Drum & Bass Recommendations July 2013

Review: One of many key releases scheduled on Bukem's recently reactivated Good Looking imprint, "Atlantis" is an absolute classic that helped shape drum & bass jungle 20 years ago. Here we find it under the knives of the ever-reliable Brazilian badboys Marky and S.P.Y. The result is a slamming update that oozes timeless class but rattles with contemporary production power. Need a history lesson? Flip for the original in all its lush languishing jazzy glory.

Review: Usually known for their stupendously funky capers around the 110-130 mark, Breakbeat Paradise have flipped the switch with this special from Fab 'The Captain' Samperi and friends. Vibe-winding 170 swingers, both versions "5 O'Clock" leap with early-day jump up mischief and happy-slap riddims. "XXX Funk" sings a similar tune but with a little more punk to the live bass element. Elsewhere BadBoe adds some DMX savagery while PhonoMatt goes solo on the crutch grabbing nu-funk grinder "Unity".

Review: Kazakhstan's first badman of bass, Command Strange goes from strength to strength. Following a crucial release on Horizons he's back on the Fokuz's deeper sister imprint Celsius. Simplistic, solid and utterly funky, both "Away From The Sun" and "Dirty Music" bounce and pop with timeless efficiency. The former breathes with "Be True" style synths whispers and a slinky, droning bassline while the latter is quite similar to High Contrast's "Basement Track" thanks to its nagging low-end melody and balance of gritty squelches and warm, juicy organs.

Review: Fresh from 1993, Bukem's tubular roller hasn't lost an iota of its charm in its 20 years. The swishing drums and haunted pads of the original still stir the soul with pensive persuasion, reminding us how futuristic drum & bass sounded when it first emerged. Technicolour (now one half of Technimatic) serves up a buoyant rendition that pays respect to the original while making it relevant to today's floors. Originally circulated last summer, if you didn't get a sniff of it back then now is most certainly the time.

Review: Necessary Bass continue their run of necessary releases with another slayer from Marcus Visionary. Effortlessly combining dancehall vibes, the sound of dub culture, big, brash jungle riddims and spot on vocals from Mr Williamz, the jungle remix of Marcus Visionary's original call to arms is a big, bold statement of intent. Large and full of life, there's no doubt it'll be tearing up clubs up and down the country as we speak. Strip back those beats and you're left with his dub remix, bringing out more of the sizzling soundboy flavas that infectious dancehall wynd requires. Canadian DJ and producer Marcus Visionary pushes his junglist vibes wherever he goes. Make way for his sound.

Review: A delightfully diverse and obscenely old school package here from Yellow boss Scanone and friends. Eschewing his usual obtuse bass and angular electro, here Scanny's gone for a balls-out jungle composition that wouldn't have gone amiss on Reinforced back in the day. Even electro purist Dexorcist has gone left-side as he returns to the spotlight with an SL2/Shades Of Rhythm style bouncer. Naturally Jerome follows suit with another early 90s hardcore homage that's somewhere between Unique 3 and Ellis Dee. All three are complete bangers. One for the raving crew.

Review: Dishing out sugar-sweet D&B vibes galore, Danny's latest album Golden Ticket sees him playing the perfect Willy Wonka as he guides us round his sonic chocolate factory. "4th Dimension" and "Bad Boy (Back Again)" are two of the LP's many highlights... The former sees him throwing down a well known Beastie Boys sample to great effect while the latter pays respect to Andy C's classic "Quest" with a major muscular bass reboot. Both have already achieved summer anthem status.

Review: Originally released last year, "Overthinking" gets a revisit from the ever-sharp Enei. Twisting the deep, soothing elements of the original without losing any of Sian Sanderson's soul, it's Enei at his cheekiest with occasional amen fills and subs that wouldn't have gone amiss on Kartoons releases back in jump up's glory days. Meanwhile on the B "This City" (also on the original "Overthinking" EP) gets a wee extension and remaster to celebrate its liberation from digital to vinyl. Don't overthink things... just press play.

