Garage | 2Step | UK Funky | Bassline Vinyl 211 Items

Keeping things fresh, we celebrate the Medellín - Bristol connection with none other than Verraco. Sonic pipelines have been running with full force between our two cities for some time, and Breathe... Godspeed embodies a shared obsession for shaping futures and dancefloors through evocative club acrobatics.
Exploring the intersection between sacred and the erotic, this four-track EP is propelled by visceral sound design, dipping into a variety of styles and paces.
Verraco constructs groove like no other: while covering mind-altering Techno to gut-punch bass music, he takes sheer dancefloor euphoria up to dizzying heights with a unique radiance.

Shall Not Fade welcome Jamie Unknown to their Time Is Now sister imprint with four weighty bass driven cuts!

Pressure EP brings together all the best elements of UKG, bass & breaks music forming a hybrid blend of dance music goodness.

Pressure EP drops May 31st via Time Is Now.

2021 Repress!

Where it all began! It was only a matter of time before SOPHIE would go on to change music for the better. We will be forever fortunate that our paths crossed and this special record marks a moment in time of endless possibilities.

The Spellbound EP serves as a profound exploration into GIDEÖN's artistic soul. Commencing with politically charged tracks, "Study War No More" on side A is an acid-garage hybrid rallying support for emergency aid in Gaza. On side B, the euphoric "Marcus Garvey" urges a reconsideration of the life and teachings of the Jamaican activist. "Spellbound" delves into an ultra-deep meditation on black magic, while "Hora De Bailar" transforms into a Latin sleaze-fest, embodying the label's steadfast commitment to militant queer Deep House.

GIDEÖN describes the EP as a faithful representation of his worldview, stating, "Two of the tracks were written to soundtrack the struggles of our time. Both 'Study War No More' and 'Marcus Garvey' are pieces of music created to motivate, elevate, activate, and educate the dance floors of today in preparation for the struggles immediately before us. I see music as a weapon, a weapon in our dance music community’s arsenal that we can use to lubricate, incentivize change around us."

In addition to the politically charged tracks, the EP features two deeper, sleazier offerings that vividly capture the essence of underground queer dance floors and darkrooms. These tracks resonate with GIDEÖN's experiences at renowned clubs like Bassiani in Tbilisi, K41 in Kyiv, Berghain in Berlin, Basement in New York, and Adonis in London.

GIDEÖN boldly declares, "I set out to do EXACTLY what the global religious right-wing extremists are so opposed to: the PROMOTION of homosexuality." This sentiment underscores the EP's mission to advocate for diversity in the face of opposition.

fabric Originals is proud to announce the release of the highly anticipated collaborative EP by legendary garage producer MJ Cole and rising star K-LONE. This EP marks the inaugural release in the label’s new series, 'Future Memories,' which brings together icons and fresh talent to create groundbreaking music that bridges generations.

Set to drop on 12th July, the EP promises to deliver a vibrant, sun-soaked sound that perfectly captures the essence of garage music. Combining MJ Cole’s masterful production and decades of experience with K-LONE’s innovative approach and modern flair, the collaboration offers a unique and exciting listening experience for both longtime fans and new listeners.

'Future Memories': A Series to Unite Generations
The 'Future Memories' series is fabric Originals' latest initiative to celebrate the legacy of electronic music while paving the way for future innovation. By pairing seasoned veterans with promising newcomers, the series aims to create timeless tracks that resonate across generations. MJ Cole and K-LONE’s EP is the first in this exciting venture, setting the tone for what’s to come.

About the EP
The EP features three tracks, each meticulously crafted to evoke the warmth and energy of summer. Listeners can expect a seamless blend of MJ Cole’s signature style and K-LONE’s distinctive touch, resulting in tracks that are both nostalgic and forward-thinking.

Bax is back. First released in 2011, Mosca’s UKG homage, ‘Bax’, did big things when it landed. Almost 10 years on, it’s time for a repress.

Though Mosca missed the golden era of garage in the nineties, he caught on to darkside pioneers such as Horsepower Productions, Benny Ill and El-B later on. A blend of homegrown British styles lies at the core of his electronic music influences, early dubstep, jungle, minimal grime and bassline, which he’d experienced first-hand at Sheffield’s legendary Niche club. (Little known fact: The name Bax is a partial nod to Steve Baxendale, the man behind Niche).

