Garage | 2Step | UK Funky | Bassline Vinyl 173 Items

Opening a new chapter for DNO Records, Pllfry debuts on the label with five raucous halftime tracks that also feature collaborations with two vocalists – NST & Genoveva. The ‘Overexciting’ EP is built around iron-clad percussion and a healthy dose of mangled sonic futurism, but the dominating flavour throughout is big, bold, unadulterated bass.

As might be expected of tracks called ‘Demolition’ and ‘Collapse Of The System’, there’s plenty of damage being dealt; the former’s wrecking ball bassline spins violently as its supporting beats splinter and fall, while the latter’s destructive low-end hacks chunks from its itchy sci-fi soundscape like some psychotic sentient buzzsaw.

There’s room for nuance too, however. The title track is all about contrast, its rumbling bassline winding along like a colossal serpent, while hi-hats chitter, and Macedonian vocalist and producer Genoveva delivers a haunting, silvery vocal that’s cold and alluring in equal measure. And as if the undulating low-end and metallic melody of ‘Water Fire’ weren’t enough to make heads spin, the track features a vocal from South Russian up-and-comer NST that seems to slip and slide at will, pulling the track forward and always remaining just out of reach.

Bonus track ‘Old School’ nods to the golden age of hip-hop, taking a tough boom bap-style beat and scratch samples, but flipping it script with machine glitches and pellets of acid.

Like a collection of missives sent back from a hi-tek future, the ‘Overexciting’ EP serves as a reminder that DNO can’t be pigeonholed, and always stays one step ahead.

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

Peaky Beats returns to the UK after his debut world tour with Catdubs002 on a very limited vinyl run. Tried and tested all around the world this is a record not to miss out on!!! Taking influence from his Arabic and Indian roots, the a side brings the very anticipated 'Cats In Calcutta' featuring the infamous Nooran sisters. and the b side 'The Cat' comes in with a rhythmic wobbly steppa packing that raw Mpc2000xl X Sh101 punch.

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.

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.

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.

Interplanetary Criminal returns to Time Is Now with four future UKG classics in the making.

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.

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.

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.

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

Hybrid sounds are offered up by Sunderland born producer Dharma on his Lone Romantic debut. His ‘Clear Glass’ EP lands on Maceo Plex’s left of centre imprint, offering up four tracks of futuristic garage and electro-tinged sounds.

Having previously released on esteemed labels such as R&S Records, Man Power’s Me Me Me imprint and Permanent Vacation, Dharma readies a bustling EP for Lone Romantic that showcases the young producer’s deft capabilities at working through various shades and rhythms with ease.

From the shuffling beats and choppy vox of EP opener ‘Clear Glass’, to the low-slung hip hop meets IDM influences of ‘Work Over’, Dharma serves up a highly accomplished release that effortlessly traverses genres.

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.

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.

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 !

Rhythm N Vibe treats us to four different and equally brilliant garage cuts here from four different and equally brilliant artists. Marc Cotterell opens up with the slinky and dusty drums of '96 Is Back' powered by a rasping bassline. Jason Ward then brings some fresh 90s sounds with a neon baseline and diva vocals on 'The Meaning' while J Erazo keeps it deep and paired back on the sublime 'The Pulse' which is a real late night warmer. Paul French then layers up nice fresh and bumping drum funk on his lovely number 'Jump' (unreleased dub). There is lots to love here on a very useful EP.

Do Flower Storm's aural incantations return for another edition of slicing club mutations. Five storming sonic rituals forged in the flames of mythical rites of past times, fortified in nu-club sorcery. EP Do's A1 is a reimagined take on Coil's "further back and faster", paying homage through a smoldering iranian lens along with low riding tornado tracks and ecstatic percussive squalls. Flower Storm's sophomore release heeds the call to the wind. When it rains it pours.

Spil Records makes its debut in the world of vinyl with a new 12" featuring fresh sounds from label head Jack Swift and one from Scott Diaz while remixes are taken care of by a pair of UK legends in Zed Bias and Jeremy Sylvester. Swift's 'Perception' opens up with some well swung and dusty garage-house beats and a nice warped bassline. It's then over to Bias for his 25 Years Deep Remix which brings some prickly 2-step vibes. On the B-side, Swift's 'That's It Mate' gets a Vintage Rerun from Jeremy Sylvester that is pure vibes and last of all, Diaz's 'Spil The Beanz' is a fourth and final floor-filling garage house classic.

Jackpot Recordings is a fresh sub-label brought to you by London-based production duo Club of Jacks. Their debut release showcases solo sessions from one half of the COJ crew, Max One aka MX1, and stays true to their signature UK garage-influenced house sound. The EP commences with 'Down Like That,' which has lively beats, resonant analogue sub-bass, and velvety chords with classic r&b samples while 'Waiting On' has swung beats and chord stabs with more captivating vocals. Don't Give Up' then brings a little sun to the grooves with funky undertones and 'Work Me' closes the EP with a more moody late-night vibe.

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.

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.

Uvb-76 Music presents Mesmerism a new 2 x 12'' LP produced by Lucid Dreams aka Overlook This release will transport listeners into a realm of hypnotic beats and atmospheric soundscapes, showcasing an experimental take on Overlook's signature style.

