Back catalogue: Deep Dubstep

Review: New Zealander Akcept is arguably rather representative of his home country's unique approach to bass music, offering up a string of releases for the likes of Modern Hypnosis, Amar and Moonshine that fuse dubstep and UK dub rhythms with audible references to techno and roots music. He's at it again on this superb new single, first combining African percussion, pitched down vocal samples, deep dubstep rhythms, weighty bass and dub effects on A-side club cut "Cambridge Road". He stays closer to experimental dub territory on flipside "Over & Out", where sparse drum hits and metallic dub trails combine with an unashamedly heavy sub-bass motif and Melodica samples to devastating effect.

Review: Blind Prophet & Ishan Sound come together for their first pan-atlantic collaboration here in what is a fine return to the ZamZam label. The pair first met in Portland in 2019 and so it's good to finally have some sounds to get stuck into from their meeting of minds. 'The Labyrinth' kicks off with hefty and stepping drum rhythms that are overlaid by bright synth lines and mystic flutes. The interloping melodies and a menacing bassline finish it in style. On the flip, things get much more dark with 'Minotaur Dub' which is a shadowy world of refracting drums and oodles of reverb and echo. There is a predatory sense to the rhythm that never lets up as fizzing bass pries every deep into the dead of night.

Review: War Remix brings together Bukkha, Dubbing Sun, Kol Ee and Family Tree Sound for a deep, bass-heavy reimagining of reggae and dub. The track is built around atmospheric grooves that flex with a blend of electronic textures and organic instrumentation and there's an undeniable urgency in the mix, with each artist adding their own layersiwhether it's the skittering percussion, dubbed-out vocals, or deep sub-bass that keeps everything moving forward. It's a remix that feels grounded in the roots of dub but pushes into new territory, a space where tradition meets innovation. Expect a sound that hits hard on the dancefloor but leaves room for introspection too. This release adds something fresh for fans of experimental reggae and dub, with enough of the old school to keep it connected.

Review: ZAMZAM goes bang bang once again as the dutty dubstep label hits release number 80. Cause keeps it utterly filthy on the a-side with 'Hiss,' a heavyweight nobler with a menacing bassline that's so fat it wiggles as it walks. Crashing hits and sci-fi synth motifs make this a most astral crawler. 'Palms' has whirring synths and a bassline curried oceans below. Freaky vocal sounds are haunting and dark and add tension to the track as it prowls along through an utter wasteland. Atmospheric stuff, to be sure.

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: Since launching in 2014, Portland's ZamZam Sounds imprint has offered up a string of beautifully packaged seven-inch singles from a mixture of big hitters and rising stars from the global bass music scene. Their latest missive comes from Dayzero, a Japanese dubstep producer best known for his outings on Wheel & Deal, Sentry and, most recently, Vomitspit. The two tracks here are weighty, intergalactic and otherworldly, mixing dub style rhythms with the kind of angular, razor-sharp sub-bass motifs more often associated with dancefloor dubstep. Both cuts are quality, though it's rolling A-side "Orbit Dub" - all lolloping dub beats, wobble bass, metallic effects and paranoid aural textures - that really stands out.

Review: Dark dubstep allstar Dayzero first came to out attention with 'Allca', where they pitted themselves alongside contemporaries Gantz or Coki in their unique displays of wonk and lo-fi production techniques. 'Pages' and 'Sen' continue this charge; watery, knocky and psychopathic, both tunes sound like a tank trudging through sludge. Militant and gritty.

Review: ZamZam is proud to present two exclusive tracks from Hungarian/Bristolian producer Peter Simon aka DJ Madd (now residing in Tokyo). Known worldwide for his infectious brand of roots/reggae-heavy dubstep, he has released on crucial bass-centric labels such as Moonshine, Black Box, the legendary WAR series of white labels, and his own Roots & Future imprint. DJ Madd is regularly featured on Rinse FM and BBC Radio, and has been championed by influential DJs from Mary Anne Hobbs to Skream and Breakage. "Lone Soldier Dub" showcases Simon's mastery of space and bass-weight in the service of classic dub principles. A gorgeous synth melody reminiscent of 1970s sci-fi future dreams opens and frames this instant, epic classic. The dynamic interplay of spacious reverbs and ricocheting percussion echoes, isolated skanks and absolutely massive low end are mesmerizingifamiliar in their simplicity and structure, but beguiling and hypnotic in their subtlety and system-pushing sonic clarity. A martial riddim drives "Thru Hell Dub" like a transport through a stricken, vaporized battlefield. Simon's signature gargantuan bass and syncopated, razor-sharp percussion build and release tension while a haunted synth figure accompanies us through the bleak landscape of war. As usual DJ Madd's restraint is as powerful as his control of frequencies and intuitive sense of what makes a great sound system tune. Heavy wares for your next dub dance. Edition of 500 copies in hand-printed sleeves.

