Back catalogue: Drum And Bass

Review: In the words of Lisa Stansfield, some of us live for the future and some of us wonder. Others, meanwhile, just love to bash out the rave bangers. Others like DJ Kos and his pals Billy Daniel Bunter, Sanxion, Karma Krew and Dubious. All of them delivering premium euphoric goods on this limited coloured vinyl. Following Bunter and Sanxion's hair-raising remix and Kos's timeless original come two more weapons. The mysterious Karma Krew go for the feels with sweeping pads and skippy beats on 'Cracking Up' while Dubious's 'Heartbreak' takes another classic vocal sample and hurls it several decades into the future. Live for it.

Review: Good For You Records labelled Kenny Summit is back on his own label. The veteran of 30 plus years is in fine form with this single, which is a feel good and super soulful house track for warmer days. A muffled, muted vocal brings a tinge of melancholy, but the funky bass riffs and disco-fried drums raise you up. It comes with some beefy remixes, not least from the late, great Chicago veteran Paul Johnson whose Jack Nation remix is hard edged and raw. DJ Spinna does his soulful thing on a fine remix and DJ Aphrodite take stings into d&b territory to close.

Review: Australian bass collective Echo Chamber get busy with this supreme VA featuring a range of talented friends old and new. LQ takes the lead with the sublime 'Way Down' that bubbles and flexes in two system-primed forms: the spacious heavyweight Dubkasm mix and LQ and MSHCode's own breakbeat-heavier shakedown. Flip for more LQ goodies as he links up with Kloke for the fittingly titled groove-up 'Computer Bubblers' while Duburban and Galvatron finish the EP with the furious drum funk up 'Let Off The Music'. The only echo here is the reload.

Review: London wax institution Phonica continue to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a label in deep-digging, highly eclectic style. This fourth sampler continues to hint at a much larger VA album with a wide range of sounds across the techno/jungle axis. Tim Reaper & Comfort Zone get us in the groove with the savage drum funk of 'Subterranean' while Toby Tobias eases down the tempo and takes us to some mystical places on the Balearic-on-Mars funk of 'On My Mind'. Meanwhile on the flip Shy One goes full-on Co-Op / Bugz vibes with its sparse broken beat jazziness while Orphic's Kieran Jandu closes the EP on a bumping early 90s-inspired techno roll-out. Happy anniversary Phonica.

Review: Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated releases of 2020, legendary UK producer DJ Krust makes a comeback with his first release in 14 years, and rather surprisingly on Crosstown Rebels - of all labels. While we all know Damian Lazarus' established imprint is anything but drum and bass, it is well known that he was an early champion of the sound, long before his tenure at City Rockers in the early '00s when he embraced 'electroclash' - but that's another story. It's clear that Krust created some of the most seminal records in the genre throughout the nineties and noughties, and he is back in fine form on The Edge Of Everything, having explored radical new philosophies and creative processes. Minimalist arrangements as heard on tracks like 'Constructive Ambiguity' hark back to his signature sound of the aforementioned period, while he also explores more experimental minded beats as heard on 'Antigravity Love' and proper darkside rolling drama exemplified on 'Deep Fields Of Liars'.