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'.

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.

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.

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!

Reissue of in demand classic.Dubtraxx was new on the scene back in 2019 when they dropped this EP which has since become something of a mini-classic. It came on their own label Rhythm N Vibe and now this is seriously heavyweight gear gets reissued. 'Soundbwoy Request' is especially dangerous, working plenty of dub, reggae and jungle motifs into a rugged garage structure and sounding utterly ruff in the process. 'Towards '99' is no slouch either, albeit on a slightly housier tip than the raucous A-side. The "2000 Tribute Mix" of 'Next Millenium' meanwhile sneaks out a few of the eerie tones you'd expect to hear around the time that dubstep first started to emerge.

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.

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.

Airplay on Tom Ravenscroft (BBC Radio 6 Music), Re:lax w/ Re:ni, Laksa & Biggabush (NTS), Gage (NTS), From The Depths with Drakeford (NTS)
Premieres of Four Feet and Blasphemy on Trax Mag and Ransom Note
Review on 2 Hungry Ghosts

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.

“Experimental, Hip-Hop, Electro, Blue, Textured, Research, Spatial, Atmospheric, Dark, Silver, Bark, Cold Nights, Spacial, Flashlight, Bouncy, Dance, Hans Richter, Nature, City by Night, Arctic Dreams, Self-Growth, What Is Art, Boundaries, Gravity, Finland, Finland's Music Scene, Culture, Question, Explore, Travel, Layered, Curated, Moving Images as Sounds, Soundscape, Dynamics, Echoes, Reverb, Listening, Responding, Multi-Dimension, Reuse, Reinventing, What About Your Alter Egos, Plastic Night, Construction Site, Blue, Shark”

DRIVETRAIN/The Moonlight A steamy and impassioned orchestration lead by a captivating vocal mantra, tribal percussions and the soundtrack a late night chronicle.

DRIVETRAIN/Moonlight & You Driven by drums and bass, the jazzy ambience of voice and melodic chord progression sets the stage for a big crescendo.

G-PROD/Moonlight A wall of mesmerizing pads float fluently atop the velvety, abduction of the dominating groove provided by the rhythm section.

G-PROD/Moonlight (David Duriez Floating Light Mix) Adding a different spice to the mesmerization, the remix is an intoxicating acid adventure through the frequency spectrum.

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.

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!!

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.

Fatima's debut album is called ‘Asiatisch’, and as the track titles suggest, the record provides a simulated road trip through an imagined China. Musically, the album is an homage to that quietly influential sub-strain of grime, often loosely termed 'sinogrime' due to its preoccupation with Asian motifs and melodies, pioneered by the likes of Wiley and Jammer at the beginning of the 2000s in East London.

'Asiatisch' is a provocation which asks more questions than it answers. The title is the German word for Asian. Unlike its title, however, the music on 'Asiatisch' revolves around the fantasies of East Asia as refracted through pulpy Western pop culture, in particular Hollywood, literary fiction, music, cartoons and advertising. Fatima asks what is meant by the term 'Asian' in a digital age of viral interchange and the hi-speed trading of cultural bytes; the concept of 'shanzhai' proves pivotal, a term whose meaning stems from a wild, out of control zone of banditry, but which has come to be used to refer to the Chinese counterfeiting of Western brands and goods.

While a number of producers have made takes on 'sinogrime' over the last few years, 'Asiatisch' is really the first record that attempts to articulate this weird complex of sonic interchanges between the West and China.

Bwoy, it’s dark in here. New name, who dis? Austrian genre bender Toupaz, fka Awo Ojiji, delivers 4 polyrhythmic steppers with blissful moments nested around a threatening aura. Is it half-speed, is it double? Is it both? Either way, there’s loads going on. Strictly limited to 100 copies!

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.

Boulderhead debuts on Rhythm Section International with his most expansive EP to date: “ I Need Space to Dance”

The Bristol based producer, known for his intricately crafted, up tempo club records has long been a favourite at RS HQ and has, over the years, garnered much respect from a plethora of influential DJs. His most recent hit “ Bread, Butter, Noodles, Spice”, was a festival earworm and one of the most played underground tracks of 2023.

Existing in the sweet spot between tech-house, prog, broken beat and minimal techno - this EP sees Boulderhead widen his sonic palette with a collection of songs that showcase his versatility. Equally appealing to the Ricardo Villalobos contingent as it will be to those delving into the history of progressive house and the golden days of minimal techno - we think there’s a bit of something for everyone here.

Despite the many different bases the EP touches on - the sound pallette and production are unified and coherent. Henry is at the top of his game, and much like contemporary artists like Adam Pits, Priori and Russell EL Butler - his style screams Album!

Following Deadbeat and Element, our 6th release is by dub duo Janka from Poland. Side A ”Piesek Dub" presents a crossover dub of complex rhythm and minimalism, whereas side B "Nemurō Dub” is a translunary experimental ambient which somehow retraces the past. Experience the profound universe of newdubhall.

