Showcasing some new mixes, forthcoming tracks and dark minimal goodness Cyrus has taken the plunge and committed to doing a podcast, so I suggest you all jump on this for some heavyweight goodness.
Not content with bringing us a podcast, Mr Jason Flynn has got himself hooked up with Twitter too. Find him at http://twitter.com/cyrusrtp
It’s been a wee while since I last posted, so here’s something I’ve been meaning to mention for a week or two now.
Skyence – the producer behind a great debut EP on Dubkraft, has just released 2 free tracks which go a little way towards a heavier and more diverse sound.
Do you ever have those “I could go a bit of a rave” moments?
I know I do. I can pledge alliance to the deep and moody stuff all day, but sometimes there’s a need for the occasional skank to a balls-out banger.
Back when I was well in to my hip hop – It would be a bit of Just Blaze, or some heavy Primo joints. When I was in to my electro, it would be D.I.M. or some other gritty electro filth If it was Drum & Bass, a bit of Limewax or Tech Itch. But now that I’m immersed in dubstep these days, it’s fallen upon a new group of musicians to be hailed the banger kings – and what better label to take that on, than Hench.
Giant are a Russian group of producers who are debuting on Hench for the label’s 10th EP. And instead of bigging this up with long words, and confusing adjectives – I’ll just let you have a listen to the tracks. I’m sure those of you with an affection for the heavy stuff will delight in picking these up when they surface in August.
Now, personally I prefer Swoosh, just as it’s that teency bit deeper, but that’s just me – I’m not here to change minds.
Enjoy!
We’ve had Bay Area Dubstep, The Romanian Eesti Dubstep, French Dub System, Mary Anne Hobbs’ Bristol Showcase, Her visit to the West Coast of the US, and no doubt numerous other compilations from various places in the world. Well it’s time for Poland to step up, and give us what they’ve got. ‘Us’, meaning the rest of the world, and ‘what they’ve got’ meaning – a brilliant selection of producers.
Lowfreq Poland, is an 11 track release on Apparition Recordings, featuring exclusively Polish producers (as far as I know). I’m not going to review every track on offer here, but I’d like to highlight one or two of the best.
FusionArt presents a beautiful spacial track called “Wind Up” , where percussion, shakers and chimes all collectively work together to bring us something far great er than the sum of its parts.
Hansollo’s “Victory Over Babylon” takes the reggae side of things, but beefs it up with a large slab of wub. I think this is one of the stand out tracks in terms of production value – there’s a really crafted sound to this one. I normally shy away from the overly reggae influenced tracks, but this one has staying power for me.
Kaosbreed’s wonderfully inspired “The Bell” rings true with the sound of strong techno influences, much like Playing Heads’ “Less Cocaine” and Paranoises “Sleepless Shadows” which not only takes techno influences, but works in wonderful film-like samples, a growling bass and some excellent percussion work.
Substacja’s “The True King” has some inspired head-nodding moments, verging on the neo-garagey goodness of the likes of 2562 or Martyn, but for me – the highlight here is SUbstep Infrabasses “The Unstoppable”.
The Unstoppable seems to be a manifesto for this wonderful collection fo producers. Clearly they’re all on a mission to have Poland recognised on the dubstep map – and what better track to lead the way than this. Incredibly filthy bass-work, that the likes of Skream or Benga would be proud to slay a crowd with, alongside sublime techno stabs that really round-off the top end of the sound. A smidgeon more weight on the snare is my only criticism, and it’s a small one at that.
All in all – I’d say at least give this a chance. There’s some real gems on here, and there’s bound to be something for most people. I’d normally have not bothered, but I’m glad I took the time to check this out, as it’s more than just a try-hard stab in the dark. Far more.
Lowfreq Poland will be available excuslively on Beatport from 12th March – be sure and find out more on the MySpace
Fused Forces on MySpace (Prefer to be Plastered)
Chunky synths, choir effects and a hefty bassdrum, warping saw bass and some hornage. It all adds up to quite a track. The track in question being “Night Crawler” by Fused Forces. The B-side to their debut release on “Scruffy Hoodlum”.
