Juno Recommends Dubstep: November 2022

Review: Sometime Tempa family member J:Kenzo made his first appearance on ZamZam Sounds three years ago, aligning his hazy trademark sound with the label's next-generation dub ethos via the echoing deep dubstep brilliance of 'Kingston Hot' and 'Concrete Jungle'. This belated follow-up is, perhaps surprisingly, far more forthright, with 'Traverse' offering an energetic, low-slung mix of post-steppers dancefloor drums, layered tribal style hand percussion, deep sub-bass, hot-stepping dubstep breaks and trippy, echoing noises. The fun continues on the flip, where the Kent-born producer brilliantly blurs the boundary between two-step, deep dubstep and the squeezable sonics of dub techno.

Review: This is how it all began! Coco Bryce and Saturate take us back to 2011 with this deliciously wacky 80bpm halftime couplet. 'Honeymoon' takes us on a wonky MIDI mission with stacks of drama and feeling while 'Wonk' is pure off-the-wall bleep art. Never before released on vinyl, both cuts carry a certain sense of late 2000s nostalgia while remaining so unique they still bump hard today. Feel the love!

Review: Bristol's Foundation Audio label has dropped a couple of slabs of wax this month, and this limited edition 10" is one of them from the eponymous production team. It's a direct-to-dance floor two-track offering limited to just 300 copies but not limited in the damage it will do. There is a real tropical heat and r&b steaminess to 'One In A Million' thanks to its well-placed and frankly iconic 90s sample from Aaliyah. The flipside tune 'I'm Going Down' is again built around a brilliant r&b sample that wrenches at the heartstrings while hefty kicks and menacing low-end wobble build around the vocals. Two killers, for sure.

Review: Chad Dubz's Foundation Audio label outta Bristol remains a leading light in the bass, sound system and dubstep scene. This time out it is Kroomen and Somah who pair up for some mysterious late-night transmissions designed to rattle the walls. 'Kaba Rhythm' manages to be both light and airy yet dark and heavy all at once, with some Eastern melodies leading you ever deeper into the shadows. 'Sub 37' is all lurching kicks and skittish perc with twisted metallic textures and 'Heavy Smoke' is a slow and purposeful rhythm that takes its time to lure you in. It's golden-era dubstep that is as atmospheric as it is inviting.