Dubstep 154 Items

We are super stoked to welcome back 3WA aka The Portuguese Serial Killer aka The Christiano Ronaldo of Dubstep for another fire release on Foundation Audio (this time around getting the vinyl treatment)! Pedro has got many tricks up his sleeves. Here are 4 of his finest. Make no mistake he will nutmeg you, dribble around you, Ronaldo chop past you and handball the finest goal without the ref seeing (and he’ll make it look easyyyy)… What’s more to say? The guys a wizard and makes some of the most interesting music in the Dubstep scene. Get to know if you don’t already.

Dancing as an act of rebellion is the first Abraxas LP in collaboration with the Valencian label Soil Records. A compilation of the first project recordings released between 2020 and 2021 plus some new tracks and, in addition to this, a second vinyl by other darkwave electronic artists remixing the first one: Geistform, We Are Not Brothers, Ober Dada, Melting Dogmas, SMforma, Hbk1, José Rodríguez, SOJ and PanDemian. Abraxas is a halfway project between dark dance electronic music, philosophical reflection, socio-political activism and musical entrepreneurship. Its main goal is to shake bodies and minds by spreading messages of individual and social self-criticism from the point of view of duality, extremes and contradiction, inherent to the human being and capitalist society

Celebrating dubwise origins, Mole Audio delivers two fresh remixes of their very first release: Andy Martin ft. Gavsborg’s Plato & Caves.

Gavsborg is a towering figure in Jamaica’s dancehall scene. So when Andy found an acapella, he set to work on a renegade edit. Subsequently approved and embraced by Gavborg himself, Andy’s interpretation provided the launch point for Mole Audio – and is re-envisioned twice more here.

Paired with the original A-side, the first B-side remix comes courtesy of Dub War’s legendary Bill Fuller. A progenitor of London bass music, Bill’s records as Dubwar are prized among collectors. Pairing hypnotic beats with spacious textures, an insistent analog bass line weaves its way through an infectiously dystopian atmosphere.

Taking a minimalistic house-driven approach, Andy’s all-new Mad Magnetism Version brings Gavsborg’s original vocal to a prime time environment. Sizzling high hats and diving bass drops combine to keep the dancefloor in motion before insistent dub chords further elevate the urgent atmosphere.

Combined with the original and Nit Yardman’s remix, the resulting package once again showcases Mole Audio’s unique approach to modern dub aesthetics.

On this EP Dutch Thai label Animist Records puts a new genre on the map: Asian Tropical Bass. With elements of molam (Lao folkmusic), Thai music, dub, reggae, jungle, reggaeton, funk, acid, rave, hiphop and electro, the label presents its most diverse release so far.

Bassnectar is back with a new 17 track album, packed to the max with a diverse array of freestyle electronic music. The long wait for new music is (finally) over. Limited edition gatefold sleeve pressing on 180 gram multi-colored vinyl (blue, orange, yellow).

Bukez Finezt VIP's his already incredible Headache into a bonafied skanker that's just begging for a reload everywhere it'll drop. He gives the Headache rhythm such a treatment. Adding layers and layers of dubwise sounds only to switch back into that originial flow we all know and love. One of Bukez Finezt's most anticipated tracks of the moment. Next Level is literally the next level after Subway Recordings quit doing releases.

The sublime three-track EP 'Streetlands' is the follow up to 2022's 'antidawn'. The EP incorporates 35 minutes of transcendent music in three new pieces.

Tugging at the heart strings with his new release, Cartridge shows why he is one of the most highly rated producers in the game. This is a sublimely deep yet diverse EP which showcases Cartridge's musical side. Sometimes melancholic on tracks like Abandon and Voyage. Poignant and touching with Valentines Ting. The title track Sweetheart is not only melody driven, it's also a proven party mover.

Each of the tracks tells their own story and as an overall release they come together to make something greater than the sum of their parts. This is Cartridge stepping his game up to the top level.