The A-side of this one is the bizarrely titled “Prefer To Be Plastered” which is an altogether more random affair, starting with some almost jazz-esque piano work over an ethereal synth. The break gives us a bit of a twisted bassline and the drop brings in this really crazy warped jazz track. Almost the sort of thing you’d expect to see in some flipped-out wacky cartoon of some jazz joint in downtown acme-land.
The more I listen to this, the more it really gets me. It’s a definite grower and if you’re not jiving back and forth in your seat by the time you’ve finished the track – there’s definately something wrong.
I’d say jump on this pronto – Prefer to be Plastered is something WELL worth testing on the dancefloor.
I’m told the release is due out in the next week or two, so keep an eye on the Fused Forces MySpace.
I’m not sure what it is about The Prodigy that makes them so incredibly remix-able – but it would seem that we’ve uncovered yet another fine example of this. Leicester’s Rob Sparx’s undeniably intense re-working of “Their Law”. It’s not one of the obvious choices for a remix, but Rob clearly saw an opportunity – and took it.
The original is beefed up somewhat, given a strong dubstep drum pattern, as well as a beefy machine-gun bassline heavy enough to rock all but the mightiest of dancefloors. The original still shines through, especially towards the end with the addition of the high-end synths, but Rob still manages to hold it down and see through what is yet another welcome addition to my dancefloor-approved Prodicgy remixes box.
incidentally Rob’s album “Trooper” is due for release on Dubting in the near future. Expect big things!
Both tracks are available to listen to through the MySpace
Apache
It’s quite the epic intro, with orchestral stabs, and a buildup with some movie vocals. The drop hits out with this twisted-up echoing sub bass, a growling midrange stab, and some high-end synths to keep the feel from the intro.
There’s something of a head-nod-stroke-bounce element to the whole thing. The cheeky addition of flutey notes, a breakdown to remind us of the high-end and vocals, then the second drop that gives us more of the same with a little bit extra lands this track in my “will play again both in the house, and in my sets” folder.
Chimera
“Excellent” he exclaims… “More of the same” – another solid bouncy intro, some vocal sample slapped on the top, and a breakdown that actually sounds well-sculpted and crafted. The style is still relatively growly, and there’s some great percussion over the top, as well as that familiar off-beat keys plink.
Both these tracks are really solid. I reccomend you check them and Quantum Soul out before you’re forced to!
So I’ve only just managed to digest the wonderfully simplistic, and comfortably minimal “Zero Billion” from Forensics and he drops his third album “Heavy Weather” on my lap with a sense of accomplishment.
I must say this. If you like minimal, brooding, dark and steady dubstep with a pinch of eeriness, and a sprinkle of the unknown – then you will most certainly enjoy this 10-track offering.
You can check Forensics on MySpace and for those who demand a higher-quality audio player on his Virb page
Once you’ve marvelled at his ability to finely craft a track from the barest of elements – then you can most likely fire on over and buy his past releases in sheer anticipation of the next.
Word from the man himself is that although he has releases still to come, this may be the end of one era and the start of the next. Take that as you wish, but at the very least snap the album up when it arrives and give the man your appreciation for all his hard work!
http://www.myspace.com/mk2productions
http://www.myspace.com/mrcurtamos
The other evening I was very kindly sent a couple of dubs from a producer based over in Georgia who goes by the name of MK2. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that he had collaborated with a producer by the name of “Mr Curtamos” who had previously worked on a remix of Santogold which I had very much enjoyed.
So here I am, listening to a collaboration of his with the aforementioned MK2, and let me tell you… It’s a belter.
Nu Urban Music – the phrase on its own could be a nod to the cliched RnB scene with its bling, its rappers, soul-vocalists and its altogether rather crummy existence. (I’m not a big RnB fan) However; take ‘Nu Urban Music’ and place it in the right context, and you have the Drum & Bass behemoth distributer, store and general audio extravagansa who have just decided to expand their weighty wings to covet some serious dubstep.
I say serious, I mean basically deadly. You might already be familiar with one of the latest Caspa remixes (of TC’s Where’s My Money) and if not – let’s just say there’s some heavy-duty releases coming from Nu-Urban very soon.
Allow me to elaborate… (brace yourself this is a monster post!!)
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