Review: NY breakbeat craftsman 88 Katanas gets explorative on Silent Force with four outstanding jungle adventures. The brilliantly titled 'The Standard Of The Archipelago' ignites the EP with a brisk drumfunk type of flavour that's comparable to Seba. From there we move inland to brutalist terrains... 'Radiant Energy' is a halftime march through thick swamps and woodland, and 'Bit Rot' takes us onto elevated fields where the air is fresher but the ground is very slippery underfoot. 'Subconscious Emotions', meanwhile, takes us back to a much calmer shore where a good looking ship awaits for voyage home.
Review: Last spotted raising hell and taking names with Jon 1st on Defrostatica, Arcane (who is also known as one half of the more mainstream-sounding d&b act Kleu) goes full nelson on the breaks with these two choppy choppy bangers on Foxy Jangle. Both cuts focussing on the drums, subs, samples and FX, these are fully timeless trips and sculpted strictly for the heads. Great for losing yourself inside at 3am and even better to mix. Just like concrete.
Review: California-based, British drum & bass musician ASC returns with more homages to late 90s atmospheric drum & bass on his excellent sub-label Spatial. Anyone who has been following his work and the releases that he's put out on his Auxiliary label and sub labels in the past few years should know what to expect. Following on from last month's excellent full-length Next Time You Fall, 'Undercurrents' is four tracks of impeccably produced ambient jungle. The first cut, 'Ocean Breeze', has a simpler rhythm than you would expect from him, which could be a hint at a more liquid future direction. The next three cuts are classic ASC: cut-up, spaced-out breaks interspersed with dreamy vocals.
Review: Bristol producer Borai (Boris English) and London's Denham Audio (Peri Ashwood) pulled off a remarkable feat with 'Make Me/No Good', an unequivocal release put out on Higher Level Records in 2019. Repurposing the unmistakable hookline from Donna Allen's g-funk jacker 'Serious' from 1986 into a fully re-recorded sample all their own, 'Make Me' set alight the feet of the breaksy raver, striking serious gold in the classic formula of easily-recognised old-school-soul vocals and sculpted tearout heft. As anthemic as its original B-side, 'No Good', the original latter half of the record now comes substituted by Big Ang's Rave To The Grave mix, whose blooping trooper sound design and mains-hum Reeses provide an ecstatic alter. A can't-go-wrong reissue by the Room Two camp.
Review: Let's step back in time as Future Retro reissue this walloping four-piece from 2023. A multi-mate affair, the entire 12 is packed with contemporary jungle talent. On side A we have the German misfit Chromz going toe-to-toe with bossman Reaper on two ice cold cuts. 'Forever Dubbed' is a dreamy, choppy serenade with more unexpected twists and turns than an AI drawn hand while 'Diff Selection' is all about that rattling snare. Flip for two startlingly fresh cuts from Bristol badboy Artificial Red; 'Subconscious' is all about those big splashy drums and cosmic whirls while 'Something I Know' sends us off to other planets as the EP comes to an end. Solid.
Review: Terrace keeps it concrete with the second release on Kniteforce's vinyl-only imprint Deadly Dubs. Following big street smashers on Karma Recs and recent outings on Erupt there's a distinctly euphoric foundation to the vibe running throughout ranging from opening salvo of pitched up vox and pianos of 'Aappy Happy' to the closing acid house style piano evangelism of the finale 'Quadratic'. Elsewhere 'Show N Tell' has us melting at the knees and begging to stay one more night with Uncle Phil and 'Come Down' has us all doing award winning air piano. Happy days.
Review: Breakbeat wizard Fanu returns with another multi-genre mash-up diving deep into the sounds he's mastered over the years: jungle, drum & bass, hip-hop and beyond. His rhythmic versatility and fearless approach to production is present and correct once more from the off:' 'Strobelight' is a tightly programmed workout with dark bass blasts offset by heavenly vocal coos. 'Ether' is even more involving with a lurching rhythm and snappy hits, and 'Free Fall' then casts you adrift in the cosmos, floating on the swirling pads with a more airy, spacious atmosphere. 'Coma'(feat Arcologies)' is a blissed out closer with more gentle but still dynamic drums. Ether shows Fanu's still pushing the envelope, one break at a time.
Review: True to the name, FFF's releases do tend to make us teeter on the edge of profanity, inciting us to utter a hearty "FFF...!" whenever one of his pre-drop seatbelt warnings is sounded. With what sounds like a copyright lapsed, twilight zoney TV sample musing on the terror of true freedom kicking off the opener 'No Holds Barred', we're inducted into a true blue jungle asepsis here, with an unstoppable, untainted 808s extending over both tracks, full time and halftime alike. Only the breakbeats on the A singe the mix to the point of well done break steak, where the track's atmospheres are otherwise clean and twinkly; FX's remix, on the other hand, hovers dirtily and indubitably between jungle techstep and trip-hop, delivering a consciousness expanding mind mutator.
