Akuratyde is a musician driven by a passion to create and has spent his life expressing his talents in a variety of media. Based on the West Coast US, Akuratyde has drawn his inspiration both from Southern California’s breathtaking panoramic landscapes and his own, personal struggles. Akuratyde’s goal is to make music that strikes an emotional chord in his listeners. Incorporating his affinity for reverb soaked synthesizers and dreamy guitar riffs Akuratyde’s music is the perfect mix of melodic hooks and immersive beats. He has created something that is simultaneously raw and passion-filled, with subtle beautiful undertones that are guaranteed to move the listener. 'Past Lives' is a deeply personal collection of work, drawn from moments and experiences in the artist's own life. The album is an emotive work that celebrates wonderment, intimately articulates loss, and reflects on meaning and purpose. Stylistically, 'Past Lives' echoes some of the Autonomic movement's richer moments, with hand-crafted synths and Akuratyde's own guitar-playing skills draped lovingly over each track. A supporting cast of glitched-out percussion, fragmented vocals and warping bass completes the ensemble.
From Alex Reece to J Majik, from Dillinja to Goldie, the influence of Jazz has been a constant and shadowy presence in Drum & Bass. We can hear its echoes in the samples and instrumental palettes of the early Liquid Funk & Atmospheric D&B championed by Fabio’s Creative Source, Bukem’s Good Looking Records and the legendary Moving Shadow or, more obliquely, in the smoky, late-night moods of Source Direct, DJ Trace and Hidden Agenda.
The 20th Century journey of Jazz from its West African roots through to its de facto role as the soundtrack to a nocturnal, urban existence is reflected, amplified, distorted and intensified in Drum & Bass, with a constant and fertile interplay between the fleet-footed improvisation of the former and the rigid, machined discipline of the latter.
The city at night is a complex place; beautiful, chaotic, intimidating, peaceful, terrifying. It is through this lens and these tensions that we come to an understanding of RQ’s music. It is the latest incidence of Jazz’s dark, metropolitan portraits melting into modern electronic production, resulting in dance music that has drifted far from the dance and begun a journey inwards.
RQ’s debut LP for Blu Mar Ten music, ‘Solid Ground’, occupies a darkly dreamlike hinterland, located somewhere between the retro-futurism of Photek and Alice Coltrane's jazz psychedelia. Fragmented, distant beats, rippling modal patterns and restrained astral basslines provide rhythmic and harmonic anchors to a constellation of timbres and textures.
‘Solid Ground’ seeks a freedom from the meter, instrumentation and other conventions that codify Drum & Bass, creating instead a meditative and transcendental rendering of the genre. The album is compelling and mysterious, constantly suggesting cosmic and urban musical forms that switch and glide into and away from each other, forming a multi-directional flow of reflective, mystical moments. ‘Solid Ground’ is a spiritual transformation of functional dance music; An extraordinary exercise in metaphysics.
RQ himself is no newcomer to the scene. Not just a producer and DJ, as an accomplished graphic artist his visual work has graced the sleeves of releases on Metalheadz, Commercial Suicide, Samurai Recordings, Valve and many more. He is also resident designer for London’s leading D&B night, Soul in Motion. He has released a range of ambient and leftfield D&B, including the incredible ‘Shimmer’ / ‘Traces’ on Blu Mar Ten Music in 2015.
UK duoConduct, (AKA Robin Andrews & Chris Edwards), unveil their brand-new 12-track LP ‘Oma’.
Following their critically acclaimed 2016 debut album, ‘Borderlands’, which was nominated for ‘Best Album’ in DJ Mag’s annual awards,Conduct’shighly-anticipated second major work is set to drop on 13th October viaBlu Mar Ten Music.
‘Oma'is an immense piece of work, taking its sonic cues from'Borderlands'while expanding them into far wilder territories. Organic clashes with electronic in a whirlpool of tribal head banging, fragile introspection and beautiful sonic architecture. Skittering rhythms, rock solid basses, angelic vocals and heartbreaking instrumentation are guaranteed to make'Oma'one of the most notable drum & bass albums of 2017 andConductone of its prominent acts.
Striving to show the world what can be achieved at 170 beats per minute,Conduct’spalette is a dramatic juxtaposition between electronic and acoustic instrumentation, with a cinematic approach to composition influenced by the likes ofHans ZimmerandJesper Kyd. While it’s common for drum & bass producers to concentrate on dance-floor impact,Conduct‘sprimary focus is the evocation of an emotional response in the listener, creating a body of work that lasts far beyond the club.
