder Jason Wilkins who takes care of this one under his Camille moniker. It kicks off with a flip of 'Hogin' Machine' that has raw and dusty drums and funky basslines that keep on coming and keep you locked. things slow down n the B-Side with 'Safari in D'. This one becomes a more mellow and laidback sound that offer a different take on an original by L'Eclair. The bass is warm and melodic, the drums loveably lazy and the keys jazzy and pensive. Super stuff for lo-fi lovers.

Review: Originally released as part of Dub Narcotic Sound System's Dub Narcotic Disco Plate series, 'Fuck Shit Up' has stood the test of time as a raucous blend of garage soul punk. The track made waves upon its 1994 release, with its genre-defying energy gaining instant admiration from artists like Beck, Chemical Brothers, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (who later covered it), and Make-Up. "We loved this piece of ramshackle punk funk when we first heard it on 7" in 1994 and we still love it now!" said The Chemical Brothers in 2025. Still a staple at underground dance parties, the track has amassed over 100,000 YouTube streams, so for the first time, it's now available digitally, paired with a fresh remix by Hifi Sean, best as former singer with C86/baggy heroes Soup Dragons.

Review: London's Mysticisms label spill valorous guts in issuing this new dub and breakbeat crossover record from Dub Specialists. Having emerged from te potent 1980s-90s fallouts that enshrouded the pioneering digital roots label Conscious Sounds, Dub Specialists tracked the storied meeting-of-minds that was and still is Douglas Waldrop, Piers Harrison, and Stuart "Chuggy" Leath. This time, the trio are heard teaming up with DJ Millie McKee and studio brain Matt Bruce to formate yet another splinter cell, as missionaries of Conscious Sounds' digital mission: to explore samplers and videogame sounds in dub and funk. Using an Atari 1040 running Cubase and armed with a Soundcraft mixer, this latest iteration hears drum loops and reggae basslines played over funk samples and layered with Petter's chords, crafting a series of short, DJ-worthy heaters. The result is unhindered by expectation and breaks many calcified digidub moulds, as on 'Funkin Dub', where speak n' spell garblings meet downtown funk licks and sonorant snare whacks.

Review: Warsaw producer Kampinos delivers a knockout trio of tunes for GAMM here that collide soulful drum & bass with deep musical roots. The standout opener is 'Good Looking Pepe,' which flips Pepe Bradock's seminal house love-in 'Deep Burnt' into a lush, jazzy roller a la LTJ Bukem. On the B-side, 'Joi' explodes with gospel fervour and raw amen breaks to make for an irresistible jungle anthem built for dancefloor uplift. Rounding things off, Kampinos offers a rich, emotive refix of Little Simz's 'See You Glow' which is both warm and intense. This is rather unexpected yet effective outing for GAMM with a fine mix of soul and roughness.

Review: Pilot is one of the many labels in the orbit of the irrepressible James 'Burnski' Burnham. Its next outing is from M High who perfectly slots into the label's classy minimal and tech sound world. Things open up with 'Same Routine' which is a turbocharged sound with frazzled bass and thumping kicks. 'On My Own Supply' has a touch of the old school to it with the unbridled joy of the dancing piano chords and big, bulky beats. 'Same Routine' then gets a space-tech rework from Wodda and Hatori's live Bass remix brings some lush cosmic synth swirls and bumping drums.

Review: Mr Lode is back with more surgically designed breakbeats that are aimed both barrels at the heart of the dance effort. They come with plenty of retro stylings and old school stylings that will unite dancers from across the ages and first up is 'Journeys' which is unrelenting drum funk and retro-future samples. 'Rhythms Of The Night' ups the ante with some mad whistles and soulful pads, then 'Happiness' tapes into Latin energy with raw South American horns and tumbling, funky drum patterns. 'Revival' shuts down with more drum-led goodness, underpinned by fat bass and with some kooky vocal samples.

Review: Sofian label Soul Dynamite sling a skilful slice over our way, assuring us of the finely appraised editing work of Plovdiv producer Skill. Flat caps, ochre-rimmed glasses and dug crates seem to surround Skill like bees to honey, as the self-professed "pioneer in the purveyance of soulful, funky and jazzy hip-hop" makes evident his own expertise in a monosyllabic name. Two seconds in and we already know that 'Tribute To The Godfather' refers to none other than James Brown; we hear his many rhythm-perfect funk "huhs" striating the a fearsome breaks opener. We conclude on the sax-furloughed 'Danger', which steers hip-hoppier, and sacrifices the original vocals from Brown for an unknown sample source, though the King Of Soul's reign is not lost on it.

Review: A limited red vinyl edition of Sofian producer Skill's skilful 'Tribute To The Godfather', a simple yet effective 7" breaks edit outlining just how much tension and suspense can be fleshed out of a James Brown drum sample. Mr. James Brown, undoubtedly the linchpin of funk, is said to have been so tyrannically dictatorial during recordings that he would fire session drummers in a flash if they were slightly behind. Only a man with gangsta-level gusto could have squeezed this breakbeat out of a young Clyde Stubblefield, signalled by a decided "hit it now" from our sequin-flared compere.