Back catalogue: Deep Dubstep

Review: Rinse France branches out with a brand new label of its own and who better to inaugurate it than Paris-based Beatrice M. The producer makes a knowing nod to dubstep's golden era on this debut with the first version of 'Magic.' It is built on steppy rhythms with seriously wobbling basslines that are all-consuming. Glitchy effects and shimmering synths finish it in style and leave you dreaming of dubstep dances gone by. The B-side is a Techno Mix that reimagines the original with a driving four-on-the-floor rhythm and plenty of richly atmospheric pads.

Review: This is a four-track sampler taken from parts one and two of the One Hundred and Fifty Steps VEP series which is all about exploring the rise of 150 bpm dubstep, a sound that characterised by fast basslines, broken rhythms and heavy halftime pulses. From VEP pt. 1, L.A.'s Carre delivers pacey wobblers and then Berlin's Formella debuts with playful breaks and more wobbly bass on 'Dripstep'. VEP pt. 2 features Leipzig's Old Man Crane with their intricate, syncopated style shinning through on 'Grey' and Valencia's Andrae Durden then shows class with a Kryptic Minds-inspired low-end powerhouse.

Review: Previously flexing on Wheel & Deal and Artikal, London new-gen 140 talent Darkai now lands on another one of the most respected labels in the dubstep multiverse - Deep Medi. Like all the best 12"s it's a game of two halves as he serves up the rough and the smooth. 'Break Room' is a grizzly, distorted, contemporary hot mess as crushed up drums decay in spirals all around. Meanwhile on the B 'Ogun' goes for much more of a timeless dungeon bound groaner. Booming echoes and snake-like bass, slithering upside your chops. Mood, tension and dynamics all in full effect. High grade.

Review: Ever since launching his Echoboy project on the label, Moonshine has played a key role in Adam Kupec's output. Rising up from his Riddim Tuffa roots with a disarming, deep dark vibe, he's made his sonic statement clear since 'Jahova' in 22 and 'Fire' in 23. Now back with 'Rasta We Rasta', his signature seems to gleam off the wax. Digital but warm and resonant. Dancefloor but laced with a little soul. Highlights are the ominous boom of the Danny Red featured title track and the tricky cymbals and shiny finish of 'Horns Dub'.

Review: Albion Collective's new dance-focused sublabel, Gold, launches with a fierce three-track EP from debut artist Adel Force. Though new as Adel Force, the Estonian producer is no stranger to the scene, having spent 15 years crafting essential cuts as Bisweed. The 'Twirl' EP is a smart evolution in which he impresses by delivering experimental yet dancefloor-ready dubstep. The opening track, 'Is This What You Want,' perfectly captures Gold's mission to ignite crowds with bold rhythms and killer bass, and that only continues through the rest of the Ep, which comes with unique gold-embossed artwork to reflect Albion Collective's DIY ethos and commitment to originality.

Review: Fast Castle opens up its 2025 with a five-tracker from Gent1e $oul that expands his bass-heavy sound into new club terrain. From the swampy overdriven bass of opener '4TC Boom' to the jersey-infused 'Paladin', which is a fine collab with Rolex3k, each track hits with intent. '+390' brings grimy M1 flutes to UK techno rhythms, while 'Steppe Lancer' channels dark, twisted energy for late-night floors. Closer 'Parthian Tactics' dives into introspective dubstep that is heavy yet hypnotic. With rich Bronze Age-inspired artwork by Jonas, Stable Units is both a superb sonic weapon and furtherment of deep dubstep.

Review: London dubstep producers Hijinx (Kyle Smith) and De-Tu (the trio of C-Side, Christopher Iona and Jevon Ives) team up in an enviably collaborative form, reserving five 12" grooves spread evenly and fairly over two originals each, not to mention these serving to top-cherry one more collaborative number, '3310', which leads the charge on this White Peach juicer. The mood on the record is dynamic and midrange scoopy as ever, with a no-more-no-less production approach squeezing just the right sense of scape from the mix, never saturating its sounds in wetness.