Between them,Conducthave a rich and diverse musical history, from playing live in extreme metal, be-bop and jazz bands, to the delicate nuances of digital sound design. This tapestry of experience is reflected not only in their studio production but also in their dynamic, widescreen DJ sets, which range from the sub sonically deep to the beautifully soulful and the fearsomely technical. These skills have recently seen them shell down venues across the UK and Europe includingfabric'slegendary Room 1 alongsideFriction,Netsky&Loadstar.
‘Oma’, is set to make its mark as this year’s quintessential drum & bass album and will be available on vinyl, CD, download and streaming, 13th October 2017.
UK duo Conduct, (AKA Robin Andrews & Chris Edwards), unveil their brand-new 12-track LP ‘Oma’.
Following their critically acclaimed 2016 debut album, ‘Borderlands’, which was nominated for ‘Best Album’ in DJ Mag’s annual awards, Conduct’s highly-anticipated second major work is set to drop on 13th October via Blu Mar Ten Music.
‘Oma' is an immense piece of work, taking its sonic cues from 'Borderlands' while expanding them into far wilder territories. Organic clashes with electronic in a whirlpool of tribal head banging, fragile introspection and beautiful sonic architecture. Skittering rhythms, rock solid basses, angelic vocals and heartbreaking instrumentation are guaranteed to make 'Oma' one of the most notable drum & bass albums of 2017 and Conduct one of its prominent acts.
Striving to show the world what can be achieved at 170 beats per minute, Conduct’s palette is a dramatic juxtaposition between electronic and acoustic instrumentation, with a cinematic approach to composition influenced by the likes of Hans Zimmer and Jesper Kyd. While it’s common for drum & bass producers to concentrate on dance-floor impact, Conduct‘s primary focus is the evocation of an emotional response in the listener, creating a body of work that lasts far beyond the club.
Between them, Conduct have a rich and diverse musical history, from playing live in extreme metal, be-bop and jazz bands, to the delicate nuances of digital sound design. This tapestry of experience is reflected not only in their studio production but also in their dynamic, widescreen DJ sets, which range from the sub sonically deep to the beautifully soulful and the fearsomely technical. These skills have recently seen them shell down venues across the UK and Europe including fabric's legendary Room 1 alongside Friction, Netsky & Loadstar.
‘Oma’, is set to make its mark as this year’s quintessential drum & bass album and will be available on vinyl, CD, download and streaming, 13th October 2017.
Purveyor of all things jungle, young gun Tim Reaper has delivered a blistering retro 12" for BMTM, conjuring up the summer of '92 with 'All Right' and the winter of '94 with 'Innerspace'.
Extraordinary production talent returns with a deeply textured second outing via Blu Mar Ten Music.
Having made serious waves with the release of his debut album ‘Coeur Calme’ in 2014, 21 year-old Congolese exile Kimyan Law sets the bar even higher this time around, returning to forward-thinking label Blu Mar Ten Music with the release of ‘Zawadi’, eleven tracks of emotive electronic music that push the drum and bass template into previously unexplored areas.
Swahili for ‘gift’, ‘Zawadi’ is a fitting title for an album that comes across as a deeply personal exploration of both melancholic and quietly energising emotions, gifted to the listener via Kimyan Law’s deadly precise sense of rhythmic technicality and human feeling. Tracks like opener ‘Sakania’ toy with orchestral atmospherics and warm soulful brass, while tripping junglistic snares collide beneath the surface of slowly rumbling bass pads throughout.
An accomplished drummer in his own right, Kimyan Law’s intricate rhythmic sensibility is the lifeblood that runs throughout the album; gentle and restrained on the subtle ballad ‘Magic’ (featuring the unique voice of Clara Luzia), experimental and composed on ‘Luba’, complex yet driving on the modern jungle flex of ‘Yore Dub’. A balanced and intricate producer, Kimyan Law’s use of African percussion, finely honed polyrhythmic patterns and celestial sprinklings of keys melded with slabs of sub-bass power and sheer energy makes for an intoxicating listen.
Exploring themes of melancholy, loss and hope, ‘Zawadi’ is a truly cinematic experience that sits amongst the finest drum and bass long players from the likes of Photek, Source Direct or even 4Hero. A constant mix of light and dark, futuristic yet primitive atmosphere hangs over the album, with waves of luscious synths and deeply musical string arrangements abounding. Tracks like ‘Komorebi’ are up there with some of the finest recent developments in drum and bass, whilst the pitched-down vocals and dub-wise echo chamber effects of ‘September’ featuring May and Berlin’s own Robot Koch display a strong evolution in song writing skill.
