Dubstep charts

Review: The Bait label headed up by Beatrice M looks to Conzi for a fresh new 12" that builds on the label's superb early momentum. It delves deep into timeless 140 bpm sounds with opener 'AU2' layering up the percussion over fathom-deep beats and aquatic dub pads. It's a heady one for late night rolling and 'Drakar' then brings more bright melodies but similar icy beats and organic perc. An N:in remix of 'AU2' makes things more skittish and kinetic and broken, then and Ambit remix sets down with low-end pressure. These are fresh sounds that bring new direction to classic dubstep.

Review: Repress alert! Wednesday: Hyperdub announce a new three track release from enigmatic producer Burial - his first solo work in four years. Thursday: Said records arrive on Juno doorstep. How's that for service (and secrecy)! The news came just a matter of days after the producer's collaboration with Radiohead front man Thom Yorke and Four Tet arrived on record shelves across the UK and promptly sold out amidst a frenzy of hype. There are three new tracks on offer here, namely "Street Halo", "NYC" and "Stolen Dog". First up "Street Halo" showcases the classic Burial sound; subterranean bass gurgles, trademark clicking beats and barely-there vocal snatches. A sweet childlike vocal pervades the sonic mist on "NYC" while "Stolen Dog" closes out with ethereal vocal harmonies buried deep beneath vinyl crackle. Stunning.

Review: Of all the artists past and present who claim to let their music do their talking for them, Burial is one of the elite band of whom this truly is the case. In fact, so reluctant is he to engage with the cult-of-personality hoopla that surrounds almost every modern producer and musician of merit, that he remains a genuine recluse; he has never appeared live, only one obliquely-angled publicity photograph is known to exist, and the number of interviews he has given can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Yet despite this, his music speaks loud and wide, and the world has been listening ever since his 'South London Boroughs' EP debut on Hyperdub in March 2005. His eponymous album, which began life as a low-key release in May 2006, is now widely regarded as the benchmark release of the ever-widening dubstep genre, picking up unanimous critical acclaim along the way, and ending the year heavily featured in many 'best of' polls. Now Burial returns with 'Untrue', a new record of weird soul music, which lovingly processes spectral female voices into vaporised R&B and smudged 2step garage. Vocal lines are blurred, smeared, pitched up pitched down and pitch bent until their content is cast adrift from their original context and they whisper their saccharin sweet nothings into the void. The album continues with the debut's crackle-drenched yearning and bustling syncopations, haunted by the ghosts of rave, but also reveals some new Burial treats with a more glowing, upbeat energy. Kicking off with the skittering 2step syncopations and vocal science of 'Archangel', 'Near Dark' and 'Ghost Hardware', before long it descends into a space of radiant divas and ambience. Where 'Burial' first was humid, suffocating and unrelentingly sad, 'Untrue' is less sunless. Many of the tracks are so sweet, they become toxic, underscored by the almost geological rumbles of growling basslines. Unlike the overpoweringly melancholic prevailing mood of before, Burial's sound is now better defined as a downcast euphoria typified by the epic, muted optimism of the album's last track 'Raver'. Forget central heating the radioactivity of this album is all that you'll need to keep you warm this winter. 'Untrue' is available as full 13 track digipack CD, including recent underground hit 'Ghost Hardware', and 9 track DJ friendly double vinyl set, from which some of the beatless pieces have been edited.

Review: The Vivid label is yet another one from Burnski who also runs Constant Blanc and Instinct. He is s single handed garage hit making machine and he knows how to tap into the next gen, too. Here he calls upon Peaky Beats for a naughty and nasty three track affair that has retro feels but contemporary style. 'Can't Stop' opens up with a 2-step shuffle and steely hits, then 'Get Ready' gets more free and melodic with some boxing little melodic patterns and oscillating bass. Last of all is the most menacing and dark - 'Wildcat' flips into a dub wise swagger mid-way through that is going to blow up the clubs.

Review: These tracks have received some huge hype just from the plays they have been getting from DJs luckily enough to have them. Now they finally get a vinyl pressing so the rest of us can join in the fun. First up is a three way collab between a trio of well-regarded artists in the UK drill rapper Kwengface, master bass producer Joy O and techno's Overmono. 'Freedom 2' has cut-throat rhymes and two-step garage influences with low-end subs which will destroy the club. The original version features on the flip with a less club-ready and more drill-centric sound.

