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November 2009
Chook - The Cocoon
Full Force Recordings - Release date: Late December
Ah! The artist album! That sacred place where producers get a chance to promote their own artistic freedom, and a place of unabounded individualism and self indulgence. No dancefloors to fret about filling, no sales targets to consider, and most importantly, a place to flex the grey matter without restriction. Chook does just that on this 8 track LP. From dark Drum and Bass excursions like Shades Of Orange and opening gambit Optimus Prime, through Minimal Techno slice Time Running Backwards and semi Tech House growler Toontown, this collection is eclectic to say the least. There's even a slab of Ambient in there. This is a journey through Chooks childhood cartoon sci-fi fantasy land, with tracks like Grayskull and Optimus Prime getting really twisted in places. A quality release without a doubt.
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Bassment Jaxx - Twerk (Sub Focus Remix)
XL Records - Release Date: 14th December
In lieu of their forthcoming fifth studio album, The Jaxx have comissioned The Sub for a remix of the first single 'Twerk'.
This remix has Sub Focus firmly stamped all over it, with obligatory high octave stabs, original vocal snippets and fuzzy riffs littering the mix. Can this boy do no wrong at the moment? Twerk indeed. And then some......The main refrain from this track will have you singing all day, and this whole production kind of reminds me of those 94/95 outings from the London scene but without the Jungle. Confused? Listen up, and you'll see what I mean. Awesome..........
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Rhythm Section
Comin' On Strong '09
RSR Recordings - Release Date:Jan '10
With 9 mixes to choose from it's pretty hard to decide which is the better. There is a mixed bag of styles here, from tear out Drum & Bass to choppy Breaks and everything in between. The original (and best) is here too, but if you wanna hear some fresh and inspiring taks on this all timeclassic 1991 rave track then this will be right up your street. Both Ellis Dee and Rennie Pilgrem offer up their own versions, alongside Slum Dogz (boy, does this mix twist your lugs!), Black Dog and Caper among others. For the old skool purist this release is worth it for the re-mastered original in digital format alone. Maybe this will start the long awaited trend for re-mastered classics.
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Redlight - Lobster Boy EP
DJ Clipz in his alter ego as Redlight comes correct with this scorching 4 track EP crammed full of badboy flavas that range from happy J-Tek to dark and brooding Zinc style crack house. As more and more senior Drm & Bass produers step back into a sound that is altogether slower and slightly more groovy, a new bass heavy, old skool tinged genre is coming through. This will appeal to old skool ravers for sure, and though we are huge J-Tek fans here, we are also keen to see a more mature sound evolve. One that we can associate with on a historic level as apposed to a blatantly 'young' scene. This EP is a classic example.
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Original Sin - Grow Your Wings
True Playaz - Release Date:Dec 5th 2009
Original Sin comes straight outta the Hype camp on this highly creative first LP. Hailing from Newcast-Upon-Tyne and with nearly 10 years of production experience under his belt, Adam Tindall makes this entire journey through 13 inventive tracks utterly effortless. From the Amen layered opener 'Therapy' and awesome '95 style rumbler 'Kiss' (available on 12" sampler format on 23rd Nov) through a sea of melodic overtones, 'Grow Your Wings' is a tale of experience, and pays particlular homage to the latent styles of the golden age of Jungle while incorporating a very fresh and totally up to the minute stance across each and every track. Album artists are always fascinating things, especially in the field of Drum and Bass, and this is no exception. Bringing touches of D*Note and even Omni Trio in places, this album has gained classic status here at the
O S R camp. Immense. A Must!!!!!!
