Back in stock: Bass

Review: ** REPRESS ALERT ** Given that his sound has now been referenced, copied and bastardised by countless imitators, is testament to Burial's enduring appeal that the announcement of a new EP on a Sunday in Febuary was enough to shake the online music press out of their collective stupors. As an EP it more than stands up to his previous work, and it may even be better than last year's Street Halo EP - where the brilliance of the title track left the EP quite top-heavy, there's no such complaints on Kindred. If UK garage was the touchpoint for his earlier releases, this EP sees Burial further developing a sound that has few obvious points of comparison, whether it's the savage, gnarled bassline of the title track, or the shambling house of "Loner", characterized by its hollowed out arpeggio and ambient crackle. But it's "Ashtray Wasp" that provides the most breathtaking moment, seeing the producer using the distinct musical language he's created and bringing confident melodic elements into play. Of course such descriptions seem trivial when trying to describe this EP - even for Burial it's far beyond what his peers and imitators could ever imagine making.

Review: The Mancunian tones of Swamp81's resident MC Chunky are well known to those who tune in to the label's Rinse FM show on a regular basis. However, this debut EP, forwent any kind of vocal showcase for the kind of hefty, refined fusion of garage and techno we've come to expect from Loefah's empire. Arriving as a 12" doublepack featuring four tracks, The Chunky EP shows Chunky to have the production chops to match his skills on the microphone, showcasing a wide range of influences channeled through a uniquely dark mood; "Decca" is a straight up piece of rolling deep house with a shadowy basement vibe, while "Experiment 727? recalls the syncopated techno of Bambounou or Boddika's leaden beats, while on the second 12?, "Thang" is a masterclass in stripped back garage mechanics, and "Rugged" provides a lo-fi beat that ploughs the darkest recesses of instrumental grime for inspiration.

Review: Making a welcome return to Swamp 81 after the Mean Streets pair of releases, Falty DL is on superlative form as ever with a pair of direct cuts that play on different sides of his production personality. "Huff & Puff Bruk" takes the fundamentals of 2-step and infuses it with lazy jazz and ethereal tones for a crisply funking, whimsical cut that should get all soulful spinners in a lather. On the flip things get edgier as "Mo" takes sharply looped vocal samples and works them around clattering slices of breaks to whip up the kind of frenzy that Tessela and co. inspire with their own rum choppery.

Review: Jim Coles' decision back in 2010 to implement a swerve in his sonic trajectory away from his hip-hop past as 2tall in favour of a more all-encompassing approach that touches on various strands of bass culture as Om Unit has paid off and then some. Subsequent releases on Exit, Autonomic, Civil Music, Metalheadz and his own Cosmic Bridge imprint have all shown Om Unit eminently capable of tempo shifting productions that appeal to fans of Bass music, Drum & Bass and footwork alike. The latter has been explored further while the Dream Continuum collaboration with Machinedrum on Planet Mu and his Philip D. Kick alias where the link between Chicago's juke heritage and UK Jungle was explored. All this and more is included on Threads, a debut Om Unit LP for Civil Music that deftly collates various strands (or threads) of his production career over the past fifteen years for a cohesive 15 track set that veers through of hip hop, dubstep, jungle and even house.

Review: More global fusion from queer artist rrao as DJ Python's Worldwide Unlimited welcomes them for three far-out, unique tracks. From the hypnotic and frenetic polyrhythms and psychedelic percussion of 'Infinity Is Natural' to the deep contemporary dub and low end immersion of the title track 'Hara', each cut is inspired by rrao's passion for nature and the infinite loop of energy of past, present and future. Each cut weaves a different south east Asian spell but the big hitter for most will Ramanujan Prime thanks to its unique character, fast-paced energy and beguiling vocal texture.

Review: London-based, Australian producer Surusinghe is next up on Tasker's AD93 label with a thrilling mix of worldly rhythms and earth shattering bass. It is only a year since this artist debuted but already she sits at the top table with a sound so physical it cannot be ignored. Breakbeat, techno, bass and more are all chewed up and spat out in her meticulously cross-pollinated sound hybrids. Heavyweight opener 'Bop' has crushing bass and wiggling synths, 'Bet' has hints of UK funky in the drum patterns and flip side joint 'Boka' will twist floors inside out before 'Brain' is a more slow and purposeful full body workout.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Vinyl has light scratches on A-side, otherwise in perfect working order ***


The Well Street label welcomes Yushh for her debut EP. The Pressure Dome label-head (who has previously landed on Facta & K-LONE's Wisdom Teeth as well as Banoffee Pies) brings a mind-altering mix of sounds here. There is sparse and futuristic space techno on 'Kara Arriba' then deeply introspective downbeat on 'Siro Silo'. 'Dough' is a percolating rhythm piece with rubbery bass and dreamy pads while 'OXI Ambigan' floats through space next to fizzing synth details, distant nebulas and alien life forms.

Review: Only Swamp 81's second full length release in its four year lifespan thus far, Boss is Dave Jones' third transmission for Loefah's label under the Zed Bias moniker after debuting on Swamp in 2011 with the now sought-after double pack Stubborn Phase. Like that release, Boss sees Jones engage in more of the sort of heavy set garage-indebted house music he's so good at. Tracks like "Eingang", "Boss Skank" and "We Are There" (which features the vocals of house legend Roy Davis Jr) could easily slot into most contemporary house sets, while the likes of "Ye", "Cupper", "We're There" and "Flamm" offer the kind of darker, more syncopated material that will have fans of muscular bass music salivating.

Review: Woof! Hyperdub bring together two of the most recognisable and enigmatic artists of recent times on this 10", as Zomby and Burial square down ahead of the former's new album for the label. Zomby's Ultra LP is undoubtedly one of this year's most anticipated albums and "Sweetz" suggests it may be a very moody affair indeed. Whilst rooted in UK dance, Zomby and Burial do look elsewhere for inspiration too. Just under seven minutes long, "Sweetz" veers through various sub-heavy soundscapes with intermittent rhythmic patters and a distinctive looped vocal sample whose pitch changes with dramatic effect.