Review: TRACKLISTING:
A1: Photek & Kuru - Fountainhead (DJ-KICKS)
B1: Photek - Azymuth
B2: Photek - No Agenda

OVERVIEW:
"There are mavericks out on their own, the fearlesss creators operating on the very fringes of their respective scenes - Photek is just such an artist."- DJ Mag

"Photek has sweated over every little drum sound and fill resulting in a complex and subtle sound that is a million miles away from the nasty sound of commercial dancefloor dubstep."- DrownedInSound.com

"Easily more creative, more experimental and more thought out than his counterparts. A revolutionary musician and composer."- Sputnikmusic.com

Photek stands mercilessly on the edge. A sonic scientist, pushing both his sounds and fans' expectations to the outermost limits since 1994, he floods the footnotes of electronica like MP3s clutter up your hard drive.

2011 saw him drop a series of sounds that reflect the truest perception of him. Driven by his years of studio discipline; sharpened by an acute awareness that he'll be received by the heads that know him well and ears that don't know him at all.

Destination tomorrow: Photek's decorated past and diligent work ethic leads us here. The new music you've heard from Photek in 2011 is yet another chapter in a life spent overdosing on sonic nuances and boundary testing. In the past 12 months his new material has been remixed by the brightest young stars of dance music - Boddika, Falty DL, Addison Groove and Breach to name a few. In turn, Photek has remixed for the likes of Moby, Jess Mills, Distance, Ray Lamontagne and was part of Daft Punk's Tron Remixed package - for which he has been nominated for a Grammy. His newly re-launched label, Photek Productions, has this year released the 'Avalanche EP' which garnered international support from tastemakers such as Benji B, Gilles Peterson, Skream, Annie Mac, Zane Lowe and more, and the 'Aviator EP'. The single 'Closer' was also released on Pinch's pioneering Tectonic Recordings in June, adding to the gathering noise that you can't ignore - Photek is well and truly back and you can be sure that whatever sound he drops next, it won't fail to get the world's attention... Watch out in 2012 for his installment in the highly influential DJ Kicks compilation series on K7 Records and his long awaited new artist album.


PRESS: Album reviews running in Clash, DATA TRANSMMISSION (+ Interview), HYPONIK, FACT, DEFECTED, RESIDENT ADVISOR, MIXMAG (+ Classic Albums feature), MUSIC OMH (+ Interview), SPIN (+ Interview Feature), TRAP MAGAZINE (+ feature), DJ Mag. Updates to follow.

Review: Former Grid member and now ambient superstar Richard Norris delivers two new oracular divinations for his very own Group Mind label, the imprint formed in and after the COVID-19 lockdowns to help mindfully assuage the creeping anxieties of the age. A six-track 12" limited to just 30 copies - numbered and signed by the artist himself (move quick, hares) - these six tracks segue between dub and deep listening, fronting the bass and keeping percussive elements spread and panned. Best on the obverse is the A3, 'Mystery Dub', whose endlessly delayed stabs and cutoff conga samples well convey a vacuum-of-space vibe. The B-side moves into snake-charming dancehall territory, the punning, chordophonic 'Rockers Sci Fi' and the vocal blissout 'Stronger Together' being the ethereal highlights.

Review: Last spotted on Strictly 140's Overseas VA LP, Spanish new-gen bass chef serves up his biggest dish to date on Subaltern. Linking up with longstanding baron XL One for the opener, 'Cronauer'. Unhurried, twinkling but laced with a bitter bass bite, it sets the dark dream tone. 'Piranha Plant' and 'Dorsia' see Kodama going solo. The former is a woozy arpeggiated charmer that sits on the hip-hop side of the beat spectrum. The latter hums with similar melancholy but much more of an edge to the drums and that ominous waspy bass tone. Graveyard grooves.

Review: Having announced his new Jon Convex endeavour with two slices of formidable futurism for Martyn's 3024 imprint, Damon Kirkham returns to the familiarity of Non Plus with a double clutch of equally essential productions. Fans of cult TV might recognise the snatch of Badalamenti strings that announce "Radar" in such ominous fashion, though it's they way this element is weaved amidst ever groaning insect like bass and murderous strains of dystopian acid that truly impresses. And of course the brittle click clack of drums that always threatens to smash to pieces. In contrast, "Vacuum States" offers a more optimistic slant on the sci fi electro poise, gradually letting loose a succession of kaleidoscopic synth flutters over the stripped down kick thrust and glooping bass.