"The 'Blouse N Skirt' EP was made in a month long period and is my most cohesive EP to date. It features my signature wubs with a few deeper cuts. Blouse & Skirt has been mashing up the dances for a hot minute and I'm stoked to finally make it available to the masses on the fabulous Deep MEDi"

Back with a vengeance, Cimm returns to the imprint with a highly anticipated succession to his Sentry debut from last year, stamped on a irresistible 2 x 12" vinyl release. Infernal halftime beats and top-notch Dubstep shells, firmly entrenched at the frontier of sound system music and its invaluable heritage. The London-based producer and DJ rose to swift and significant acclaim in the last few years with releases on institutions like Tempa, J:Kenzo's Artikal and Wheel & Deal as well as notable residencies at Rinse FM and the renowned Fabric night club, among other recent achievements. Now coming to a turntable near you, Cimm delivers four bespoke cuts, primed for the dance and your enjoyment, battle-tested by the scene's foremost tastemakers.

Okinawan talent City1 has been making some serious moves with his unique dark productions as of late and we are honoured to welcome him to the Subaltern family.

Clearlight brings his wonderfully tripped out production wizardry to Foundation Audio for a 3 track journey into the void! Clearlight has always stood out from the crowd and pushed boundaries with his unique take on the genre. It sounds like dubstep swallowed a bottle of LSD… or smoked some DMT… There’s no point going into detailed track summary as it won’t do the music justice, - just sit back, spark one up and get sucked into another dimension.

Clearlight returns, two years on from his DNO debut alongside regular collaborator Owl, with five otherworldly solo excursions.

What’s most striking about the Belgian’s work is the way he brings digital textures to life. Like an alien biosphere that doesn't abide by our own natural laws, his soundscapes are irregular and uncanny, but in a way that makes them feel all the more real.

Tracks like ‘Super Strong’ and ‘Heavy Feet’ sway and wobble to cumbersome beats, lumbering through swamps of croaking, chirping, fizzing things. The former eventually collapses into total abstraction, while the latter endures blasts of technoid bass, like the retrorockets of some hulking spacecraft coming in to land.

‘Spinning Head’ is powered by a buzzing oscillator that rolls back and forth across the stereo field. Paired with assorted clattering, clanking percussive debris, it’s an unnerving yet oddly pleasant experience, as if someone were rummaging around between your ears to help find a part that’s come loose.

Lead track ‘Water Willy’ is stranger still. Shifting from something akin to an exotica record played at the wrong speed to a melancholy whalesong lullaby, its twangs, chimes and plodding bass pulse create an eerie but beautiful ambience reminiscent of the deep ocean.

Only bonus track ‘Salt Cube’ is willing to break the spell, upping the pace to deliver the EP’s most traditionally dancefloor-friendly cut in the form of glitchy minimal d&b, with a heavyweight halftime switch post-breakdown.

Taking sounds from the club, but clearly not feeling forced to cater for it, Clearlight grows alternate realities that feel familiar, but offer wondrous, illuminating new experiences. Step inside and join him.

Rhythms of postmodern realism at the very bottom of the DNO.

Yung Dumb Records returns to Argentina for Yd019 with the 'Feel Alright' EP by Manuel Sahagun. The Buenos Aires house maestro offers up a 4-tracker, kicking off the EP with the title song which provides nothing short of an infectious swinging groove, with dusty vocals and percussion layered over dubby stabs. For the follow up, a classic techno-oriented homage by Montreal's Fred Everything for remix duties. The B-Side delves into stranger territory with 'Mellow', a brooding, deep and melodic house cut. Lastly, the record closes out with 'No More', a haunting ambient tune with minimal percussion for the headphones and night drives alike.

A statement that is well suitable for the next release on Hamburg’s most underground vinyl imprint Intrauterin Recordings which already has been on the scene since 1999. Led by a vocal sample of the labels mastermind baze.djunkiii this limited to 120 copies 7″ whitelabel single does not only provide a unique and creative take on bass music - especially Grime, Dubstep and Breaks as well as some echoes of early Jungle / Breakbeats - but also proves how long term relationships in the music industry finally fall into place to create musical results as the Combat Dubs project is formed in between Intrauterin Recordings-founder baze.djunkiii and the multi-active producer Sascha Müller who’s also been responsible for the labels’ cat.no. 005 way back in 2005.

The latest Innamind release is from production duo De-tü. Soundsystem music, true to the underground.

