ALEX C
alexcdnb@gmail.com QUICKIES
DJ Chap & Andrezz/ Level 2
Doing The Same
Thing/She Goes Away V Recordings 7.0
‘Viva Brazil’ LP sampler. Subtle elegance abounds through amiable hints of flutes, sexy vocals and soulful riffs frolicking behind a gossamer curtain of slick, sliding extended bass booms.
Naibu Into The Distance (Break Remix)/ Apparitions (with
Hydro) Horizons 7.0
A light, fluffy marshmallow vocal contrasts quite literally at the opposite end of the spectrum with filthy stomping sandpaper graze bass. Dirty remix
Technimatic Unfinished Business/
She Knows It Shogun Audio 7.0
One for the early morning ravers — a thoughtful, introspective arrangement like deep, warm darkness before a summer dawn. Yearning vocal coos, smooth drifting bass and a relaxed mood.
The Brookes Brothers
Loveline/The Blues Breakbeat Kaos 8.5
A feast of candyfloss- pulse-racing talk-box singing, a bumpy skipper beat and bubbling, dirty-but- soulful bass.
from a legendary mercenary.
Body & Soul & Fourward
No One Here/Tequila Worm Mainframe Recordings 8.5
Grabs you as soon as it starts with a distinctly spine-chilling chord like a binary scream of terror, and once you’re rapt with attention, vocals in a style very much like ‘90s dark-fairy Bjork entrance your mind. This unsettling, renegade intro gives way to a solid groove that has your head swaying via a clean-cut razor-slice bass and shiny clean drum sounds, as the singer continues her starring role in this atmospheric winter- frost chiller — unforgettable.
Chase & Status
Big Man feat Liam Bailey Ram/Mercury 6.5
The latest partnership with major label Mercury sees Ram stalwarts Chase & Status take centre stage. Savoury singer Liam Bailey here provides a full vocal while the lads lay down a jaw-locking synthesized electric guitar-fuelled riff in the background. One that will get crowds jumping for a while, with its three or four stop- start stages, but for me, it just doesn’t seem to have a soul that hits you smack-bang in that special place.
Dose Face Your Fears/Three
Measures SGN:Ltd 8.5
CALYX & TEEBEE RAM
01. CALYX & TEEBEE FEAT MC KEMO‘Pure Gold’Ram “This is our last single before the album. We’ve always been in love with early ‘90s hip-
hop and we tried to bring the feel of that time in this track.”
02. CALYX & TEEBEE‘Heroes & Villains’Ram “This is the opening track on our album. It’s got a real ‘80s feel about it with big
emotional chords.” 03. CALYX & TEEBEE FEAT FOREIGN BEGGARS & DJ CRAZE‘We
Become One’Ram “A dream come true for us. TeeBee used to be heavily into turntablism, and to have Craze do the cuts on this is beyond an honour.”
04. MICHAEL WOODS FEAT ESTER DEAN‘We’ve Only Just Begun (Calyx
& TeeBee Remix)’ Ministry of Sound “Our first remix for Ministry had to be special. We wrote a brand-new tune around the vocals. Very soft and uplifting for us. Expect more like this in the future.”
05. MIKILL PANE‘Dirty Rider (Calyx & TeeBee Remix)’Mercury Records “This was so much fun to do, as we love the original! Again, slightly more commercial
than we normally would do, with a heavy rock influence.”
06. CALYX & TEEBEE FEAT BEARDYMAN‘You’ll Never Take Me Alive’Ram “We LOVE Beardyman. He is a lunatic! Imagine Beardy being haunted by an army of
angry robots as the last person on Earth...”
07. CALYX & TEEBEE‘We Fall Away’Ram “Straight-up dancefloor filth. Been our opener for well over a year now.”
08. OPTIV ‘Untitled’CDR “Optiv is on FIRE! This is so fresh it hasn’t got a name, but man, total destruction.”
09. THE PRODIGY‘Smack My Bitch Up (Noisia Remix)’XL Recordings “The Dutch geniuses can put no foot wrong. Totally kept the vibe of the original but
injected the trademark Noisia sickness. Beyond huge.”
10. CALYX & TEEBEE‘Starstruck’Ram “A personal favourite on the album. Deep, rolling, dark, jazz-infused filth.”
Fans of the Metro sound, Optical or Ed Rush need to grab this one quick, with its primeval soup of electro brilliance. Bubbling acid futuristic riffs are like random flashing neon lights on a skyscraper-size computer mainframe while a dense, amorphous bass slug cavorts in salt-induced death throes underneath a regimented drum that returns a sense of logic. Dose gnaw at your brain matter with their own concoction of a winning formula.
Future Cut Obsession feat Jenna G
(Ulterior Motive Remix) Razor’s Edge 8.0
Worth setting your infra- red seekers out for, as it’s classic Metalheadz. A remix that’s an adept presentation of the signature elements that propelled this label to worldwide stardom. A nerve- jangling opening with lush waves of clear blue water strings, an endearing-but-
Matrix & Futurebound feat Blue
Magnetic Eyes (Mixes) Viper
9.5
strangely sad lullaby-style female vocal and a resulting futuristic shock-out with gleaming titanium teeth-clench keys. Even hidden old skool b-boy influences buried deep in the mix! New recruits and thousand-yard-stare veterans alike will delight.
Netsky We Can Only Live Today
(Mixes) Hospital 7.0
A little unusual that the latest single from the only d&b DJ to have an entry in our Top 100 DJs poll leads with a dancey four-beat shuffler, but there you go. That’s not to say that he hasn’t, of course, earned his stripes and thankfully, the Camo & Krooked version here provides a nice slice of fluorescent liquid d&b that’s guaranteed to induce smiles and flurries of movement. Rushy sunrise chords, lulling pianos and floor-filling vocals to a likeable upbeat blend.
Original Sin
Mad World EP Playaz 9.0
After a slight lull, the Playaz empire have regained their status as a label where each release is firing on all cylinders and leads the pack in terms of thinking ahead. A top- class EP here: ’Mad World’ is my favorite — chattering, seething and rapidly vibrating basses peppered on top of a haunting, wispy vocal. Then
www.djmag.com
Although the radio edit version in this multi-mix presentation is all well and good with its uplifting ultra-dance, it’s the ‘Smooth Remix’ that has made this the lead single today. It achieves a perfect balance between instantly addictive rapid vibrations and playful bass enhancements, while the addition of enthusiastic, soul-elevating female vocals and blood pressure- racing old skool riffs have you skipping on the spot like a boxer training for a championship bout. De- stresser.
‘Soul Food’ shows another side: a greasy, slow-flow bass conjures midnight moods, while the ‘Therapy’ remix is one for chrome-dome futurists. Balanced, wholesome ready- meal.
Rene LaVice All My Trials feat Ivy Mairi/
Not Deep Ram Records 9.0
Artificial Intelligence really hit on something when they first invented their offbeat-style vibrating bassline layer, a pre-set that has been used by a multitude of singles since then to great effect, this being one of them. A terrifically soulful voice that isn’t your usual default cutesy style provides the energy factor, while a beautifully mixed, crisp celery-snap drum pattern combines perfectly with a smooth, creamy sub bass that zooms behind the AI-style vibrations. Stylish, soulful, timeless.
057
DRUM & BASSREVIEWS
MONEYSHOT!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78