Sitting Ovation » manchester

Bonecold – Somnipath LP [Broken Bubble BB09]

Alex / DFRNT — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:23:35 +0000

Dusty garage beats seem to be all the rage right now, and as a result, I’m getting a bit tired of hearing the same Burial-esque vocal tweaks, and noise-led woodblock breaks. That said, Bonecold’s album here has really gone all out to prove me wrong. His command of the sounds and atmosphere in his tracks far surpasses the average, and proves that regardless of whether this is a path oft-trodden of late, there’s still much room for improvement.

I’m a big fan of this release, and it really goes to show that Manchester’s Broken Bubble have an eye for talent, and an ear for a great track. I’m certainly looking forward to hearing more from BB in future.

You can stream the album sampler below (recommended)
BB09: Bonecold – Somnipath (previews) by Broken Bubble

And then buy the release from the Broken Bubble Bandcamp page.

PYC001.zip – Pongyang City Sessions [PYCZIP001]

Alex / DFRNT — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:22:30 +0000

Good, free, deep and enjoyable dubstep, drum & bass and electronic music excites me. I have to emphasis the “good” aspect here, since there’s an awful lot of shit music being thrown about for zippo. That said, there are netlabels, blogs and people doing it “right” (in my eyes) and one of the additions to that list is Pongyang City Sessions.

PYC is a blog that I happen to have cued up in my RSS reader, in order to ensure I don’t miss a post. I like their mix of interviews, photos, mixes, music opinions and general feel. So when I get a message from Dan at PYC, an unread item in my feed and a Facebook message from another friend bigging the release up I figured it’s something I should most certainly be checking out. (Not that I wouldn’t have anyway, but it was nice to see more than one person behind this thing).

So the release its self is a lovely package. Available as a zip file from the PYC post, this one contains deep, moody dubstep from Bay & Cykl in the form of “Altitude”. There is a super-smooth minimal drum & bass synthey goodness from Stickman in the form of “I Dreamt Music”. Bay works solo on the ambient “Lock” and downtempo “Romance” while Elsewhere makes sure that the garage-influence and skipped-up beats get a nod with his tracks “Moments in Time” and “Papadopolus”.

All in all, it’s a strong selection of well-produced music. Not only does it continue to prove that bass music has most certainly not gone stale, but it’s a great addition to the continuing stream of incredible music emerging from Manchester.

Roof Light – Arcadian EP [Broken Bubble]

Alex / DFRNT — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:53:36 +0000

Crackling noise, fizzing subtleties and reverbed out glistening samples of piano, vocal, and percussion. Roof Light is a one-man musical force capable of creating emotional pieces that seem to span multiple genres effortlessly. His work has that quality seemingly rare to find that encapsulates you every time you hear it. It’s the stuff that makes the hair on the back of your kneck stand up, and for that reason, I heartily recommend his new Arcadian EP on fledgeling Manchester based label Broken Bubble.

Arcadian EP by Broken Bubble

You can purchase and download the EP from the Broken Bubble bandcamp – http://brokenbubble.bandcamp.com/album/arcadian-ep

Various – We Can Build You [Broken Bubble]

Alex / DFRNT — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:28:00 +0000

In addition to the slew of great producers coming from the city, there’s a chap who is making his own mark on the Manchester sound. Both producer and DJ, as well as label owner, night promoter and more recently father, Cogidubnus is most certainly pushing the sounds he is feeling. As a fellow believer in deeper, more experimental sounds Cogidubnus has recently started Broken Bubble records.

Aside from 3 EP releases, Broken Bubble have recently released “We Can Build You” a rather epic 14 track compilation, all for the grand sum of FREE!

We Can Build You by Broken Bubble

Featuring Blood Boy, Cogidubnus, Duskky, Hurtdeer, Macka, Second Line, Sorrow and Wagawaga this is most certainly a compilation not to be missed. Especially for those who like their dubstep and bass music a little left of centre.

more information from the Bandcamp page or you can find them on Facebook.