Critical Music Vinyl & CDs

Review: We shouldn't need to hype Critical Music up to you too much - the label is a true staple of underground drum & bass after all. Even so, it's exciting to see two powerful forces coming together, and Coco Bryce remains at the top of his game bowling onto this EP for the London imprint with the cheekily titled Nirwana EP. The title track is a delicate, melancholic affair with some smart vocal snippets arranged into an emotive framework before we drop into some outstanding Apache chops. 'Pull Up' meanwhile offers its own distinctive flair with jazzy key licks sprinkled in the breakdown before a coolly dispatched Think break kicks in across the mix. There are ravier synth stabs at work on 'Daze Of Our Lives' and 'Life Changed' lets a little dub slip into the mix, not least thanks to the proper sub line rounding out the bottom end of this typically classy joint with that distinctive Bryce flair about it.

Review: After 16 years as a DJ and label owner, Kasra only released his debut EP in 2018. Now he's dropping albums dripping in high grade collabs. Gardna, Riko Dan, Yaano, Slay, VISLA, Killa P, T Man and Enei all play a role in this gully-fest as the Critical bossman rolls out a session of timeless styles. Highlights include the A.W.O.L style dark stepper 'Platinum', the Digital Soundboy flavoured 'Shatter' and the mesmerising smash of 2023 - 'BB.OO'. Dreamy. .