All these elements coalesced in the studio and the two-tracker materialised in a couple of days. Both sides of the record do their thing on the floor; ‘Bax’ with its now infamous ‘My DJ is live in the place’ sample, that earworm melody and a ruffneck b-line.

On the flip ‘Done Me Wrong’ sees Mosca incorporate several key garage tropes; the bassline swinging alongside soulful vocals (which get sliced and diced), not forgetting that cheeky rewind.

My DJ is back in the place...

Colombian artist Dfra links with some of Argentina's finest musicians for a high-class mix of 90s and 00s deep house and a wide array of proper jazz stylings to this new EP on Deeppa, a well-formed young label that will soon hit release number 10. 'Sal Marina' kicks off with shuffling beats and nu-jazz chords that make you want to move, while both 'Green Line' and 'Manits' showcase some superb melodies over more percussive, busy beats that have a great sense of movement. 'Brown Sugar' then gets a little deeper with its withering cosmic lines and heartfelt vocals and the main man Atjazz works ii onto something even more potent before 'Sal Marina Lay-Far remix)' closes down with a timeless soulful house vibe.

dBridge & Forest Drive West, doing what they do, together

Throw the gauntlet: Fast Castle is back with Gent1e $oul’s “Shoals”-EP, our furthest excursion into the unexplored depths of mind-bending bassweight! Having perfected his build order on his recent “Block Printing'' and “Silk Armor”-EPs, Gent1e $oul continues to infuse his productions with sonic bass strategies over five versatile tracks.

“Dark Age” provides an aggressive opening, immediately applying pressure with nasty bass wobbles, dembow echoes and a 4x4 switch that might catch distracted players off guard. Tried and tested in many settings, this is an essential option for the incoming dancefloor rush!

With its heavy neo-stepper energy, ”Bad Neighbor” lays siege to dancefloor resistance with a piercing lead, breathing drums and powerful waves of sub wubs. Just like the AoE2’s legendary trebuchet of the same name, “Bad Neighbor” – paired with the right Soundsystem – will make the walls shake.

“Dusty Acer” is a homage to Gent1e $oul’s dear but aging AoE2 gaming machine, capable of producing similar noises to this dark UKG cuts’ central bassline.

Deep dubstep cut “Illumination” takes us to the for a wholesome mana refill: Mystic ambiences make you pull down your cowl, before diving into a fully blown sub massage.

The standout self-titled cut “Shoals” concludes the release: A deep-yet-powerful half-stepping perc grower at 160bpm, operating on subdued rhythmic shifts and layers.

As a special tribute to the AoE2 community, all tunes are flavored with the game's original sound effects. Thanks for keeping us inspired, Nili_Aoe for Nac5 and T90 for HC5!

Snoozin’ B awake from hibernation. Alec Falconer & Harry Wills team up for their second release with beats to moo-ve you.

Some swingin’, some thumpin’, all groovin’… still snoozin’.

Mastered and cut on 140g transparent vinyl by legendary mastering engineer Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios, London. Pressed at optimal media, Germany.

About the Album

‘Isthmus’ is Ross Tones’s 5th album for Houndstooth in 10 years.
It only seems fitting for it to return to the eclecticism of 2014’s ‘Mosaic’.

An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger bodies.
The two islands contrast in time, topography, chaos and character.
One sears.
The other, buried by blizzards.
A land bridge fights the tide; offering harbour.

Connecting the estranged.
Giving battle to the noise.

It is uncertain who won.

Highly anticipated would be an understatement - so influential are his releases to date, it's difficult to believe he's never released a full length project. The name of the mixtape may already be familiar - an evolution from 2019's acclaimed "Slipping" EP and also the name of a Joy Orbison curated radio station ("Still Slipping: Los Santos") within Grand Theft Auto's immersive world - but in terms of scope and ambition, "still slipping vol.1" is without doubt O'Grady's boldest and most expansive project yet.

