Garage | 2Step | UK Funky | Bassline 17 Items

London based multidisciplinary artist and Daytimers internal team member Zar (Arun) is returning once again in 2023, this time on The Tabula Rasa Record Company, to release his second EP: “Unfurl”.

It is the next expression of progression in sound for Zar, a movement further into, above and beyond the foundations laid down from his debut EP “Practice Makes Miracles” - which was listed on Bandcamps’ “Best Electronic Music of March 2023” and described by DJ Mag as “a striking solo debut that sets Zar out as an exciting prospect in the sphere of electronic composition.”

Sitting at that murky midpoint between UK Garage, Tech-House & Bass, the songs literally bloom outwardly, wrapping around the listener leaving trails of familiarity, and feature the tendrils of earworm worthy melodies that strike a balance between serene, uplifting, dense and thoughtful, all whilst resting upon deep thumping drums, clever vocal sampling and unconventional song structures. As a follow up to an already ambitious debut EP, Unfurl is an incredibly full-filling listen.

Putting a pigeon amongst the cats we are back with that good shit. An out of step, incidental artifact of peaceful sophistry: YS - Brutal Flower (2 x “12 LP). A no airs and graces piece of cool future-proof ambience. A modern ballad for brave young clubbers, local pubbers, slipstream warriors, and emotional doggers. The distinctive aesthetic hallmarks of YS are all here: slabs of urban flavor from emotional interior; raw data straight from the interface. ‘Untethered’ and ‘Down’ are chopped-up cuts of searching R’n’B - jaded jams of lustful erasure. On the flipside, blunted desire lingers in ‘Fading Memory’. Both hopeful and mourning: this is the lay of the land in Brutal Flowers sharing that rare strain of underground synesthesia best located in dark undercurrents of early Mo Wax. The orchestral ambience of ‘Autumn Ost’ is a potent stupor of end credit cinematics. Coming up for air. It feels young in an ancient sort of way: pure as first snow. And from here in the album unfolds with the patience, tranquility and the expansive poise of a work that is for now and always. Pulsating gently to assured ending with ‘Be Together’ - a flickering skyline, swarming with warm memories. In between there’s flashes of heartbreak reminiscent of Beltran's Ten Days of Blue and Blunt’s Stone Island (‘Look Up’ feels like a sort of spiritual successor to ‘Wake up’), that being said, when push comes to shove it only it ever flirts with its own reality. An aesthetic reflection of a creative process that is delicate and restless. Created in the edges, where long distances, fast cities and global melancholia are wrought large. Burning the midnight oil Berlin-Singapore style: from real to reel. A sentimental exercise of modern faith by old friends. With a nudge and a wink, Brutal Flowers is a (de)coded map of memories wavering with familiar intrigue. Patient listeners and the already initiated will be rewarded on re-visits - as playful & profound as you please, as deep as the heart. The scathe that cuts is clean and deep. There are no sleight of hands to be found in this opus, only hearts are worn on the sleeve here. A hill we’d gladly die on. Pace & luv,

Vinyl is very close to NM.

Superabundance is back with Extrasolar, the new 2x12” hot wax album on Future Times. The duo of Jackson Ryland (Peach Discs, Fixed Rhythms, Rush Plus) and FT honcho Max D follow up 2021’s self-titled debut LP with a hyperfunk techno gallop, hurtling further out from where they began. Extrasolar’s tracks all burst into existence, produced in a quick, sometimes entirely improvised nature.

Cuts like “Sizable Jackfruit”, “20 Spectrum” and “Tempopalace” show off brash bursts of swinging loopy DJ creation, while “Reset” oscillates between cliff-hanging and solid ground time changes and “Crossfade Diving” slides thru wet streets with a paranoid step.

On tracks like “Perplexion”, “Dex Holo”, and closer “Goth Hi Tek”, the duo paints new shades of their sound, getting into a twist on synthpop, soundworlds and Cure progressions.“Perplexion” enters smudged shoegazing territory, smearing percussion in the mix with soaring chords.

“Particle Busters” repurposes industrial junk into soundsystem punk machinery. “We XL”, a rave slammer featuring one of DC’s best, Nativesun (Black Rave Culture) is for booming warehouses only. “Big Deal” breaks out the sliced funk and melted data. TIP!

Cross-platform entertainer and all round good guy Romeo Taylor, is a cherished personality on the DIY Glasgow music scene, as well as a hilarious presence on the Twitch, YouTube & Twitter-sphere and his Limmy-approved cult rave bop The Kingdom of Scotland (described by Eclair Fifi as 'our new national anthem') finally lands on vinyl, courtesy of Newcastle's Acid Waxa Recs, with bold as brass artwork from Henri Claudel (aka Lewis Cook from Free Love + Fuun Haus et al) + a blistering remix from Roy of The Ravers, to boot!

Latest and last entry in Comfortnoise’ triple set that started with Com05 and Com06.

Collective of producers sharing their passion for the break.

Copy is close to NM!

Label cover. Red label sticker variation.

Sub Terrain pops back online with a sophomore release, this time it's Dreamlogicc flying solo with 5 tracks of growling, twitchy, sub-heavy junglist rockers to scratch what itches in your brain and work out the woofers at the same time. From the steppin' beats & wobbly bass of Whistle Tips to the icy menace of The Highest Heights, this is some extremely fine-tuned drum programming, miles from any of the many breakbeat clones filling the bins these days. Need proof? Check the polyrhythmic changeup on Highly Tapeable. Dreamlogicc: always an original.

Cover and vinyl are close to NM.