BASS RECOMMENDATIONS AUGUST 2015

Review: Wen comes correct with another generous excursion that sits somewhere between EP and album for Parris DJ's Soundman Chronicles label. Potentially one of his widest visions to date, just within the first two tracks we go from the deep breathing machines and sci-fi dreams of "Arlington CT9" to pretty pounding club music on the MC-sampling, tribal-minded "Pace Myself". Elsewhere our heartstrings are ruffled by the gritty tonal processes and spaced-out beats of "She Giv", plunged deep into sub-soaked future techno on "Lunar Tide Cycle" and driven into a physical frenzy with the drum-focused, post UK funky jam "Switch" before being left in some filthy bass-sprayed gutter craving more on "Gravity Flux".

Review: Commonly seen sharing 12? space with Killawat, Ipman has links to Pinch having committed one of the earliest releases on his techno-focused Cold Recordings label back in 2013 as well as contributing a production to the Pinch B2B Mumdance mix CD from last year. This Regicide 12" formalises links between Ipman and Tectonic and arrives ahead of a mooted debut album from the producer for the label later this year. The title track is a rugged ode to hardcore jungle badness that fits the current direction of Tectonic to a tee whilst the flips sees a new version of "Ghostrunner", Ipman's high pressure contribution to that Pinch B2B Mumdance mix.

Review: If last year's Mabel EP testified Lil Silva's inner soulman, this Drumatic 12" unleashes his inner badman. "Drumatic" is everything the title suggests and more as a sweaty chubster b-line warbles and swathes into a demented amen rhythm. "New Squeeze" is a cool breezy breakbeat roller that will tickle the fancy of any Keith Tenniswood fan in a 10 mile radius while "606" strips down to reveal a ripped footwork six-pack. Flexing around a small collection of well exercised sounds, it's Silva at his most crystalline and futuristic. Golden.

Review: Paleman is back on Loefah's 81 UK offshoot of Swamp 81 with two dread sides of bassweight and much like his previous efforts for the label, this is true UK hybrid business of the highest calibre. We use "highest" in every sense of the word as the title track "Like O" is a smoky, gun-toting piece of rudeboy minimalism straight from the gutter. "Dining & Bar" is similarly icy and broken but the vibe is more docile, less paranoid and enjoys a softer kind of 'high'.

Review: Last seen lining the Freestyle antics of Morgan Geist's latest project The Galleria on the excellent Calling Card 12" on Environ, Jessy Lanza returns to Hyperdub for a record that pairs her up with the Teklife crew. A superb vocalist, Lanza excels when matched with the rolling snares, crisp kicks and thick bass provided by DJ Spinn and Taso resulting in "You Never Show Your Love" sounding every bit like a modern R&B classic. It's accompanied by a Teklife remix which retains the mood whilst adding some Footwork flex into the mixer (the late DJ Rashad was involved in the production of this too). To close out the record, Hyperdub have slipped in Bambounou's excellent drum heavy remix of Lanza's "F*ck Diamond" which originally featured on one of the label's anniversary compilations last year.

Review: Lurka realigns with the Black Acre label for another journey into "sonic bat country" on the heavy hitting Partials 12". Responsible for one of favourite Hotline releases, Lurka has previously been spotted lending some subby heft to the likes of Box Clever and Black Box but seems to have struck a real partnership with Black Acre. Leading with "Partials", Lurka's production intricacies are on full display here with twisting, snake-like melodies and crunched up and broken metallic rhythms deployed with extra time delay that is likely to confuse the dance nicely. Complementing this, "Mach" comes off as a more rugged number, though the awkward drums are still very much a prominent element.

Review: After appearances on Mister Saturday Night, Clan Destine, and Autonomous Africa, Scottish duo General Ludd bring their mutant brand of dancefloor chaos to Ten Thousand Yen. On the A side "Wigu Hill" trips over itself with grace in this nice jittery, bass heavy roller, augmenting the killer woodblock and delayed melodies deployed on disco-flecked house cut "Molycorps Mountain Pass". From her, "Garimpos" throws down latin percussion, a heavy minimalist bassline and other worldly bleeps into one sweaty mass and "Prisoners Dilemma" presents us with something more Techno but still retaining a bass heavy flavour. It's strangely reminiscent of Swede Acronym's work.

