Juno Recommends Drum & Bass November 2018

Review: Now into his third decade as a full-time drum and bass producer, Seba continues to serve up high quality EPs at a furious rate. "Close To You" is the Swede's fifth 12" of 2018, yet it's every bit as alluring and essential as any of its predecessors. We're particularly enjoying the colourful, soulful flutter of the rhythmically punchy title track, though opener "She Looks Real" - a more foreboding, warehouse-friendly workout - and "Time Will Tell" are almost as good. Arguably best of all, though, is "Why Can't This End", where a poignant, heartfelt vocal from what sounds like house legend Robert Owens majestically rises above deep, spacey melodies and rolling drum and bass rhythms.

Review: Following 11 years spent flitting between an impressive range of high-grade labels (Keysound, Black Acre, Frijsfo Beats and Fat City included), Jack "Sully" Stevens has decided to launch his own imprint. Fittingly, Uncertain Hour's debut release not only comes from the man himself, but is also something of a banger. A-side "Vacancy", for example, sounds like the sort of high-grade jungle smasher - all loose-limbed breakbeats, soulful vocal samples and pulverizing sub-bass - that could have easily graced a Moving Shadow release back in 1994. Stevens continues the retro-futurist flavours on side B, adding a creepy, chining melody line to booming bass and heavily chopped-up jungle breakbeats on the equally impressive "Digitalis".

Review: Time to wrap up again. Melbourne's Kloke lands on Coco Bryce's Diamond Life with two heartfelt nods to the foundation era. Choppy breaks, dreamy synths, unpredictable twists and turns galore; "Artificial Memories" is pure concentrated drumcraft that's dynamic and wild but also delicate and steeped in more rushes than J Majik's private lake. "Other Worlds" is even more far out. Distant chords, more processing and filters on the breaks and a pitch bend that will make you feel like you're floating. Watch out for those pipes on the way back down.

Review: Fresh 86 may well be the best thing to come out of Ipswich since Terry Butcher and his blood stained head bandage. The label has certainly fared better than the town's football team, providing unparalleled entertainment since 1995. The Suffolk imprint's latest missive comes from regular contributors Response and Pliskin, who kick off a strong EP with the dreamy sunrise jungle of "The Chisel" before reaching for the weightiest sub-bass known to man on the punishing brilliance of "Convert". "Anti Mixdown" sees them brilliantly retrace jungle's dub sound system roots with a skittish but gently picturesque roller, before the head of the White House makes a surprise appearance on the melancholic deep jungle of "Walls", where poignant chords wrap around some seriously heavyweight breaks.

Review: This one's been bubbling for some time now but the wait, as always with this long standing foundation jungle crew, has been worth it as newcomer Drama1 gets the full spotlight. Opening with his mystical touch and savage break chops to the long lost dubplate "The Fruit", he proceeds to dark us out on "Junglist One Blood" before getting his sexy skanks on with "Press The Buzzer" and takes us right back to 92/93 Goodlooking era with "Style" (see what we did there) for a graceful, bone rattling finale. Highly essential.

Review: In a galaxy far, far away, DJ Jedi has mustered a "Rebel Alliance" hell bent on destroying the dark forces of drum and bass boredom. First into battle is grizzled X-Wing pilot Keezee, who hurtles headlong towards the Death Star via the all-out assault of jungle roller "Into The Depths". Meanwhile, Breakbeatscientist and Worldwide Epidemic attempt to incite an Ewok rave riot by serving up contrasting takes on the classic UK hardcore sound. Just at the point that all seems lost, DJ Jedi floors a platoon of Storm Troopers with the razor-sharp rave riffs, bustling pianos and scattergun rhythms of "Feel It". The Force is strong in this one.

Review: Like its two predecessors, Sofa Sound's third missive is shaped around boss man DLR's ongoing studio hook-ups. On side A, the Bristol-based beat-maker joins forces with Hydro and War, who last worked together for a 12" on Commercial Suicide earlier in the year. Pretty heavy and to the point, the trio's "Not Too Late" is a raucous, club-ready roller rich in snappy snares, punchy kick drums, rapid-fire analogue sub-bass and creepy, clandestine aural textures. Over on the flipside, DLR and Hydro explore similar pastures on "Trick", whose creepy and chiming ambient intro makes way for genuinely crunchy D&B drums, fluid bell melodies and the kind of body-rocking bassline that will send surges through your system when played over a sizable soundsystem.

Review: Let's just list the amount of stone cold bass OGs on this collection: Krust, dBridge, Om Unit, Danny Scrilla, V.I.V.E.K, Von D, Moresounds, AU, Oris Jay & Chris Innasound and whole load more of soundsystem culture's most innovative craftsman working at the deepest levels of the low end coalface all feature on this immense and forward thinking document. Including the curator Amit himself. Every track is a highlight, each one and abyssal, immersive experience but essential highlights include the toxic bass bounces of Moresounds' "They Can't Handle It", the 23rd century UKG of Oris and Chris' "They Can't Handle It" and Krust's big screen masterpiece "Escape From Finland". Amit deserves a holiday. Or a massive trophy. Or both. Bass compilations don't get much bigger than this.

Review: Breaking through on Kemet's Headhunters imprint, emerging junglist Drama1 fires off two big releases this week on Kemet. There's his remixes and revisions on the Champion Jungle Sound EP and this killer second solo 12" of the year; "I Don't Care" will even up the balance on the dancefloor as it shakes with a little R&B sensuality, before "Hot Girls" winds and grinds with serious skank packed heat. Flip for the much darker foundational fire and pummelling breaks of "My Sound" before "Music Sermon" slams down the final hammer with some absurd break edits and tripped out siren textures. Serious jungle business.

Review: Total vibes from one half of Total Science; "Guitar Thing" is one of many long sought after Q Project dubs from the man they call Quiff and it still sounds every bit as beguiling and of its own universe as it did back in the mid 90s. So do the Bs: "Wild Pitched" is a timeless stepper stripped back to its essence with crafty switched up drums and eerie pipes while "Instrumental" takes us deep into the desert then whips a sandstorm around us with chop slapping rim shots, harmonised chirps and pads that push you deeper and deeper back in time. The truth never ages.

Review: Silent Records' sister imprint comes through with this almighty slab of jungle from Law & Kola Nut. Spacious, devilish on the drums and sprinkled with dreamy leads and textures, there's a strong ageless glow to both cuts. "Detection" hits a little like Krome & Time's deeper numbers while "Out Of Fokus" nods respectfully towards J Majik's lighter seminal moments 20 years ago. Both absolutely kill it.

Review: Break's fifth album Another Way is about drop and this is the second teaser of what's to come. First up is "Conversations", a spacious digidub wonder that taps into Break's classic reggae sound (think "Love So True") and is charmed to smithereens by Fats and Watkiss. Meanwhile "Alpha" goes right back to Break's relentless tear up sessions with one of the most brutal basslines he's done in years. And we thought his previous release "Keepin It Raw" was big...