V Recordings Vinyl & CDs

Review: V Recordings and Tim Reaper's Future Retro London present 'One Stop Mr Driver', helping further the continued modernisation of 90s jungle. Classic and contemporary collide on this home run, as Krust's original concurs with Tim Reaper's dynamic come dynamiting remix, keeping conscious of both the genre's roots and its contemporary resurgence. Krust, Bristol legend and co-founder of Full Cycle Records, is renowned for underpainting drum & bass as we now know it, drawing on forget-me-nots like 'Warhead' as bases for clout permanence. Tim Reaper, meanwhile, remains pivotal in the jungle revival, and his version here is as chuggingly relentless as a MIDI-operated meat slicer.

Review: Many happy returns to V Recordings, which this year notched up no less than three decades at the forefront of the global jungle and drum & bass scene. Such an occasion warrants a celebratory release, and Gee has provided that via this painstakingly curated collection of new gems, remixed takes on classic cuts, and previously unavailable 'VIP' versions. Naturally, the quality threshold remains high throughout, with our picks of an exceptionally strong bunch including the d&b-acid insanity of Serum's revision of 'Acid Fashion' by Nazca Linez, the elongated wobble bass and punishing beats of Krust's 'Not Necessarily a Man (L-Side VIP)', the bowel-bothering onslaught of Voltage's 'Lion of Judah', the deep, dreamy and punchy 'Majesty' by Alibi, and the bleeping jungle revivalism-goes-jazz funk madness of Chimpo's 'Fever'.