Dubstep Recommendations March 2011

Review: Pangaea's bruising take on bass music has always enchanted us here at Juno, and we're pleased to see the producer return to the Hessle Audio imprint he runs with David Kennedy for the label's 17th release. A Side cut "Inna Daze" is the big one here, with freaky vocal snippets expertly arranged amongst the crisp metallic drums which form a quick paced rhythmic backbone. No wonder Kennedy (aka Pearson Sound, Ramadanman and Maurice Donovan) picked it up for his upcoming Fabriclive mix. Flip over for "Won't Hurt", an uncompromising encounter marked by demented mechanical strings and frenetic shuffling percussion.

Review: Sam Shackleton's "Deadman" was the surprise hit of his recent Fabric mix - a sought-after gem that took his particular take on techno and dubstep in a thrilling new direction. Now, it's finally available on vinyl, alongside an impressive King Midas Sound remix from Kevin Martin. "Deadman" itself is the one for club plays, an intoxicating fusion of conga-led percussion - influenced, one expects, by the tropical beats of UK funky's most forward-thinking practitioners - and his usual densely layered atmospherics. The King Midas Remix, meanwhile, offers a spaced-out, heavily ambient take that delights and confuses in equal measure.

Review: High profile dubstep production team Magnetic Man (aka Skream, Benga and Artwork) may soon be joining the realm of Russian oligarchs and Arab billionaires - they're on the verge of buying Surrey non-league footy side Farliegh Rovers - but they take some time out from negotiations to release this 12" on their own imprint. "Getting Nowhere" featuring John Legend was one of the most languid moments on the popstep trio's chart busting debut album, and the original mix appears here alongside remixes from Breakage and Skream. Four our money it's the skittering tribal drums and trancey synths of Skream's version that stands out as the EP's finest moment.

Review: James Blake's debut album is undoubtedly one of 2011's most keenly awaited releases, and its arrival via his own (major label funded) Atlas imprint ensures their is no lull in momentum for a producer who enjoyed a watershed 2010 with releases on Hessle Audio and R&S. The results here differ wildly from his previous sonic excursions - gone are the shimmering R&B soaked melodies of "CMYK" and the sheer experimentalism of the Klavierwerke EP, which saw the young Londoner depart from the confines of the dancefloor and enter a realm where there was only a passing reference to rhythm-based music. Instead we are treated to Blake's own yearning, raw voice, delicate pianos and an underlying sense of melancholy. Ubiquitous single "Limit To Your love" and the crackly sonic terrain evoked on "The Wilhelm Scream" are among the most immediately pleasing moments, but there is much to explore here. It's a fascinating opus and surely the catalyst to a long and fruitful career at the top.

Review: Not content with dropping the delirious "Deadman", Sam Shackleton offers up another must-have release in the shape of this expansive double pack. Lead cut "Fireworks" is classic Shackleton - a skittering dubstep/dub techno fusion that makes delicious use of echo-laden congas, foreboding noises and distant, Middle Eastern melodies. It's utterly spellbinding. T++ remixes, delivering a ricocheting dub take. On the second disc, Shackleton reveals "Undeadman", a kind of bizzaro universe mix of "Deadman". It's pleasingly creepy, working odd samples and strange found sound around a solid, dancefloor-friendly rhythm. Flip for an excellent remix from Mordant Music, which makes brilliant use of a live dub bassline.

Review: Swedish duo L Wiz gets the honour of the first Joker-less Kapsize release, and positively thrives in the spotlight. "Straightjacket" is vintage Kapsize, delivering heavyweight drama via the slowly rising synth menace which accrues a schizophrenic, jagged edge as the track, driven by punching industrial drum snaps, edges towards a future digital flex. Despite this, it's the b side weight of "4.42 OZ" which truly impresses, as woozy R n B synths tinged with neon soaked sadness flutter over the lazy metallic half step stutter. Killer synth freakout in the mid section!

Review: Just when you thought you had Al Bleek and Damon Drama's Non Plus sorted, they go and make a sharp diversion and take you somewhere completely different. The destination? LOL. And no, that's not a joke. A teaser for their forthcoming album Me Me, the tracklist reads a little like an Alice In Wonderland list of instructions or perhaps a seductive dance; "Squeeze Me" kicks off with sinuous R&B style vocals and enticing synths with a slow, lolhloping half step rhythm, which inevitably drags you in deep like a tidal current of sound, while "Face Me" follows a languid 4/4 drum pattern drenched in late night synths. "Dare Me", up next, mirrors the sonic palette with shimmering, spaced out atmospherics and more glorious, syrup sweet lyrics. Visceral and rather enthralling, it bears the hallmarks of nocturnal dance music with throbbing b-line and infectious, enveloping synth-work, but with an underlying pop/R&B sensibility that shines through the darkness. Crackly, droning atmospherics sit beneath ice cold bleeps on finale "White Noise". A far cry from much of the recent Non Plus output for sure, but a remarkable release nonetheless which we urge you to get your teeth into.