Drum & Bass Recommendations March 2014

Review: The unstoppable Wilkinson returns with another chop-slapper from his Lazers Not Included debut album, "Too Close" is one of his most emotional tracks to date as Detour City's vocals surge across the soulful, swinging riddim. Breaking down into a rich organic funk break, it shows a whole new side to the Twickenham superstar. For added welly head for the VIP; with added drum power and more uplift in the bass, it's not dissimilar to High Contrast's best work. A showcase of subtle VIP science.

Review: Classic alert! Doc Scott revisits his NHS alias for this very special release on 31. The minute you hear that dark, groaning, ultimately evil, bassline you're whisked straight back in the smoky mists of 1996 - even if you were there at the time or not. Still dropped heavily by DJs to this day, this remastered revisit comes with a storming contemporisation from the on-point Om Unit. Identifying the creative potential between the bassline and his trademark halfsteps, it's one of the best D&B modernisations you'll hear all year.

Review: The unstoppable Chase & Status release another emphatic slammer from their Brand New Machine album. With pummelling double kicks, soaring synths and soul stirring vocals from Jacob Banks, it's the duo at their most lighter-raising. Remix-wise Austrian man-of-the-moment Mefjus chews up every element and spits them back out with twisted neuro naughtiness. Serious nasty business - not to be missed.

Review: Bristol label Symmetry Records have decided to kick-start the New Year in requisite fashion with Symmetry Sessions vol 1, a digital collection featuring contributions from some of the top names in the scene. Label boss Break naturally features quite prominently on the six track release and Symmetry have decided to pull two highlights from the Sessions for this 12" sampler. Given that a remix of Break is a rare thing, it's no surprise that the highly prized Calibre relick of "They're Wrong" lines the A Side, rolling effortlessly towards the run out groove in a fashion that Calibre does so well. Face down and Break teams up with the gifted and blessed DLR for "New Design" which is a fine slab of dark tech step.

Review: Ivy Lab provides Critical Music with its first physical release of 2014 with a four-track double 12". To begin with there's the piano-ambient introduction of "Missing Persons", which in a way sounds like a highly sped-up Burial track combined with Frank Carter III's vocals full of a similar sounding soul heard in Storm Queen's crossover hit "Look Right Through". The drums remain super-quick on "Live On Your Smile" alongside warbled computer bleeps and melancholic female vocals, while "Sunday Crunk" is a hip hop-inspired, MPC-styled slow jam that may well take its inspirations from southern rap. Lastly on this deluxe package, Project: Mooncircle and 2nd Drop artist Deft touches-up Ivy Lab & Emperor's "Pepper" for something verging on heavy dubstep mixed with some growling, Fis-like effects.

Review: Drum & bass's prize sex addict Nymfo returns to Klute's Commercial Suicide with two absolute belters. Maintaining the high level of quality he's established over the years, here we find him in two wholly different modes... "Headbangers Ball" is a lewd, crude roller that shoves, shakes, tears and roars with a deadly bassline message. "Beep", meanwhile, is built up around one single radar blip. Rolling with trippy techno dynamism, it bridges the gap between jump and tech perfectly. Nymfo's nailed it once again.

Review: Bryan Gee's Chronic imprint continues to act as a rejuvenated outlet for those seeking heavyweight, bass fuelled junglist riddims, with the label's first release of 2014 taking shape in that most appealing of formats - the double pack. The Warehouse Music sampler precedes the release of a 24 track various artists compilation that is described by Chronic as "an ode to the more stripped back, raw sounds of D&B's past - all with the unmistakable edge of 2014 production power". The four tracks here certainly live up to that billing, commencing with one of Roni Size's most vicious productions in some time in the shape of "Blind Alley". This sets a dark tone for what follows from Capone, Optiv & BTK and Serum, whose closing track "Energy" is likely to test the facial muscles and gun fingers of dancefloor attendees across the globe, such is the screwy nature of the bass line.

Review: With a back cat that seeps boundary-smelting creativity, Atlantic Connection dons his D&B hat and returns to Fokuz with two stunning rollers. Subtle, understated and sprung with soul, both "One Moment" and "Nothing Can Separate Us" tingle with emotive attention to detail. The former shimmers with soft synth sounds, classic jungle breaks and a heartfelt vocal while the latter swings with an outrageously dreamy bending synth sound that warps with true warmth while a delicate vocal whispers in the background. Stunning.