First coming to prominence in 2009 with his debut single “Hyph Mngo” - a track that became a bonafide phenomenon and changed the dance music underground forever - the London musician, DJ and producer is undoubtedly one of the most renowned, respected and influential electronic artists of his generation. Whether through his own game-changing releases such as “Ellipsis”, “GR Etiquette”, “Big Room Tech House DJ Tool-TIP!” or the “Slipping” EP, collaborations with the likes of Mansur Brown, Overmono and cutting edge Japanese clothing label Cav Empt, a run of genre-defining releases on his Hinge Finger label, a BBC Radio 1 residency and live appearances that span the most credible underground nights to festival headline slots around the world, the name Joy Orbison has been a constant byword for understated, uncompromising quality. "still slipping vol.1" is the next evolution in his journey. Fans of Joy Orbison's DJ sets and radio shows will already be aware of his diverse tastes and inspirations, represented here through a roll call of delicately curated, mainly UK, collaborators that include Herron, James Massiah, Bathe, Lea Sen, Goya Gumbani and Tyson. Just as important are the voices Joy Orbison's family - mum, dad, sister Sarah, uncle Frankie, uncle Keith (recently departed), auntie Helen and cousins Lola, Mia and Leighann, who was the first person to introduce O’Grady to drum and bass and garage as a kid and stars on the mixtape’s cover art. They appear throughout the record via a series of voice notes, his only contact with his family during this year of worldwide lockdown and an intimate, vicarious glimpse into the personal world of an artist who has generally side-stepped the public gaze. The result is Joy Orbison's best music to date and a powerful distillation of his musical career so far. Recorded in his Walworth Window studio in south east London, this is serious, future-facing sound system music cut through with a sense of warmth and playfulness much needed for these times. In O'Grady's own words, "I made a point of making it feel really human. I wanted it to be quite light hearted and humorous so that the weirder bits of the record didn't seem too wanky or self-indulgent. In my head it’s a soul record but I'm not sure that's how people will hear it”

Schon seit seinen Teenager-Jahren gehört Peter O’Grady, alias Joy Orbison, zu den treibenden Kräften der elektronischen Musik-Szene, der er immer wieder mit seinen Veröffentlichungen neue Wege aufzeigen konnte. Nun erscheint endlich sein erstes Mixtape „still slipping vol. 1“, das beweist, dass er auch in 2021 nichts an Relevanz oder Aktualität verloren hat.

„Heiß erwartet“, trifft es hier wohl, wenn man sich vor Augen ruft, dass Orbison bisher noch kein Album oder mehr als eine EP in seiner Karriere veröffentlicht hat. Der Titel erinnert dabei an die gefeierte 2019er EP „Slipping“ sowie an seinen kuratierten Radio-Kanal „Still Slipping: Los Santos“ in der Grand Theft Auto-Gaming-Welt – gleichzeitig ist dieses 14-Songs umfassende Mixtape die wohl ambitionierteste Veröffentlichung Orbisons bisher und ein Meilenstein in seiner Karriere. 2009 begann diese mit der Debüt-Single „Hype Mngo“, mit der der Londoner Musiker, DJ und Produzent hohe Wellen im Dance Music Underground erzeugte. Es folgten weitere Singles, EPs, Kollaborationen mit Acts wie Mansur Brown oder Overmono, eine BBC One Residency, DJ-Sets und Live-Auftritte in Clubs und bei Festivals auf der ganzen Welt. „still slipping vol.1“ zeugt wie gewohnt von den mannigfaltigen Einflüssen und Strömungen, von denen sich Joy Orbison treiben lässt und rollt den Teppich aus für Kollaborationen mit Acts wie Herron, James Massiah, Bathe, Lea Sen, Goya Gumbani und Tyson. Daneben bietet es einen intimen Einblick auch in die persönliche Welt des Künstlers während den vergangenen Lockdown-Monaten, beinhaltet das Mixtape doch auch einige persönliche Voice Messages seiner Mutter, seines Vaters, der Schwester und Cousinen.

Sling shot debut from Harba with a batch of oddball UK techno cuts, all firmly stamped with his own style. No ‘doof doof’ business techno - strictly 140 heaters with a UK rudeness, marrying vocal chops that feel haunting and hallucinatory yet anthemic and hypey.

He covers ample ground over the four tracker - crispy percs, squiggly synths, raw textures, and dancefloor feels, all with an upfront swagger. 'Despair EP' is a wake up call for others to inject some identity into their sound. Early support from Ben UFO and Pangaea.

Welcome to ‘Hardcore Heaven III’, the third in Scuba's series of classic hardcore-inflected vinyl EPs further develops the themes, from acid house to jungle, established on the first two installments.Hardcore Heaven III ups the tempo from the first two EPs, with a focus on early Jungle on ‘Truth’ and ‘Give Up Everything’. Meanwhile, ‘Riding Hi’ and ‘Pocket Rocket’ add a 4/4 kick and samples possibly best described as… borderline?Scuba has also announced D:U:LIVE, a series of live shows inspired by his acclaimed ‘Digital Underground’ mixtape and ‘Hardcore Heaven’ vinyl EPs from last year.

