Garage | 2Step | UK Funky | Bassline Vinyl 331 Items

Twin Cities duo Feel Free Hi Fi return to their in-house imprint Digital Sting with their first full length entitled “I was so far in I was out.” After two prior EP's and collaborations with Equiknoxx and Duppy Gun Feel Free Hi Fi deliver 8 new tracks of their distinct but eclectic digital dub. Amalgamating many of the sounds, sonics, and aesthetics of prior releases into these eight percussive instrumentals. The industrial dub and weirdo dancehall remain but the focus is further refined while also exploring environmental and cinematic sounds to create often dark and heavy versions that are as singular as they are collective, as introverted as they are expansive.
The records come in double sided silk-screened printed custom DJ Jackets, with Obi Strip style stickers and hand stamped white labels created and printed by Digital Sting.

With an intrigue for a particular niche of old UK hardcore which takes cues from Sheffield bleep ambience, heady rave futurism and soft, almost new age synth pads, Blank Mind presents ‘Lost Paradise: Blissed Out Hardcore 91-94’. Though the records gathered for the compilation span a short three-year period and bridge the gap between scenes, the collection manages to find a sweet spot where the influence of Warp’s Artificial Intelligence, back room chill out sonics and the nascent jungle boom meet with elements of Italian piano house and slower breakbeat cuts. Opting to focus on atmosphere to highlight shared connections; in this case the duality of often serene and calming soundscapes with frenzied breaks and bass (see Hedgehog Affair’s ‘Parameters’ and Luxury’s ‘Twirl’ respectively); Lost Paradise is a formidable collection of tracks plucked from a thriving time for British dance music experimentation. The general themes of ascension and escapism channelled through digital samplers are also inescapably linked to a turbulent time in politics, beginning in the post-Thatcher years and culminating in the year the harshest anti-rave Criminal Justice Act came into force. Initially building the compilation around DJ Mayhem’s track ‘Inesse’, Blank Mind label founder Sam Purcell and Amsterdam based producer Tammo Hesselink began a process of swapping favourites and deep cuts to spread across this 2x12” doublepack. The compilation avoids any obvious centrepieces through masterful sequencing, allowing for moments of refrain and tempo changes in a way that helps add to their overall vision of what this music is and can be; “We wanted to frame hardcore in a different light, looking at this idea of ecstasy through the traditional meaning of the word and exploring that symbolism”. By drawing from what some might consider the softer edges of the movement, the pair offer a look into the relevance of these tracks in the contemporary era, where the past years have seen both an explosion in popularity of old ambient/new-age music and a certified jungle revival.

The 2nd instalment in Headset’s VA series, showcasing unsung Scottish artists making alternative club music. Hectic Grub & LWS push forwards, bringing 2 broken techno-bass bubblers on the A-side. On the B-side, Creep Woland goes deeper with a 160 floater and Fourth Precinct finishes with a spooked out electro breaks roller.

DJ Elephant Power (Nicolas Baudoux) based in Brussels, Les Octaves de la Musique awarded musician, is returning with his new EP ‘Blowing From Above’ on May 2024 with limited edition vinyls. The abundantly creative producer never tires of exploring the possibility of new sounds and rhythms. This time he delves deep into numerous genres from breakbeat to bass and he added more colours on each track which composed, performed and produced by himself. Mastering was done by Beau of Ten Eight Seven Mastering in UK. This new EP will be the first page of the upcoming album in June 2024. ‘Blowing From Above’ feat Eunsol Now you entered the city where you can feel the atmosphere of heat with full of energy. Under the welcome sign of breakbeat and bass, you breathe the dopamine of electronic dance deeply. Alongside baseline skyscrapers covering the sound of this city, mysterious Korean words lead you to hyper pop buildings. Across the traffic lights with barking dog and staccato synth arpeggio on the road, you reach the futuristic bridge between jungle and grime. ‘I Got You’ Under the repeated street lights of ‘I Got You’ scratch samples, you are in the car passing through continuous cowbel 808 sounds on the techno road. In front of the funk graffiti wall, a powerful metal guitar sprays the paint with no compromise. Buildings of synth grab you to follow the new banging club anthem. ‘Shades’ Curly hair architect, who is well known for perfectionism of repeated linear, built a new Mantronix satellite laboratory. This is located on the mountain of Detroit and built on the solid ground of analogue synth signals. Filtered synth and bassline are the main columns of the building. In the main lab, the next satellite has been developing on woah woah sound mattress. Visitors can experience zero gravity in the room in the middle of kick and snare which provides perfect unbalance. ‘Infinity’ A colourful new dish is ready for you. You will feel beautifully balanced and harmonious tastes of progressive techno, trap and bass. This astonished dish was sourced the very best of heavy bass and synth melody for well balanced scent with thoughtful contacts. Geomungo, a traditional Korean string instrument, enhances and amplifies stunning ingredients and it makes a highlight with amazing pairings.

