Drum & Bass REVIEWS
MONE
Y
QUICKIES
ALEX C
The Upbeats
SHO
T!
Break of impending doom clash-
Big Skeleton/ Late Drop/Crunchy ing with calm serenity, but
PO Bo
Carousel (feat
Critical
not the sort of thing that
Kemo)/The Unearthly/Laser
grabs you.”
x 7
502, London, N22 6QN
Crypt Break displaying his
Non Vogue
acclaimed, patented style Mutt feat Kevin
of rocking it deep, using King
A taster from a superb forthcom- out-of-the-ordinary drum Conversations/Invi-
ing album dedicated to the horror lines, auras of mystery and tations
genre, this is a slice of some of the attention-grabbing moods.
CIA/Deep Kut
standout moments. ‘Big Skeleton’
is a homage to a ghetto dwelling Jubei A captivating, relaxed r&b
Rio gang (the Cavearos), where a Patience EP vocal leads this roller, while
red-hot grizzled bass drags an iron
Metalheadz
instrumental hints and
claw across a pantheon of perfectly
scatters of layered breaks
pummelling beats. Another fave Deep, atmospheric dub give this speed and oomph.
features supreme lyricist Kemo, d&b. ‘Alignment’ has cir- Love at 200mph.
spraying his inimitable and darkly cular bass drifts, ‘Carbon’
catchy lyric style over a skip/stomp, is a disjointed stomper Netsky
skull-fracturing sub-bass rhythm. and ‘Patience’ is two-step Everyday/Come Back
Thriller. animosity with unsettling Home
moods and ominous, deep
Liqweed Ganja
distorted bass.
King Cannibal water base for a speech sample that strings, spliced with ominous splurges, A sky-bound roller with
Downtime/Stone Tape Theory theorises how the world would be with that could be the height of an action ASC singalong moods that
Ninja Tune
the invention of teleportation, then all scene in a fantasy epic — maybe where Porcelain/Focus leaves you fresh and
kinds of laser-futuristic, ‘kick the holo- the Orcs are storming Minas Tirith, Inwards invigorated. A galloping
A beatmeister not normally associated door’ down hooliganism ensues. Love it. for example. Then, as the main drum
Non Plus+
drum, crisp chords and
with d&b, but this is surely worth not- and bass kicks in, it goes all sci-fi and
wispy riffs.
ing. ‘Downtime’ is wholly reminiscent, Various speedy, as if it is an urgent deep space Faceless, seething zombie
with the same impending aura, raw Dimensions 4 EP chase where a cargo ship is fleeing from drum & bass. Has a theme
prowess and snare sounds as an all-time
Ram
a band of ruthless alien marauders!
fave of mine, Photek’s ‘Ni Ten Ichi Ryu’.
Thrilling all the way.
A minimal series of scattered snares and It must be spot-on to be on Ram, and as
Japanese sounding grunts make this always, this is no exception. Noisia are Ill Skillz
a tribal, deep and darkly brilliant smash- masters at creating sounds that putrify Backtracking/Stellanova
er. Traditional d&b on the flip, where a and petrify brain tissue and the electro
Ill Skillz
dark metal riff drives a hyper drum, but growl in ‘Deception’ will do just that.
‘Downtime’ is where it’s at! Superb crowd pleaser. Other highlights Aimed straight at the floor, where
of these four smashers include Lomax bright, fresh air breezes of chords
Jaydan mixing old skool breaks, jaw locking and amiable bleeps open this, an
The Driller Killer EP grinds and microchip stew bass in the easily mixable set of eight bars that cut
Ganja
nutty ‘Jungle FX’, and the head-butt lyr- straight into a crowd-pleasing electric
ics and titanium folds in ‘No Respect’. boom bass and “It’s how we do it!”
Along with Heist, Taxman and Original vocal. Friendly arpeggios and grandiose
Sin, Jaydan is supremely adept at Total Science & S.P.Y electricity on the flip. The sort of bright
NERO AUDIo FReAKS
providing this style, the aural equivalent Testimony (feat Riya)/Jericho but bass-filled deadly set of beats you
of a Shaolin monk performing his
Clear Skyz
can use to get shoulders rolling and feet
patterns at 200mph. ‘Driller Killer’ has
01. NeRo ‘Innocence’ MTA
moving at the start of a set. “A trancey dubstep smasher.”
tumultuous bass folds and curls, while So good, like a steamy, sexy session
02. SUB FoCUS ‘Timewarp VIP’ Dub
‘Ghetto’ and ‘Something For The Man involving strawberry yoghurt and Jubei, S.P.Y, Subwave & Soul “A new take on this modern classic.”
Dem’ are for the junglists, injecting chocolate profiteroles! You’ll hear what Defiance
03. ChASe AND STATUS ‘Is It Worth It VIP’ Ram
soundboy sirens and speech, with clas- I mean when you hear the sultry Jones VA EP “Still a crucial tune in our audio armoury.”
sic breaks and fathoms-deep sub-bass Girls ‘Who Can I Run To?‘ interpolation
Metalheadz
warps and slurps. Floor-filling, high carb here which lays the foundations for
04. NeRo ‘electron’ MTA
“An electro-influenced d&b banger.”
nourishment. sweet soul female lyrics, juxtaposed The standout piece on this mixed artist
05. SUB FoCUS ‘Coming Closer VIP’ Dub
with sessions of pepper steak beef with four-tracker is from Subwave, who “Sick basslines!”
Dirtyphonics a tangy taste of soundboy vocal stabs, delivers a combination of mesmerising,
06. MJ Cole ‘Sincere (Nero Remix)’ Dub
Teleportation/Glow hyper thwack drum sprints and shud- crimson mist vocals and enigmatic, half- “Our remix of MJ Cole’s classic, due for release soon.”
Audioporn
dering sub bass flutters. DJ Die’s label speed electro beats. The lyrics, a capti-
07. lAID BlAK ‘Red (Chasing Shadows Remix)’ Dub
drops some soul on a rollicking roll! vating missive reminiscing on rebellious “One of the darkest production outfits in dubstep.”
A slab of punk-out, let your hair down, deeds of the past, are the icing on the
08. DIRTY PhoNICS ‘Teleportation’ Audioporn
electro insanity. One of those that Sidius & Rawkus/Wayz cake. Mysterious chords and suspense- “More awesome tunage from this French outfit.”
demands max volume, and a propensity Alive/Moods ful snarls power SPY’s ‘Moon Patrol’, and
09. DJ FReSh ‘Talkbox’ BBK
to cavort for full appreciation. You’ll
Steam
floor crushing, ominous bass rumbles “Always goes down a treat.”
probably burn 300 calories in one listen!
through Jubei’s ‘Entrapment’.
10. NoISIA ‘My World’ Dub
Starts off with grandiose, slightly mys- This could be the soundtrack for a cool “Sickening bass.”
terious chords that are a nuclear, heavy movie. The introduction uses urgent
084
www.djmag.com
DJ481.D&B.indd 84 30/11/09 14:42:06
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