An exile from his homeland due to the Congolese Civil War, Kimyan Law sits as a lone figure in the current electronic music scene. A victim of racism as a child and frequently the only black youth in his social circle when growing up, music was a soothing release from the displacement of home and the harsh social realities of his adopted Vienna. If ‘Zawadi’ is a gift from Kimyan Law, then we as listeners are grateful receivers.
Known collectively as Conduct, Robin Andrews & Chris Edwards began collaborating in 2009, working on a range of creative endeavours from graphic art to composition to cinematography. Between them, Conduct has a rich and diverse musical history, playing live in Extreme-Metal, Be-Bop and Jazz bands while also working in the delicate nuances of digital sound design. This tapestry of experience is reflected in their dynamic, widescreen DJ sets which range from the subsonically deep, through the beautifully soulful to the fearsomely technical.
Fascinated with experimentation at 170 beats per minute, Conduct operates in the area between electronic and acoustic instrumentation with a cinematic approach to composition influenced by the likes of Hans Zimmer and Jesper Kyd.
While it’s common for Drum & Bass producers to concentrate on dance-floor impact, Conduct‘s primary focus is to create rich harmonic interpolations and potent imagery that never fails to provoke a strong emotional response in the listener.
Borderlands is Conduct’s debut album, perfectly showcasing their unique ability to juxtapose natural and artificial sonics, deadly seriousness and light heartedness. An album of severe light and shade, Conduct have beautifully constructed an environment that sits somewhere between the heat of dusty Western desert vistas and glacial extraterrestrial landscapes.
Instantly signed by the ground-zero label of innovative Drum & Bass, Blu Mar Ten Music, Borderlands is a masterful introduction to the Conduct sound and sees this electrifying new act join label-mates Frederic Robinson and Kimyan Law in the total redefinition of 170bpm dance music.
Conduct enjoys support from Noisia, London Elektricity, Doc Scott, Reso and many more.
Known collectively as Conduct, Robin Andrews & Chris Edwards began collaborating in 2009, working on a range of creative endeavours from graphic art to composition to cinematography. Between them, Conduct has a rich and diverse musical history, playing live in Extreme-Metal, Be-Bop and Jazz bands while also working in the delicate nuances of digital sound design. This tapestry of experience is reflected in their dynamic, widescreen DJ sets which range from the subsonically deep, through the beautifully soulful to the fearsomely technical.
Fascinated with experimentation at 170 beats per minute, Conduct operates in the area between electronic and acoustic instrumentation with a cinematic approach to composition influenced by the likes of Hans Zimmer and Jesper Kyd.
While it’s common for Drum & Bass producers to concentrate on dance-floor impact, Conduct‘s primary focus is to create rich harmonic interpolations and potent imagery that never fails to provoke a strong emotional response in the listener.
Borderlands is Conduct’s debut album, perfectly showcasing their unique ability to juxtapose natural and artificial sonics, deadly seriousness and light heartedness. An album of severe light and shade, Conduct have beautifully constructed an environment that sits somewhere between the heat of dusty Western desert vistas and glacial extraterrestrial landscapes.
Instantly signed by the ground-zero label of innovative Drum & Bass, Blu Mar Ten Music, Borderlands is a masterful introduction to the Conduct sound and sees this electrifying new act join label-mates Frederic Robinson and Kimyan Law in the total redefinition of 170bpm dance music.
Conduct enjoys support from Noisia, London Elektricity, Doc Scott, Reso and many more.
Conduct's focus is firmly on the juxtaposition between electronic and acoustic instrumentation, with a cinematic approach to composition influenced by the likes of Hans Zimmer and Jesper Kyd. Conduct strive to create an emotional response in the listener, aiming to create a timeless body of work.
'Meraki' / 'Borderlands' is the first single taken from Conduct's debut LP, scheduled to drop in 2016 on BMTM.
After being chased for over a year, new kids on the block, Nausika, finally caved in and let Blu Mar Ten Music sign this lovely single.
DOMINION A masterclass in minimalism. Even though we've played this in every set for months we still haven't worked out why it gets such a massive reaction every single time. Dominion is the very essence of 'more than the sum of its parts'.
ECHOES Again, somehow Echoes manages to be more than it should be. A box ticker of shuffly drums and warpy basses somehow cooks up an intensely moody atmosphere.
More about Nausika: Just 19 & 21 years old, Nausika are a Leeds-based duo specialising in their own blend of dark, stripped back Drum & Bass. After meeting at University only a year ago they've already caught the attention of many top flight DJs resulting in a recent EP on Teebee’s Subtitles Music.