Soul:R Vinyl & CDs

Review: After a stupendously prolific 2013 and 2014 (wherein he delivered no less than four albums), Calibre appears to have taken his foot off the gas and slipped into a more comfortable release-rate. Following his "Strumpet" EP on Exit comes this ace four-tracker that represents all his drum & bass styles: "Boogeyman Bullshit" is Dominick Martin at his darkest and most mischievous, all wobbly bass and slippery. "Smother" (featuring long term compadre Marcus Intalex) slaps with big washy chords that chime with an almost Detroitian hypnotic affect, "Multi Tasking" is a swam of sonic bees that have set up a nest in Metalheadz HQ circa 1997 and show no sign of budging. Finally, with its twinkling arpeggios and major chords "Dream Of You" is Calibre at his dreamiest and most emotional... Then drop comes and, once again, his sub bass melts your cones. Immaculate.

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.

Review: It's about time... Fresh off the heat of his Trevino album, Marcus returns to the D&B source with a full-fat foursome on his label's spotless Four:Fit series. Each cut a 24 carat diamond, shining in its own special way: "Mixed Bag" is a DRS-polished soulful addition to the ever-growing halftime annals, both "Step Forward" and "Stingray" are brittle two-step heads-down headbutts while "Jupiter" is an amen-rattled jungle shake-up. Timeless, deep and spacious; Marcus never fails.

Review: Manc drum & bass collective MIST (made up of legends the late Marcus Intalex, ST Files and, at one point, Calibre) first released 'Clockwork' and 'Entropy' in 2009; the dual single instantly garnered acclaim for its high-octane rollage and clean drumwork, topping up the reputation of its label Soul:r. Now reissued for the first time, we're once more reminded of the two tracks' enduring impact on the dum & bass scene at large, with a vocal appearance from DRS on 'Clockwork' cementing drum & bass's lineage from and to ragga, as well as the tidbit that 'Entropy' is, a solo detour from Intalex alone.

Review: As if Marcus Intalex and ST Files' M.I.S.T project wasn't quite enough soul power back in the 2000s, along came the eminent Dominick Martin, adding a big 'Cal' at the end. There's a wealth of material from the trio out there, a lot of which hasn't been digitised, and, as you'd expect from such a trio, the tracks haven't dated in the slightest. Both 'Just A Little Herb' and 'Memory Log' still soothe the soul with 170BPM charm. The former celebrates the sticky stuff with shimmering skanks and happy-slapping Amens while the latter takes you on a cruise around the d&b cosmos. Beautiful. What a reissue. Marcus Intalex RIP!

Review: An incredible release from Skeptical right here: harnessing the vocal power of Collette Warren he's created two instantly distinctive cuts that tremble and rumble with the same soul and stark presence as early Roni material. The sharp, pneumatic "Desire" comes with more of a jazzy edge while "Always Been Mine" is much more spacious and dreamier. "Tundra" and "Turning Point" provide perfect balance as Skeptical flexes his darkest of muscles. As with all Soul:R releases, this really is very special.

Review: Four of the scene's most soulful heavyweights representing with sublime slices of rolling gold on Soulr's consistently impressive four-piece series: Zero T polishes up ivories so much you can see your thoughts in them, Tokyo Prose toys with a lush falsetto and dreamy soundscapes, FD find the blue note on his DAW and wraps it up tight in the smoky tones of Collette Warren while LSB reminds us of the beauty of sample-based groove simplicity with hypnotic Q&A charm. Authentic timeless D&B.