If you're reading this then you will know that Instinct is one of the UK's powerhouse garage labels. Run by Burnski aka James Burnham it deals in serious tackle for rude boys and nasty girls. The drums hit hard, the reversed bassline burn goose old school cool and there gun finger salutes come think and fast throughout this EP from Mance. 'Checkpoint' opens with the dusty drum shuffles and bulbous bass, then 'The Going Is Rough' is a little more soulful and sweet with its rolling basslines and silky pads. 'Beat 93' closes down with a seriously OG garage sound that takes you back to the mid-90s.

Montreal duo Biochip return to Central Processing Unit with their new LP Crux Alley. The pair of Melissa Speirs and Julian Kochanowski turned plenty of heads when they first rocked up on the Sheffield label back in 2019 with debut drop Synthase. Synthase found Biochip twisting up Braindance, IDM and electro to their own ends, and Crux Alley is an album which hits similar sonic sweet-spots.
It's clear from the off that Biochip have brought their A-game here. Opener 'Mind Bubbles' has no time for pleasantries, dropping the listener straight into a nocturnal IDM-electro groove where bass dances nervily around shadowy synth pads. 'Mind Bubbles' is followed-up 'Polymorphic State', a tune whose laser-gun synth-bass plumbs even more energy into the pair's Rephlex-indebted sound. It's a hugely arresting way to begin an album, and the bold sonics here align Crux Alley with recent CPU releases like Bit Folder's Silicon Frontier and Annie Hall's Fum.
Other tracks on Crux Alley ease up on the frenzied feel of those opening numbers. Take 'Orbital Rendezvous', a cut which is still full of zippy melodies and keening keyboards but whose contemplative strut recalls the legendary electronic music duo referenced in the track's title. There's also a distinct cyberpunk flavour to this track, and this is brought out further on the vivid 'Dopamine City' and 'Tower 13' - it is at these points where Biochip most resemble the work of fellow CPU act B12.
Biochip record their music straight from the mixing desk, an approach that gives their tracks a spontaneous energy and one which sometimes leads Speirs and Kochanowski into novel sonic terrain. Crux Alley's 'Antagonist Part 6', for instance, is a spiritual successor to Synthase's 'Acid Billy' in how the overload of electronics almost pushes it into industrial-techno territory. Furthermore, while most of the LP draws on the Detroit electro continuum of Drexciya, DJ Stingray et al, 'Neutral Current' obliquely recalls the jazz-tinged house of Theo Parrish - although the wobbling synth chords and reverb-laced drums make 'Neutral Current' sound more like an extra-terrestrial reimagining of the Motor City legend's music.
Biochip continue to mark themselves out as one of contemporary electro's most exciting new acts with the Crux Alley LP.
Riyl: Cygnus, B12, Annie Hall, Orbital, Silicon Scally

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!

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

Xciot EP is the first release by Pyramid Of Nahash (Pyramid Of Knowledge and Nahash), who in this project for Asphalt Records, tag team to merge breakbeat science and bass experiments with classic analogue Trance and early Ambient-Techno melodies. The result is a cinematic, sci-fi safari through outer space in a futuristic hardcore vessel.

Remixing duties have been handed to a second collaborative effort: Rvshes (Logos and Db1), who in their Recombination Mix, carve, bend and reshape the original material into a rugged, angular, yet melancholic techno artefact.

MoreNight serves up five playful UKG cuts on his first full vinyl release via rising label Time Is Now. UK based producer MoreNight has been making waves over the past 12 months with killer collaborations with legendary grime vocalists Footsie & Manga, as well featuring on a weighty compilation for Conducta’s imprint Kiwi Records. His debut full length vinyl EP ‘Silvia’ is the exciting young producers finest work to date & paves the way for what is set to be a big future for this talented artist.

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.

Following the "Hey Oh Let’s Go!" 7-inch debut and the second release “so I ride ep”, label owner Dove Quiete is back on Muovo Musica Records with his uncles Sapo and Cristian Croce for its third release: a 4-tracker mixture of Acid, Bass, Electro, Punk, Techno, and a whole lot else.

Written and produced by Guglielmo Prati aka Dove Quiete in the infamous Serendeepity basement studio. Mastered at Prisma Sonoro Studio.

Released in 2016 on double splatter color vinyl (one is yellow and the other is light blue), this 15-song album is full of dubstep, EDM, & larger than life electronic beats. Includes "paracosm" with THE Glitch MOB. Stock due in 1-2 weeks.

3v1l Gl0b4l1sm is a sound journey to consciousness, which invites us to dedicate ourselves to a sensitive reflection on the progress and dehumanization of this capitalized society.

Four cuts full of rage and freshness, capable of immersing us in the perfection of the chaos through industrial breaks and delicate melodies guided by the brutality of their synthesized sounds.

7053m4r14 is the architect of this project published by the Black Quasar Records label, with which also shares his previous work. The multidisciplinary artist who converges between numerous genres and akas, such as C-System or Spectrums Data Forces, opts for this album for a fusion of styles ranging from IDM, Break Beat and Electro.

The pristine mastering by Koschitzky is what finishes signing this piece.

Limited coloured repress of 100 copies!

Limited coloured repress of 100 copies!

Limited coloured repress of 100 copies!

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.