Garage | 2Step | UK Funky | Bassline 38 Items

Last Nubian — one of South London’s most electrifying producer/DJ talents — partners with Geneva’s Sweet Fruity Brunch to debut on Errol and Alex Rita’s Touching Bass. Six tracks oozing the grit and groove of inner city LDN with deep house, broken beat and dub at its core.

From the wiggling, jazz-tinged house of the title track and anthemic singalong bruk of “in da morning” (both featuring the honeyed vocals of Achanté) to “unformidable/call it out”’s moody steadiness and the dub that bookends the EP — this is music with soul firmly in its veins.

Fresh from stellar releases on kinship labels, Tiff’s Joints and Ben Hauke’s Woop Records, the Balamii Radio resident has been steadily making moves for the past few years as part of an exciting scene of local producers and DJs. He’s now ready to take things to a new level, developing a live/DJ-hybrid performance (which premiered spectacularly to a hot-footed audience at Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here Festival).

‘Babylon Shuffle’ marks the first of Touching Bass’ 12” riddim packages, bottling the eclectic sounds of their much-loved South London-based dance on wax; custom built for dancefloor damage and beautifully presented in the soon-to-be customary, crimson red house sleeve.

Previous support from Moxie, Shy One, Secretsundaze, Aqwea, Pete Tong, Jamz Supernova, Alexander Nut and more.

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

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.

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

With his Premise EP, Felix Fleer unites long-held ideas into a cohesive and deeply personal collection, offering a unique blend of intricate textures and fragile harmonies that reward attentive listeners with its meticulous attention to detail. The title track “Premise“ opens the A- side with an infectious garage groove and Fleer’s signature brand of detuned vintage polysynths, building up to a bright crescendo that reveals a rhythmically captivating vocal hook. “Know U” features a piercing drum groove, occasionally interrupted by abstract Buchla glitches and a reduced RnB vocal chop paired with ethereal, almost organ-like layers of pads to culminate in a stripped-down moment for the bass line to take center stage. The main theme of “Thinkage” is a classic break paired with a layered pattern of abstract, percussive vocal chops. This rhythmic pulse is accompanied by a wild harmony of constantly warping and evolving pads and drawn-out bass sounds. Opening the B-side, “Real Love” is the darkest tune on the EP. Its unstable chords and intricate, unpredictable textures induce a constant sense of unease, held together by a subtle techno groove. “Rush” contrasts this with a euphoric chord progression reminiscent of early post-dubstep anthems. The EP closes with “Drift,” a final climax that revisits previous themes, offering a powerful and uplifting resolution.

Toronto avant-pop experimenters Bernice will follow up their Polaris Prize longlisted 2021 LP 'Eau De Bonjourno' with 'Bonjourno My Friends', an EP featuring seven remixes of songs from EDB.

Speed garage.

close to NM

Small light scuffs on side B.

Following his UK Chart Top Ten worthy collaboration earlier this year, we're thrilled to announce the next release from artist-of-the-moment, Interplanetary Criminal.

Coming On Strong marks IPC's fifth Time Is Now release, and sees him collaborate with two TIN family members. Whilst the first collaboration sees Killa P's inimitable flow animate a brooding dark garage beat, the second has fun and playfulness at its core. How could it not? IPC teams up with good pal Main Phase on raucous a number that takes its swung bassline from dubstep.

The following two tracks 'Beat Work' and 'Coming On Strong' are no more po-faced. The former boasts IPC's innovative prowess, the kind of track you'll have to hear it to believe it: expect metallic cowbells, a squelchy 4x4 pulse and skippy vocal chop, later bolstered by a rude warped bassline. The latter sees the suggestions of speed garage reach full form, proving what IPC does best: making rowdy bangers.

Ell Murphy & Medlar team up for their new alias Nitework, featuring the luscious vocals of Ell Murphy and the classic productions of Meldar, forming a stunning piece of future UKG history.

Original inner sleeve

Yuku 5x12" sales pack including: *Yuku034 Groove Palette [printed sleeve / 180 grams]* *Yuku036 Dog Eared [blue + red marbled vinyl / 180 grams]* *Yuku037 Mimoto [blue + red marbled vinyl / printed sleeve]* *YukuWHT005 Ikawa I [180 grams / hand-stamped]*

Yuku 5x12" sales pack including: *Yuku025 Flana [full colour sleeve / 180 grams]* *Yuku033 Sinking [printed sleeve / 180 grams]* *Yuku035 Sky Echo [blue marbled vinyl / printed sleeve / 180 grams]* *YukuRMX001 Contexts 01 [blue vinyl / 180 grams]*

5-track EP featuring remixes of Fear Fear tracks from some of Sheffield’s most innovative producers - Toddla T, Charla Green, Ross Orton, Diessa and Warp originals, Forgemasters.

