Juno Recommends Dubstep August 2020

Review: At long last. While world events have left his last certy gold bangers like "Rikers", "Jungle Kitchen" and "Dyrge" seem like they're now from a whole other age, the enigmatic Commodo returns with more essential dark dreams. Each cut hits with that uneasy sense of mystique and soul; "Loan Shark" flings out strange but strong rays of light so it can skulk along in its own deep shadows, "Contraband" lures us deeper into the shadows with a fantastical narrative. Part Orient, part theatrical, there's a power in these unhurried, restrained hooks. Finally the heavier piece of the set; "Hot Pursuit". Much more brazen in its kicks and scattered industrial percussion shots, there's an off-grid funk rumbling away here and a western guitar twang strong enough to have you demanding duels with your nearest and dearest.

Review: Talk is cheap but these sounds are rich. A big moment from Ishan Sound as he lays down the smokiest of steppers beneath Dread MC and Rider Shafique. A true graveyard creeper loaded with enough feels to get the undead raising their lighters, it's one of the biggest 140 moments this side of lockdown. The vibes continue with a crisp instrumental and the sharper instrumental bumper "Red". Power sounds. Less talk, more listening.

Review: After establishing their reputation via a string of fine EPs on Osiris Music, Jamie Schildhauer and Paul White brought their Kaiju collaboration to Deep Medi Music for the first time in 2015. Here they return after a four-year absence with two typically paranoid, sub-heavy workouts. A-side "Fear No One" is particularly potent, with the pair peppering an ultra-deep, speaker-bothering bassline and crunchy dubstep beats with nightmarish noises, razor-sharp electronics and decidedly creepy motifs. The skanking dub flavour is a little more evident on flipside "Wils Fault", whose sharp, angry electronic flashes are countered by a lolloping groove, warm bassline and fluttering synth sounds.

Review: Bunker and Rygby collide with Riko Dan and Luciferian for two slabs of premium 140. "W.O.R.K" rolls up its sleeves from the off. Sporting serious fire bars from Riko, the message is clear - if you want something you've got to work for it. "British" has a more sobering note as Luciferian paints an honest picture of the UK and its many many frustrating foibles. Also included are two exceptional instrumentals that carry serious weight even without the MCs doing damage on them. Vinyl-only, don't sleep on this.

Review: If you're looking for some "militant dubstep bass weight" (as the accompanying hype sheet calls it), then we'd heartily recommend this limited-edition outing from Foundation Audio founder Chad Dubz and occasional label artist Quasar. They hit the ground running with creepy, atmospheric and spaced-out A-side "Fantomatique", where fizzing electronic noises, dubbed-out synth sounds and frankly foreboding audio textures drift around a tweaked wobble style bassline and head-nodding deep dubstep beats. Flipside "Vox Dub" is even more dubbed-out, with mangled, mutilated male vocal samples and echoing background chords weaving in and out of another bassbin-bothering, mind-altering late-night groove.

Review: It's a Nottingham thing as rising murksmith Daseplate twists up a few Window Kid jams on his Pond Life Party imprint. First up "Time", his recent bumping UKG flavoured piece, gets a string-laced grime twist switching up the bubbly feels of the original for something much darker. Deeper into the 12" we chomp for a super slimy twist on his 2016 collab with Bru-C "Five Pound Bet" before the boozy basher "Something Society" gets the most twisted version of the set with its melting synths and swaggering groove. Complete with an instrumental of "Time", Daseplate is on the money here. Make time for it.

Review: It's been a while since the last solo missive from Finland's premier dubstep producer - three years in fact - so this expansive double-pack on Innamind Recordings is undoubtedly well overdue. He begins via the skittish beats, deep sub-bass and expansive, deep space electronics of "Flo", before bouncing between the pummelling analogue bass and trippy layered vocal samples of "Trippin" and the deeper, echo and reverb-laden deep dubstep shuffle of "Float". Over on record two, "Swamp Dub" is a quietly positive chunk of liquid dubstep warmth; "Tarrot" is a slow, steady and insanely weighty chunk of future dub; and "Morning Glory Dub" is one of the finest chunks of ambient dub we've heard in 2020. Impressive stuff!

Review: Serious wax from Denver to Bristol: already a big deal digitally, Foundation Audio press up "Dusted" for some black matter murkery. Once again we find the Sub.mission resident getting busy with the fusions as strong notes of traditional dub, techno and dubstep all get the blend up. Right from the very start we're taken on a trip; the slimy 4x4 gutter funk of the title track kicks off the EP, the superb cosmic dubstep finale "If Not The Orb" brings us to the end with all unique shades in between. Essential even if you've already got the digis.

Review: Savage instrumental grime, cooked up in the gully way we've come to expect from Mean Streets. "Truth Or Die" raises the party game stakes for those who want to put their 2020 where their mouth is. Neck snap breaks and grunting bass, it's Trends and P Jam doing what they do best. Silas provides the tonic; "Mirage" is a swaggering slab of dubstep / 140 gold. Fans of that classic spacious Medi-style stuff from the late 2000s will be all over this. Looking forward to the second volume.