Juno Recommends Bass: Best of 2023

Review: The Hessle Audio label celebrated a big birthday in style recently and rightly so. It has long been a pioneering outlet for always cutting-edge electronic sounds loosely couched in bass music but often involving so much more. This latest comes from Toumba who made a fine outing at the end of last year and starts 2023 on just as solid a footing. 'Istibtan' is stripped-back body music with a smattering of tin-pot percussion and dark bass. There is more broken beat work and off-grid percussive inflection to 'Petals' then 'Hazzeh' layers up tropical synth sounds into a humid club cut before closer 'Identity Crisis' offers an introspective melody and funky broken beat patterns.

Review: Pressure Dome's Yussh gets busy with her debut EP on Wisdom Teeth. Flexing fully across four tracks, her signature fusion of breakbeat, bass, jungle and club hits the spot in true Bristol brutalist fashion. 'Look Mum No Hands' eases us in with a dreamy, spacious halftime trip while the recent single 'Same Same' continues to keep the subtle sense of chill with its floating chords and slinky percussion. Elsewhere 'Close Fall' sounds like it could have come from the desk of Kid Drama and dBridge's Autonomic HQ while 'Self Conscious' closes on a deep space cosmic jungle/techno hybrid. No hands, no fear.

Review: Wisdom Teeth co-boss Facta joins the cats on Incienso with this beautify and wide-armed four track 12". Packed with all flavours you'd expect from the young producer, and more, we're treated to a whole menu of vibes. 'Emeline' starts the trip with a jacking, trippy house note that's comparable to the old Classic Music grooves. It's in good company as 'Felt' soothes the soul with its super woozy, off-key waves, the bumpy rolling breakbeat bleeps of 'Mirage' give us pep and the wonderfully dreamy downbeat sludge of 'Sick Pup' sends us off to the cosiest corners of our mind. Sick is the word.

Review: The mysterious Ghost Phone label has had us hooked since day one. Back then it tended towards r&b samples and cheeky garage rhythms but in the releases since it has also explored some stripped-back and atmospheric bass. The artists behind each drop from the Bristol label are unknown and that continues on the seventh edition. This one features shadowy late-night rhythms we once used to call 'night bus' in the wake of Burial's emergence. 'Tell Me' has pitched-up vocals and shimmering synths that also recall that artist and on the flipside highlights include the alluring atmospheres of 'Luvspace'. Another EP well worth dialing into.

Review: The third album by IDM's next-gen darling Loraine James is here and similarly to her last works, Gentle Confrontation is an ever-shifting, collaboratively-focused album. If the name is anything to go by, then the aim of the game is to offer a sonic blueprint for artists trying to quietly, subtly, resist the status quo, while also keeping the family close and remaining level-headed and happy. Examining her past and present, James offers with everything from transstep trances made with RiTchie and George Riley, to math-rock and emo-infleuenced tracks ('One Way Ticket...') and even self-sung ballads ('2003').

Review: Neil Landstrumm is one of the UK's most underrated but high-achieving artists if you ask us. He's done it all over the years and has been pivotal to a number of different in-between sounds flourishing into scenes. Here he lands on a fellow UK institution in Swamp 81, once a home to cutting-edge bass and now offering an outlet for Landstrumm to explore the cosmos. He does so with his usual mix of quirky sound designs and heavy grooves on 'Minimoo' which is both serious body music but also playful and charming. 'Aintgotnojob' is a twisted juke-inspired B-side with reverberating low ends and tightly looped vocal phrasings that melt the mind.

Review: It's been a while since we heard from R&S Records, so we're more than chuffed at news of this latest EP, which this time hears them extend their prolific, ravenous taste for new music ever-further, into what could be described as halftime drum & bass. This time the productions come courtesy of British producer Quartz, and perhaps a name like 'Deity Spear' tells you all you need to know; this is an angelic, synaptic, rapturous EP. Megadeep subs underlie snappy, endlessly-varied hat combos on the openers 'Lilac Cobwebs' and 'Deity Spear', which recall the contributions of Djrum or Lone to the label in recent years, with their cavernous space and extra attention to detail. 'Cosmic Horror' and 'Switchable Groove' refuse to let up on this overarching atmosphere, but lend it a new light altogether, fleshing out evermore sinister contours.

Review: Re:ni and Laska's RE:LAX imprint is off to a flying start as Laska takes the lead with this uncompromising 150BPM three-tracker. Club-primed heaviness sitting somewhere between electro, techno and bass music, each cut fixes a firm focus on percussive funk and hypnotic grooves. 'Soulz' goes heavy on the switches and ear-blurring hang drum hits, 'Bodies' goes all-out dark side while 'Mind' is a full physical trip that borders on squat party techno. Handle with caution.

Review: DJ Python is a real firm favourite here at Juno HQ. His slow motion and dubbed out reggaeton rhythms just do something to us. He takes care of the B-side of the second release from Worldwide Unlimited. 'I'm Tired' is sleepy and drowsy dub with wispy synths that reflect light like fireflies as the ever-tumbling rhythms take you down deep. 'Uwu' has a tropical feel with layers of watery droplets and jungle sounds, humidity and percussion. Nick Leon's offerings are just as lean and inviting, with a crisp, tech-edged opener then a more broken beat on 'Love Potion.'