I spent a lot of time crossing the Detroit/Windsor boarder tunnel. - My family lives half in the US and half in Canada and my father crossed daily for for work and materials. My brother and I would sit on old paint cans in the back of his work truck. long trips to home depot in the hopes that we could get a rally’s banana milkshake before heading home. - I hated that work truck, but we loved the trips, no matter how mundane. We would spend hours crossing that boarder tunnel when it was busy, our bottoms would hurt from the metal paint cans. When i was in high school i would smuggle cigarettes to sell to the Canadian kids, it was a good business. The dark tunnel in disrepair built over 90 years ago felt like a relic of the past, its leaky walls and pale yellow tiles were always crumbling around you. It was claustrophobic and uncomfortable. But the tunnel made your mind wander with thoughts of what was above you, giant cargo ships or sea monsters. It was an anxious place, the uncertainty of its structure or the dreaded boarder patrol on the other side. Would be be pulled in and searched? would the carton of camels i hid under the seat be found? - It was a special place and a special time. These sounds are about traffic and the movement and time in this strange tunnel.

Finnish producer Desto returns to Rwina to deliver his first full length album, ‘Emptier Streets’. As with his previous releases on the Dutch label, Desto strips the music back to its bare-bone essentials, fulfilling the album’s title with a sound that’s spacious and eerie, bleak and punishing yet still offers warmth in its apparent coldness. Stylistically the album is most obviously aligned with the aesthetics of Dirty South hip hop and the dubstep diaspora, deploying booming drums, rolling hats and cold synthetic melodies and voices inside cavernous sonic landscapes.

Dub techno perfection from Rod, Steve and Convextion.

Side A comes courtesy of Bristol resident Phaeleh. Opening as a straightforward digital steppas, the master of cinematic atmosphere flawlessly integrates Dubkasm’s live instrumentation and his own electronics to reimagine ‘Missao’ as a richly detailed futuristic odyssey while staying true to the tune’s roots style. Crisp handclaps replace the snares of the original, and cellos soar, as the piece layers and evolves with timbale fills and syndrum-like risers, before a monumental sub-bass kicks in.

On the back of their debut release, Subtle Recordings is at it once again bringing some heavy weight from the shores of New Zealand with bad man Ebb taking the reins. As always, exquisitely imprinted ‘no holds barred’ by the masterful Optimal Media in a full art sleeve, 180 grams, vinyl only, no-repress recording. Standing strong as another pillar of foundation to the future sound of bass music.

Building on the themes of her most recent album, `Medieval Femme', Fatima Al Qadiri's newest release sees her pairing up with fellow Kuwaiti vocalist Gumar. The EP - also titled `Gumar', Arabic for "moon" - is an homage to a style of lamentation singing that both Fatima and Gumar grew up with and were heavily influenced by, and for which the latter received formal training as a teenager. On these four short songs, Fatima provides a minimal counterpoint to Gumar's elegant vocals, a coalescence that powerfully and sympathetically complements and extends with cosmic, almost elemental depth. Serious and mournful in tone, the record ruminates on the subject of unrequited love, arguably the most common theme in Arabic music past and present. The cover is an original artwork by Kuwaiti artist Khalid al Gharaballi, Fatima's bestie and long-time collaborator.

Infernal Sounds kick off 2023 with their first record of the year from FLO, ØZ & Q100 and present a top-tier 4 track EP titled 'Cruizer'. These three have been locked in the lab cooking tunes together for some time, but this is their debut release on 12". The title track 'Cruizer' kicks things off, hitting you square in the face with brute force aggression and some of the most gnarly sound design you'll come across. 'Rewind' starts a little more subdued, and hits a lower, moody tone to set the vibe on a different course, whereas 'Screwface' draws for a mid-ground between the two, touching on techy elements and a dancing mid-range pattern. 'Peeker's Advantage' finishes things on a nice and tough exterior, shapeshifting back and forth and formulating a strong finish to the release. 'Listen Carefully' is exclusively available via 12" purchases on Bandcamp and stream-only.

Straight out of one of the UK’s most innovative bass music hotspots, Bristol, two of the scenes fastest rising stars Glume and Phossa join the Subaltern roster with their massive debut split EP.

