Back catalogue: Drum & Bass / Jungle

Review: Shogun Audio's limited edition black series is back with more of that addictive 12" crack. This is an eighth volume of their Shrunken series and another classy various artists affair. GLXY get things rolling, literally, with their soulful roller 'New Soul' complete with meditative vocals. Koherent's 'Endless Haze' is another beautifully deft and deep drum & bass seducer with angelic vocal hints and Linguistics, Dogger & Mindstate then come through with the optimistic chords and mindful bars of 'Change' feat Blind Mic. Gest leaves a darker taste with the more tense 'Shame.'

Review: Super-techy three-track jungle business from Sub Code Records, welcoming producers Lavery and Bow Street Runner for an "extremely limited" 12" pressing. Lying somewhere on the interstice of ragga and technical jungle - with a few soul and breakdance samples thrown in - we start off with the ruff sampleage of Lavery's 'Dead Soundboy', which happily chops and changes between pleasingly stereo'ed breaks and halfstep toasted breakdowns. The bread doesn't come out burnt, with Bow Street Runner's 'Butterfly Bass' grilling things just right, with its militant dancehall acapellas and no-holds-barred laserblasts leaving us hardly prepared for the track's sudden soul interjection. The collaborative closer 'My Yout' is by far the wickedest sound, with an untreated flute trill and entrancing break chop bottling a dubious mood; the listener is squarely placed in the narrative position of the yute in question, whom we gather is in the midst of being ordered to pass the rudeboy...

Review: Law & Auder's latest release, Big It Up/Boomstick, is a two-track EP that showcases their unique blend of jungle and liquid drum and bass. The A-side, 'Big It Up,' is a high-energy track with a fun, reggaeton-inspired melody and plenty of samples. The B-side, 'Boomstick,' is a more atmospheric track with an eerie melody, a big Amen break, and a deep, throbbing bassline. Law And Auder's production skills and their ability to create music that is both danceable and thought-provoking. This record gives major old skool hardcore vibes.

Review: The Craft Music label is back after a one year break with some fresh new cuts by resident Marco Lazovic. It's an EP inspired by the sound of the English club scene in the nineties and noughties, labels like Good Looking Records and artists such as Mike Millrain. Opener 'Losin Control' sure is a compelling mix of electro and breaks that soars on cosmic lines with euphoric vocals in the distance. 'Come To London' has a distinctly garage feel to it with its crisp broken beats and there is more high energy but melody-rich breakbeat action in 'Dark Gravity' while 'Space Jazzy' is s super sweet and deep jungle cruiser.

Review: Topping up V Recordings' 'Legends' series - which has so far had the likes of Dillinja and Roni Size in tow - 'Cold Chillin' is their latest hark-back-to-the-oldskool, this time centring on a set of long-gestating and unheard tracks by another drum & bass legend, Lemon D. Unlike the focus on well-known versions espoused by the series prior, these two are brand new bits. 'Cold Chillin' and 'Get Loaded' pull no punches in conveying their twin worlds of utter mayhem, scouring the wastes for any leftover semblance of a breaks chop or dark vocal shout.

Review: Liquid Silk and Thumbs take two tunes each, one on either side of this new 12" from the fledgling Sonic Force label. It arrives in mega limited quantities and is a hot platter, to say the least: Liquid Silk's 'Arptazia' opens up with edgy and restless loops of busted beats and flapping snares, glassy meodies and distant pads that swirl round to bring some soul. Thumbzo brings some jazzy depths to his stylish 'Levitation' while the B-side opens up with another clatter of drums and percussion from Liquid Silk with his 'Visions' which eventually comes to life with some mellifluous and magical keys. Thumbzo is left to shut down with the dusty jungle breakbeats and sci-fi pads of 'Infinite'.

Review: Logistics is one of the most enduring and legendary names in the drum & bass game by now, and the Hospital label is just as mighty, so a coming together of the two is always going to be special - extra special when its on a nice transparent yellow 12". First up is 'Taste' with T-Man and it's a big tune with moody mic work up top and crisp breakbeats down low. 'End Sequence' is high speed thriller with sleek drums and hits and busy cosmic leads while 'Dawn' is another collab, this time with SOLAH bring some spine tingling and soulful vocals to a smoother roller. Lastly, 'Faded' brings the EP to an end with another deep cut with melancholic leads and tender vocal sounds.

Review: The pairing of LSB and DRS is up there with wine and cheese. Having smashed 2015 with "The View", the pair return with another beautiful, emotion-soaked gem "Missing You". With its soft pianos and space for DRS to ruminate, it's another soulful smash that will stand the test of time. "Tumult" shows the complete flip of LSB's ever-perennial skills as he rolls out a darkside roller with a serious hurricane bassline that's powerful enough to take you back to the 2001. With his debut album around the corner, both tracks do well to remind you just how on-point LSB is.