Juno Recommends Drum & Bass March 2021

Review: The unique Lobster Theremin has some good time old school joy for us here with a fierce four tracker from Tim reaper. 'Anytime' (feat Devnull) is all hard hitting jungle breaks, with manic synths and tortured vocals adding to the sense of intensity. 'Who Run It' is hyper speed rave with bright drums, synths and stabs all racing into the future while 'Teletext' rewires your brain with its flurry of drums, tumbling synth lines and generally raucous sense of energy. Last of all, 'Give It 2 Me' (feat Devnull) layers up multiple melodies over a skittish broken techno beat to blast you off into space.

Review: Two new reworkings of drum & bass classic The Chopper' from that often underrated pillar of the scene, Mr Ray Keith. Both versions retain the nimble energy of the original, with the Bou remix evoking some the sleek but organic breakbeat science of early Krust, while the Traumatize VIP leans a bit closer to the distinctive techstep hoover bass shenanigans of Trace and the No U Turn crew. Both give a new and relevant - in dancefloor terms - slant on this standard from the first wave classics canon.

Review: Dutch artist Coco Bryce blew away all the competition with this EP on the always worthy Lobster Theremin earlier in the year, as this repress reminds us. The Breda man dug deep into the history of jungle and breakbeat and came out with his own slick re-interpretations. There is the urgent flurry of 'Flight Six Six Six' with its celebratory chords and ducking and diving bass notes then the unrivalled kinetics of 'Vegan Library.' Standout tune 'Deep Into The Jungle' is a soulful roller from the future and then 'Only When I'm Dreaming' casts off into a more suspensory place with lush pads and skeletal beats. A sensational EP.

Review: More heat from Okbron here with a previously unreleased tune by Seba from the early 2000 pressed to wax in limited quantities with no repress. 'Lithium' is a deep one with smooth drum grooves overlaid by watery droplets and nice bubbling melodies. It's a soulful cut for those dreamy dancing sessions that has real colour and character. 'Rubiks Cube' then gets more textured. The pixelated chords cut through crashing beats, with warmer bass underlapping. These are two fresh tunes that look to the future despite being more than 20 years old.

Review: Western Lore is a Bristol based record label run by music producer, DJ and visual artist Alex Eveson. Just last week they unleashed Crypticz terrific opus on us and they're already back again with this wicked various artist EP. Their second edition of Blunted Breaks features Response & Pliskin's hardcore rave epic "Life Without Death" that is so evocative and sincere you'd honestly think it was '94 all over again. There's also some half time experiments in the grey area courtesy of D'tch on the haunting "Re Reparation", while Double O hands in the mandatory junglist roller "God Is A Woman" (feat Sheba Q - Coco Bryce remix) and proper purist drum n bass reminiscent of the late '90s on Eusebeia's "True".

Review: Necrotype is the alias of British producer Tony Barnett, who since 2014 has released on Diamond Life, Jungle Rollerz and Modern Urban Jazz. His new one is for Hertford-based Repertoire, where he serves up some contemporary jungle on the impressive Trojan Horse EP. Feel the power on the fierce rolling drama of "Wasting Time" (feat Law), before he ventures deep into the grey area - half time style - on the Autonomic influenced "Priam's Treasure". On the flip, more evocative rhythms await with the bittersweet Amens of the title track - and this one is very much intense.

Review: Fresh from his debut album on Lobster Theremin off-shoot Distant Horizons last September, Tom Jarmey returns to the mothership with another broken drum adventure. Five tracks, each one with its own character and destination, 'Lurk' breaks open the seal on an early Moving Shadow tip while 'Renegade' and 'T-1000' both switch the tracks for serious electro blow-outs. Elsewhere 'Long Dark Tunnel' bumps and wriggles on a nu-school breaks tip with a classic spoken sample and a vibe that wouldn't have gone amiss on TCR back in the day while 'Out Of The Blue' brings us back home on a twinkling Sabres Of Paradise-style beatless tip. Strike it Lurky.

Review: The Vanguard Project continues their Volume series on Spearhead after a bit of a break. This one has six more cuts of prime time and energetic drum and bass that brings the vibes but also stays sweet and soulful. 'Magic Carpet' does a fine job of sweeping you off your feet on some big and bulbous bass, with cooing female vocals and busy drums then the likes of 'Neon Nights' brings bright, colourful chords and silky drum work to keep you moving. The tougher 'Portraits' ducks and dives on a more stripped back rhythm and 'Launchers' is a wild melodic jam that twinkles beautifully.