‘Ran’ is the A-side of the third release by Subtle Recordings, Subtle003, which features two complementary tracks created in collaboration by two of Aotearoa’s finest underground Bass Music artists, Ebb and Headland. ‘Ran’ begins powerfully with a melodic roller, snare stabs, and the occasional slack kick. Combined with penultimate sirens, it lures the listener into a false sense of security before laying down the second drop. An almighty dark synth slathers the floor, creating a suspenseful but murky atmosphere. Drawing the listener in with its hypnotic rhythm and ominous tones, ‘Ran’ brings the heat and gets the crowd frothing.

‘Tsar’ is the B-side of the third release by Subtle Recordings, Subtle003, which features two complementary tracks created in collaboration by two of Aotearoa’s finest underground Bass Music artists, Ebb and Headland. ‘Tsar’, as its namesake suggests, is a formidable force in 140. The track kicks off with a grunting bassline, contrasted overtop with a haunting oscillating hum, setting the stage for all-out mayhem. The track explodes into a sustained highly distorted synth before laying waste with a timely drop in key, cementing a foundation-rattling bassline. We then enter Tsar’s renaissance moment, where a positively uplifting ensemble ensues, until the relentless machine pushes through once again.

Trusik travels eastward again to meet Back to Chill mainstay HELKTRAM whose technoid dubstep constructions have been operating under the radar with just two releases from Banana Stand Sound and Encrypted Audio back in 2016. That is until now.

One of our favourite artists makes his return to Deep, Dark & Dangerous. The prolifically talented Hypho returns with 6 tracks of pure badness. Brilliantly balanced between minimalism, musicality, quirky uniqueness and big heavy bass. Dingle Bat is quintessential Hypho, including three vocal features from Rakjay, Danko and Megumi Hope.

As an undisputed heavyweight and one of the leading figures within the electronic music scene, Icicle's recognized as a highly respected producer - among other ventures through steaming releases via Hospital Records, Critical Music and Shogun Audio. Propelling his technically advanced production style into the 140 BPM spectrum, it's a sight to behold as DJ Youngsta reveals the next ace up his sleeve. The UK-based veteran conveys his awe-inspiring take on Dubstep with four tracks on a twelve-inch platter - vehemently battle-tested as a dubplate and ready to off at a dance floor near you.

None less than the infamous ILL_K is making his much anticipated return to Subaltern with a full EP on the imprint, accompanied by fellow producers Chad Dubz and Koobas.

Jeremy Blake (Red Means Recording) and MTN (FULLSET Music) present their love letter to Teenage Engineering's OP-1 Synth. Featuring 8 tracks and 35 minutes of playing time full of freehand arranged synth waveforms and samples. This release is strictly limited to 230 pieces!

Kero & Steph’s landmark collaboration Syndrome now sees a sumptuous release on vinyl and evocative music video, spinning data into densely layered visual treats. Steph’s coolly ethereal voice and poignant writing drift in harmonies atop the sliced-up, glitched, hard-hitting precision of Kero’s productions. The unforgettable directness of her compositional sense is here, as her long resume of scores and placements would suggest. It finds an urban-technological counterpart in Kero’s frenetic sounds. The DU label boss is in full force straight from the chilling post-pop of the opening titular cut. “Walk in the park” is a production masterwork, punchy organic percussion against grinding bass. “Who am I to complain” is at once arresting and vulnerable with vocals, but still packs an emotional gut-punch in the accompanying instrumental. “Count down from 7” is more stripped down and urgent, melodic hooks propelled by lo-fi rhythmic mechanism’s menace. For the remixes, Oberman Knocks unleashes utter digital destruction - computer memory banks dropped through a wormhole. That thoroughly deconstructs Mtch into composite textures -- and opens “Walk in the Park” to near-unrecognizable, yet somehow danceable mayhem. The new physical and motion elements find a visual language for these sonic strata of imagination and digital construction. From designer Christoph Grünberger, known for his tome The Age of Data: Embracing Algorithms in Art & Design, we get the packed outer sleeve and 2D design. These enshroud a calm-looking Steph in a Shibuya Crossing-style trip inside Defasten’s geometries, opposite a catalog of branching visualizations and glyphs. Defasten, known for his live AV work fusing virtual reality and performance, here explodes faceted 3D cubes, in the cover and further in the music video. These pulsing crystalline hyper-geometries delve into data as expressive medium, shifting and vibrating with the glowing tones and crisp percussive hits of Kero and Steph’s composition. It’s a rare music video that matches the music in intricacy and form - a world that can only exist in virtual space, but that feels as immersively dreamy as the sound score. “Sugar coated fabric … in braided covers” and “silver linings” were never so tempting.