Ruby My Dear returns to Analogical Force. Toulouse - Madrid connection in full effect. Universally acknowledged by pretty much everyone on the scene, no words would be needed to explain this work. Another Broken Beat-fest, with intricate structures and all manner of mentalisms, but also melody and atmosphere. It seems that RMD has once again unleashed a five-track EP varied, spannered and original enough to merit him the adulation he is set to enjoy.

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.

Reptile Mob is back with a third part of its superb on going compilation series and this one looks at different aspects of the garage house sound. Side a-begins with some fresh four-four grooves no least the opener from the legend that is Perception with Andy G and their dubby 'Let's Go'. Conspiracy Dubz keeps it bumping with the old school feels of 'Musical Rush' and on the B-side it is more of a 2-step sound that emerges with jazzy melodies and female vocals. Groovy D's 'Another Chance' is the real standout for us with its classic vocal sample worked into a nice kinetic rhythm.

X Club. is the production duo of Ben Clarke and Jesse Morath. Founded in Brisbane/Meanjin Australia’s warehouse scene and exported to London and beyond, their music is inspired by early 90s techno all the way through to future-facing drum’n’bass, with X Club. carving out a space entirely of their own thanks to their authentic and eclectic take on dance music with serious consideration for underlying groove. With releases on labels such as Steel City Dance Discs, Spandau20/crowds, 99cts Records and Stay On Sight, X Club. have seen their records reach global audiences with frequent touring across the UK, Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. New World Expression by X Club. is the third release on their own label Hide THE Junk, and finds the pair leaning more into house music than ever before, but still with the same distinctive X Club. edge. These tracks have been key moments to their sets over the start of 2024, going from demos in the studio to on the road club test in a matter of days, to being pressed onto fresh 12” wax for their most loyal fans within a matter of weeks. This EP is tried and tested house & techno that fans and DJ's alike have come to know and expect in X Club.

Mancunian genre-bender Interplanetary Criminal comes back for more on Shall Not Fade sublabel Time Is Now; In My Arms EP makes his third full release on the imprint. This time round, he shares four carefree rave-influenced garage pieces topped off with a rolling drum and bass remix from breakbeat master Coco Bryce.

2022 repress

Four heavy weight steppers sourced from the streets of Leeds, for them dark basements and early morning afters, brought to you from two new bad bwoys on the scene D. Jason & Baby J.

Irlam's infamous upstarts DJ Absolutely Shit are at it again with four more tracks to rattle yer spines and rupture yer spleens. Utilizing the classic approach of sourcing a sick sample, adding a rugged breakbeat, then tweaking out the buzz for maximum enjoyment, the pair deliver an explosive EP of global hypercoloured mayhem that burns hotter than an oz of 'Ells Angels sputnik.

'Bridge To Your Heart' grabs Sade by the hand, shoves two purple doves down her throat and queue-jumps to the front of Bowlers for an endorphin-rushing hardcore workout full of modern beat engineering and sample manipulation.

Switching approach, 'Bolivia' shuns the dreamy feminism for an altogether more masculine affair - roping in the Wu for an argy-bargy, elbows-out speaker shaker full of hi-definition laser stabs and destructive, land mine subs.

Hitting the accelerator, 'Rocking You Eternally' traverses the jungle boarders in a blacked out Nova, Ab Shit's flair and panache at drum programming and contemporary production chops beautifully on show throughout this big system roller with a carp-hunting vocal hook.

'Gong' closes off proceedings, merging moods inna more seductive flavour. E-soaked pianos and a gentle throb coaxing us to that end-of-night climax that'll have us humming the piano line all the way down the M65 home.

No jokes cru, this is some of the best tackle to emerge outta the DJ Absolutely Shit studio to date. One of two, vinyl-only EPs and ahead of their debut album that follows on C90 tape.

Boing boing boing, boing boing boing, boing boing!!

Four more slices of UKG from one of the most exciting producers around.