Review: Just when you thought you had Al Bleek and Damon Drama's Non Plus sorted, they go and make a sharp diversion and take you somewhere completely different. The destination? LOL. And no, that's not a joke. A teaser for their forthcoming album Me Me, the tracklist reads a little like an Alice In Wonderland list of instructions or perhaps a seductive dance; "Squeeze Me" kicks off with sinuous R&B style vocals and enticing synths with a slow, lolhloping half step rhythm, which inevitably drags you in deep like a tidal current of sound, while "Face Me" follows a languid 4/4 drum pattern drenched in late night synths. "Dare Me", up next, mirrors the sonic palette with shimmering, spaced out atmospherics and more glorious, syrup sweet lyrics. Visceral and rather enthralling, it bears the hallmarks of nocturnal dance music with throbbing b-line and infectious, enveloping synth-work, but with an underlying pop/R&B sensibility that shines through the darkness. Crackly, droning atmospherics sit beneath ice cold bleeps on finale "White Noise". A far cry from much of the recent Non Plus output for sure, but a remarkable release nonetheless which we urge you to get your teeth into.

Review: Mixed entirely during lockdown in his new Brussels home, prolific British producer Kevin Martin aka The Bug teams up with Berlin-based American Dis Fig, whose haunting yet seductive croon narrates a backdrop of paranoid electronic dub on In Blue. This is an album that captures a persevering sense of malaise and dread, that is so reflective of the times we are living through at present. From the grayscale industrial dub of 'Destroy Me' where Dis Fig's vocals flow hypnotically through layers of time based effects, to the low-slung subterranean sway of 'Levitating', the similarly contorted noise terror of 'Blue & Black' and the bittersweet closing track 'End In Blue' which perfectly encapsulates the "tunnel sound" the pair aimed to capture on this strong release.

Review: Seven years have passed since Burial first stopped us dead in our tracks with this universally acclaimed second album.. Sounding so different, so removed and far away from anything else, it changed the game entirely - and created a whole school of imitators in its wake. Now repressed by Hyperdub, this is a rare opportunity to grab it on fresh wax. Even if you have this on other formats in your collection, the dusty weight and chasmic crackles sound so much better on vinyl.

Review: Blimey, if this isn't major meeting of musical Midas minds then we don't know what is. Alter Echo, E3 and Headland all collaborating with legendary dub flautist Diggory Kenrick. "Temple Duel" sets the scene in deep underground chambers, untouched by the sun. Reverb space is our only guide and ritual combat is the only way out as we make our way through subsonic 808 bass foundations, a near-industrial mid-range bass guitar groove, stiff snares, stick-fighting percussion and Diggory's torchlight melody. A truly fluid hypnotic narrative that arcs through the dark, if you're looking for an even foggier route flip for "Temple Dub" where the torch is extinguished and you have nothing but your sonic wits to take you home. Only Diggory knows if you make alive or not...

Review: Alex Green and Damon Kirkham's debut album has been a long time coming. It follows an action-packed decade that's seen them morph from drum & bass punishers to dubstep fusionists and, more recently, bass music experimentalists. With such experience behind them, it's perhaps no surprise that Resolution 653 is an eclectic set. What's more surprising is the expansiveness of their approach. Within the album's 13 tracks lies glass-clear electronic futurism, brain-warping acid tracks, murky dusbtep, slo-mo 4/4 sweetness, hard edged electro bounce, off-kilter IDM and, naturally, 140 BPM bass bangers. As a summary of where British bass music's at in 2011, it's unsurpassed.

Review: Hyperdub kick off the vinyl side to their ten-year celebrations with this weighty four-tracker from some of the leading lights from the label's story. Mala is in a strident mood with "Expected, Level 10" carrying through that extra touch of melody from the Mala In Cuba LP. DVA cuts loose with the leftfield scattershot groove of "Technical Difficulties", reveling in tonal experimentation and jagged rhythmic flair to a stunning end. Still locked into the sci-fi trap tangent that characterised Severant, Kuedo turns out the haunting "Mtzpn" and Helix pops up for a remix of Kode9's "Xingfu Lu" that strips down to bare essentials with a little starlit soul rubbed into the framework.

Review: Given his rapid ascent from pioneering 'purple' producer to major player, it's perhaps little surprise to find that Joker's long-awaited (and much hyped) debut album sees the Bristolian youngster mixing typically funk-laden synth-step jams with moments of soaring dubstep pop and hip-hop funk. While it's the latter that have propelled his rise, it's the former on which he built his career. It's notable, then, that the best moments on The Vision are those that draw most from his early purple work; the contemporary P-funk of "Level 6", cyber-funk of "Milky Way" and gorgeous Herbie Hancock-does-Purple grooves of closer "Magic Causeway" are amongst the best things he's done.

