Metalheadz Vinyl & CDs

Review: Blocks & Escher are staples of the modern day Metalheadz roster, having released their debut album Something Blue on the label in 2018 alongside a steady run of singles since 2014. Now they're back to help toast 25 years of Goldie's inimitable imprint, and they're doing so with a new track entitled 'Bird' which carries on the thread of dynamic, modernist D&B they presented on their LP four years ago. On the flip comes a long-awaited treat as their track 'Madness', originally released on Platinum Breakz 4 in 2014, gets remastered and cut onto wax for the first time. It's been hugely in demand for such an outing, so don't expect this one to hang around for long.

Review: One of the most GOATed of GOATs, Nookie requires absolutely no introduction. And his fist album in over 15 years is an absolutely massive deal this year. Especially when it's on Metalheadz. And especially when it runs the whole Nookie gamut from house to jungle and features the supreme tones of songwriter du jour Ruth Royall. Here are just four examples as Headz gives us a little tease under the vinyl spotlight. The gutsy soul of 'Part Of Me', the timeless Chicago-style vibes of 'In Love' and the beguiling futurism of 'Over & Over', long may Nookie continue to reign.

Review: Scene veteram - if not downright originator - Nookie returns to Metalheadz with his latest offering, which as the title suggests, finds the London-based d&b producer embracing the creative process as a means of surprise and discovery. Nookie himself calls the tracks on Improvisions "the best I've ever written," and we'd be hard pushed to disagree. Ruth Royall becomes a central figure within the record's story, her voice ringing out over Nookie's jazz-laced, soul-drenched production on 'Part Of Me' especially. There is plenty of dancefloor energy to be found on the likes of 'Over & Over' as well, but vitally this is a d&b artist album from someone whose inspiration continues to flow prodigiously.

Review: Goldie's superb Metalheadz label rains almost as influential now as it was during its earliest and most pioneering years. The boss himself has managed to keep on curating tasteful and innovative sounds and next up is Nookie and vocalist Ruth Royall with a brilliant brace which arrives just before Nookie's debut full length album for the label. The uplifting 'Hero' has refreshing drum breaks and lush pianos coverlid up top with some superbly powerful vocal harmonies from new generation talent Ruth. 'We Shall Overcome' then flips the script and explores soulful house music with good times vibes.

Review: SB81 first appeared on Metalheadz back in 2013 with the Dancer In The Dark / Back To 33 12, and since then the Wolverhampton mainstay has kept up cosy relations with Goldie's D&B temple. Picking up where 2018's Future Point EP left off, SB81 goes in on four detailed, cinematic cuts that show how much space for world-building there really is around razor-sharp breakbeats. 'Picture This' is drenched in dramatic poise, while the beats fall more like crunchy electronica than run of the mill D&B. 'Etched Within' has a sweeter demeanour, but it's no less richly rendered. The production and composition are absolutely next level throughout this record, proving SB81 is still in a league of his own, and that Metalheadz still know how to sign a deadly record.

Review: Scar has become integral to the contemporary drum & bass scene over the last eight or so years and has left several top-notch tunes on labels like this one in their wake. They now make a welcome return to Metalheadz with The Road Less Travelled VIP, which is new takes on their 2022 album of the same name. On the buttons are some of the pair's closest musical colleagues as Zero T, Nookie and Artificial Intelligence all come through with fine fresh new takes and SCAR themselves also offer up a trio of their own smart reworks which following many requests now land on their own slab of coloured wax.