Deep within the freeway buzz of dystopian Los Angeles, there exists an unstoppable sonic gathering of minds, who call themselves “Fast At Work” and abide by a belief in the deeper potential of higher tempos. However, lately, there has been some debate about the true existence of the Fast At Work mantra. Just as the debate was reaching its climax, seemingly out of nowhere, a helicopter emerged containing a musical capsule from the future (or possibly aliens). The group accepted this music as scripture, and coined it “Soft Fascination,” – naming group member Carré as their chosen matriarch. Through the title hymn “Soft Fascination,” Carré preached a proto vision of a classic dubstep bassline and tender pads. With “Cute Mad,” Carré magically induced a sense of positivity and bubbly bass. And with the third offering, “Glowing,” she pushed her audience closer to understanding simplicity and space. Finally, in an effort to expand their gospel to the furthest realms of their musical world, she recruited Priori and James Bangura to create their own missions, rooted in the original offerings of the alien helicopter’s capsule disc. While Priori expertly rearranged “Soft Fascination” into a shiny mind-melter, James Bangura expanded on the lightness of “Glowing,” creating his own lucid dreamscape of deep melancholia.

Shall Not Fade welcome bass music royalty Killjoy to their Time Is Now sister label with four weighty cuts!

Straight 2 The Neck EP drops July 19th via Time Is Now.

Bristol based artist, Sunun with a killer 6 track EP - the first 12" of the year on Idle Hands (ran by Chris Farrell) . A member of the city's Young Echo collective she has made waves with her abstracted take on dub for Bokeh Versions and Cold Light Music, gaining praise from Adrian Sherwood along the way. Her most recent release was a collaborative EP with Giant Swan’s Robin Stewart. Over these six tracks we are invited into her sonic world, described by the artist herself as “a step towards rhythm tracks, with shallower themes and confidence, with priority to the ancient components; the drum and voice” Adventurous, brooding and unique - this is an EP you need to hear. Proceeds from the EP will go to Ace, a charity organising 1:1 music sessions with teenagers in the local area where Sunun has been doing work.

Returning to TRIP after last year's fantastic 'cheerful pessimist' EP, Vladimir Dubyshkin presents 'budni nashego kolhoza', an abstract portrait of the 'everyday life of a collective farm.' On these driving, iridescent tracks Dubyshkin is as self-assured as he is unhinged. He advances with a controlled intensity - taunting vocal cuts loop and spiral over pulsating, muscular rhythms that seem moments away from derailing. It's a gripping descent into delirium, dragged ankle-first by Dubyshkin.

A generation younger than the founders of the Teklife crew, DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn, DJ Taye was originally a rapper and beat maker before hooking up with the collective and jumping into the world of footwork production and DJing. However, it was Rashad’s untimely passing in 2014 that was the unlikely catalyst for developing the sounds and ideas for this album. He says, "When Rashad passed away I felt inspired to continue evolving the music that I loved so much coming up in this world. So, I had to do something…make something brand new." 100% committed to pushing further the potential of the footwork template, Still Trippin’ is ambitious in its range and scope. Taking two years to formulate, the record broadens the possibilities of the sound, forcing it to adapt to songwriting, and also revives Taye’s talent for MCing and producing beats to which he can rap and sing. Furthermore Taye definitely ups the ante with his complex and precise drum programming, never losing sight of footwork’s ability to confound. The album features a range of guests that span contemporary music; the eccentric, instructive rapping of Chuck Inglish of Detroit duo the Cool Kids is featured on ‘Get It Jukin’, Odile Myrtil, a young vocalist from Montreal, lends her smokey soul to ‘Same Sound’, Fabi Reyna, the editor of the celebrated women’s guitar magazine She Shreds, sings and plays bass and rhythm guitar on ‘I Don’t Know’ and Jersey club queen UNIIQU3 offers production and rapping on ‘Gimme Some Mo’.Also, Teklife members DJ PayPal and DJ Manny assist on production, and DJ Lucky is a guest MC on ‘Smokeout’. Taye is ambitious in his hopes for the album; "I took this as an opportunity to not have boundaries with footwork. Different approaches to our ‘underground’ sound to make it broader. It’s only underground until it crosses that visible threshold.” This album brings all of this to the forefront.

DJ Rashad / Djunya / DJ Spinn / DJ Earl / Quarta 330 / Champion/ Ikonika etc.

