Signature Vinyl & CDs

Review: Just as they were likely originally intended, two of Calibre's said-to-be most coveted productions come remastered fresh from the vaults, and reissued on black vinyl via the sonic conservationists over at Signature. First comes the 2001 remix of Badmarsh & Shri's 'Signs', to which Calibre lends an extra rolling signification, its no-nonsense industrial break and tensing, two-note pads doing most of the legwork here. Then there's the original 'Soul 80', a unique fusion of dub-delayed chipmunky vox splices, modular synth piques, and a massive, untechy breakbeat.

Review: Drum & bass's most unique gentleman Calibre plunders his vaults to compile a new collection of unreleased gems through the ages. As you'd expect, the end result is a timeless assault of lush grooves, soulful sonics and sweet skippy riddims. From the soft jazz insistency of "Honey Dew" to the hollowed harrowed bass tones of "Bellamee" via the harder, rave-referencing "Sagan" and the deep bass gurgles and DRS's reggae-style vocals on "Eschaton", the only issue here is the fact Calibre hasn't released them sooner. Unarguably incredible.

Review: Is there a more consistently policy and famously high quality producer in all of electric music - let alone just drum & bass - that the universally respected Irishman, Calibre? The don of drums and baron of bass is by now a master of his art and the one going Shelflife series continually proves that time and time again. This seventh volume is once again jam-packed with silky rhythms, soulful sounds and meticulous craftsman ship across a wide range of tempos and moods. There are roomy steppers like 'Ready Beek' next to darker, edgier and more menacing cuts like 'Snoopy' signature emotive sounds like 'Nearly Nothing.'

Review: Dominick Martin AKA Calibre has made many fine albums in his time, but even by his standards Feeling Normal - his 17th solo set - is something special. While naturally rooted in the soulful, emotive style of drum & bass that he's become renowned for, the album's 13 tracks also incorporate rhythmic and musical elements drawn from two-step garage, the sub-heavy end of UK techno, ultra-deep house, dub techno and dubstep. As a result, the vast majority of the cuts on show neatly sidestep convention, delivering hybrids that gleefully celebrate the impact of soundsystem culture on the UK bass continuum while also offering something new, fresh, melodious, hugely listenable and exceptionally entertaining.

Review: Irish drum & bass.. icon? pioneer? Powerhouse? All are fair descriptors of Calibre, the machine-like music maker who has turned out thousands of equally high-quality tunes for more than 20 years. Whether ambient, tech house or drum & bass in nature, they are always better than most of the competition. His own Signature label has been home to most of it and that is where he lands now with this latest 12", another impossibly tasteful two-tracker. The title cut is a lively one with bustling breaks and chopped vocal stabs that bring the joy. On the flip is 'Think Again', a deep, soulful roller with exquisite pads and driving drum & bass energy. Pure class.

Review: Anyone who avidly follows Dominick Martin's output as Calibre knows the man is insanely prolific. When you get past the sheer volume of his released work, there's also the oceans of unreleased exclusives from his sets throughout a monumental career, which is where the Shelflife series comes in. As you can tell by the triple-vinyl heft of this eighth entry in the series, the man is sat on an incredible amount of heat. Running the gamut from soul-soaked uplifters to atmospheric dreamers and on to sharp-angled, techy monsters, this is Calibre quality through and through.

Review: Dominick Martin's Shelflife series takes us back into the very core of Calibre over the past 20 years, finally sharing tracks which were previously only aired in his DJ sets. It's testament to his rigorous approach to the music he released over that time, given how incredible some of these cuts are, but it's also a relief to finally be able to cop the likes of 'Breather', 'Home' and 'I Don't Care What U Say'. The range of d&b on offer here is remarkable too, from moody, heads-down tech steppers to gorgeous, soul drenched swooners, with an unerring quality which lets you know it's Calibre at the controls.

Review: Calibre's brand new drum & bass album Rudy comes in a minty-fresh contrapuntal breath, following hot on the heels of a new white label reissue of his earliest and most enduring works from the mid-to-late 1990s. The sudden time-warp back into the present day proves just how far he has come since then, yet also just how much he has retained what worked, too; Rudy begins in an orthodox liquid jungle fashion with the likes of 'Stunted', before breaking away into impressionistic vocal free-associations like 'The Game' (with Dominic Martin) and halftime reese-swellers like 'Heaven'. All the tracks originate from the same aetheric stratosphere - imagine if drum & bass had kicked off not on a terrestrial, but totally gaseous planet - yet Calibre still gleans enough variation from this potent condensate to either pack both more vacuumy punches ('Cousin') or more laid-back but cerebral inhalations ('Dumb Bum').

Review: Calibre as we all know is a machine. The man has produced thousands of records, each one as exceptional as the next, across drum & bass, house and bass music. His latest album Rudy shows no dip in quality with another a masterful display of his signature sound making it another timeless classic. Each track is a journey into his famously lush melodies, intricate rhythms, and soulful vocal touches, all of which showcasing Calibre's unmatched skill in crafting emotive drum & bass compositions. From dreamy atmospheres to the pulsating low ends, heart aching samples and driving drums, every moment captivates with its depth and keen sense of musicality.

Review: Is there a more prolific yet consistently high-standard producer in any genre, or in fact any art form, than Irish man Calibre? Seemingly forever, the low key but high class talent has been kicking out the jams across the worlds of drum & bass, ambient and even tech house in his earlier days. Now the Signature label boss is back once again with another impeccable one-two on this Peso 12". The title cut is a pent up bumper with killer bass and soulful vocal flourishes. 'My Chances' is a little more edgy and raw, direct and hard hitting but still with well worked vocals samples which could originally come from a Bob Marley record, if you ask us.

Review: Calibre aka Dominick Martin pairs up with DRS, each taking one side of this 12" and each more than holding their own. Martin continues his current obsession with the pure sound of the real piano, a powerful antidote to the more synthetic sounds we're more used to hearing in the genre. Add a supreme male vocal in plaintive mood,. declaring "I've been looking for love in all the wrong places" and you've got something that really stand out of the crowd. Living For by DRS is more of straight anthem, with reggae influences and a hip-hop vocal giving it a proper lighters-in-the-air atmosphere, its conscious lyrics very much echoing the mood of Britain in 2020. Two very different tracks, for sure, but this package is strong in its diversity.

Review: Although Rhythm & Sound and Basic Channel man Mark Ernestus has worked with or remixed many different artists over the years, we didn't expect him to join forces with D&B scene stalwarts Calbre and DRS. Yet that's exactly what's on offer here, as the Hardwax founder delivers two typically deep, dubbed-out techno outings crafted from portions of the pair's collaborative cut 'Badman', which is due to feature on Calbre's forthcoming sixteenth studio album, Feeling Normal. Both 'Bad' and 'Badder' are typical of Ernestus' ultra-deep and hypnotic style, with snippets of the duo's original instruments, beats and vocals echoing in and out of a warming, all-encompassing, sub-heavy groove. In a word, it's superb.

Review: Dominick Martin is best known as stone-cold drum & bass don Calibre, a prolific producer with a masterfully deep and smoky sound. He has also made tech house under his own name, but lesser known is this album
Valentia which was originally released in 2013 and has now been remastered and repressed on 180 gram vinyl with a sleeve containing the lyrics. It was written on the amazing Valentia Island, joined to the west coast of Co Kerry in Ireland by a bridge t and battered by strong winds. Says Martin, "I took my computer and mic with me not knowing what to expect when I got there. In one of the rooms sat a piano, and as my fingers touched the keys I knew there was a story there waiting to be told."