Juno Recommends Drum & Bass: February 2025

Review: The Colours Revisited red vinyl 3xLP is Adam F's tribute to his 1997 debut, a true masterpiece that bridged drum & bass with jazz, soul and British electronica. Realising the album's continued relevance (especially to younger audiences), Adam chose not just to remaster, but to fully reimagine it. Over two years he's restored vintage soundsidusting off his Fender Rhodes and inviting legendary jazz icons like Julian Joseph for live re-recordings. Familiar voices, including Kirsty Hawkshaw and the late MC Conrad, add a warm sense of nostalgia, whilst new musical solos give each track fresh resonance. A vivid revival of a foundational piece of UK music history.

Review: Okbron Records carry out the divine task of reformatting an early yet rare Micky Finn and Aphrodite tape cut onto vinyl. 'AWOL' is a clever pun, serving as an acronym for both the wartime connotations of the phrase "absent without leave", and the spiritual paths implied in the phrase A Way Of Life, which also happened to be a leading early jungle night that produced multiple Micky Finn tape packs recorded in East London. 'AWOL' and 'Dark Selector' have likely existed for decades, serving as lost tunes from the rough point in time when Finn and Aphrodite laid down their timeless Takeover Bid mix for Mixmag. Packed with funk licks and gulping basses, all tunes heat the dancefloor stovetop in no time.

Review: OKBRON's 60th release brings a hidden gem from the North London producer Unknown Soldier, whose track 'Catatonia' was crafted in 1994 at the legendary Monroe studio with engineer Pete Parsons (Voyager). Originally intended for In Touch Records, the track remained largely unnoticed when it was included on a later compilation. Now, OKBRON presents 'Catatonia' as a standalone record, complete with 'Cyclic' on the B-sideia session companion from that pivotal jungle era, finally ready for the spotlight.

Review: Colours Revisited isn't just a nod to Adam F's 1997 Colours but a wholly reconstructed journey that blends the echoes of late 90s drum and bass with new layers of live instrumentation. Rather than dusting off the original, Adam F digs deep, pairing soulful grooves with UK jazz virtuoso Julian Joseph's keys and the rich textures of re-recorded vocals by Kirsty Hawkshaw. A standout, 'Metropolis' channels the Metalheadz-issued original's punch with a vivid, rhythmic pulse, while 'Music in My Mind' echoes Herbie Hancock's influence. The album pulses with both reverence and reinvention, casting classic tracks in a fresh sonic space where analogue warmth meets carefully layered modernity. This is Colours, all brilliantly retold for a new era.

Review: Freq modding, circuit-bending breakstep from rudeboy UK hardcore act Secret Squirrel (Julian Cobb), whose cheeky mixing and breaks-blending game has known few bounds since 1992. After a long hiatus after 1995, Cobb is back to put up a propulsory cyber-ragga ransom, challenging any would-be outlaw to a vicious duel. A-sider 'Something New' is playful and needle-wearing enough, but the going really gets tough on 'Sick Sensation', which plumbs eurrghy sub basses to whose frequencial lows we didn't it think possible to stoop. 'Shockwave Sauce' teases sultry rhythm & rave (sadly unabbreviable, given the vibe, to R&R) before giving way to wild cutoff-filtering chordbreak skankery. 'Spike Up' rounds things off as the sonic nail bomb and B-sider contrarian's choice.

Review: More dark arts from the man and his machine; Dom & Roland tears 2025 a new one with four powerful drum & bass compositions. Provocative and unapologetic, 'Under The Spell' snaps the firmest of wands and does so for the best part of 10 minutes. A real hypnotic showdown. 'Re-Resistance' meanwhile takes us into much more industrial, abstract territories in a way that you might imagine Krust or Amit might. 'I'm Here To Stay' is a much more placid, spacious affair laced with lush pads and a smouldering vocal that induces euphoria at 50 paces. Complete with a tearing remix of 'The Storm', it's another essential 12" from one of d&b's most consistent artists.

Review: Wipeout XL was a game changer for electronic music, video games and the marriage of the two and it no doubt, inspired legions of fans of both throughout the last 25+ years. This adrenaline-charged album - inspired by the iconic series - delivers six high-energy tracks, each contributed by two artists known for their mastery in electronic music, immersing listeners in a fast-paced, futuristic anti-gravity racing adventure. With thunderous breaks, atmospheric jungle rhythms and liquid drum & bass, the album captures the essence of 90s and Y2K video game soundtracks, while evoking the smooth vibes of artists like LTJ Bukem, Peshay and Soichi Terada. Each artist brings their own flair, contributing three tracks each to the limited-edition LP, which comes housed in a heavyweight 350gsm sleeve designed by the legendary junkboy, creative director at Mojang Studios. The vibrant artwork perfectly complements the album's energy, creating a visual and auditory experience that transports listeners to another world. Following a string of successful releases, this album offers a turbo-charged, nostalgic escape for fans of synthwave, jungle and drum & bass, while also appealing to those who cherish the golden age of video games.

Review: On 'Ten Steps' and its accompanying tracks, new Fokuz signee Archangel nails a much coveted mixture of sweetness, simplicity and maximalism, etching and planing each final mix as though they were blocks of marble to produce a muted, yearning and propulsive set of workouts in hard liquid. Higher powers and penitent milestones are invoked on the title track, with its memoric cascades of yearner vocals and una corda pianos set against piston-powered breaks. 'U & I' goes on to swirl its vocal samples into sloshy sci-fi garbles of emo science, while 'Darkside' near-perfectly hangs the balance between headbang jump-up and resolute emotion. Serious stuff from the 12" newcomer.