The second of the Decadub vinyl-only releases dedicates three of its four sides to a volley of woozy and twisted footwork from most of the key members of Chicago's Teklife crew. Side One starts with DJ Rashad and Gant Man's squiggly 303 banger 'Acid Life' and moves onto Taso & Djunya's Darwinian banger 'Only The Strong Will Survive'. Side Two descends into DJ Spinn's bombastic 'All My Teklife' and then Earl, Rashad & Taye's 'Bombaklot' which takes Hyperdub full circle with a yardcore bomb like a 2014 upgrade of the label's early days. Side Three leads with DJ Earl's immaculate diva vocal cut-up of 'I'm Gonna Get You', then moves on into DJ Taye's fizzling R&B jam 'Get Em Up’ and the stone cold, warped humour of 'Icemaster' by Heavee. On the fourth and final side, Tokyo-based ally Quarta330 returns to craft ‘Hanabi’, an epic, uptempo synthesiser jam. Young gun Champion follows with ‘Power Cut’, its minimal, energetic and militant kicks and bass molded with cowbell and lots of tight edits, before dropping some neat keys and a warping bassline two thirds in. Ikonika finishes things off with the solemn march of 'Tug Zone', opening slow but building in flickering high hats and gaseous cymbals into a track which could have emanated from Battlestar Galactica.

Ltd edition 300, vinyl only release.

The Duke of Juke returns with a smashing 10", his first release on dutch imprint ANUS Records. Here he shows his variety of musical knowledge fitting our philosophy - be odd, be future, be not too serious. Get to know!

Buckley - not be confused with the UK house veteran of the same name - is a new young producer from Leeds who brings his brand of UK garage to the increasingly vital Well Street label. Opener 'Sniper's Glint' is a naughty low-end wobbler with prickly percussion. '1003' is just as filthy thanks to the low-end oscillations and glistening, knife-like hi-hats. On the flip, 'Gloam' keeps things heavy and bass-driven with kinetic 2-step percussion and 'Snowdrift' shuts down with a fourth and final heads-down back-room garage burner that makes you want to move.

Live artist Innellea dropped his limited vinyl deluxe album. ‘The Belonging’ including two bonus tracks, poster and colored vinyls. The LP forms part of a conceptual storytelling project. The album features focus track ‘Shelter’ w. CamelPhat & Monolink, along with diverse and significant collabs with Grammy winner Flowdan, Swedish indie singer/songwriter Karin Park, live musician Juan Hansen. Additionally the deluxe vinyl album includes Innellea´s feature with Paris Paloma 'under Earth'.

Dext Recs revive there Dext Limited imprint for a brand new vinyl compilation series , Volume 1 features 4 weighty Bass heavy jams from K-65 , Krotone , Local Group & Dawn Razor all cut to transparent vinyl enjoy !

Arriving as the third album on Supreems ‘Sweet Sun’ label – an imprint gathering a reputation for future-facing, storytelling electronic music – Sloucho's 'NPC' explores the duality of his main character and non-playable lives. With a strong Irish artistic presence featuring Rory Sweeney, EMBY, Curtisy and more, Sloucho navigates through Cloudcore-inspired broken beats, bass-driven percussion, alternative dreamscapes and wubby fuck-steps on his most complete release to date, laying the foundation for an origin-story in the process.

Garnering support from Surusinghe, Roza Terenzi, Two Shell and more; some of the tracks on NPC have already been heard in clubs around the world - from Antwerp to London and Mumbai to Paris. ‘Mind Traveller’ offers an ambient introduction to ‘Athrú’, Sloucho’s home world, as the artist's pitched vocals act as the listeners guide into the island's core. ‘Mutant’ features experimental electronic artist Rhoshi on a track that follows the kaleidoscopic sonic-themes of Sloucho’s previous Cloudcore releases ‘Slow Feet’ and ‘Silver Veil’, before the Rory Sweeney-featuring ‘Come Around’ ignites the dance with its dutty screw-face two-step, balanced by moments of melodic contemplation before evolving into a techno-dancehall hybrid.

‘Brand New’ stays on the steppy aesthetic, and brings MCs EMBY and Zack Oke into the frame with a 3D Meta-human video created in collaboration with respected, exhibiting digital artist Aisling Phelan. Using a motion capture suit, they captured EMBY and Zack’s performance and imported it into Unreal Engine, using different environments scanned from around the Greek Islands as the backdrop. The result is mind-blowing; a complete digital realm, shot like a real-life rap video as EMBY and Zack spit bars across an elasticated garage riddim. Full video is on YouTube.

‘Super Maramu 2000’ is a cut of alien-club beamed directly from ‘Eile’, the afterlife of Sloucho’s Neolithic ancestors. A waltzer-ride through Latin-bass and techno with an oxymoronic blend of maximalist and minimalist futurism, it’s as silly as it is serious, before the stuttering, juke-influence of ‘Make It Work’ brings the album’s rapid first half (and a bit) to a close.

