Dubstep Recommendations Best Of 2014

Review: Also known as Germany's Next Top Wobble, Bukez Finezt has taken things next level with "Under Control". Hyped across the board (from deep heads to tear-out boys) as one of the key releases of 2014 so far, this sub-saturated swagger-jam has an ability to sing to all corners of the ever-fractured dubstep floor. Want to go deeper again? Head for "You Don't Belong Here". Wonkier than a wooden legged pirate with gout, it's peppered with spooked SFX and a bass tone so ominous it could raise the Devil himself, Bukez clearly has a dark, dark mind! Finally we hit "Pace Yourself". A percussive hype track with a very cheeky horn sample, all manner of madness has been coded into the vast space between the elements. Minimalist chaos anyone?

Review: The Moonshine Recordings crew return with another platter that matters, brandishing a double drop of skank up business to nice up any dancefloor. "Cool Me Off" finds Murda and Tuffist providing the perfect digi dub minor key bed for Roots and Rose to lay down their heartfelt harmonies. Junglists will flip for the B where Murda goes on a solo flex to add his Chopstick Dub twist with amen-rattling precision. One listen and you'll find this an appropriately titled slab; you will need to cool off after dropping this!

Review: ** hotline repress ** Hotline Recordings is fast becoming one of Bristol's most vital vinyl-only imprints, delivering various strands of low-end heavy music from Kahn & Neek, Lurka and Rachael across its three releases so far. The latest piece of wax to be revealed via their voicemail service is from Commodo, a producer whose previous outings for labels like Deep Medi and Black Box have shown him to be one of the more reliable young artists currently holding the torch for the classic dubstep sound. As such the F_ck Mountain/Good Grief 12? is a stark contrast to the Sotofett jungle remix of the label's last release from Rachael, with a return to the kind of sound last heard on Lurka's plate for Hotline. "F_ck Mountain" sees Commodo in more familiar 140BPM territory a "lean take on original dubstep" on the A-side pitching and yawing around the rudest of basslines," while "Good Grief" has more in common with the work of Beneath and Alex Coulton, coming described as "a pneumatic sprung weapon that bounces in around the 130 mark".

Review: We're not sure what New Zealand duo Perverse has been eating for breakfast, but their latest material is definitely harder than the original dungeon-bound sonics they first made a name for themselves with. With nuances of Thelem and Killawatt - while sounding wholly their own - there's a distinct loopy, almost techno-like vibe to each of these three cuts... "Champion Dub" is authentic roots material, all spacey and loaded with crystalline drum dynamics, "Invasion", meanwhile is an ugly, bass-busted peaktime jam that's coded with serious funk attitude while "Methot VI" teases with fractured stabs and a fantastically processed vocal loop. Trippy and tasty, don't sleep on this one!

Review: Zam Zam Sounds keep up the pressure with their fifth transmission so far this year (and 20th overall) and welcome Berlin-based soldiers Dub War and Infra into the fold with If It's Not The Police. Formerly a duo consisting of Benny Ill and Bill Robin, this 7" is the first release with the latter working solo under the guise and also his first collaboration with Marius Braun aka Infra. As with previous Zam Zam drops, the roots of dub culture are retained with If It's Not The Policea with a vocal cut backed by a dub rendition. Deep studio science and sound design paired with classic dub aesthetics, dubstep bass-weight, and halftime garage swing are very much in effect here and we hope this is the first of many collabs between the pair.

Review: Indigo and Synkro return for Houndstooth duty under the Akkord guise, with HTH020 their first material for the fabric-affiliated label since last year's roundly praised debut album. That long player was perhaps the most confident display of the sound design-heavy production style the Mancunian pair had been narrowing in on since their cultish white label bow, but this new 12" finds them adding whole new levels of darkness to the mix. Moody low end sits deep in the channels; given the space to breath by Akkord who seem careful to restrict their drum samples to the barest of appearances at times (see "Gravure") whilst those out there that enjoyed the Millie + Andrea album for Modern Love will probably gravitate towards "Continuum" which showcases a murky, raw take on breakbeat-led jungle.

Review: Here is the first of two 12" samplers preceding The Compilation, a self explanatory label collection from the Artikal crew which lays down a tasty marker for what to expect when the full 14 track release drops later this month. Naturally label co-founder J Kenzo leads the way with "Straight Defeat" which features the bubbling rap flow of Collinjah, but there's plenty more to sink your teeth into. Check the swinging minimalism and bulbous kicks of Biome's "Solstice" and Truth's chop-slapping stark design on "Questions".

Review: It's a brave person that agrees to remix a classic, and they are even braver when they turn in two so step forward Kowton who has delivered a pair of signature refixes of the 2007 Pev favourite "Roll With The Punches". Aimed as a bruising marker for the upcoming Punch Drunk compilation Worth The Weight Vol. 2: From The Edge, both remixes here hit the spot with precision force, retaining Pev's fluttering refrain but aligning it to some signature Kowton rhythmic programming. The latter dub version is exclusive to this 12" whilst the forthcoming compilation looks to be a worthy successor to 2010's edition, drawing on a crack squad of Punch Drunk affiliates including Young Echo crew, Ekoplekz, Bass Clef and talented Bristol upstarts like Hodge and Andy Mac.

