Back in stock: Drum And Bass

Review: Heads will know 'As We Enter' as the name of the Breakage tune that set the stage for many more things halftime to come - not to mention a Damian Marley & Nas song released around the same time - so we're more than pleased to learn that one next-gen producer has taken on the name as an alias. However, something in the aura of this release tells us this artist is no debutante; 'Lover To Lover' brings wubbing Reesebound rollage and summery fluting funk together in quick step, with complementary numbers 'So Gone', 'Come Again' and 'Shifting Gears' flaunting a respect for the many different facets of drum & bass, from techstep to early jump-up. This one gets more and more sinister as it progresses; despite the cover, whatever's entered the room feels more elephant than pigeon.

Review: Tides is the latest album from Hybrid Minds, whose efforts have landed him at the forefront of the contemporary pop/drum & bass race of late. Hot off the heels of an initial LP release, this CD edition of Tides tops up the album's format-ography. The album sounds as huge on optical-digital as it does analogue; every track is effortless in its glossy command of space and bursting vocal synergy, calling attention to Hybrid Minds' collaboration-heavy approach to creation (every track bar one is a feature track, the best of which include Tom Walker, Grimm and Charlotte Plank).

Review: Few things are certain in life; death, taxes, politicians lying and Paradox guaranteeing to slap your very soul with every single release he ever carves. Paradox Music 040 is no exception as 'Soviet' buries you under a savage iron curtain while '7Arc' is just Dev showing off his digging chops as he makes a whole range of breaks and cuts chat and bubble away in conversation. Pure breakbeat magic as always. Big up Paradox.

Review: Contemporary drum & bass bringers Response & Pliskin take a break from their pressurised plus-170 numbers for a dreamy foray into atmospheric breaks and liquid jungle. 'Live Ur Life' is a varied EP, beginning with the opening new age breaks of the title track, upon which we're geysered on high over humid rainforests of sound, while an ascendant vocalist - capable of wingless flight and incorporeality at will - accompanies us on our aloe vera-doused journey. Once we approach our quest's mythical, live-giving source, we're met with 'Virtuous' and 'Over The Hill', two raw yet revelatory Pandora's boxes uncovered somewhere deep in the heart of said jungle, and which both channel a dialectically calming yet ominous sound. Closer 'Hate Is Reality' refuses to deny hate as a fundamental composite of our lives, healthily channelling this extreme affect into a measured but heavy amen riffer.

Review: Deep atmospheric jungle is definitely having a moment right now with labels such as Omni Music and Codename RCRDS and Deep Jungle incubating some outstanding art, Kid Drama and DJ Trace's Nine Windows project setting benchmarks and, way ahead at the forefront, Soul Intent doing what he's been doing for the best part of 20 years. Atmospherics is the perfect example. His deepest and most cosmic of albums, the full trip is an epic sci-fi odyssey that sucks you in on an iMax level. These four cuts are some of the most clubbier-minded cuts, especially for the vinyl heads. From the hurricane breaks of the title track to the jazzy rolling drums of 'Dying Star', this is an exceptional snapshot of an incredible album.

Review: Given the uniqueness of his madcap and mind-altering trademark sound, the release of any new album from Tom Jenkinson AKA Squarepusher is big news. Given that his last new full-length landed four years ago, the arrival of Dostrotime has got an awful lot of experimentalists in a bit of a lather. Like many albums that have surfaced in the last couple of years, it was apparently inspired by the "novel, eerie, sublime silence of lockdown", with the title being a reference to "how time passed differently". Quite how this plays out within the music itself is open to interpretation; for the most part, what's on offer is prime Squarepusher - all distorted, full-throttle acid lines, mutilated experimental D&B beats, analogue electronics and rasping, strobe-lit nods to raves,

Review: The mysterious Vibez '93 are as prolific as they come; the 'Bad Kingdom' EP is certainly not the first of this productive drum & bass project/imprint's outputs to make it through our floodgates this year. Four slices of various productive forces - ranging from paddy jungle ('Jelly Swim'), to an unusual foray for '93: drilled-out techstep ('Labrea'). Otherwise, expect no nonsense, as this record spans both casual and not-so-casual floorfillers.

Review: Wots My Code has been back on our shelves recently with some of his most seminal EPs getting reissued. His self-titled effort from 1992 came back in October, as did his All Seasons EP also on Kiteforce, both of which sounded as good as they did back when first crafted. Now his The New Dubplates EP drops on Just Another Label with 'Dubplate' kicking off as a remix by Bay B Kane that takes no prisoners. A Sikka remix then tweaks the energy level and on the flip is 'Pass Me A Dubplate (92-3)' a short but sweet closer.