Search dance music

Review: Nia Archives has burst through and made a gigantic impact that now stands her at the forefront of the latest jungle era, and pretty much has done since she first made waves in 2020. Her collagist soundscapes have brought an all new sense of energy and rejuvenation to the genre that has in turn brought in plenty of new fans. While some may label her a revivalist, she emphasises that that aspect of the genre has never really gone away. The 24-year-old's debut album has been much anticipated by fans who have fallen in love with her weightless jungle tracks and intense basslines and they aren't let down here as those sounds resonate throughout.

Review: The mysterious Oxvac is only credited with one EP back in 2019 and a few digital releases in the years since, so this new album is a significant body of work that belies his relatively newbie status. It comes on recycled green marbled vinyl and collides IDM, jungle and breakbeat into all new drum &bass frameworks across ten new and original tracks designed for the club. The rhythms come thick and fast, the basslines plunge into the depths of space and the pads are as soulful, jazz and cosmic and you can imagine in what is a serene intergalactic trip.

Review: Vemodalen means 'The fear that everything has already been done.' If that's not an enticing enough invitation to dBridge's album then we don't know what is. The music as relatable, too. Powerful, slow, sexy and vulnerable, it paints from a synthetic palette anyone over 30 has grown up with and will know intuitively from music and movies. Ranging from poppy motifs that are reminiscent perhaps of Roxy Music or Visage to more introverted electronica that nods at the Rephlex sound and perhaps Si Begg, all backed up by his history as Heartdrive and the Autonomic sound, this is dBridge looking back to look forward. Stunning.

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. .

Review: Waggle your wonga gang! DLR is hitting the town and he's stacking up the paper with his third studio album Money Till I Got None. Of course when we say 'paper', we actually mean 'fat greasy d&b grooves', when we say 'stacking' we actually mean 'rolling out', and when we say 'waggle your wonga', we mean 'listen up you lot because this is one the genre's tightest, brightest groove sculptors at play and he's dealing it out like Noel Edmunds in Deal Or No Deal'. Seriously, this is super timeless tackle that nods in all the right directions; heavy, techy, funky, bruised with gritty robotic soul and all the other good things Sofa Sound stand for. And when we say that, we really mean it.

Review: Toronto besties Gremlinz and Jesta have been plotting, scheming and collaborating their entire adult lives - off and on - and releasing together consistently since 2018, but The Lee Garden Historical Preservation Society is their most significant creation to date. An ice cold web of tales and textures that digs deep into drum & bass music's most uncompromising and future-focused aesthetics, over 13 tracks they dig deep into a range of influences - techno ('Andromeda'), jungle ('Destro') and elements of grunge and trip hop on cuts such as 'Vermin' and 'After Dinner Coffee Face' are all in the mix but they forever keep the sonics tight and consistent. Metalheadz through and through.

Review: The Nullpunkt label is fast approaching its 25th release but first comes this fearsome outing from F&E. The third installment in the Forschung & Entwicklung series comes on grey vinyl and does not mess about with five more cuts all served up as Antal or Rural versions from 2016. The first rides on rusty jungle breaks, the second, 'Conclusion', is an atmospheric piece with a minimal rhythm and warped synth daubs while 'Six Days' is a dark and heavy piece of ambient techno dystopia. 'Outro' is the lightest and brightest piece of synth work on the EP then 'Research' brings back the jungle techno with more serrated synths and loopy, jagged rhythms.

Review: Last year Polish talent Satl returned to Lenzman's label The North Quarter with his most accomplished and wide-armed body of work so far. Now available on this beautiful triple vinyl format, he's back once again to take us on a trip through his influences and widescreen musical vision. Buckle up and be prepared to roll from full-on technoid d&b ('Hard Times') to bubbling, twisted funk ('Werk It') via smouldering, unclassifiable dark soul ('Ride Or Die') and dreamy breakbeats ('Standing By') With many other sides to his sound revealed throughout, this is an exceptional and very impressive album.