Review: Zam Zam Sounds keep up the pressure with their fifth transmission so far this year (and 20th overall) and welcome Berlin-based soldiers Dub War and Infra into the fold with If It's Not The Police. Formerly a duo consisting of Benny Ill and Bill Robin, this 7" is the first release with the latter working solo under the guise and also his first collaboration with Marius Braun aka Infra. As with previous Zam Zam drops, the roots of dub culture are retained with If It's Not The Policea with a vocal cut backed by a dub rendition. Deep studio science and sound design paired with classic dub aesthetics, dubstep bass-weight, and halftime garage swing are very much in effect here and we hope this is the first of many collabs between the pair.

Review: While much of Dubkasm's output tends towards the warmer, cheerier and more soulful end if the digital reggae and digi-dub spectrum, the Bristol duo's ZamZam Sounds debut is a far weightier, hazier and more spaced-out affair, informed more by a blend of floor-focused UK steppers and dub techno. In its original A-side form, 'Mighty Designer' adds fluttering lead lines, echo-laden flutes, feverish aural textures and eyes-closed spoken word vocals to a punchy-but-bouncy beat and a raw, stabbing bassline. The flipside 'Almighty Version' is a more skeletal, dub style affair, with a more metallic-sounding rhythm track ushering in a bolder and more sub-heavy tweak of the bassline, echoing electronics and all manner of trippy, hallucinatory flourishes.

Review: It would be fair to say that Sphearic, the label helmed by occasional Mental Groove artist Jerome Doudet AKA The Dude of Strosphear, is Thailand's foremost outpost of electronic bass music. Admittedly, it's a small field, but it's still something to boast about. Here the "Dude" kick-starts 2018 with a tasty seven-inch featuring two tracks constructed alongside local turntablist DJ To Ru. His on-point scratches are woven in to the fabric of both "Bailan Break", a stuttering and punchy dubstep roller rich in redlined bass and exotic Thai instrumental flourishes, and flipside "Uchu Daikaiju No Ballad". This hot-stepping cut is closer in tone to experimental instrumental hip-hop - check the classic MC vocal samples - but happily retains the weightiness of dubstep and a hint of Far Eastern exotica.

Review: The connection between ZamZam and Feel Free Hi Fi was sparked by Bristolian Neek out in Portland and lead to an immediate bond forged over a shared sound and DIY ethos. Inspired by early digi-era dancehall and UK dub, the duo crafts a sound here that honours tradition while venturing into bold, idiosyncratic territory. It comes on their own Digital Sting label and opens with 'Voyageur' which is a mix of cinematic atmospherics with haunting synths that evoke wild and mythic landscapes. 'Underground' pays tribute to the spirit of DIY underground music and captures the struggle to preserve both nature and the essence of basement gigs in today's shifting cultural landscape.

Review: Highly limited and sonically stunning, this special 7" taken from Gabriel's Raggabass Resistance album, neither of these versions have seen the light of day before. And, according to the label, they're not likely to see it after this limited press. Gabriel's own version is authentic dub to the very core: rich organic instrumentation, a huge spacious bass and full emphasis on the groove. Dim Mak's Ming and Lee Perry's own Subatomic Sound System provide the contemporary version; squidgy, squelchy and full of surprises, it's a neat reminder of dubstep's innate funkiness. We're luvin' it!

Review: Finnish film composer Headrooms makes his debut on Dutch beat institution Groove College. Graduating with distinction, both cuts sparkle with dreamy, densely textured soul while slouching on beautifully slo-mo breakbeats. "Pillow Talk" is straight out the Nightmares On Wax playback; all emotional and string-laced. "Silly Chats" looks more towards the smokier trip-hop sound of the early 90s (think Cold Cut or very early Shadow) with the same great laidback effect. An immaculate debut.

Review: Uprising Sounds returns to Indica with a powerful original and even heavier version. "Militant Dub" leads heavily on the main synth line that's almost oriental in its allure and mysticism. As the title suggests, the rhythm is persistent and just on the right side of rigid to maintain the essential funk. "Dub The Bass" is a much deeper exploration of the low end as the warping bass is allowed to turn itself inside out as the track progresses. Standard Indica procedure: only 500 have been pressed.

Review: Their anonymity still impressively intact, no one knows who the London/Berlin partnership behind these left side dubwise slices are, but everyone is loving them. Having showcased aspects of jungle and classic dub on the previous outings, this Record Store Day special explores both hip-hop culture and very early techno flavours... "Track 1" dusts off an old soul gem, strips it back and slows it right down. "Track 2", meanwhile, retains an element of b-boy flavour thanks to the cool scratches, but its bassy body and lo-fi groove screams classic Bleep, Coldcut or Unique 3. Both are genuinely unique.