Emerging from a generative paradox of laser precision and fluid dynamism, Metallur fuses percussive, metallic force with warping tempos and a field of ethereal resonance and debris.

The result is an insurgent, elemental, time-smearing of hyperspace, where "tellurian beats merge with alien glossolalia and vocal samples blip tesseracts of human affect into a ghostly, melodic aether". Music for a crushed infinity.

2 big bumpy upbeat UKG tracks from Eliza Rose & Peaky Beats on side A, then Peaky takes the B side down a darker route with 2001 & 10 Rounds of Dub.

Limited to 1000 Hand stamped with love 140g vinyl No Repress

Shall Not Fade's garage and breaks sublabel, Time is Now, has been a great success in its first year, and now starts 2021 with the first in a series of hand-stamped white label releases. London via Madrid up-and-comer Tower Block Dreams makes his debut for the label with five killer cuts, backed with a weighty remix from Manchester-based garage maestro and Time Is Now regular Interplanetary Criminal.

Bang on trend grooves from the Vivid camp, exploring the current fascination for all things that intersect both the garage and breaks genres. Lead track 'Wicked & Wild' is the one that leans furthest into UKG territory, its bumpy bassline and MC-style vocal giving it heaps of energy and attitude. Flip side instrumentals 'Push Past It' and 'Ronin' meanwhile, evoke the early 2000s spirit of breaksteppers such as Horsepower Productions, the latter especially maintaining the bassline pressure and adding it to the more hardcore vibe of rawer, sampled percussion. Maximum respect!

Davide Piras is an Italian producer with a penchant for the tougher, rougher side of British bass music. Creating music under the moniker DJ Chupacabra, Piras has been picked up by labels like Haws and Dr Banana in the past year, and now makes his debut for Time Is Now with more deep raw cuts. The EP hits hard with deep tech, breaks and rumbling bass. "Grimer" kicks off with sparse, staccato beats for heads down business before the expansive two step of "Rockstar". With its eclectic use of samples and ominous swelling bassline, it's a solid club roller. Funky, earworming house is the game of B-side opener "Killalot" which hints just a little of an acidic edge. "Morbid" is a heady stepper with plenty of ear teasing melody and atmosphere. The EP closes with a crescendo in "Croissant", which has a chunky minimal deep tech beat and booming bassline which is destined to send the dancefloor wild.

Third sureshot from the +98 crew featuring the reliable duo of Lost & Found and PJ Bridger. ‘The Lost Bridge ‘ EP consists of 4 tracks that can certainly be called upon to assist at any given time during the course of the night.

Matthew Kirkis aka Destiny71z is back with the third and final instalment in his tweaked out EP series. 4 more experimental club cuts, dripping and acidic, created using a stacked modular hardware set up. These playful cuts bounce through house, techno, garage and electro with an aquatic touch. Loose, electric and stunning throughout.

2XM are back on our shores with another sun kissed and emotive EP.
Four new tracks covering 2-step garage, deep percussive house and synth laden electronic grooves with a powerful vocal performance from rising star Neil Macleod.
These two are really developing their own signature sound and we’re all in.