Review: A leading figure in Principe's unique melting pot kuduro, Nigga Fox throws down every shade of rave you can imagine; a dizzying African zouk is switched into a raw, toxic tribal bounce affair, "Apocalipsiii" is reminiscent of the time UK funky and bleep techno got mixed up in the wash and came out dark black while "Tio Kiala" is straight out of a London squat rave that's somehow been teleported to Sao Paulo. Finally "De Leve" leaves this mortal coil and finds solace amongst the Moomins to the beat of a sweeping slo-mo marching band drum. Matchless.

Review: London bass house specialist Mickey Pearce returns to Loefah's Swamp 81 with a new collection of floor pulverisers; the sort of tunes that make trends and break necks. "Warm Barzz" itself is on the docile side, but "Loop W" rapidly enters the abyss in what is surely one of the oddest drum loops we've heard from the man. "Sticky Fingerprints" is a lo-fi kinda number with eerie background sonics but still a prime cut for the dancefloor, while "Loop X" is completely broken, a mass of percussion held together by the darkness below it. Large.

Review: Visionist's Lost Codes label gets rebooted as a new sublabel to PAN, laying down some foundations ahead of the UK artist's long-mooted debut album for the Berlin label. Overseen by both Visionist and PAN founder Bill Kouligas, the first Codes release brings together two artists who have previously excelled on Lost Codes in Acre and Filter Dread. Working together for the first time, the six track Interference suggests this is a deadly partnership that should be given the platform to express itself further. Degraded 8bit sounds permeate opener "Drumz34" which comes across like early Actress played at the wrong speed, whilst sickeningly good sub bass is deployed on "Flash Speed" and "Trashed" is a superb exercise in slack jawed drum programming. Some cavernous bass kicks on this one. "Life" is wonderfully slippery in full flow, whilst "Unknown" is up there with Gramrcy's "Ruffian" in the heavyweight contenders of the year stakes.

Review: One of the funkiest individuals to emerge from grime (alongside Swindle), Silkie's long-since established his passionate jazz and p-funk bent... And right here he's taking it to a brand level. Opening with a cosmic salvo (penned with Swindle in fact) we're soon immersed in his squidgy, squelchy, synth-tickling world such as the Danny Breaks style sleaze of "Arcadia", the skippy jazz boogie of "Moda" and the purple wide-lapelled 80s flair of "Love Affair". His empathy for the dystopian corners of his world are still very much intact, however with the barbed swagger of "Swank", the Kraftwerkian iciness of "Entrapment" acting as neat reminders of Silkie's grime roots. Three albums deep and getting each time; Silkie's skill, Silkie scores.

Review: Majestic Casual favourite Mura Masa adds to his repertoire (which, until now, only comprises of last year's debut album Soundtrack To A Death) with this far-reaching seven-tracker. From this summer's unavoidable sandy-toed shuffler "Firefly" to the more experimental beats and dynamics of "Terrible Love" and the tumbledown cuts and scratches of "Lovesick Fuck", once again it's the sound of a young man making sense of soul, hip-hop and electronic music. Part beats, part soul, part future all baked in a sadboi slow cooker, Mura Masa can really do no wrong.

Review: Keysound collective LHF update the unique legacy left by their debut opus Keepers Of The Light with another intriguing journey into new sonic shadows. The moment the cathedral stretches and ghostly tones of opener "Gateway" light the touch paper, you know this fire will keep your soul toasty. Subverting scenic sights along the way, the journey takes us on a trip through UK funky graveyard ("Surrender"), sludgy double-decade-deep trip-hop ("Yielding"), a skippy lo-fi synth odyssey that one might boldly describe as emotional juke ("Entrapment") and raw, tribal drum shamanism ("Mud And Root"). Comparisons could be made with the likes of Modeselektor, UR, Massive Attack and even Hot Chip's earliest work but its best described as LHF... A troupe who are truly in a league of their own. Stunning.

Review: As his career has developed and matured, so Xavier Thomas' sounds has broadened ever further. Never afraid of a concept and constantly looking to take in influence from all over the world, the Debruit mission last shored up on Soundway alongside Alsarah. Now Outside The Line pivots around the idea of washing up on an imaginary island, and it finds Thomas working his effervescent electronics up into joyous melees of tropical flavoured trap and footwork. There's space for playful, dubby house music and speedy bass music, but as always the generic framework plays second fiddle to the rambunctious melodic content.