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: Leeds bass man Jack Sparrow aka J Sparrow serves strictly limited, carefully designed and screen printed 7" on Zam Zam. He is one of the enduring stalwarts of the UK scene having turned out plenty of killer dubstep and bass gems over the last 15 years plus. He also runs Navy Cut and has landed on Deep Mehdi and Tectonic, adn as this one proves is still knocking it out of the park. These are classically informed tunes, with 'Behold' marrying a ice melody with bulbous bass and deep lyrics. 'Paradise Bird' is another prime slice of 140 bpm weighty minimalism for the best sound systems.

Review: East London MC Jus Rival teams up with Camden's Joe Fire here for a hard-hitting new track 'G.M.S (Gun Man Sound).' Following their previous collaboration on 'Dangerous Settings,' the duo builds on their undeniable chemistry for another explosive release with some serious low-end heft. Produced by grime heavyweight Spooky Bizzle, the brass-laced instrumental provides the perfect backdrop for both MCs to shine and Jus Rival opens with a catchy hook and sharp bars, while Joe Fire takes over with a playful, yet commanding verse. Accompanied by a slick visual directed by Honey JD,tihs one is defined by its dynamic delivery and relentless energy.

Review: Mystica Tribe's 'Ido' is a rare treat for fans of steppers and dub techno, fusing the two into a neatly synthetic stew. The Japanese producer is known for his unique blend of dub and electronica, which he infuses with traditional Japanese music influences. 'Ido' sounds to morph a reggae staple instrument - the melodica - into something else entirely, perhaps a physically modelled Shakuhachi. The J-dub player brings up the B with a 'Renren version', with the word meaning "flowing like tears, or a river" - the track mirrors this, focusing solely on the on-beat with its rapid delays and cascading hi-hats.

Review: The Plymouth soundsystem and collective known as No Ice Cream Sound take their namesake after the historic Johnny Osbourne song 'No Ice Cream Sound', which hears one of the many most popular faces and voices of reggae decry "ice cream sound", his shorthand for tunes and soundboys who'd dare soften the original intended rawness of roots music. Here the boys take a thousand-watt megabulb to a gelato the size of a glacier with 'This & That', which hears residents Charlie P and Jman go back to back, trading verses and rhythms in a soundsystemic pattern. Fusing influences of both rubadub and roots, the two versions featured here are truly twin whirlwinds, not for slackened belts by any stretch.

Review: Lapo & Ago, alongside the rest of the mighty Numa Crew, are responsible for some of the most crucial, addictive, and classic 140 material in the history of the scene. Tunes on Moonshine and Killa Sound such as "Youth Pon The Corner," "Everytime" (as Numa Crew), "Dreadlock Blues," and Ago's "So Mi Seh" on Innamind are stone cold classics that haven't left many selectors' boxes since release. After a long pandemic-enforced hiatus, ZamZam returns with our 83rd release, offering two more future classics for the global dubwise sound system massive, on 7" vinyl- the original sound system format.

Review: OM Unit makes his ZamZam Sounds debut with two tracks that flaunt plenty of power, weight and punch.
A-side track 'Armageddon Style' wraps a prodding, full spped steppers-style rhythm in swirling seas of sparkling synths to great effect, while the slow-stepping 'Mystik 808' on the B goes heavier on the bassline and echo chambers, for what feels like a slower offering, if no less intense.

Review: Soundsystem legend Mark Iration links up with new school stepper and producer Adam Prescott for this standout single on Zamzam. Following up Prescott's last single 'Fear' with Macka B in 2017 - and the most recent documentary on Iration Steppas by Dubquake Records - comes this first single on vinyl in 5 years, since the latter artist's mega limited wax on Dub-Stuy. 'Acid Storm' is a rough dubsteppers' honker, as fitting for any tatted-up DJ's DMZ set as it is for sub-hugging at Leeds' West Indian Centre. Glitching piano stabs separate this one from the rest, and herald the B-side: 'Year3000 Style' stomps away even harder, zooming in on that snare's insane spring delay.

Review: Bokeh Versions' long-running partnership with Jamaica's Duppy Gun label continues via a tasty new single from rising star RDL - a honey-voiced vocalist who has appeared on a number of killer dancehall cuts in recent years - and producer DJ Smurphy. The latter's riddim for 'Streets' - available in tweaked instrumental form later in the EP - is simply superb, with dreamy electronic chords and blissful, synth-pop influences melodies rising above a powerful, sub-heavy bassline and light-touch dancehall beats. RDL's half-spoken, half-sung patois vocals are simply superb, too, on both the original mix and the tougher, more riddim-focused flipside 'Club Mix'. There aren't many of these around, so act fast if you want to secure one of the 250 copies available worldwide.

