Juno Recommends Drum & Bass: November 2022

Review: Five albums deep, DRS continues to smash the art of MCing through the glass ceilings, showcasing how far it can be taken. This time coming on strong with Shogun Audio, Del Rok Ski is a document of personal growth, development and sobriety for the Manchester legend as he teams up with a whole range of killer producers; T95, Dub Phizix, Disrupta, LSB, Dogger, Mindstate, Calibre, Monrroe, Document One and many other major league artists. Sharing more of his soul, telling more of his stories, bringing the soulful side of MCing and D&B to new levels, this is a whole new level from the man who fell to earth. Essential.

Review: The much-acclaimed Shuriken series might as well be the current pinnacle of drum n' bass V/A releasing - and it's all thanks to the experts over at Shogun Audio, who have their fingers in all the pies. Save for the B4, this ninth addition to the series is by and large a release for the drum n' bass establishment; Commix, Icicle and DBridge all feature, the first of whom gets a special unreleased remix from the late legend Marcus Intalex. Generally, and as ever with Shuriken, the bucking of sonic trends is a cornerstone. Icicle's 'Arrows' trumps all in our view, with its screeching prehistoric sound design and glacial feel.

Review: One of the most prolific men in the contemporary jungle game, Tim Reaper lays down some rough justice on Deep Jungle with 'Eastern Temple', a track that thrusts us deep into a peaktime Rupture set, 'Troposphere' eases us in gently with its calming pads before the drums snap us in two. Flip for more Reaper magic as 'Seeeeeen!' stalks you from afar with a very, very hot sample and 'On The Flex' strips things right back then builds things up again. Wild.

Review: Repertoire bossman Law jumps aboard the good ship Beyond Electronix with two sublime mid-90s workouts. Stripped-back and in no hurry whatsoever, both track wash over you in a calming, beautiful way. 'Out Of Luck' has more the space age ravey elements, especially during the cosmic breakdown, while 'We All Fall Down' has more of that triumphant early Good Looking feel to it. Big strings, broad, brushy breaks and a powerful sense of introspection.

Review: One of the biggest sing-along cuts of the summer, Calibre and Chelou's 'E SI O' finally gets a vinyl treatment. Still sounding every bit as emotional and earnest as it did when we first heard it, the combination of Chelou's dreamy-yet-sincere vocals and Calibre's spacious production is a match made in soulful heaven. Comes complete with the much deeper and more introspective 'Dissolve In The Rain', a track which takes off where Calibre's Dominick Martin material left us. Stunning.

Review: Foundation jungle hardcore revivalists Good 2 Go DMR continue their sterling contributions to timeless rave culture with three ageless dancefloor weapons. First up is the legendary pioneer Blame who updates his 'Music Takes' legacy with a brand new twist that takes us even higher. He's in esteemed company as Sync Dynamix bring serious heat to Cold Leader's 'Wont' You Be With Me' before paying homage themselves with the almighty 'Cold Leader'. What a package; this transcends the generations.

Review: Fokuz Recordings presents part 1 of the Soul Trader compilation. Four tracks from the new frontier of liquid drum n' bass, welcoming artists such as Subliminal, Humanature, Phaction and Ill Truth to the fore. Designed reeses and growls writhe and duck around snappy neuro beats on this one, with lead tune 'Around The World' working said elements around a lyrical lonesomeness. A low-key fave of ours is also 'Hollow Game', blending wicked vocal science with vinyl-crackly beat-slaps.

Review: It's Norway meets Holland on the latest instalment of Tommy The Cat's all-out full strength junglistic series Cat In The Bag as Msymiakos joins the fray with a few pals in the mix. 'Survival' (with Algorithmic) kicks the EP off with widescreen breaks and raw energy while 'Dangerous' (with Dial M) eases us in a lot more gently before the swashbuckling breakbeats whip up a frenzy. Flip for two bash-abouts from Tommy himself; 'Reflection Of Sound' is a shimmering, dubby affair while 'Split Second' cranks the reverb up to the maximum and sends us down a long dark tunnel. The cat's whiskers.

Review: This today orange marbled vinyl from Rupture's The Planet series goes deep into outer space. It is stylish drum & bass from a trio of top talents who take one cut each. Voytek goes first with the drilling bass and skittish percussion of his 'Reach' which has crisp drums and heady pads floating up top. First up on the flipside is Djinn's 'Tempest' which is more heavy, with crashing breakbeats and edgy chords keeping you in suspense in a somewhat paranoid cosmic world. Type's 'Hummer' brings things to a close in dark, broody, minimal fashion.