The EP was previously only available on CD which came exclusively with purchases of the album via the Bear Tree record shop in Sheffield. This will be the first time the remix tracks have been widely available and today the band have also shared the ‘Money Is Mine’ remix which sees Toddla T set the track to a full on klonking two step rhythm.

Toddla T said of the remix: As the original version stank of Sheffield, I wanted to do something that I would be itching to play in a set back home, particularly at Kabal or if I wasn't in attendance something that I know Winnie or Pipes would draw for which was made for the dance-floors of Sheffield.

anno returns with a 5 track ep from NYC's K Wata, resident DJ at NYC's Slink party. Big one for us at RAD combining the energy of producers like Batu, Equiknoxx with some timeless Gescom / Autechre soundscapes. 250 copies only, stickered sleeves.

Ulterior Motives launch their main label with a single from DJ Persuasion, featuring a Liftin’ Spirits remix from Ant Miles. The label, which is helmed by DJ and producer Noah Tucker, began life in 2021 with an anonymous edit of a much-loved underground hip hop gem. Two further 12”s in the white label series followed along similar lines, joining the dots between jungle, footwork and r’n’b in UM style. Since then, they have also launched their cassette series with a Metrist mix covering golden era tech step and d’n’b. DJ Persuasion is principally known for A History Of Hardcore, a series of ten mixes covering ’88-’98 which appeared across a number of platforms between 2015 and 2020. Certain entries in the series appeared on cassette via The Trilogy Tapes, Blackest Ever Black (Id Mud) and Tape Echo. Persuasion also hosted the NTS Demon Poetry show (now the Drum Poetry show) for some years, and contributed In Focus sessions covering the work of Dillinja and LTJ Bukem, alongside Dev:Null. Jameela EP covers four contrasting, but also concentric areas of the hardcore continuum, featuring a remix from Liftin’ Spirits aka Ant Miles of Origin Unknown. The title track rolls out at bleeding edge jungle hardcore tempo, taking in a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar references. Liftin’ Spirits contributes a standout remix which reframes Jameela as a drum’n’bass epic, opening with a panoramic intro and a quaking bass drop, then building to soaring strings. Robin Gets Revenge is an audial intervention into one of the last remaining unsolved mysteries in acid house, and a stomping 89’-’90 style jammer to boot. The B2 finds Jameela in a slower guise, offering something for after the club and the warm up.

Following their much loved NTS radio shows and parties of the same name, the highly rated DJ/producers re:ni and Laksa have announced a brand new label, also called RE:LAX. On ‘Body Score’ Laksa continues to traverse the same 150bpm territory as his releases for Hessle Audio and Timedance, but here we also find influences from his job as a social worker. Chiseling bass weight, swung beats/loops and FX into new shapes with confident hands, ‘Body Score’ conjures mental images that’re equal parts wild humid rainforest and dystopian industrial complex. ‘Soulz’ sets the agenda from the outset; Featuring pumelling gut-punch bass and frenetic percussion, this tightly-wound ball of energy takes you deep into a dank cerebral vortex. Acknowledging the darkside of life – 'Bodies' samples the psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk. Like an ancient ritual, ‘Mind’ evokes scenes of drummers whipping dancers up into a frenzied higher spiritual state, and with its huge snare adding head-cracking accents, the unstoppable momentum thunders along ‘til the very last bar. Early support from the likes of Pearson Sound, Zenker Brothers, Darwin and Om Unit.

After reviving the SND moniker with long-term collaborator Mat Steel in 2008, and releasing a slew of singles under the Sensate Focus guise, it’s here that the mind behind recent sound installation ’64 Beautiful Phase Violations’ delivers his most visceral work yet, melding angular electronics and skittering rhythms into a sonic palette that is undeniably his own.

About time ! As you can imagine, we’ve been fans of Hodge since… forever ?
A true force of nature and Bristol legend, we’ve fondly witnessed him display the kind of range we love here at Timedance, covering everything from bouncy House to mind-warping peak time Techno via kaleidoscopic declinations of the future facing Bristol bass sound.
This long overdue debut on the label displays three jaw dropping numbers. Harvested for maximum stroboscopic efficiency, this EP is packed with Hodge’s anthemic signature hooks, bass weight for days and a truly singular approach to a forward rave sound.
Summoning sirens from space, laser guided Grime-Tech and intoxicating explorations into peak time tempos, « Voice Crash » stands as the perfect sonic portrayal of a producer we have revered for years and Timedance’s very own mission statement.

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.