Review: Katy B 'Lights On' ft. Ms Dynamite
Dubstep/UK Funky/Pop
12” RINSE006 (Rinse) £2.99
DEAL: 5+1 B/C: 0886978271310 13th Dec
* LISTEN: https://files.me.com/ammunition/cy6haw
* We already know her name of course – as Katy has made one of this year’s defining singles – the Benga-produced
smash ‘Katy On A Mission’ In its first week alone the video for the track clocked up over 100,000 views. The current total
is 7.1 million views whilst the single sat in the top ten for 6 weeks, and inside the top 40 for 11 weeks Not bad from a 21
year girl from Peckham.
* The first bona fide pop star to emerge from the dubstep and UK funky undergrounds championed by the newly-legal
Rinse FM, Katy B encapsulates the sound, spirit and unrestrained energy of British youth culture right now. Combining
the rhythms of a currently resurgent UK underground scene with a songwriting ear for the vernacular and songs that
celebrate the being young, staying up far too late raving and falling for the wrong boys, she’s a fresh new pop star that
really has it all.
* Katy B is a raw, fresh talent destined for great things in 2011. Confidently seizing the middle ground between the totally
on-point lyricism of Lily Allen and the swagger of Ms. Dynamite and Neneh Cherry, Katy’s killer combination of natural
pop sass, uniquely powerful voice and total immersion in London’s club culture makes her the perfect popstar set to go
clear in 2011.
* Katy now rounds off the year with the out-of-the-box dancefloor smash ‘Lights On’. Featuring Ms Dynamite and
produced by Rinse FM founder Geeneus, with remixes by Skream and GIRL UNIT. It’s a fabulously life-affirming
celebration of the joys of refusing to leave the dancefloor at 6am with the house lights up and sure to be the second
smash hit from this immensely talented star-in-waiting.
* TRACKLIST: A: Skream Remix AA1: Original Mix AA2: GIRL UNIT Remix

Review: Over the years, Modeselektor have forged a reputation as fearless innovators, neatly sidestepping genres and frequently confounding critics. Given their tireless touring schedule and the fact they run two prolific labels it's perhaps no surprise that it's been some four years since the last full-length Modeselektor album. Monkeytown flits effortlessly between skittish 140 BPM bass music, clandestine electronica, sludgy hip-hop and even warehouse-flavoured tropical rhythms (see "German Clap"). There are some real standouts, including a dreamy, slo-mo pop outing with PVT, two collaborations with Thom Yorke and a droning Anti-Pop Consortium hook-up. Must-check.

Review: Ex-Roll Deep MC Trim is using his original tongue-twisting style to gain deserved popularity and support for his new sound. Joining the East London based Butterz collective, Trim presents "I Am" with two remixes from Preditah and LV. ''I Am'' is Trim on a more laid back vibe than usual, and it appears to be working as the EP receives vital support from names such as Benji B and Logan Sama. Trim's deep vocal patterns are scattered over a bouncing platform of rubbery modern percussion and sophisticated jazzy brass; almost a genre of its own, it's no surprise Trim is getting some serious attention. On remix duties are young Birmingham producer Preditah and Hyperdub / Keysound residents LV, who keep up the skippy vibe of the original. Finally, ''Notice Now'' on the flip is a new Trim vocal on D.O.K.''s ''Chemical Planet'' tune, which first appeared on Butterz in 2010.

Review: Restricted to a devilishly numbered 666 copies worldwide, this vinyl edition of Modeselektor's inaugural volume in the Modeselektion series is the one final tease before the full finished product drops on CD next week. Presented on crystal clear vinyl, this double pack features eight exclusive excursions into electronic excellence from some of the world's finest proponents. The brushed minimalist Burialism's of Apparat's "King Of Clubs" sets a standard that is maintained throughout. Dabrye's Tad Mullinix & Daniel Meteo adopt a cavernous bass approach to stripped back head nodders on "The Good Star" which is complemented by the short but sweetly demented hip-hop of Siriusmo's "Das Geheimnis". Housemeister breaks loose from the confines of BNR with the kaleidoscopic "Kristalle" which drops a multiplicity of lucid synths over ever mutating electro throbs. Equally "The Assistant Manager" demonstrates Feadz's talent when removed from the day glow environs of Ed Banger. Further tracks from Mala, Ikonika and Cylob lend this release an inimitable aura of must haveness.

Review: Woof! Hyperdub bring together two of the most recognisable and enigmatic artists of recent times on this 10", as Zomby and Burial square down ahead of the former's new album for the label. Zomby's Ultra LP is undoubtedly one of this year's most anticipated albums and "Sweetz" suggests it may be a very moody affair indeed. Whilst rooted in UK dance, Zomby and Burial do look elsewhere for inspiration too. Just under seven minutes long, "Sweetz" veers through various sub-heavy soundscapes with intermittent rhythmic patters and a distinctive looped vocal sample whose pitch changes with dramatic effect.