Review: Ingredients are championing this Bristolian trio in a major way right now, and it's hard not to see why. Their deep, industrial, spacious D&B resonates with institutions across the scene from Renegade Hardware to the Critical crew. This EP shows their range better than previous; "Strangers" is them at their deepest, most techno-like with a shifty halfstep and murky, nagging loops. "The Domino Effect" is them at their steppiest thanks to a sharp and snappy riddim. Complete with a stripped back croak bassline, it's a timeless escape - and one that's only going to boost these cats' reputation further.

Review: Asbo Audio inaugurates a series of 12" releases celebrating the iconic mid 90s jungle label Joker Records with this record that sees a classic from Joker founders The Dream Team get two contemporary but still eminently junglist remixes. For the uninitiated, Joker Records originated in the middle of the jungle explosion of the mid 90s and continued to lead its own way of dance floor orientated beats for many years an era when labels such as RAM, Urban Takeover and Philly Blunt Were Formed and was considered to be an incredibly important part of the early drum and bass and Jungle scene. Originally released back in 1995, "Watch Out" gets reworked by Bladerunner and Daffy with both versions remaining respectful to the dread vibes of the original whilst making their own respective sonic presence felt.

Review: Bristol's live D&B veterans Dr Meaker have made some interesting ventures in the pop-tinged dubstep fields of late but their sound still lends itself well to the 170 realm... As proved by these two killer rubs from Unreal and Sly. The former continues his rich vein of form with a deep, dark subby roller while the latter goes straight for the jugular with a Low Down Deep style guttural jump up flex. Two prize "Fighters" for the price of one. Heaviness abounds.

Review: Released in tandem with the original, here we find Nitri at the mercy of Break's inscrutable surgery. Adding an edgier, almost-rusted riddim to the soulful original, Break has, naturally, nailed it. On the B we see Nitri diving deep into oceanic subs. With trippy beats and far-away processed vocals, it's not dissimilar to Metalheadz material. Seriously; Nitri really can do no wrong right now.

Review: Remix albums can be a strange beast... While the originals sit together perfectly, their re-rubbed counterparts are far less likely to tell the same emphatic narrative. Luckily this isn't the case with Makoto's recent remix album, and these are just two beautiful rollers taken from it. Random Movement's take on "Girl I Am Running Back 2 U" carries all his trademark sonic manoeuvres; squelchy, warm and organically funky, it's really similar to Ben Westbeech's early material. Meanwhile Lenzman's version of "Woe" takes a much more cosmic, dreamy route. Refocusing on Makoto's harpy arpeggios and adding a wealth of his own atmospheres, it adds even more mysticism to Deeizm's stunning vocals.

Review: The Lunar Seas EP marks Sam KDC's first Auxiliary release of the year, a label the UK producer's become increasingly synonymous with thanks to a clutch of solo releases and his collaborative endeavours with label founder ASC which of course included last year's Decayed Society LP. Much like that album, this four track EP shows that Sam KDC is ever more willing to plunge into the depths of ambient and abstract 170bpm music, coating the subtle rhythmics with layer upon layer of droning texture that have an increasingly hypnotic effect. The appropriately named "Catacomb" is the best example of this, whilst the calming swathes of sonics that float through "Surrender" mask Sam KDC's intricately detailed percussion if you don't pay attention.

Review: Samurai's Red Seal sister label offers up some of the finest deep and minimal D&B the scene has to offer and this time with Genotype, they've really outdone themselves. As you'd expect this final instalment of the two part Lessons In Depth series travels deep into the collected paranoid sounds of the London-based producer's record collection combined with his astute knack for creating a devastating minimal hook amid live percussion samples. From the crisp, tightening tension of "Creative Elements" or the soundtrack-style dystopian atmpospherics of "Monday Madness", fans of his previous work will lap up this exploration into the crevasses of his sound. Newcomers, embrace the darkness. You'll learn to love it.

Review: Horizons have a reputation for putting out only the finest dark and dirty underground drum & bass around, whilst Brazilian bassmonger Nitri has been showing his hand for some time now, with remixes by the likes of Break and Naibu already under his belt. This time he rises to the forefront of his own accord, pulling out the big guns with seriously deep rolling bass and precise percussion to set dancefloors alight thanks to Amoss on tight as cluck remix duties. "Laser Gun" on the flip is a crisp minimal destroyer, ramping up the pressure with clear cut precision and sustained pads. Get your teeth in.