Khanum joins the small but already acquainted Dubs Galore family with 2 soundsystem hitters.

Kode9's most ambitious work yet as a multi-disciplinary artist, `Escapology' is the soundtrack album to the sonic fiction `Astro-Darien', itself soon to be released on Hyperdub sub-label Flatlines. Already available as a special edition CD and digital album, we now offer a 1000 piece limited pressing on lucent orange vinyl, in spot-gloss sleeve with additional artwork by Optigram. `Escapology' reconfigures `Astro-Darien's tense, off-world atmospheres into slices of high definition, asymmetric club rhythms, woven through thrilling sound design and vertiginous sonics. "A record brimming with ideas and novel sounds, departing from genre exercises to offer something genuinely different." - Album of the Month -DJ Mag "[Kode9's] most dextrous and intuitive club music yet, full of mind-bending rhythmic nuggets. He's still the brilliant master behind the scenes, quietly one-upping everyone else." - Resident Advisor "The 15 tracks become proper dancefloor scorchers _ `Escapology' builds a futuristic jumble of aesthetics and sound design." - The Wire

Kromestar vs. Ironsoul Pt. II. Heated dubstep and grime bangers from one of the pioneers of both dubstep and grime.

"Rare, super limited 005 from Saturate! Records 7'' single series, featuring the now defunct Naive Machine and Krsur with some smooth hyper colored Garage and Footwork vibes, I don't want to say this but Calling Me has that James Blake feel. It's better, with the swing and even more uptempo."

For the first time after its original release in 2007, MEDi003 is back in stock!

"I was kinda not into the tune, but Mala was like 'nah - I love it' and he pushed for it and, yeah, ultimately got it on Deep MEDi. And if he hadn't done that I probably wouldn't brought it out, it probaly would've just ended up on a hard drive somewhere, not doing a thing."

Loefah on Disco Rekah A Loefah - Disco Rekah B Coki - All of a Sudden

Ma Spaventi is a wonderfully versatile artist. Over his decade-long career, the Italian musician has turned his capable hand to everything from ambient to techno. Once again, he is expanding his sound palette and challenging expectations with Vicino Lontano. Across eight tracks, an array of ideas and influences are explored with additional guitar work coming care of Odeon’s Michele Righini. The reflective hues of “Solitario” give way to the warming strings and peaceful brightness of “Crepuscolo.” Written and produced in Amsterdam between 2017 and 2019, beautiful memories of the past are the source of inspiration. Radiating Summer sunshine bathes “Bring Me Back” in a comforting glow, while “Velvet Lights” teases rhythm sections with thick bass lines and shimmering synth work. Moments of introspection arrive in the elegant gliding forms of “Bomber” and “Intermezzo.” The rumbling “End Line” finds harmony amongst a spread of styles, cascading chords and rich textures, all combining beautifully. A moon rise closes, the grand curtain falls on “Bidderosa”, calling time of this stunning collection.

Manta, this release made itself. Crow sample, swampier than the everglades and swing! Manta is a man crafting some of the most off kilter sounds we have heard and these tracks go a touch of the way to show the mans class! Control of the uncontrolled.

Somewhere between House, Detroit Techno & Bass, Martyn comes through strong with a little help from Four Tet & Inga Copeland!

Mesck fuses another cog in the label’s machinery, giving Chestplate one more flavor while sticking to the no-nonsense frequency construction that has characterized Chestplate’s aesthetic. The EP offers a cohesive journey through vibrant dynamics, rolling out with the hollowed kick patterns and ominous underscoring of Conquista. Collusion slows the momentum with more minimal percussion, leaving plenty of space for the labyrinth of subtle detail commandeering the atmosphere. A bongo-driven plane of chambered flux transitions the mood as Arcane Glimpse enthralls the soundfield with guttural and interchanging reese patches. Mesck sends us off in Lucid Form with a beat that deploys hefty swing while discombobulating the senses as voices hop left-to-right in the scape.