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Wickaman & J Majik
'Feel About You'
m0squito records
Release date:9th November - 2009
After the huge success of 'Crazy World' last year, the unstoppable tag team consisting of Wickaman & J Majik return with another radio friendly cut of singalong D&B. Totally un-offensive in it's extended mix and radio edit formats, I suspect it's the Original Sin mix that wil have most impact on the dancefloor. Sprinkled with his instantly recognisable high end synth plips and low end rumble, it keeps it underground without loosing the 'play to your mum' accessibilty of the original. This one even comes with a Zinc style Crack House mix by the Wickaman and J Majik themselves. So nice to see bonafide Drum & Bass artists stepping out of the box. Class. Shame it didn't come with a J-Tek mix tho guys :)
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Jaydan
The Driller Killer EP
Ganja Records
Release Date:30th November 2009
There are a few chioce words I could use to describe this 4 track EP. The one that fits it best is EVIL. Jaydan spreads himself well across the spectrum, with current floor smashing duty given to the title track 'Driller Killer' and the second offering 'Ghetto' but as an old skool junglist it is 'Something for the Man Dem' that really does it for me. Coming sharp withfull on '95 ism at every corner, this track haunts and soothes, rolls and dives, and has totally restored my faith in the future of Jungle as a living entity. With high pedigree artists like Jaydan giving props to the genre it can't fail to flourish. The final track sees the man in a minimal mood, with scratching Hoovers and sci-fi spookiness. Another excellent release from camp Hype. How does the man do it???
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Mutt ft Kevin King
Conversations/Invitations
Deep Kut - Release Date:Decemeber 2009
Music to seduce the ladies to says the press release. Yep, I'd say that was a pretty fair assumption. This 2 tracker from Total Science offshoot Deep Kut displays a lusciously deep and affectionate vibe coming from Canadian producer Mutt. On 'Conversations' Kevin King's treacle sweet vocal lays tantalisingly acrest the Liquid skip and ultra low sub. On the flip the less melodic and slightly more jazzy 'Invitations' presents more sublime vocals and some mid '90s NYC Hip-Hop style keys to stimulate your senses. I'd play it to my missus for sure.
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Moby
One Time We Lived (Matrix & Futurebound Mixes)
Little Idiot/Intrinsic Recordings
Release Date:December 2009
Call me old fashioned, but for me the word Moby will always, always cunjure images of old skool ravers in purple Kickers bouncing through a magenta lazerbeam to the sounds of 'Go' in deepest, darkest 1991. However, I can't say I wasn't intrigued when this popped into my inbox. The guys like Matrix & Futurebound have done a sterling job here. There isn'y much in the way of high end studio jiggery pokery, but in some cases, this one included, less is more. One Time We Lived focuses around a sublime string refrain that rides tandem with a punchy sythn stab that simply refuses to go away. the result is 4 minutes 55 of rock your body Drum & Bass that would be as comfortable with Jo Whiley as it would with Fabio. This doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't, more proudly be's averything it says it is. One thing is for sure. It rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls..............................I would hazard a guess that Moby is pretty happy with this.
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Sidius & Rawkus - Wayz
Alive / Moods
Steam Recordings
Release Date:November 2009
This is a pretty remarkable record by anybody's standards. The first 60 seconds of the A side consist of some of the most slickly produced feature foilm styled classical music I've ever heard create on digital equipment. If you closed your eyes I swear you'd think you were in a bond. You know, the bit where he's hanging by his balls from a pitbulls mouth over a piranha pond. Pretty enthralling stuff for sure. And then of course the D & B onslaught begins, and around the 2.20 mark the cellos and violas start to creep in until you've got a St Martin In The Fields meets DJ Grooverider at The Royal Albert style smackdown going off right in your face. Bizarre. But I like it!!!
Moods comes with a slightly less left of field approach, but is pretty unique all the same. Kind of in the middle of the road but with Tangerine Dream riding slingshot. Hats must come of to all three producers, and the label itself for showing real daring on this release. I'd go so far as to this was a groundbreaking release.
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Netsky
Everyday/Come Back Home
Liq-weed Ganja
Release Date:23rd November 2009
Two totally feelgood tracks from Belgian producer Netsky. On the bubbling tip and without an ounce of darkness to be heard, this 2 tracker represents 11 plus minutes of some of the finest Liquid Drum & Bass our counterparts in Europe have to offer right now. Soulful vocals and 'almost live' basslines ride jazz tinged drum patterns for this, the 12th release on Hype's counter culture imprint, Liq-weed Ganja. As diverse as ever, this is probably one for the more discerning raver and dare I say it, the older too??????