Sloucho seamlessly weaves from front left of the club to dark, fume-filled rooms on ‘Two Thousands’ (featuring EMBY and Curtisy), ‘Rocks’ (featuring Zack Oke, who sounds remarkably like experimental spoken-word artist Coby Sey here, and Chilean artist Vatican Jail) and ‘Lights On’ (featuring Yamagōchi), Sloucho explores a previously unseen side to his sound, meandering through alternative trap and hip-hop laden beats that are both dreamy and nightmarish, bringing NPC to its starry-skied climax.

It's the one all the massive have been waiting for! Part 2 of the Salford sage - DJ Absolutely Shit's 'Memoirs Of A Crust Monster'. More hyped up tear outs, soundsystem ruffage, and bass 'n breaks love songs from our Hell's Angel-dodging beat freak.

Kicking things off with glowing neons and super-charged subs is 'Higher', a modern jungle monster decorated with classic hip-hop samples and a well known diva vox squealing through the melee. A serious 'watch your bassbins' track - RL HQ have safety tested this on the most robust car stereo systems and so far have yet to avoid any cabinet damage - proceed with caution!

'Lost In Space' rolls outta the speaker stacks with a b-boy swagger and loose breaks. A tribute to classic breakdance electro galvanized with Ab Shit's intricate trademark production chops. You'll want to crack out your finest red Puma classics and a slick tracksuit for this one.

Onto 'Out On Love' and between you and me, someone needs to call the social service for samples - as it's unlikely you'll ever witness a more blatant case of sample molestation. Squeezing every last drop out of a catchy piano lick, TV snippet and drum break; the track really does highlight the unrivaled programming prowess of our Irlam renegade who's taken Sp1000 trickery to its absolute zenith.

'Money Talks' sees our cheeky ragamuffin dictate a life affirming sunrise over Pomona - pre-gentrification of course; a thousand smiles and memories of old Mancunia shimmering in the early morning industrial haze. And an abject slight at those who put profits above people - another poignant ode to our changing cityscape driven by the most addictive boogie-based groove and clattering Linn drums.

Spine-tingles and fanny flutters guaranteed ALL DAY on this one cru! Look out for the full 16 track album due on C90 cassette and digi download coming very soon...

RL x

The latest on Ilian Tape's ITX Series is this fresh dub haywiring from UK producer Mantra, one half of the UK label and events series Rupture. Following a superbly lo-fi, blue-tinted deep dubstep and garage mix offered to the label less than a year ago, she here returns to the fore with four fantastic new ones tailored for both systems and system heads. Highlights among the bunch include the dizzying, breaksy loss of sonic motor control that is 'Shackout' and the nighttimey, post-dark-garage 4x4 hardcore number 'Stomping Ground'. Closer 'Burn & Heal' rounds the whole thing out on a maximally intense jump-up jungle mastication.

South London’s James Massiah returns to Jon Rust’s Levels imprint with the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2019 underground hit ‘Natural Born Killers’ EP. The six-track EP ‘True Romance’ is the artist / poet / DJ / producer's richest work to date, autobiographically charting the peaks and troughs of 21st century love, life and relationships. Massiah’s rap leanings ride over his signature neon productions, taking in an arc of influences including dancehall, dub, acid house, grime and left field pop. Gritty and shimmering in equal measure, this is essential for devotees of the Dean Blunt, Lord Tusk axis, or anyone switched on to the stream of rap bubbling up from the UK right now. Heavy rotations from Benji B, Jamz Supernova, Shy One & Scratcha DVA. A vital release for 2024.

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.

Duo Lucas Brell and Marvin Uhde deliver fire-powered percussion to Osàre! Editions. Longtime friends and collaborators, they channel a liquid medley of drum menace that flips sideways, swiftly pivoting between wildly different tempos. As disorientating as it is formidable, Purest State Confusion offers up a fractal prism of ever-shifting beat patterns – an endlessly warping vortex of guttural, narcotic sounds. The titular number, a wormhole techno ordeal, builds steadily, layer upon layer. A crystalline dancefloor pleaser, it subverts classic four-to-the-floor with a delayed kick drum that punctuates every 8th beat. Like black oil diffusing in water, the bass creeps in menacingly to 'The Disappearer', in hard and fast contrast with the sharp fluctuations of the amen break. Slamming in mercilessly, 'Channeling Bryn Jones' opens up the B-side, its fluttering rhythms joining together with an infectious klaxon melody before the IDM stylings of 'Brain Massage' closes out. Purest State Confusion was recorded at various locations in Leipzig and Berlin. Final touches and mixing assistance were performed by Mike Bierbach at the Wsnwg studios. The pioneering techno producer inflects the record with his staunch taste for aerobic club rhythmics, teasing out the whirling tempos and pointillistic harmonics.