Review: Josi Devil's debut on Hessle Audio is a natural step forward for the label, expanding its sound in a way that still feels unmistakably its ownithis release adding a layer of tension and subtlety to an already diverse catalog. Hailing from Bristol, Josi has built a reputation with labels like Innamind and Nervous Horizon, known for his raw, unrelenting style. But here, he takes a step into slightly murkier waters, layering euphoric vocal snippets with deeper, atmospheric textures that give the track an interesting push and pull. 'Make It Better' kicks off with swung breakbeats that quickly dissolve into a blend of chopped vocals and rumbling sub-bass, offering moments of pure euphoria while maintaining an underlying tension. There's a certain balance here, as the energy ping-pongs between light and dark, but it never feels out of sync. Josi manages to hold onto a grounded, gritty feel, all while pulling in atmospheric elements that make the track feel spacious and immersive. On the flip, things get darker with 'Restless Sleep' where muffled drums and deep, growling basslines add a sense of foreboding as shadowy Buchla tones weave through. The UKG-inspired samples mix with the heavy low-end, creating a sense of unease without ever feeling too overbearing. It's a track that knows when to hold back and when to let the tension fully break looseishowing off Josi's knack for creating complex, layered sounds that still pack a visceral punch. This release feels rooted in the underground but offers something fresh for the forward-thinking listener, leaving a lingering impression long after the first listen.

Review: Definitely one of the most haunting and quite possibly one of the most seminal cuts Mala has ever made, the show-stopping 'Changes' enjoys a long overdue re-press. Whether you were around when it first dropped in 2007 and never caught the wax, or you've since discovered it from many different samples such as XXXTENTACION's 'Look At Me' or The Game's 'Holy Water', this is an iconic piece of 140 music that transcends genres and generations. A contemporary classic, nothing less.

Review: Liverpool Dubstep Heads invite Russian artist Ninety over for some low-end fun and these four tracks are the result of their adventures. As with many of his previous tracks, Ninety errs on the side of trippy across the EP with strange off-grid flurries and psychedelic twists throughout. Highlights include the wavey sheen and sparkle of 'Rouz', the pinched staccato drama of 'Fear Suppression' and the all-out theatrical tension of the title track. Hunt and go hard!

Review: The debut full-length from Bangladeshi-Canadian producer Raf Reza fuses UK soundsystem culture with his own deep-rooted Bangladeshi influences. Raised in Tokyo and musically shaped in Toronto and Glasgow, Reza blends dub, bleep, breaks and jungle with Baul music samples and vintage Bengali film soundtracks here and it results in a brilliantly original style. The album explores sonic futurism and asks how diasporic and Dhaka-based electronic cultures can intersect. With a unique mix of field recordings, semi-obscured monologues and dubwise textures, Reza's identity-driven narrative comes to life and cements him as a bold, genre-bending voice in cultural fusion and sound.

Review: The return of Sorrow, characteristically with a gracefully morose new six-tracker, 'Unrequited'. "How can I forgive?" goes the rheum-smeared vocal sample opening out the Bristolian artist's new opener 'Monologue', after which amnestic choral lines follow like heavenly flights, singing thee to thy rest. Many a temporal restretching of the 2-step grief-garage paradigm follow, as on the slo-mo dancehall of 'Fallen Angel', the pan-fluting, blossom treeing dubstep of 'Unrequited', and an unlikely future downtempo saudade, 'Hedron'. It's nice to hear Sorrow back in action; without his continued presence, we might otherwise drown our own in other, less musical liquids.

Review: Akte is the Cologne-based event series rooted in timeless ambient, minimal and techno sounds and here it launches its own record label with a debut 12" EP by founder Philipp Stoffel. Featuring four original tracks and a signature remix by dub-techno icon VRIL, these sounds are less about cooking up direct dancefloor tools, more about immersive storytelling. The EP channels dub textures and deep sound design that compresses the emotional depth of an LP into a tight, cohesive selection. With mastering by the legendary Stefan Betke aka Pole, it's a top draw package with vision and substance aplenty.

Review: We've always been hip to deep dubstep and Naan does it better than most. Their latest transmissions is from Zha who offers up an eclectic EP that seamlessly fuses Bollywood, dubstep, UK garage and breaks. The genre-defying journey begins with 'Quit Dreaming, Grow Up' which serves as a heartfelt ode to artists navigating the delicate balance between crafting their work and the fleeting nature of its consumption. Both a celebration and a reflection, the rest of the release captures the tension between creative passion and the relentless pace of modern music culture, so is impactful on many levels at once.

Review: This has been described as Shelflife for Calibre's 120-140 material. If you know the means, methods and magic of Dominic Martin, you'll already have this in your basket. But in case you need a little extra info or new to the abyssal vaults of Calibre, the Shelflife series is a regular collection of projects and unreleased material he's made over the years. While best known for his d&b, his house, techno and dub material is just as prolific, deep and mesmerising. As is the case here as we range from steppy, curmudgeonly techno ('Front Loader') to funky electro style breaks ('The Saki') to bumping shufflesome house ('Ukrained') to vast spacious dub ('Come With Me') Complete with many other deep and reflective shades between, this is yet another fantastic body of work from one of electronic music's most unique and revered artists.