Drum & Bass Recommendations March 2012

Review: Making the bold decision to rework a couple of much loved jungle classics, it's over to the ever-outrageous bolshy dubstep playboy Doctor P and jungle revivalists the Serial Killaz for two sterling remixes of Krome & Time's "The Licence" and "Ganja Man". First of all is Doctor P's synth-soaring, exuberant take on the original, with the vocal weaving around bubbling synth belches, quirky chip tune melodies, smacking snares and a computerized vocal calling "remix". Watch for the tempo switches in the second half! Then there's the Serial Killaz remix of "Ganja Man" which brings out the original reggae flavour and mixes it in with some sharp, rattling breaks and rave-tastic bellows.

Review: Jungle Cakes smash down the doors of 2012 with another heady double drop of rolling goodness from label boss Deekline and studio cohort Ed Solo. "Paella (Blaze It Up)" sees the veteran bass bin terrorists call on the heavyweight vocal talents of Million Dan, founding member of original UK hip-hop crew The Demon Boyz and an MC whose unique verse spitting is a perfect fit for the bass heavy D&B riddims! It's backed with a typically rambunctious Ed Solo and Deekline remix of Rack N Ruin's "Soundclash" that wisely retains Jessie Ware's guest vocals but adds plenty of the duo's trademark bad bwoy vibes, energetic rhythms and rippling square wave bass lines

Review: Appearances by D Bridge on Metalheadz come few and far between, but this time Darren White has a whole 12" to himself, over which to stretch his soulful take on D&B. A-Side "The Little Things" fits and starts with its clean beats and smooth pads, keeping things thoroughly linear and emotive for those more sensitive moments in the dance. Things get rougher on "Cornered" as a cheeky drum break ups the ante while the bass comes in growling and submerged. As ever the production is flawless, and with two diverse tracks to choose from there's plenty to get out of nabbing this release.

Review: Belgian junglist imprint Radar drop the fourth in a series of remix EPs which have previously seen tracks from Belgian music royalty like CJ Bolland and Ultrasonic 7 get the drum and bass treatment. On this instalment the supreme talents of DJ Marky and S.P.Y. are called in to rework the bossa beat business of Arsenal's 2005 jam "Saudade" and naturally the results are markedly different. Big waves of sub bass and tense, unrelenting rhythms crash atop each other with typical Latin panache as Marky and S.P.Y. build inevitably towards a well crafted drop into some filtered vocals from the original. On the flip Crystal Clear tackle the electro house rave business of Zipper from Lektroluv mainstay's Sound Of Stereo doing a smart job of retaining the tracks overtly daft rave aesthetics but melding them with their own punishing beats.

Review: Welsh D&B producer High Contrast (or Lincoln Barrett to friends and fam) delivers The Agony & The Ecstasy, his fourth studio album for the evergreen Hospital Records imprint - and it's fair to say it's quite the epic. The name alone would hint so, but the album comes covered in some classic Caravaggio and this vinyl edition is pretty hefty, with eight of the twelve tracks granted a side each on the four slabs of wax housed in a gatefold sleeve (with the full album included on CD). Musically, this is described by Barrett himself as the most personal album to date, though there are still plenty of the producer's signature production nuances on display throughout as well as some deviations into interesting new rhythmic directions. There are also plenty of collaborations with the likes of Claire Maguire, Liane Carrol and Underworld contributing.

Review: The rowdy Bristol based collective known simply as the Run Tingz Cru step forth with their first sub worrying twelve of 2012, and it's just as badman as you'd expect from a title like It's A Junglist Ting. Featuring the supreme toasting talents of Jamaican-born regular contributor Blackout J.A alongside the UK's own David Boomah, "It's A Junglist Thing" expertly winds back the clock to the halcyon warehouse days of 92, all skanking attitude and deviant sub bass. Do check the flipside revision from G Tactix & J Man which is quite appropriately titled the Amen Flex remix - a totally chaotic effort that squeezes every last iota of brilliance out of the much used Amen break.

Review: The mighty Dispatch Recordings have been repping drum and bass in Leeds for over a decade now and their 53rd release sees the return of Skeptikal and MC Fokus. The duo collaborated on the brilliant "Structure" on a 10" Dispatch drop last spring, so it's little surprise the label has collared them for a full release together. The highly anticipated "Fluctuate" sees MC Fokus put down the mic and join Skeptikal behind the mixing desk for a scratchy, futuristic steppah that would make D:Bridge bristle with excitement. It's backed with the mid range tear out business of "The Truth" which sees Fokus on vocal duties over deviant rolling beats and snakelike bass.

Review: Strike It Down attains future classic status as soon as the needle touches the groove, the relative calm of the opening few bars lulling you willingly into a false sense of ease, before the erstwhile dRamatic & dbAudio launch into the rib shuddering amen flex. Smartly matched by subtle yet dramatic orchestral touches, the rolling rhythms ride the deep lines of sub bass with aplomb. In the face of such a relentless onslaught, the duo wisely chose to complement the A Side with the more expansive, undulating liquid vibes of "Please Me" which shows just as much attention to rhythmic detail and structure.