Review: After a strong debut year that saw no less than five heavyweight plates, Osiris Music's low key vinyl only offshoot Lion Charge return with their first transmission of 2014. Five man Cesena crew D Operation Drop are handling proceedings this time and rep Italy hard when it comes to the dubwise sound. Idren Natural lends trad style uptown stepper "Rockin Da Nation" some added rootsical vibes with his vocal contribution, whilst "Addis Abeba" is a punchier affair that will get plenty of rewinds from the dubstep selectors out there.

Review: The second of two samplers from Artikal's inaugural compilation project - simply title The Compilation - this one features smouldering jams from some of the biggest names on the imprint... Thelem reverts from his current techno outings with a bleepy adventure into dubstep foundations, TMSV weaves a dense tribal web on "Scorpion", Skeptical adds a punctuated skippy rhythm and subtle dark growl to proceedings "Skavenger" while Sleeper concludes proceedings with the deeply trippy "Coxsone Dub". Heaviness.

Review: It's been a hot minute since Brett Bigden stepped out in a solo capacity as Leon Switch, naturally quite busy in his role as one half of Kryptic Minds with Simon Shreeve, which makes this sight of this 12" for Chestplate most welcome. With over a decade of production consistency in the realm of bass music under his belt, you know a new Leon Switch 12" will be quality and that's certainly the case with these two busty sides of dark, demonstrative sub science. "Deadlock" comes with a stark political vocal sample and a squiggling, scratchy bass hook. Flip for "Persepolisia", a track that sees Leon go darker again with a dirgy, unbelted bassline that licks every crumble of grit from the gutter. Sleazy synthetic sub soul, it's as alluring as it is hypnotising.

Review: This EP finds Kevin Martin zooming in on some of the themes of Angels & Demons, the long awaited new LP from The Bug, naturally showing a diverse approach across the spectrum of his dread-filled half-step swagger. Two versions of "Void" drape themselves across the first side in a heavy-lidded fog of distant melodics, static interference and restrained beat business, while on the flip "Black Wasp" likewise takes two strung out routes through submerged menace and laconic grace. Like a sharp slap about the chops, side three finds Manga spitting out a monolithic grime performance over "Function", while Daddy Freddy is on side four with a perfectly devilish turn on "Blaow".

Review: Initially released digitally last month, Joker's Head Top EP finally makes it's way onto a Kapsize 12" platter! Some four tracks deep, Head Top doesn't see Liam McLean depart from the Purple Wow sound that has defined his output as Joker but there is definitely something new being brought to the table that hits you as soon as the beat drops on the opening title track. Here it's the skeletal, almost boom bap rhythms that take centre stage with a jagged, unpredictable bassline for company. Given the title it's no surprise to see "Mario Ting" plundering a NES chiptune sound, though the weighty bassline will do some real damage - check the flip for a darker rendition of this approach in "Mr Miyagi". Wax On mate!

Review: Chestplate extend transatlantic relations by welcoming Los Angeles-based producer Mesck into the fold with the Conquista 12". Despite his location, Mesck has a firm grasp of the vibrant dynamics that make up the Chestplate sound, rolling out two dancefloor focused steppers that will find a welcome home in many a selector's record box. The title cut really shows off Mesck's talent for arrangement and sound design, with the hollowed kick patterns and ominous bassline the two defining elements. On the flip side, "Collusion" finds Mesck in a darker mood, stripping back the percussive detail to let the swooping bassline dominate proceedings on a production spilling with rudeness.

Review: There has been no shortage of bright and bold crossover styles from Slackk over the past four years, with impressive bouts for Numbers, Unknown To The Unknown and Diskotopia providing a platform for the London-based producer to become something of a figurehead in the current instrumental grime scene. Now, having spent some time getting cosy with Local Action, he offers the label his long anticipated debut album and takes the chance to drop no less than 16 new takes on his grime-infused musicality with barely a filler or interlude in sight. While the tempos and rhythms may shift, the atmosphere remains consistently in that alien space somewhere out ahead of us, part video game fantasy and part urban uncertainty.

Review: Tempa continue to chisel away at the bass coal face in their own unique and ultimately deep way. For "Allstars 7" they've struck some serious gold... Blisteringly hot Wen serves up a blisteringly cold roller, all bubbly drums and iced-out synths, Manchester man Alex Coulton taps into the deep tribal dub psyche with his hand drum-heavy "Equilibrium", Innasound get deep on a meditative flex, Batu gets jiggy on a steppy, jaunty trip, Axh unleashes a post-dungeon stepper with a swift and uncompromising rhythm pattern and Perverse bring us to a stark, spaced out climax with the trippy "Jacobin". Four awesome examples of future-focussed bass music, Tempa have delivered a very special document right here.

Review: Moonshine Recordings present Fire, a two track slab of future-programmed digi dub and jungle that joins the dots between Poland and Jamaica. Bouncy vibes rule the roost on the A Side original cut as Brother Culture lets rip with a heartfelt sermon with his distinctive gruff melodicism. Need to up the ante? Flip for the dub remix from HOT and submerse yourself in sea of timeless jungle. Heaving with amen action, it's testament to HOT's breadth and badness. Keep the fire burning!

Review: Currently spotted across the country with the Hit & Run crew, tremors from Wayfarer's seismic bass can be felt right across the bass scene. Take one listen to these distinctive blends and you'll understand why. "Afterlight" is a sludgy, slo-mo weave of chubby percussion and deep throat bass gurgles, "Azuma" is a much more stark rhythm homage with epic space between each sparse, icy element while "Zeg" completes the show with awesome staccato tribal drum drama and a tight, insistent rhythm riff. Addictive, heavy and unique.. Just the way Uprise like it.