Review: It's only six releases in, but already Piezo's Anisa label has become a must-check imprint for techno heads. He once again unites body and mind music to perfection here with new forms of bass alchemy that leave you spellbound. 'JRj' is a restless and kinetic cut with a bouncy rhythm and twitchy electronics, while 'Sensory Overdraw' both strips things back but turns things up - the skeletal garage rhythm is overlaid with blasts of fuzzy synth and distorted sounds that jump about like popcorn in a microwave. 'Big Room Technow' is physical, textured, a masterclass in detailed arrangements, and 'Cutest Kitty Content' closes out with a flurry of drum precision from the future.

Review: Lurka ended the year on a high with a kick-ass new EP on his own new label Make Your Own Meaning. He is now set to start 2023 in an equally strong fashion with four more futuristic bass fusions. 'Wire' is a minimal stepper with bursts of bass and flitting percussive lines. 'Molten Drum' is another twitchy mix of malfunctioning computer sounds, refracted vocals and fizzing synths that keep you on edge then 'Machine' picks ups the pace with jumpy rhythms and militant snare work. 'Zone (Packet)' rounds out with a double-speed workout and juke patterns that head out on a cosmic journey.

Review: Enigmatic collective PVAS return to Isla Canada with an exploration of the idea of gut instinct - 'Somaesthesia'. As always, the vibe is offkey, freeform and buried in equal measures of low end and tension. The title track sets a woozy scene with a smothering, bewitching atmosphere before things build up in a variety of strange ways... 'Dream Resumption' starts as a techno wriggler before taking a u-turn into breakbeat territory, 'Schlesi Boat' is a voyage into the vortex while 'Visitation' closes on an ocean of fractures. Beguiling.

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: Le Motel, le hotel, les Holiday Inns. Wherever you choose to stay after your raving trip, be sure to pack this wonderful collection from the innovative Belgian craftsman Le Motel. Delivered by the ever-impressive Yuku collective, the whole EP flexes the spectrum in terms of tempos and influences. From the deep ploughman techno swing of 'Raving Crew' to the electroid funk and percussive fire of 'Helix' via the cumbia-inspired and turns of the minimal head-bender '429 Too Many Requests', this is an exceptional journey into the more esoteric side of breaks and club music. Essential.

Review: Building from the heat of a series of bass/techno/club fusions on the likes of Intramuros and F T D over recent years, E-Unity serves up his most ambitious release to date - BBB<3. Hard to pronounce, easy to listen to; BBB<3 sees Lioc Berger flexing a softer set of shades on his palette with this wide armed display of genres. From the Ame-style rolling house music of 'Zimba Frog' to the euphoric sci-fi dancehall hip-shakes of 'Etra' and the emotion laden electro finale 'BBB<3', it's soulful salute to deeper paradigms of yore while still marching into the future.

Review: Raito has released big tunes on the likes of Deadmau5' Mau5trap label before now, often loosely within the realm of tech house. Here he shows off a real love for, and a fine understanding of, bass music, however, on the fledgling Safe Raver. 'Black Tracksuit' throws it back to first wave dubstep in the sonic references - bleeping dial melodies, crunchy breaks and heft bass. 'Foresight' is then a busy flurry of jungle, with mad snare programming and subtle rave motifs. 'Junk Dog' slows it down but keeps the heavy bass and brain frying synth work next to big piano stabs. A Basic Rhythm remix gets more stripped back and heavy

Review: A 10-inch vinyl release from the mysterious Jane in Palma - allegedly one of the many solo aliases of producer Julian Smith - who opens up a fresh series from the WMCL Recordings label. 'Arabs Version' and, on the reverse, 'Mixup Blender', are pair of heavy modern breaks and dubstep cuts respectively, with the former following the tradition of 'Hackney Parrot' or 'Trigger Finger' and the latter laying down a punkish, industrial steppers' forward-march, in which the satisfying shift of cut-up drum samples and vocal stop-starts are heard loud and clear.

Review: SBTRKT has always been outlandish in the music he has made. His new album The Rat Road is another testament to that with its audacious sounds and adventurous electronic styles. This record from composer and producer Aaron Jerome - who for many years kept his real name hidden - is his first in some seven years and it mixes up everything from retro glitch to wiggling drum & bass, nimble bass to 90s-referencing rave cuts. Guest vocalists Leilah and George Riley add some hooky mainstream bait and all in all this is a welcome return.

Review: Introducing a brand new label from Reba and Yunus, Transarctica is a special place for fusion, cross-pollination and intercontinental collaborations and experiments. Traversing classic rave, breakbeat, minimalism and jungle, '858 ASS' is a wide-armed and deep-diving exploration... 'Azimuth Circle' is a pristine technoid roller with shimmering percussion and hypnotic momentum, 'Orissarre' is a stark slice of jungle futurism, 'Inslandsis' takes us back to the halcyon early 90s acid house era while '5AM At Circle K' hits with bassline fire and dynamic, sparse ice. An exciting mission statement for what the French platform has in store moving forward.