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 Knife’s Olof Dreijer continues his new adventure as a solo producer with a three-track EP, also marking a unique sonic chapter in his work.Olof has been pushing the borders of electronic music for two decades, both as a part of The Knife and with the secret pseudonym Oni Ayhun - releasing music that traverses experimental avenues, exploring themes surrounding gender.

The Coral EP draws inspiration from the lively steel-drum experiments featured in last year's "Souvenir" EP with Mt. Sim

Vibrant compositions and distinct melodies create an ambient progression where electronic and acoustic sounds delicately dance together, forming friendships and blending seamlessly, reminiscent of white magic.

Olof has recently co-produced several tracks on Fever Ray’s critically acclaimed 2023 album “Radical Romantics”, produced Tunisian multi-instrumentalist and composer Houeida Hedfi’s debut album “Fleuves De L'âme”, as well as helped create music with Planningtorock and Zhala.

The Technarchist returns to the label with a 2 track 7” of chunky dancefloor Weirdo Techno Funk, overflowing with humour and all the zaps, wobbles and basslines that we love !! These tracks return to the core sound that defined the label in its earlier years. For fans of Dance Mania, Luke’s Anger, Relief, Sativae and of course, Don’t. Some of you will know The Technarchist from his amazing track ‘Danse Macabre’ on the Don’t compilation album a few years back.

Garage powerhouse Zed Bias is back with more old school garage brilliance with the new single 'Shell Them Again' featuring the vocals of Yung Saber and Brakeman. The original has plenty of retro signifiers from the low-end wobble to the withering synth effects, plus crisp hits and jostling drums. After the dub mix comes a remix from Zed himself alongside Safire which is much more dirty and raw. The beats are broken up so the track takes on a dubstep quality as the low-end oscillations bring the weight and drums hit with more force. Finally, the acappella closes out this fresh 12" on IFG.

The 5th release on Scottish imprint Headset, showcasing unsung Scottish artists making alternative sound system music. Debut record for Usurp, hailing from Dumfires. Super clean breaks, steps & full-bodied tracks ranging from 110-160bpm

Mom's Spaghetti Returns for the 5th installment and it's the biggest record so far! Club ready edits and remixes of Soul2Soul, Doja Cat, Prince and MF Doom!!!

Washington, DC mainstay Samantha Park issues her debut release on Real Feel. The 12” ventures into breaky territories, with the A-side providing ethereal sounds on the title track, and percussive dancefloor action via “Dance for Me.” The B-side sees Baltimore house legend Karizma taking the reigns on the remix, leveraging chopped samples to freak a more orthodox house cut.

Slabs, if you didn't know yet, is the new label from Dungeon Meat duo Brawther and Tristan da Cunha that wants only to serve up music to make you sweat. This is another red-hot one that comes from Horsemen and has already been slammed down to great reactions at places like Bret in Amsterdam. 'Work It Out' is a stripped-down but chunky and rugged house monster, and 'The Strip Down' is a more lively and elastic cut with rubbery kicks, jumbled hits and irresistibly kinetic rhythms. Hugely effective yet hugely characterful, this is another doozy from Slabs.

Londoner Jeigo has always had a knack for intricate and melancholic production. His emotive sounds span breaks, garage and dub and gave rise to a superb album Cerulean back in 2022. This new outing on Air Miles is another sophisticated one that shows some different sides. 'Fig' is a dusty and lo-fi mix of knocking, woody broken beat patterns and pitched-up vocal snippets that bring a sense of pain. 'Act Like You're Strong' is heads down, lip-curling UKG with shuffling and weighty drums and naughty bass. '3-5 Working Days' is somewhere in between - both club-ready but also with post-Burial vocals that tug at the heartstrings. There is a blissed-out feel to the optimistic melodic bubbles and angelic vocals of 'Found Me' that means the EP closes in lush fashion.