Review: Ready to take a deep dive? Some long lost Orca dubs resurfaced on Deep Jungle last year and here comes the reissue. One of Kosheen co-founder Decoder's earliest projects, Orca's ripples date back to around 92 and seminal labels like Lucky Spin. Here we have a few reloads and few unreleased moments from that era. Highlights include the wonderfully rushy 'Spacetek' with its bellowing pads and springy beats and the didge-blasting wobbler 'Skylab' but the whole EP is fantastic. Have a whale of a time.

Review: Deep Jungle bossman Harmony gets busy once again and it's a tale of two bangers. 'Hold It' goes in with the swagger and a hardcore energy. There's a big drive to the breakdown where everything melts into bliss. Need something deep for the weekend? Get your listening gear around 'Star Chaser'. Twinkling flutes, shimming synths, gentle vocal textures. Think Seba and you're in the right cosmos.

Review: Whereas most drum & bass, electro and other adjunct styles tend to adopt an implicit pro-futurist message, Soul Intent bucks the trend with 'Fight The Future' and three further tracks, portending a potential paleo-traditionalist revolution in drum & bass. Sadly, it doesn't sound like the future has been very well fought against: this is tearout neuro techstep of the most rabid kind, and it really does sound like the battle has been won and that the AI decepticons have taken over, with robo-biotic growl design and mechanical-maniacal metal clanking away on the title track and 'Right There' most prominently. Still, it's a wicked EP, even if you don't take its titular antifuturist battle cry at its word. 'Feeling Uneasy' is especially wild, moving into an outer-d&b territory that sounds like it's been occupied by an alien drummer militia.

Review: The Clamps might sound like he's a punk band from the late 70s, but sonically this French artist sounds zillions of miles in the future. A man of stark dynamics and a powerful sense of extremities, he's taken neuro to some incredibly dramatic and emotional places on this album. Featuring collabs with the likes of Tryst Temps and Eluun, From Dust To Dawn tells a powerful story over 16 tracks. From the sheet metal slabs of cosmic brutalism ('Moirai') to the outright euphoric ('The Bill') to the wildly futuristic ('Veilwhisper') this is an immense body of work that really deserves an elevation to vinyl. Don't sleep on this.

Review: Phatness is new and so-far anonymous side project from two producers based in the Swedish capital and who have connections to soundsystem culture through Trensum Tribe, Soft Pace and Otonos. This is their debut outing and it's a fresh blend of original jungle infused with inspiration from a wide world of sounds. There are tropical but physical sounds like 'Diplomatico Dub' packed with smart effects, minimal head spiders like the sci-fi styled '$nkt Erik Jamboree' and experimental vignettes such as 'Olearie$ Dub' with well-worked vocals and snaking basslines. It's colourful, unusual, and perfect for late-night sessions.

Review: Living life in permanent reload, Flashback's 95 classics 'Gun' and 'Triple Six' are some of the crispest, sharpest, most spacious and far out examples of junglised beat-slicing of their time. Still sounding as disarming and militant as they did 30 years ago, both hit hard with clarity. Those who love a rich warm rootsical sample in the thick of the choppy choppy should head for 'Gun' while those who love swimming neck deep in fractures will fall in love with 'Triple Six'. A stunning reissue from the Vinyl Fanatiks crew.

Review: Billed as a "deep think about AI and junglism" and a "deep dive into tribalism and jungle techno" respectively, Coco Bryce's latest toe-tapper doubles as a mysterious bowling down darkside breakage tunnels, manifested in the twin tracks 'Ritual' and 'Y Do U Think I'm Not U'. Both unsettling, Reese-bound tunes, we can't be sure whether any AI programs were used in the making of these tracks, but they do command that same sense of vanguard mystery that pervades the technological climate of today; facing the deep, neurally netted unknown, perhaps surrendering entirely to it. Arpeggiated bliss kicks in at around the halfway mark of the A tune, whilst primal pan flutes and synth bowls seem to fuel the mystique forever on the B.

Review: Dark Knite renegade Hannibal Selector returns with a broad bounty of militant steppery. 'What A Shame' is a gritty tech step number that's reminiscent of Dom & Roland around the 'Cant Punish Me' era. 'End Of All' meanwhile is more a whole warehouse of chainsaws being let off at the same time, then sped up by some type of dark d&b sorcery. Finally 'Necrodancer' closes on more of a sinister bone rattler flex. Hard, acidic but still bouncy. What an EP.

Review: Bay Area badness! Soeneido lets rip on his own Lotek imprint once again with four absolutely savage jungle cuts. Comprising pure drummage and slight elements of hardcore throughout, each cut hits hard and unapologetically. Those looking for a little mystic charm and space should head for the A where 'Midori' and 'Choose The Sword' err on a deeper, eerie touch while those on a hunt for pure breakbeat adrenaline should flip for the wild industrial drums of 'Ninja Hunter' and the heavyweight finale 'Noon Saibot'. Blimey.

Review: Sonic Deadline AKA Party Force AKA Eyeski AKA Master Editor boils up the Hard Boiled machine once again with an eggsellent four-tet of rave fizzers. Strictly vinyl, all four cuts slap with a playful housey hardcore edge. 'Memories Of Blue' is a proper Dred Bass style springy breaks cut with mega scratches galore and 'My Feelings Can't Explain' shows some seriously twisted Saturday loving (if you catch our drift) Meanwhile on the B: 'Road To Nowhere' takes us into a darker state of emotional consciousness while 'Our Mind Was Trapped' closes with a big bouncy, hands-in-the-air hoorah. Times up.