Presenting 'Swinging Flavors #12,' the latest sonic exploration by Tokyo-based sound craftsman, T5umut5umu. In the pulsating track "Bolt," he deftly blends elements of techno, breakbeat, and jungle, offering an intergalactic journey through the diverse universe of bass music. Released under Beat Machine Records' Swinging Flavors series, this digital and 7" vinyl release invites listeners to embark on a cosmic adventure.

T5umut5umu, a genre-defying producer, skillfully navigates the space between tracks united not by traditional genre labels but by vibe and style. With techno, breakbeat, and jungle as his guiding stars, his music draws inspiration from Eastern cultures, seamlessly woven into UK-style club tracks. Fusing elements like Hard Drum, dark breakbeats, grime, and DnB, T5umut5umu creates compositions that transcend boundaries, captivating audiences globally.

The remix of "Bolt" by Mani Festo mirrors the rapid and diverse stylings found in his towering catalog. Mani Festo, caught in the tension between futurism and tradition, is a champion for the transformative power of club music. As part of the Club Glow collective, his dynamic sound ranges from breakbeat science to electro machine funk, elevating 'Swinging Flavors #12' to new heights. The remix, akin to a warp-speed journey, propels the original track into uncharted territories, delivering an electrifying experience anchored by heavyweight rhythm craft.

Together, T5umut5umu and Mani Festo invite you to lose yourself in the cosmic magic of 'Swinging Flavors #12,' a release that transcends musical boundaries, celebrating the joy of exploration within the vastness of bass-infused soundscapes.

Mighty strong 4 track fire UK 12". Underground London 2024. Limited copies

Midex is a recording alias of London producer Acolytes. He has previously released with Alter, 5 Gate Temple and Xquiste. His roots are in the London noise scene. His music draws from this, as well as grime, glitch and ambient.

Highrise & Peaky join forces to create 4 huge tracks for PBR005,
Written in the PBR studio over a mad weekend in Leeds.
The A side brings 2 big energy UKG & Speed garage tracks, with the B side stepping up the pace for the slick & bass heavy ‘Listen’ and ending with some spacey, breaky, dubstep. ‘Marsha’s Champers’.

PB teams up with the dub-wise wizard and fellow Leodis dweller Breakfake for a 4-track release concluding the PBR EP series. Starting off with a UKG steppa ‘Life in Stereo’ hard hitting drums, deep sub, with floaty chords and chops. Followed by the dark garage/ dubstep belter ‘Rat City’ making you feel like you are stuck in Silent Hill itself. The B side brings a more energetic dubstep feel with ‘Chapel Town’ named after the area in Leeds PB & Breakfake first met and is known for its Dub history. The Ep ends with ‘Dub the Acid’ a hypnotic dungeon track with deep subs and a bouncy acid to match.

Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section International imprint curate the second instalment of Shouts, a 21 track compilation with a diverse selection of artists whose music spans spoken word, DIY funk, house, techno, trap, indie, RnB and the many sub genres in between. Shouts 2021 highlights the dynamic journey and sound of the Rhythm Section International imprint, this time focusing on a global selection of completely new artists. An opportunity to shout about the next generation of musical talent from across the UK, Ireland, US, Middle East, Australia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. “Shouts 2021 celebrates the future sounds of Rhythm Section International and explores our intention to diversify what the label is moving forward. The direction and scope of the label has definitely widened. You reach a turning point when you want to explore other sounds that you’re interested in and the beauty of being an independent label has allowed us to do that. The Shouts series gives us an opportunity to release so many genres that we enjoy in one hit, and that has fed into our overall growth.” - Bradley Zero Shouts 2021 boasts an incredible selection of a once in a generation type of burgeoning talent. Kareem Ali, praised by the likes of Pitchfork and Resident Advisor for his cosmic house sounds, most notably the Quantum Blackness LP. Crack Magazine cover star - neo-classical artist Cktrl who made a huge impact with his beautiful track ‘Robyn’ earlier this year. Glor1a and the Yokai the Deity remix for Shouts 2021 is rooted in FDM, a dance movement in NYC started from Jamaican culture. James Massiah whose stunning spoken word opens the compilation. Sami who also co-creates NPR’s Code Switch podcast. As well as Klein Zage, Adam Pits, Pookie, and too many more to mention.