Review: Here's something to set the pulse racing: a first three-way collaboration between Young Echo collective members Rider Shafique, Ishan Sound and Kahn on consistently good Portland label ZamZam Sounds. "When Shall We Rise" is little less than a modern dancefloor dub masterpiece: a fine chunk of fusion in which Middle Eastern instrumentation and pro-working class/anti-elite vocals rise above a pitched down, steppers style riddim, echoing keyboard riffs and a booming digital bassline. Flipside "When Shall We Dub" is, if anything, even better, with exotic instrumentation echoing into the distance while a beefed-up version of the killer riddim rumbles away below.

Review: Raving romancers Schlachthofbronx creep out of their Munich hidey hole with two system wallopers for Zam Zam Sounds. Taking off where 'Dun Dem' left us in 2018, there's a real industrial weight to 'Akkord' as a bulging bassline, steel foundry clangs and a rainbow of risers lead us into the big skank payoff. 'Shell' on the flip is a grumpier affair; classic heavily reverbed drums, a manic siren and rim shots galore, this won't so much as turn heads but twist them right off.

Review: Two of Lion Charge's biggest floor-flatteners from 2014 get the version treatment; "Electrocution Dub" enjoys a sugar-sweet VIP that retains the all the sun-kissed melody and charm of the original while D Operation Drop's "Rockin' Da Nation" undergoes the ruthless chops of Sound Control as they twist more emphasis on the bulbous bass with paying respect to Idren Natural's rhythmic vocalising. Full charge ahead.

Review: Vinyl-only imprint ZamZam Sounds is edging towards 100 releases and will surely hit that milestone at some point in 2024. This is release number 94 and comes courtesy of Innamind alumni and South London sorts Traces. A-side 'No One (Can Tell I)' is the more obviously dub-minded of the pair, with echoing vocal snippets, delay-laden drum machine cymbals and percussive hits riding a skeletal, sub-heavy 'riddim' that adds dubstep swing to a 21st century dub groove. Over on the flip, 'Listen' is a more orthodox dubstep workout - all jaunty but moody grime style stabs, fiendish wobble bass and hot-steppin' South London beats. As usual, the seven-inch is ultra-limited and comes housed in a hand-printed sleeve.

Review: Seafront International returns with some classic roots sounds from U Brown with a dub from Jah Warrior. Recorded at Conscious Sounds studio in London 2001, the sounds are stripped down to raw bass and drum dynamics by producer Jah Warrior who was clearly intent on allowing his work to be a personal platform for U Brown to offer up his own lyrical expressions and his musical messages. It's a track delivered with energy and serious focus and will sound best nice and loud.

Review: ZamZam Sounds present the latest release from esteemed dubstep illusionist V.I.V.E.K.. The label are quick to note him, amongst a select few others in the OG dubstep pantheon, as one of a few apostolic names to shine an especially novel light on the scene, notably perhaps due to his hosting of the much-loved System club night series. Now building on the accrual of over 20 years' worth of dubstep experience, comes 'Illusions', which self-admittedly goes to the "bedrock of soundsystem music" to deliver a power-stepper of galactic proportions. The title track gleams with exceptional understanding of the dubstep genome, its expositional 16 bars echoing early Deep Medi in not immediately privileging huge snares or snaggletooth mid-basses, but rather miring the listener deeply and accessibly into a simple kick pattern and mesmeric droplet synth, proving dubstep's malleability. The raw version amps this up even further, adding a master sonic blacksmith's ear to the snares and hats, and bringing crazed, quicksilvery tail modulations to the drum design as though the DAW were a floor-fired crucible.

Review: ZamZam 82 is a first ever collaboration with another label and it is the nighty Dubquake Records from Geneva who get involved on this special cut. The story goes that 'She Solid' was born when Dubquake's Rico and Steph played Nazamba the Von D instrumental while driving in the Alps. He was immediately struck with inspiration and began writing in the car. It's a tight, bubbling tune with clean, modern bass and shiny synths as well as tumbling toms and oodles of reverb. The dub is taken in more weird and tripped out dictions thanks to some mad nob twiddling.

Review: Master beat maker Al Wootton debuts on Zam Zam with a pair of typically essential new dubs and reggae-inspired rhythms. This limited edition 7" comes in a screen-printed sleeve and offers two very different sounds. 'Every Knee Shall Bow' is a high pressure and uptempo track with rippling dub chords over chunky Afro drum patterns and with plenty of sci-fi effects fleshing it out. On the reverse, 'Every Tongue Confess' slows things down, invites you to lay horizontal and get lost in some superbly edgeless dub grooves. These are pure dubwise sound system steppers.