Review: The Untouchables are a collective comprised of Kay & Nitrox that started at the dawn of the new millennium. They present some half time, grey area experiments in drum 'n bass here on the Culture Clash EP for Brighton-based imprint DNO. On the A side we have a seething, slow-burning body basher that is 'Audacity', followed by the lurking subterranean rhythms of 'Galactic Noise' which are meditative as much as they are unsettling. On the flip, it's all about the contorted techstep of 'Time Travelers' which provides a perfect dystopian soundtrack for these troubled times

Review: Hamburg herberts Sozialistischer Plattenbau get busy with the 21st edition of their breakneck funk Dubcore series. This time label regulars We Rob Rave and Polish duo Riffz & Dubskint take a tune each per side. R&D's 'Like This' is straight from the book of 92, all big pianos and feel good flavours while WRR's 'Weedless Bacon' takes things into much darker territories. Flip for more hardcore solutions as 'Team Bird Up' goes full on 4x4 before Riffz & Dubskint sign out on some manic Dreamscape tip. Hardcore, we suspect you know the score.

Review: Steve Jefroy is BCee: owner and A&R of Future Retro. He originally released the Beat The System LP back in 2011 on his other imprint called Spearhead Records. This tenth anniversary edition has been a favourite of heads in the drum & bass underground for sometime, but if you weren't familiar, well, it's high time you discovered this gem! The music hasn't aged a bit, featuring hits from back in the day, some nice liquid rollers, even some vocal numbers and ones in the dark techfunk style.

Review: Coventry-based Whiney returns to drum 'n' bass institution Hospital Records With Bubblers: Part Three' marking the last edition in a series. Teaming up with North London-based MC Subten on 'Headlines', a grime-infused stepper, followed by 'Freedom Dub' which is an intelligent liquid roller. B-side cut 'Yesterday' will hypnotise you with its rich tapestry of synth textures while his immaculately programmed rhythms maintain the energy levels. Legend Laurent Garnier is said to be a fan of the young producer's work, and a track like this is a good example why. This might be his last Bubblers EP, but it's definitely not the least.

Review: Samurai bring their usual killer sounds via rising Russian duo Torn & Roho here. Their alliance plays out over four razor sharp cuts of audio savagery on a fine looking gold marbled vinyl. The pair make a heft impact from the opening bell as 'Ortum Ossa' lurches on cavernous bass and menacing beats while 'Fatum' has a searing percussive line and bass that pulls you in deep. These are half time tribal weapons with rock solid and unrelenting kick and plenty of deft studio touches to embellish each one with real detail.

Review: Defrostatica rewire our souls once again with this stunning '4am' wake-up call. Courtesy of Leipzig label local Maltin Worf, it's a turbulent breakbeat monster that melts through the tempos like a Salvador Dali. There's plenty more where this came from too. The smouldering halftime fusion of 'Recognize' with the purring allure of MC of the day Rider Shafique, the deep space jungle of 'Thirsty' and the final cosmic lament 'Cream'. Joining dots and sounds across the breakbeat spectrum, Worf pulls no punches here.

Review: James Bangura is up next on New York City's Mister Saturday Night. The Washington-based artist is an exciting new talent: said to be a nomad who takes in various influences and can never be pinned down to one style. Drum 'n' bass was said to be a huge influence on Bangura during his younger years back in Alabama, and he revisits those seminal beats here on Interpretation Of Sound. From the contorted groove of 'Big Change', a sharp stepper that incorporates dub techno influences, to the meditative and polyrhythmic hypnotism of 'The Diffuser' or the depressive jungle introspections of 'Taking Loose' - this one really takes the genre into exciting new realms. Tip!

Review: Bavarian label SNC Recs are back with their fourth release by Nicolas Epe aka The Duty freedom titled the Chronic Durations. The Cologne-based musician and artist takes you on a dramatic, emotional journey into the world of liquid drum 'n' bass, taking influences from the past and reinterpreting them into modern forms. A great example is A2 cut 'Grand Theft Uber' which combines gnarly 303 acid with Dillinja style breaks, or the glitched breakneck rhythms heard on the title track to a backdrop gloomy strings, and the glassy-eyed and bittersweet closer 'Underwelt'. To immerse yourself further in the album, Epe has created a video series to accompany the tracks, creating a full sensory experience.

Review: Trickdisc, the Austrian drum & bass label founded by Tomkin, welcomes back the boss in collaboration with fellow Austrian Tenchu and Kool for a duo of hard hitting tunes. Tenchu & Zool go first on 'Dreamcatcher,' a mad flurry of computerised melodies, saw tooth bass and slapping hits that is pure explosive dance floor dynamite. It's the sort of track that will lead to ultimate alases of pent up angst and tension once we can all get back in clubs. Flip it over and Tomkin's 'No Time, No Beats' is just as thrilling and direct with its militant snares and dark, all-consuming bass.