Having been part of the family for quite some time now, Lauren Bush aka re:ni joins the Timedance roster with an incredibly potent quartet of Techno infused bass-bin weaponry. « BeautySick » sees re:ni plunging into a world of intoxicating serpentine grooves. Spectral vocal slabs chime like echoes of a distant hallucinatory trance, while industrial drumworks find a mesmerizing counterpoint in eerie dubwise atmospheres. These four compositions not only showcase re:ni's sonic evolution but also explore the transient moments where darkness converges with light. They stand as a testament to the sonic prowess of one or favorite dancefloor sorceress. Picture Hakime Sorayama’s ‘Sexy Robot’ in front of an unreasonably large stack of speakers at a dimly lit sound-system dance; this is the soundtrack. Press + Tour highlights : DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, Xlr8r, Bbc6 Music (Sweatbox Mix for Sherelle), First Floor, The Quietus, Phonographe Corp + more TBA Upcoming tour dates for Q1-Q2:UK, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Slovenia, Ireland, Australia, Croatia, USA

After a 2 year hiatus, Madam X's Kaizen imprint comes back full force, with an upgraded aesthetic and brand new wave of leftfield, off-kilter club music. Kzn009 sees one of Manchester's most exciting up & coming producers, Cartridge, mark his debut with a fierce 2 tracker, loaded with soundsystem pressure and gully 130 artillery in the Banada EP. Melodic Grime, moody Dubstep, and sub-heavy textures sprinkle this wobby release, designed for dark rooms, splintered basements and heavy soundsystems. With an impressive back catalogue on Deep Dark & Dangerous, Albion Collective & one half of Regents alongside Manchester kingpin Strategy (Broke'n'£nglish), Cartridge is no stranger to the UK's burgeoning bass music scene.

On the A side, we have Banada, a melodic eastern-flavoured instrumental, with elements of Grime and Dubstep carrying the tune to its arpeggiated crescendo.

A singing voice and raspy melody build the tension before a heavily distorted switch up catches you off guard, leading you further down a Dubstep rabbit hole, and into a world of shady and sinister drops, sitting perfectly alongside the label's strictly hoods-up, heads-down tip.

Teaming up with Kaizen heavyweight and local scene hero Biome on the B-Side, Ricky Rosé has proved a firm favourite for those peak-time, no-holds-barred, bass-in-your-face, power hour moments. Relentless in its metallic bassline and thumping 808 drums, this explosive club tool comes with a solid side-serving of gunfingers and screwfaces.

Bristol label Time Is Now welcome UK legend Jeremy Sylvester to the family, serving up a killer cut of bumping 4x4 UKG goodness!

Established Berlin based producer Carsten Aermes, aka PHON.O, delivers his latest EP ‘Afterglow’, bringing the Vorsprung Durch (to) Tectonic. Having dropped a number of acclaimed releases on Modeselektor’s dynamic imprint 50 Weapons over the last several years, PHON.O has also had a variety of singles and EPs for the likes of Kompact, BPitch, Shitkatapult and Detroit Underground, as well as remixes galore.

‘Mercurial’ kick starts the EP at 137bpm, melting the boundaries between techno, dubstep and footwork with effortless grace. The track sets a mood with an initial sense of ominous tension, before embarking on a strange, cosmic journey, narrated by polyrhythmic layers of percussive interplay. Kick drums bounce, snares crack, hats and the melody builds with mysterious intent.

Flip over then for the first of two further tales in dubwise beat science. First up is ‘U8 Phunk’, taking it’s name in part from a Berlin underground metro line, it represents a tougher, harder edge to the EP. Recalling echo’s of jungle music alongside techno sensibilities, ‘U8 Phunk’ follows on again at 137bpm with a series of hyperactive drum hits and twisting percussive manoeuvres, charged with a reese-like bassline and grimy bass stabs.