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October 2009
Those lovely lovely people at Vision Music Promotions have sent us 3 varied and inventive LP's this month. First up is Architec. There is one thing that is more than apparent from the firt listen, and that is that this guy loves his percussion!! Which is just as well, seeing as the majority of readers to this site are drum disciples....
Architeq - ‘Gold + Green' - (Tirk)
Laurent Garnier – “this is like John Carpenter on acid Futuristic with an 80's vibe Tripy ,fu*ked up but sooo together
This is simply a great album ”
DJ Mag (Ben Osbourne) – ”Holy bananas! Been waiting for this one! Absolutely brilliant!”
Groove Armada – “Great late night listening“
This LP is full of some pretty complex sample edits, and is lovely and laid back.....It' s probably first and foremost a chill out LP, but I've had this on cycle in the car and I can honestly say that this is a collecton of very mellow but equaly complex tracks. Must have 4AM music, but not entirely confined to the twilight hours. Track a copy down!!!!
Young, London based Scotsman Architeq (AKA Sam Annand) has made a lot of noise without actually releasing a lot of material since his debut 'Birds Of Prey' EP on Tirk early last year. The odd well chosen remix aside, he’s been burying himself in the studio making his debut album, while around him a slow, organic transatlantic buzz has been building as the blogs and download sites quietly push people towards his unique brand of dubby ,swingy, electronic funk.
Green and Gold is that debut album and already a firm favourite at Tirk HQ . 'Birds of Prey' is of course included in all its' shimmering, glitched out glory . 'Into The Cosmos' also dips it’s toes into dubby waters, again with the crunchy off-beat drums, lush soulful strings and burbling soundscapes.
Things get vocal with the laid back sweet soul vocals of Junior Williams (vocalist from Sunharbour) in 'Nothing', before Hungarian producer Ilija Rudman surprises us all with a fine vocal contribution to the twisted synth-driven 'Mind Games'
‘Krakatoa’ mines the organic instrumentation seam that flows through the album, featuring a finely honed chamber string section and subtle clarinet , an instrument that also drifts into view on the down-tempo 'Odyssey'.
'Bird of Dub' and 'Babylon' take the spacey effects further ,weaving in and out of a silky smooth electro bass line, with the Dub factor again to the fore.
In all, 14 tracks of originality, innovation and musicality that confidently occupy a bright new corner of the electronic canon, and a deeply impressive first instalment in the Architeq / Sam Annand story .
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Space - The Best Of...............
“A Huge influence on bands like DAFT PUNK, Space sold 12 million records across 4 albums from 1977-81”
“Space - One of Europe's great forgotten innovators of the 1970’s”
“A Huge influence on bands like DAFT PUNK, Space sold 12 million records across 4 albums from 1977-81” Whilst a certain Parisian electronic duo were still (probably impossibly chic) toddlers, French band /production Space had worked out that making lots of hooky synth disco and wearing Space suits in public at all times were a potent pop combination, one that enabled them to sell 12 million records across 4 albums from 1977-81, before imploding in the time honoured fashion of lawsuits and bittter recrimination all round.
Fast forward nearly 3 decades and following on from the recently released Carry On Turn Me On remix package on sister label Tirk, the lovely people at Nang now give their valiant attempt at capturing the essence of those 4 albums, and the breadth and diversity of their sound in one 14 track extravaganza.
'Magic Fly' sounds as fresh and other-worldly now as it did then with it's irresistible hookline, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, 'Carry on Turn me On' remains Space's most genuine contribution to the disco pantheon, with it's orgasmic vocals and floor destroying, organic groove.