Review: Dylan Brownsword strips things right down to the elements for this exceptional exploration into dub techno influenced drum & bass. Stark futurism that smoulders at its coldest and will have you shivering at its hottest, vibes range from the shimmering Basic Channel style reflections of 'B1' to the more autonomically minded swagger of 'B3'. Trembling with echoes of his powerful techno work in the past, across this whole collection DB1 keeps one foot in the dance, one foot in the stars throughout.

Review: Around the world in 12 wubs; Alix Perez's superlative 1985 continues to dig deeper and deeper into our psyche with the third volume of their faultless Atlas VA series. As always, the tempos are set to flexible as we slide and glide between the style and speeds courtesy of some incredible names... Cesco brings some proper dark UKG on 'Superstealth', Sir Hiss gets angular with the electro funk of 'Shower Man Time', Visages go all slinky and futurist on 'Margit' while the bossman Perez and GLXY link up for something truly sexy and soulful with 'Green Lane'. All this and so much more, from Rockwell & Scepticz to Settle Down to Eprom, this is yet another exceptional adventure from the 1985 crew.

Review: dBridge's Exit Records continue to celebrate 100 releases with this exceptional VA that runs the whole gamut of their sonic scope. From the opening cosmic b-boy breakbeat ballet of Fixate's 'Dead End' to closing ambient echoes of Dub Phizix's beatless score-like finale 'Wasted' via the technoid stampede of Addison Groove and the electroid neon swagger of SertOne, this captures everything Exit has consistently stood for. Genreless, forward-thinking fusion. Here's to the next 100.

Review: Berlin born Felix K is a music composer and producer with a sound perfectly befitting his hometown, as proven here on Nullpunkt. This is an EP of stylish techno for darkened basements - the drums are heavy but never lack funk, the synths are scuffed metal but full of soul and the whole ambience of the tunes is gritty, grey and lo-fi yet they are all hugely alluring and evocative. There is a spooky sense of unease in 'Earth' and real dub brilliance to 'Who Are You.' 'Sobriquet' is a more intense rhythmic exercise with many layers or interlocking sound while a Deconstruction By Forest Drive West of 'Earth' is late night techno minimalism par excellence.

Review: Rejoice! Technimatic return with their fourth studio album For All Of Us and it's another stunning immersive trip into some drum & bass's most musical and soulful corners. Always keeping the perfect balance between dreamy and dancefloor, flavours range from the mischievous rave twists of 'Coming Back' to the hazy halftime swoons of 'You Call Me' by way of rich DRS-fronted soul ('Risk Everything') and rattling feel-good Creative Source style liquid ('Moment To Moment') With less featured vocalists and more focus on timeless drum & bass vibes that they first made themselves known with, this is arguably one of Technimatic's best albums to date.

Review: Kniteforce is back with a third no-frills hardcore outing and this one casts it all the way back to 1993, when Bay B Kane dropped this Forwards In Reverse album on Whitehouse Records. It has been fully remastered and officially licensed for this reissue which is sure to win it a whole new raft of fans. There is a real lust for this sort of authentic old-school energy right now - barreling breakbeats, raved-up synths and brain-frying pads that cause utter carnage on the dance floor. Even all these years later it still sounds as good as anything in its genre.

Review: Bong-Ra's Bikini Bandits Kill! Kill! Kill! commemorates two decades of groundbreaking electronic music with this special 20th Anniversary Edition. Originally released in 2003, this reissue showcases the Dutch producer's mastery of breakcore, jungle and hardcore techno. With its relentless energy and intricate rhythms, tracks like 'Miss Strap-On USA' and 'Blood & Fire' deliver sonic assaults that defy convention. The album's fusion of aggressive beats and cinematic samples creates a dystopian soundscape that is both exhilarating and unsettling. Bong-Ra's visionary approach to sound manipulation shines through each cut and means this anniversary edition a must-have for fans of experimental sounds.