‘Bell Blender’ closes off the EP, further developing themes of broken breakbeats and grimy sci-fi atmospherics, this time at a tempo more accessible to techno dancefloors. Dubbed and spacious, smattered with crashing remnants of breakbeats and scorching synth sonics - it’s a fine way to round things off!

On Gift n Curse Principle, Jnn Aprl puts forth her own signature interpretation of “techno”, relying on her art school drop out sensibilities and analog ear. After spending the better portion of the last decade immersing herself in the heartland of electronic music, The Seoul by way of Chicago by way of Detroit by way of Seoul again producer and DJ is proud to present the debut of her new EP as well as her new label, Rene Koala. Find on the record a set of tracks spanning the gamut, made with the assistance of a MPC 1000, a Prophet Synth, vocal effect and some grit. For the dancers and for the artist alike, each song represents a journey. 'Gift n Curse Principle' employs a minimal beat with raw intention. ‘Freedom Bondage’ taps into a low frequency and steady modulation, emulating a heartbeat. All tracks ask to be heard in their entirety. This EP was made with support from Piranhahead of Rustbelt Studios and Bill Skibbe of Third Man Records.

UK Garage and 4/4 from UK veteran Ray Hurley and Chris Bass

Coming hot on the heels of his debut on Distant Horizons, London breaks-master Yosh joins the core label family with a killer 4-tracker on Lobster Theremin. As one of the most recognisable names from the emerging UKG re-rise (it never went away, y’know), Yosh has developed a reputation for dutty 2-steppers and screw-face breakbeats designed to delight and devastate the rave. ‘My Fire’ is a jungle-influenced cut of broken breaks - malfunctioning, soulful and electric - the perfect accompaniment as day turns to night, the atmosphere loosening as it does. A sun-setting stepper brimming with v i b e s. ‘Hold On’ sees Yosh venture towards his traditional garage territory - low-swung percussion, wubby stabs and ambient dreamscape aesthetics spraying contemplative thought patterns into the air as we sway from side-to-side, before ‘I Feel’ reignites the junglist inspiration with its rumbling bassline, bouncing breaks and underground energy. We reach our climax with the most ‘heads down’ cut on the record; ‘Outa Sight’ maintains that light and dark sensibility that has become such a staple of Yosh’s productions, simultaneously taking us from moments of sweaty intenseness to moments of blissed-out ecstasy.

After stellar releases on Ilian Tape and Nostro Hood Soundsystem among others, ,,Mutualism” represents the much-awaited return of Atrice on their own label Miras. The follow-up EP reflects the culmination of a year-long exploration of compositional techniques and sound design, and acts as a first step towards a debut album. The result is a complete work, divided into eight chapters, that applies previous artistic research on textures, harmonics and rhythms in a rigorous yet playful manner. Whilst continuing to touch upon a broad spectrum of uptempo reference points, ,,Mutualism” offers a first glimpse into the pairs underlying pliancy next to the ever-present intricate complexities in their output.

That's all, hasta abajo!

A+A is Anunaku and Avalon Emerson. Their first EP features four tracks of melodic club music, made together while in London and on tour.

Diggin’ in the vast vaults of Victor Simonelli, a collection of classic Jazz-N-Groove remixes from the legendary Bassline Records label, fully remastered for the first time on one 12”. Started back in 1993 by the man himself, the label features releases from the likes of Romanthony, Jocelyn Brown, DJ Duke and many more, also going on to spawn the Big Big Trax sublabel too. For this 12 inch, a spotlight on Jazz-N-Groove, the legendary production team consisting of Marc Pomeroy, Brian Tappert & previously Roy Grant. Showcasing soulful house done properly, this EP takes in four of their sought-after ‘90s remixes of anthemic cuts from Northbound, Body Moods and Strive For Jive. For the house trivia heads out there, the pair also went on to launch Soulfuric Records and also digital download store, Traxsource.