Review: ASC is an absolute don whether crafting ambient or drum & bass or whatever in between. Here he is on the Spatial label which was set up with a strict ethos and devotion to mid-90s vibes that take in breakbeats, luscious pads, heavy 808 bass and a 160 bpm tempo. ASC opens the EP with a tried and tested amen banger with classic chop and splice techniques. 'Nectar' is then dark and tense yet brilliantly alluring and 'Flashback' takes you back to the heart of a strobe-lit and gritty dance floor in the 90s. The icing on the cake is 'Hindsight' with its spaced-out sounds and jittery cymbals locking you in for the thrilling ride.

Review: It's been a great year for LSB fans. Not only did he drop his nameless album a few months back, he's now returning to Spearhead, a label where it all began for him almost 15 years ago. Each cut smoky, heavy and tapping back to that classic golden era liquid flavour, there's a strong sense of Creative Source in the air as Luke Beavon goes in on those timeless flavours. The dusty jazz licks of 'Tango Belt' and the big bumping, flute-firing 'Ghost Dub' are just two of the many highlights.

Review: Drum n' bass picture discs are a rare treat, and a sensitive medium at that. Laying our grubby hands on one of these could be like touching a fortress made of feathers, but it's all worth it for the music contained therein. Suburban Base welcome four pushers both old and new to their latest V/A EP here, opting for dry, jump-up drum n' bass emphasising clean subs, filtered guitar lines and summer-of-soul vocal licks.

Review: German techno DJ and producer Rene Pawlowitz has kept up their experimental Hoover series going for a solid three years now. A fascinating take on jungle from the frame of reference that is techno, it serves as a pretty perfect example of one genre being 'looked in on' by another. The fifth instalment in the series here sees a further two tunes added to the pot; 'Track 1' reminds us of the scratchy and dry wonk of John T Gast, while 'Track 2' dizzys us with rather mind-boggling breaks cut-ups and restructurings.

Review: The second chapter? Two serious cakes? Time suddenly ceased? Trevor said cool? Nobody knows what TSC stands for but we all know what BCee stands for - Terrific sonics, consistently. This one is especially terrific as he goes super deep and emotional over a largely instrumental EP that makes 200 releases on Spearhead. Tapping back to his original sample-heavy sound, highlights include the soaring strings on 'God Fixation' and the sliding, gliding, sunny-side vibes of 'TSC'. Totally sick, comrades.

Review: Suburban Base have recently shed light on the significance of the likes of Undercover Agent, Daz, Juice Records and Splash Recordings, four titans of oldskool jungle whose influence holds weight even today. This special edition picture disc, showcasing four tracks representing Splash's discog, revives two tracks from Daz and UA respectively, maximizing and mastering their already masterful analog groovework and breakwork. Watch out for 'Identity', which is by far the weirdest and hardest tune on there.

Review: Ruff Cherry will be a name known to hardcore underground heads as a techno artist. The elusive producer has been hiding away for a while but now for the first time since 2017 is back on Midgar, this time with drum & bass sounds. These four cuts are half-time bombs with apocalyptic textures and devastating basslines that belie the fact they are a first outing in this genre. The Cork-based producer's first tune is 'Pass Real' with its dark bass and tech-step style. 'Livingdoom' has minimal rhythms and drilling bass that locks you into a groove as frazzled synths spray about with menace. After the pressurised eeriness of 'Tricky Dice' with its desolate industrial feel, 'Ruff Experience' closes down with battle-ready drums and vast bass. What a ride.

Review: Following last year's '3 Gold Chains', UK new-gen classicist Phineus II returns to Deep Jungle with this quartet of timeless jungle jams. As with his previous output (especially on Green Bay Wax), the feels and aesthetic is fully foundation and wholly authentic with an analogue warmth and rich distortion in all the right places. Flavours for everyone, as always... 'Peggy' and 'Knockout Noels' for the dreamers and jazz weavers, 'Boomerang Ragga' and 'Dog & Bone' for those 3AM face melters. Heavyweight.

Review: Detach Recordings is proud to present their third EP, 'In Order To See' by Nekyia. Following releases on re:st, UVB-76 and Voidance Records, the Italian producer further explores his introspective sound, joining the dots between experimental psychedelia, dark ambient and post-drum&bass. Opening with the heavy, drone-driven 'Meta' and 'Leave Your Flesh Behind', the pace soon quickens with 'Breaches', a driving 170bpm collaboration with Books (re:st, Detuned Transmissions). The pressure increases on the B-side with a fierce remix by Sam KDC (Auxiliary, Samurai, Sublunar). The EP closes with 'Form Constants', a 2017 dub unavailable until now.

Review: Back to 93! This I-D reissue zips back almost 30 years for a white knuckle exploration of the hardcore crossover when things were getting faster and faster and jungle was beginning to take shape. Both cuts here tug hard on the raving shoes as 'Back From Hell' boosts us a century forward in time on a rocket made of breaks while 'The Tomb' is a dark odyssey of mentasms and acid swirls. Hectic. See you on the poop deck.