If you have put your ear to the ground, you might have heard it coming...

Hailing from Rotterdam, DJ Easy B is one of the co-founders of the subversive renegade collectives ZMK Soundsystem and Move Around Sound. As a producer, Easy B's sonic palette is a raw and vibrant blend, drawing from '90s West Coast Electro, early Rotterdam Gabber and underground bass. Influenced by the infamous Dutch Acid Freeparty scene and the DIY energy of the UK Breakbeat/Hardcore Soundsystem culture.

This EP is Easy's first solo project, and there's more to come.

2024 repress / green Y3marbled vinyl

Samurai Breaks Y8& Napes team up with 4 massive bass driven anthems for Bristol label Time Is Now! Essential business!

The unstoppable force that is Interplanetary Criminal returns to Time Is Now teamed up with up-and-coming DJ Cosworth. The Mancunian, one of the first artists to release on the imprint, and the Londoner making his debut, pack a punch with three chest rattling tracks making up Ruff EP.

Hyper two-step underpins 'Trust Me', a stuttering unconventional bassline stinker which sets a tone of unpredictability. The high octane breaks that explode from 'Ruff (Hyper Mix)' catch the listener equally off-guard, Ripgroove-style drop added for good measure. 'Jumpin' feels minimalist in comparison, with just hints of a thunderous sub-bass for tension building heads-down business.

Ruff EP drops 3rd December via Time Is Now.

Audio Soul Project is back with their latest vinyl-only EP, Simurgh. With a title inspired by the mythical Persian bird, these four tracks fuse elements of house, R&B, dub, and drum & bass to create an ecstatic and hypnotic experience. The EP kicks off with "Deliver Me," a dreamy house track with warm filtered chords and bouncing synth bass. R&B female vocal ad libs pepper the groove and the refrain "Deliver Me" adds a sense of yearning. The percussion, including morphing 4x4 and breakbeat drums, piano and synth stabs, nod to the cerebral Detroit and Chicago house compositions of the mid 90s. "Azizam Dub" takes a more stripped-down approach with a subsonic bass line bump and Juno 106 stabs. Frantic percussion and deftly cut vocal samples accent the ebbs and flows of the arrangement, making for a dynamic and engaging dance. The B-side of the record starts with "Internal Vybrations," a bass-heavy drum & bass track that winds and jumps with multiple layers of deep, fluttering bass and ambient pads and strings. Percussion layers like hi-hats, shakers, and maracas lift and relax the rhythm in parallel to the rest of the composition, making for a hypnotic and trance-inducing vibe. The B2 track on the EP, "Celebration Dub," is a bass-heavy swinging house track with ecstatic diva "Whooo" samples that punctuate the ups and downs of the groove's energy. Classic reggae and dub-influenced vocal samples and heavy tape delay on certain key instruments add to the joyful and uplifting vibe of the track. The keyboard and string section can transport a dancer to other realms of consciousness if they let themselves go to the groove. Simurgh is a masterful fusion of various genres that showcases Audio Soul Project's production prowess and ability to create an entrancing sonic journey. TL;DR: Audio Soul Project's Simurgh EP features 4 tracks of dub-infused house music. Deliver Me has dreamy chords and female R&B adlibs, Azizam Dub is stripped down with subsonic bass and vocal samples, Internal Vybrations is a bass-heavy drum & bass track, and Celebration Dub is a swinging house track with reggae and dub vocal samples. Everything by Maziar Namvar except where indicated below Mix on Deliver Me and Celebration Dub by Brian Boncher Mix on Azizam Dub and Internal Vybrations by Tim Vitek Mastering by Dietrich Schoenemann

Vinyl close to VG+

vinyl is Close to VG+

Canadian born, Berlin based producer Aquarian debuts on Dekmantel Records’ UFO imprint with Mutations I & II, a series of two EPs following his debut album The Snake That Eats Itself and his collaborative records as Aqxdm. The series marks his return to club focused solo material for the first time since 2017.

Originally written as inflection points for his typically boisterous and genre collapsing dj sets, Mutations deftly splices the foundational DNA of his earliest productions — electro, hardcore and broken beat techno – with new and vital influences.

Mutations I: Death, Taxes and Hanger finds Aquarian gleefully contorting mid-2000s dnb tearouts, wrong footed IDM and progressive trance euphoria into thrilling new shapes. Fast techno, hi-tek jazz, amphetamine-addled filter house and breakcore join the fray in Mutations II: Delicious Intent as he pushes intensity levels past breaking point. Whichever the touchstone, the results are clear: distinctly modern, highly-propulsive body music with an unapologetically emotive core.

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.

Blue, red, and yellow vinyl. Minimal edge and corner wear.