'Running In the City’ is the sound of forgotten futures past, 'Flying Nightmare' a cosmic funk odyssey. ‘Deliverance’ remains one of the few Disco tracks to feature a full male voice choir and tracks such as ‘Robbots’ and ‘Inner Voices’ usher in the sound of the 80’s
Things draw to an appropriate close with perhaps the bands greatest conventional pop moment, 'Save you Love for Me' , an epic, over blown euro-synth pad belter, full of genuinely synthetic emotion and perfectly plastic soul. A fitting end to one of Europe's great forgotten innovators.
www.nangrecords.com
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Project Skyward - Moved By Opposing Forces
On November 2nd 2009, 'Moved by opposing forces' will have its first world-wide release on Rocket Girl. Project Skyward is primarily the vision of singer/songwriter/programmer Ryan Field, aka ‘Skyward’. After obtaining a degree in holistic science and astronomy, Ryan sought to express ideas about the universe and their relation to human experience through music. Joined by Lana Fia (vocals, synth) Project Skyward have done a number of eps and a timeless debut album 'Strange Synchonicities' which blended spacial guitar ambiences and wispy vocals with minimal electronic beats. The single 'Distant Blue' quickly rose to the top 10 of the RPM charts and remained there for several weeks.
Project Skyward’s second album, ‘Moved by Opposing Forces’, contains enough aural alchemy to propel your eardrums heavenward; however, the emotional intensity of the music ensures each wistful, seemingly weightless track remains firmly rooted to human experiences. It is this combination of ethereality and earthly accessibility which gives the music such character. Project Skyward are as much humanists as they are stargazers; tracks such as ‘Sirius the Brightest Star’ or ‘Fairweather Friend’ proclaim the innate symmetry and indivisibility of ourselves and the universe around us. We are all in the gutter, and we are all reaching for the stars. Like a chance meeting in space between Flying Saucer Attack and the Cocteau Twins, ‘Moved by Opposing Forces’ is as catchy as it is cosmic. Modulated guitars, sublime electronics and breathy boy/girl harmonies combine to create a boundless soundscape which is radical yet so recognisable, it could only have been hatched on planet earth!
While playing lead guitar in Mahogany, Ryan was joined by Andrew Prinz on bass. Project Skyward did some legendary gigs opening for Ulrich Schnauss in South America, NY and the East coast. Having been deeply inspired by electronic music of the late 90's Project Skyward were also thrilled to gain the attention of dance music mogul DJ Sasha. More recently Ryan has had the pleasure of meeting guitar inspiration Robin Guthrie, who has also become involved with Project Skyward. Meeting and working alongside such respectable names has clearly been an influence and inspiration, yet Project Skyward continue to define their own unique, innovative and powerful sound. In addition to the cosmic soundscape and scientific metaphors, Project Skyward are not afraid to write what they feel which often results in great songs that tap into collective experiences. It is this unique approach to music that will give Project Skyward longevity and which will flourish it's evolution in years to come.
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August 2009
ANM001 - REFLECTION / UNSTOPPABLE by KRANKY & LETHAL
Australia's first Jungle Tekno label...............
ANOMALY' is proud to present the release of their fresh sounding debut EP - the REFLECTION EP! Bringing the J-Tek sounds from Down Under, this EP sees up-and-coming producer Kranky joining forces with veteran Lethal (aka Stu Chapman of hardcore breaks duo 'Stu & Nee') to bring you two very contrasting tracks, which are both sure to get the dancefloor moving with a uniquely Aussie vibe.
ANM001-A Reflection - Kranky & Lethal
‘Reflection’ is a big atmospheric roller, that's guaranteed to bring smiles to faces on the dancefloor. With an infectious bassline, sweeping pads, soothing sax licks, and punchy modern drum breaks, this track is all about taking the crowd on a voyage they won't forget. Reminiscent of mid-90s ambient Jungle sounds, this track brings those sounds up-to-date with a modern twist.
ANM001-B Unstoppable - Kranky & Lethal
In complete contrast to 'Reflection', 'Unstoppable' takes the crowd on a much darker journey. Combining heavy modern drum breaks at a relaxed tempo, dark synths, heavy sub-bass, eerie strings, and half-speed almost dubstep-like drum edits, 'Unstoppable' is guaranteed to make an impact that crowds will remember as the highlight of any set.