Review: Fluctuating pockets of lion-growling bass tickle the edges of Mako, DLR, Villem & Ant TC1 mega-production "Hungry For Atmosphere". Its groove is the exact type of rhythm we all want from a classic Metalheadz record, which is circled by chiming bells, tremolo-infected Rhodes and an infectiously urban-sounding 'yeah vocal'. The B-side, however, presents a different story, with something more tear out. This time it's Mako, DLR amd Villem - minus Ant TC1 - that provide the ripping, snorting, and shaking "A Certain Flavour" - watch out for this.

Review: Described in typically effusive terms as "lethal" by Mary Ann Hobbes, bass don AMIT returns with a second transmission on his AMAR imprint. Those of you who indulged in last summer's inaugural release on the label will need little extra incentive to indulge here, but curious parties new to the label read on. AMIT's knack for productions that are both delicate and dark is in full effect on lead track, where vocals from Rani offer a sense of fragility that's gradually consumed by the sheer bass weight of the production. "Mr Clark" meanwhile is a deliciously evil concoction of brutal percussion, rebellious bass and haunting echoed vocals from Nomine. Rani appears once more on the dubwise "Your Native God" whilst "Daaku" finds AMIT discarding with collaborations for a dark tribal skanker!

Review: As last year's Commercial Suicide debut proved, transmissions from Detail always prove be some of the sharpest weapons you can find in contemporary Drum & Bass, and the Ukrainian's second slab for Klute's long running label is no different. Initially released digitally late last year, the double pronged Time Stretching belatedly makes the transition to the physical form and is all the better for it, just be sure to use professional DJ needles as the bass is lively on this one! Detail's oft-stated love for Technical Itch is apparent on the title track which deftly moves from moments of musical calm to all out techstep darkness. Complementing this, "Pressure" represents one of the more appropriately titled tracks we've heard this week, with Detail tightly coiling his drums around taut bassline that feels primed to snap at any moment.

Review: A truly international release that spans the entire globe, US imprint Icarus join forces with New Zealand's State Of Mind and Trei and Germany's Cause4Concern for this slamming masterclass in contemporary drum & bass. On the A we find Trei developing the 2011 grooves of "Nothing Lasts For Ever", adding serious beef in the beats and bass departments, it's a powerful suit of sonic armour that gives the track an entirely new feel. Meanwhile on the B we hurtle into a brand new jam from State Of Mind: opening with lush, tingling pads we're suddenly thrown into a bassline so sharp and savage it's heavy enough to make the likes of Audio or Mefjus blush. Nothing lasts forever... But this 12" will certainly stay in your crate for a long time.

Review: Establishing their co-lab credentials way back in 2011 with "Peel Street" and "Artificial", and more recently with "Medusa", DLR and Aussie producer Safire complement each other very well stylistically. Both driven by that careful balance of dark and light, their unified sound is rich, weighted and truly physical. "Hurdles" is no exception as a liquid metal bassline bubbles and boils under the force of an industrial strength riddim. Safire, meanwhile, takes the lead for the title track... "Homeland" is a harder-hitting slammer with pneumatic double-kicks, roaring bass tears and woozy, trippy synth washes. An incredible release, with more to come, too!

Review: Sheet metal sonics abound as Overlook steps over to Narratives with two severe hurters. Developing the pedigree established on the likes of Renegade and Samurai, here we find him telling two wholly different tales; "False" pays homage to the uncompromising foundations laid by Metalheadz while "Everything Counts" takes us down a much darker, shadowy path. All sludgy, slo-mo and full of sub bass ghosts, it's the perfect future minded counter to the heritage vibes on the A-side. Not to be Overlooked (SORRY).

Review: Veteran producer, radio host and Metalheadz resident Bailey knows a thing of two about darkside drum & bass, having been one of the scene's major players since way back in 2003. Here, he showcases his skills as selector and mixer with Warehouse Music, an all-action throwdown for V Recordings' offshoot Chronic. Bold, ravey, stomping and suitably bass-heavy, it sees Bailey sprinting through a selection of heavyweight rollers from the likes of Roni Size, Saxxon, Crytical Dub, Command Strange and L-Side. Throughout, the old skool jungle influence is clear, and Bailey barely pauses for air. It's that kind of mix - a quick, thrill-a-minute ride through D&B's bolder pastures.