Juno Recommends Dubstep: Best of 2022

Review: Even before you hear the first beat, there is something incredibly exit about seeing the names Male - a pioneering beat master and pivotal figure in the early emergence of the dubstep sound - with Joe Armon-Jones, talented musician and master keys man. A Way Back comes on Aquarii, Armon-Jones's own label with him on keys and synths, Mala on drums and bass and Maxwell Owin featuring on 'Oh Lord'. It brings back memories of the golden dubstep years with cavernous bass and heavy weight drums all finished to perfection with Armon-Jones top lines.

Review: Dark dubstep allstar Dayzero first came to out attention with 'Allca', where they pitted themselves alongside contemporaries Gantz or Coki in their unique displays of wonk and lo-fi production techniques. 'Pages' and 'Sen' continue this charge; watery, knocky and psychopathic, both tunes sound like a tank trudging through sludge. Militant and gritty.

Review: Special sesh material, Deep Heads returns to wax with more solid nodding gold from a great range of artists old and new. The legendary Synkro takes the A with two timeless trips. 'Intersection' is a sleepy, come-to-bed garage joint that shuffles along sweetly while 'Movere' adopts more dub techno motifs in the groove. Flip for more somnambulant sonics as Biome takes us skinny dipping in the vast post garage oceans on 'Tired' while Bristol newcomer Synpal heals us with a wonderfully hypnotic and house-flavoured 'Reiki' session. The sesh continues...

Review: Codex is a brand new various artists series from 1985 Music. The opening four tracker features esteemed label boss Alix Perez alongside crucial bass craftsmen Hijinx, Epoch and Ebb. It is Perez himself who opens the proceedings with earth shattering bass quakes and drilling synths on 'VTRN' before Hijinx explores a wide open and cavernous underground space detailed with ticking hits and warped synth reverberations. EBB's 'Ill Rest' is another masterfully deep dubstep wobbler with a signature saw both synth ripping up the groove and Epoch's 'Beastmode' is a bustling, bristling joint that keeps you on your toes.

Review: TMSV has the honour of closing out another solid year for the Deep Mehdi crew. His debut on the label gives a fine representation of his sound across a quartet of dark dubstep gems. 'The Glow' opens in eerie fashion, with low end oscillations and late night tones leaving long tails in their wake. 'Revenge' gets more tense and taught as it traps you in some edgy loops and 'Housing' layers up what sounds like broken glass, ominous drones and flashing synth work into something brilliantly. 'Stay Closed' wraps things up with fractured melody and plunging bass.

Review: Putting the Head into Headland, New Zealand beat conjurer Gene Warriner gets his cosmic thing on for this superb System release. Each track laden with weight and hypnotic charm, 'Dogtooth' sets the scene and lures into the mist with its slow and sludgy diversions. It's followed by a whole stack next level sorcery; 'Roamer' is a disarming creeper from another dimension, 'Industry' was actually made out of your dreams while 'Sour' was made out of your nightmares. Finally Epoch goes bananas on the remix as he takes Headland's last single 'Garbo' and takes it to some very strange places. System smash it once again.

Review: Rising Leeds producer Breakfake slams down with his first 12" of 2022 with a tune so heavy and all-encompassing it spans two parts. 'No Crime' - a real system tester with a deliciously loose swagger, big dubby vocal elements and a smorgasbord of bass textures that pursue a number of directions across the two versions. Flip for two crucial remixes; Echo maintains that system pressure while Sepia goes on a deep dreamy flavour, all space and massive kickdrums.

Review: Now here's a Lofty story... A young Bristol artist makes his debut on Za's White Peach last year. 'Solstice', an EP that matches White Peach (and its brother label Fent Plates) in vibe, spirit and musicality. Now comes the follow-up 'Foretold'. Four more beguiling, highly musical and atmospheric 140 jams laced with plenty of eastern instrumentation; 'Foretold' (with Ourman) takes a well-used choir sample and sets the scene with some creeped out synth lines and trappy 808s. 'Asakusa' takes the mystical vibe even further with a big string line more of a classic deep dubstep feel while 'Mortician' just goes full-on suck-you-into-another-universe spell-binding mode. Thanks to its hairy bassline, 'Grizzly' concludes with bear swagger.

Review: Over the years, Modeselektor have forged a reputation as fearless innovators, neatly sidestepping genres and frequently confounding critics. Given their tireless touring schedule and the fact they run two prolific labels it's perhaps no surprise that it's been some four years since the last full-length Modeselektor album. Monkeytown flits effortlessly between skittish 140 BPM bass music, clandestine electronica, sludgy hip-hop and even warehouse-flavoured tropical rhythms (see "German Clap"). There are some real standouts, including a dreamy, slo-mo pop outing with PVT, two collaborations with Thom Yorke and a droning Anti-Pop Consortium hook-up. Must-check.

Review: After making a big impression with his first 12" on Senaker Social in 2019, Low End Activism is back with a superb full length. It finds him 'sum up the conflicting emotions attached to memories of home' as he explores his own sonic roots through the prism of future-rushing soundsystem sonics. The tracks are wrought with street level tensions and urban and suburban gimme, with darkness adn frustration. But there is also home and solidarity in these sounds which are sure to unite people of all backgrounds on the world's dance floors.

Review: Finally! Grove's exceptional debut EP from last year sees the vinyl light of day. Sitting somewhere between breaks, drum & bass, hip-hop and IDM, their powerful delivery and black, queer perspective fires up an incredible cauldron that's visceral, physical and loaded with positivity. Highlights range from the subverted jungle head-twister 'F-I-U' to the bulldozer techno stepper 'Intent' with all kinds of flavours in between including a collab with Griz-O, a remix from Ur Worst Nightmare and exceptional life truths like 'Fuck Ur Landlord' and 'Ur Boyfriend's Whack'. Get sticky.

Review: High quality vibes from the man like Lo Quality AKA LQ. A showcase of his Melbourne stables Echo Chamber Sound and Run The Red, this epic nine track, double LP was originally curated in 2020 but is only seeing the vinyl light of day now. Flexing 50/50 dubstep and jungle, the whole collection rattles and hums with pristine dub weight. Highlights ooze and blaze from the scoops at every moment from the second the legendary RSD opens the album with his remix of 'Crown The King' to the last neck-snapping Amen of Pugilist & Tamen's finale 'Naru'. Loaded with stunning moments like the mystic time, space and break-mashing 'Ghost Note' from Time Travel to X Nation's unruly system shaker 'Toughest', this is a fine moment of unity between north and south hemispheres, dubstep and jungle and deep and tearing. Limited to 300 so grab it while you can.