Review: Sleeper man Alex Fox debuted the GRAMZ alias earlier in the year via a two-track 12" on Sentry Records built around paranoid sonic textures, serious bass-weight and rolling 140 BPM beats. For this 10" outing on Crucial, Fox has taken a deeper approach, ratcheting up the smoky atmosphere while retaining sizeable low-end pressure. "Joken" and flipside "Get Them Bags" are hazy, ultra-deep dubstep workouts, with both doffing a cap towards hip-hop and grime (check out the manipulated MC vocal samples on the latter, in particular), as well as the crackling sonic textures of Burial. "Joken" rolls along nicely while remaining pleasingly subdued, while "Get Them Bags" has a little more sonic strut. Both, though, are excellent.

Review: After the massive impact of Vex'd in the breakthrough years of dubstep, it was big news when Jamie Teasdale chose to swerve in his own direction and emerge as Kuedo. Released in 2011, Severant was a bold statement of intent which didn't wholly shirk what had come before, but placed emphasis on the kind of romantic synthesis you'd readily associate with Vangelis and saw trap and other influences sneaking into the mix. In hindsight, Severant is typical of the times we live in, drawing on a glut of influences and presenting its own idiosyncratic vision, but above all that the emotion and intent of Teasdale's ideas make it an enduring, captivating listen.

Review: This is how it all began! Coco Bryce and Saturate take us back to 2011 with this deliciously wacky 80bpm halftime couplet. 'Honeymoon' takes us on a wonky MIDI mission with stacks of drama and feeling while 'Wonk' is pure off-the-wall bleep art. Never before released on vinyl, both cuts carry a certain sense of late 2000s nostalgia while remaining so unique they still bump hard today. Feel the love!

Review: Khaliphonic represents a rich seam alongside sister label ZamZam Sounds, carrying forth vital modern iterations of dubwise music from switched on artists the world over. As such, compilations like these are a perfect primer on who's out there doing great things, whether it's Bristol duo Titus 12 & MTF, Japan's Undefined or West Coast veterans Systemwide. There are plenty of ideas and styles explored here, from melancholic synth steppas to trad-school echo chamber immersion, but the constant is a staggering high quality. If a label should be a trusted stamp of authority, then Khaliphonic have their role nailed. Essential sonics for any dub-minded explorer.

Review: Chad Dubz's Foundation Audio label outta Bristol remains a leading light in the bass, sound system and dubstep scene. This time out it is Kroomen and Somah who pair up for some mysterious late-night transmissions designed to rattle the walls. 'Kaba Rhythm' manages to be both light and airy yet dark and heavy all at once, with some Eastern melodies leading you ever deeper into the shadows. 'Sub 37' is all lurching kicks and skittish perc with twisted metallic textures and 'Heavy Smoke' is a slow and purposeful rhythm that takes its time to lure you in. It's golden-era dubstep that is as atmospheric as it is inviting.

Review: You can't have missed the hype surrounding Stormzy's new full-length - it's one of the most hotly-anticipated albums of the year. The question is: has it delivered on the promise? Yes - and then some. The grime superstar recorded the set on location with an extended group of trusted collaborators - Ms Banks, Sampha, Black Sherif, Debbie, Jacob Collier and NAO included - and the results are more sonically beautiful and soulful than much of his previous output. The distinctive flows are still there, though the subjects covered are often more personal and thoughtful than some may have expected, but Stormzy sings as much as he raps, and the accompany beats - often laden in strings, jazzy guitar flourishes and warming electric piano - are informed as much by R&B and hip-hop as the grizzled, sub-heavy East London vibes of grime.

Review: Long dormant has laid the tried but true practice of dubstep and garage artists sampling classic horror movie dialogue, pre-drop. We're thoroughly happy to hear that new Peaky Beats sublabel Brainjuice have gone and resurrected this zombie for us. This four-tracker from the label hears label heads Peaky and Vel carefully and creatively work in as-yet unknown samples to the stew; some kind of Frankensteinish exclamation on the dubstep A1 laments the feeding of a monster "human brains", while the breakstep A2 'Bacon Dance' hears more timestretched, dystopian vocals amid wobbles. 'Don't' leans more into the kind of melodic dubstep that likes to sample R&B acapellas, and is the most refreshing of the lot.

Review: Bengal Sound is a rising star in the Bristol bass scene and now he makes another mighty fine statement with this two tracker on Wych, the increasingly essential label run by K-LONE. This one comes after his various standout tunes from self-released cassettes fusing dusty old Bollywood samples to red hot club bangers. 'Solace' is the opener and is heavy on the rubbing and cavernous bass with icy leads and on the flip is 'On My Mind' which is just as atmospheric.