Review: Rotterdam producer, vocalist and DJ, Skyes (Mike Everling) is one of Fokuz's favourite upstartists, this being his third contribution to the label after a brilliant opening Minos collab 'Looney Tunes', then followed by an equi-tastic toon jungle four-tracker from 2024, 'Never Say Never'. This time he's got a 'Jazz Hangover', with 'Holding Back' bringing crudely resampled bloops and vocal ohs, and 'Send Away' enlarging the junglist massive through filtered dub triggers and rousing brass. Don't sleep on the B-sides either, where the title track sobers us with a dose of breaks mechanisation following an implied overindulgence in jazz humanity.
Review: OG business! Majik and his label Infrared have been charming the dance since the very roots and he's back once again with this superb trio that originally ran last autumn. Fresh to wax, 'Ghost Train' charges along with real old school hardcore vibes, especially with those booming detuned synths. Things get deeper as we skip further into the EP; 'Above The Clouds' is goes all icy and introspective while 'July' closes with a nod to Detroit. Powerful.
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: Brenda's debut for Rupture LDN is a love letter to the dancefloor in all its phases, from early anticipation to late-night transcendence. Hailing from the UK and embedded in the country's long rave lineage, she draws on 4x4 jungle techno, deep d&b and spoken word to map out a personal and emotional arc. 'Come Undone' captures the energy of the night in full swingirushing breaks, euphoric pressure, the kind of track that commands the room. Elsewhere, 'Benda Brenda' and 'Total Danger' are raw-edged and jungle-rooted, while 'Rolling With Fabio' is deeper and more rolling. It all closes on 'A Deep Shade of Rave (Outro)', a poem dedicated to her long-running Ferry to the Underworld sessions at Corsica Studios. Spiritually full, physically rinsedithis EP nails what it means to live for the rave.
Mason Vs Princess Superstar - "Perfect (Exceeder)" (vocal club mix) (6:43)
David Guetta & Mason Vs Princess Superstar - "Perfect (Exceeder)" (3:45)
Mason Vs Princess Superstar - "Perfect (Exceeder)" (1991 remix) (3:25)
Review: 'Perfect' by Mason is one of those tunes whose melody everybody knows, but few, save for the timeliest of Eurodance heads, can recall the name of off the top. Later rehashed alongside American rapper Princess Superstar, the track invaded the Western collective cochlear cortex circa 2005, whence its plucky drive-lead roused dancefloors and iPod shuffles the world over; an eerily engineered earworm arising seemingly out of nowhere. This reissue from Armada hears a comprehensive set of interpretations from various EDM giants in the years after its release, perhaps motivated by the track's use in the 2023 film Saltburn. Aside from a David Guetta re-up, the 1991 pop-d&b is a sleeker slew of ultrafast beats, as though the original's distinctive pluck line had been pre-primed for shelling at faster velocities.
Review: It's a nearest and dearest thing; Polish craftsman Offish calls up his pals from around Europe for this epic collaborative free-for-all. Taken from the full digital album that comprises 13 bleeding edge slabs of timeless brutalism, this vinyl sampler highlights its extremes with these four powerful cuts. 'Eviscerate' (with Forgiven Soul) nods to the Quarantine sound with strong elements of Digital and Spirit (RIP) while 'Mushrooms' (with Greg Lvov) is an immense and hypnotic weave of percussive elements. Elsewhere the ominous dubbed out minimalism of 'Look For Patterns' (with NonRev) set us up for the disarming depths and cosmic charm of 'Cautionary Tale', making this this is an exceptional trip for DJs, dancefloors and listeners alike.
Review: Silent Force Recordings drops a heavy 10" teaser ahead of the much-anticipated The Last Transmission album. This sampler of it features two standout cuts from Pixl and Murder Most Foul, who ramp up the excitement for what's to come. Gritty, atmospheric, and razor-sharp, both tracks tap into the label's signature blend of deep breaks and futuristic dread. The sound designs are pristine and the beats heavy so it's a fine preview of the full-length project due later this year-raw, cinematic drum & bass built for dark rooms and loud systems. Silent Force isn't playing here.
Review: Priori's 'Pareidolia' EP proved a big hit so it makes sense that the Midgar label now drops a selection of remixes of it. The hi-fidelity master Forest Drive West delivers two remixes, including one mesmerising half-time twist up of 'Hazard' and a more slow, wonderfully murky techno workout. Montreal's Maara transforms 'Memory Palace' into a dub techno delight that will have you floating above the floor while Notte Infinita adds a seductive drum & bass vibe to the title track. Last but not least, Amsterdam's Upsammy brings a typically innovative and playful touch that makes 'Glass Shards' a lively rhythmic workout.
Review: Refreshers is a little-known alias of Lukid, an underrated producer who has previously explored murky lo-fi sounds on cult labels like Werk Discs. With this alias, though, he makes drum & bass and jungle, and crafted the original featured here back in 2021 and dropped it into his Dekmantel mix. It was heard by the Future Retro label head who reached out to release it and we're glad he did. It's a hidden treasure that is dark, intricate and perfectly crafted. The surprise release feels like uncovering a secret moment in jungle history and it comes with Phineus II's powerful remix, which adds depth and drum rawness, which makes this a vital pick up.
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