DJ Support
Currently being rinsed by the likes of Pilgrim, Tango & Ratty, JKRampage, and many more...
Available exclusively from the home of J-Tek – dto4music.co.uk
Catch Anomaly on facebook @
And @
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July 2009
GP006 MINDSCAPE/NIGHT WORKS BY MADCAP & WILSH
It's that time again peeps!! Another installment of upfront Jungle Tekno from the Global Plan camp. This EP sees the return of Madcap after his success on the OUT THERE EP and he's joined by another new face to the Jungle Tekno scene, Wilsh.
Both tracks have been causing a stir on dance-floors around the country and gaining support from all the top players in the scene. If you love you Jungle Tekno...This is The EP for you..
GP006A - Mindscape - Madcap & Wilsh
This is a Lovely rolling track, with a sub pattern guaranteed to move any dance-floor. Keeping to the traditional vibes of Jungle Tekno, with sweeping pads and driving breaks and an old skool vocal stab for good measure, but all with a nu skool twist. Madcap & Wilsh are defiantly a production duo to watch out for in 2009!!
GP006B - Night Works - Madcap
As the name suggests, this is a dark little number, geared towards the dance-floor, with it's rolling breaks and gut churning bottom-end Madcap has delivered another gem to the world of Jungle Tekno. This track is sure to take the crowd on a journey dropping out with ambient strings and syncopated acid-lines, if you want to take your set to that place a bit different.. Then look no further!!
DJ Support
Pilgrim, Modular, Outrage, Digital, Rusher & Fox, Randall Secret Society etc.........
Follow the link below to listen and Buy..
http://www.dto4music.co.uk
/labelmp3.php?label=Global
%20Plan%20Records
http://www.myspace.com/glo
balplanrecords
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Raving ’89
By Neville & Gavin Watson
196 pages of never-seen acid house images to feast your eyes on. But opinions are split. People who were too young for the raves are astonished, checking the haircuts, the sheer amount of paisley and the huge mobiles, in sheer wonderment. On the other hand, people who were at the raves just break down in grinning nostalgia. "It brings it all flooding back" etc. Mind you, right after that they check for gurning cameos... "Oh shit, I'm not in any of them am I?"
"If you were there, Gavin Watson's photos will give you goose-bumps. If you weren't they're the closest you'll get."
As well as the pictures there's a hilarious commentary from Gavin and Neville running through the book.
"I'd take my E and sit and watch people. You could tell the moment like THAT! Your life's never going to be the same again."
Gavin Watson is the Nikon-clutching genius who published a book called Skins & Punks last year. He rocked up to the office with his brother Neville and a suitcase of photos. There were so many pictures at first we got brainfreeze sifting through them. But as we picked out the best and started laying them out we realised here was a really great document of the time. Basically, in all our years we'd never seen pictures quite like them.
We've all seen the well-aired Shoom shots of Oakenfold and Nancy Noise, or the Boys Own pics of dungarees and cornfields. Gavin's photos are very different: grubby suburban raves around Slough and Wyckham. Lasers, smoke and shocking sportswear. This is raving as we all remember it (or wish we did)...
Raving ’89 is out August 30. But you can get it 2-3 weeks earlier if you pre-order it now. And all pre-orders get the bonus of a FREE CD mix by Neville Watson himself, a personal selection of some of the tunes that made 1989 a year to remember, with plenty of lesser-known tracks to boot.
Pre Order your copy now at:
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BIZZY B - "RETROSPECTIVE" - PLANET MU
Release Date - July 13th
One of the most prolific producers to grace the Harcore/Jungle/Drum & Bass spheres, Planet Mu release this collection of slammin' tracks covering the mans mightiest tunes from the period spanning '92 - '94. An awesome collection. Check it out!!!!
CLICK THE LINKS TO LISTEN!!
Format: CD / 3x12"
CD Tracklist
3x12" Tracklist
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DJ Pilgrim & Nolige
Funked Out/Galactica - Cloud 9 Digital
On the J-Tek tip!! Support the scene and buy this track!!!
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