DJ Swagger returns to Nerang Recordings with ‘Bass Hysteria’ this January. Following releases on E-Beamz, Natural Sciences, and Who’s Susan, the German-based DJ Swagger returns to Nerang after appearing on the label’s ‘Freaky Friends Volume 1’ compilation earlier this year, bringing yet another bout of high quality, high energy output to the table.
Merging influences from Dance Mania through to UK Garage, ‘Bass Hysteria’ sees the DJ Swagger at the top of his game. ‘Atomic Fear’ galvanizes the pure energy of early DJ Funk, with air raid sirens and glitched out hi-hats punctuated throughout, while ‘Drybones’ nods towards early dubstep and UK flavours, with gurgling basslines and skippy drums bubbling throughout as occasional glimmers of gorgeous synth work allow the listener to come up for air.
‘Trail of Destruction’ encapsulates golden age electro, with effected vocals, crisp percussion, and gritty basslines coming together for a late night groover. ‘Noseblunt’ is a fast-paced whirlwind, aimed for fog-filled dance floors, perfectly wrapping up the eleventh release on a label pushing diverse sounds from artists around the world.
DJ Swagger ‘Bass Hysteria’ lands on Nerang Recordings in April 2021.
Dance music during lockdown? Wh?t’s the point? Don’t lose faith.. We will be back dancing together and when we do, you will want to hear this EP blasted out on a massive sound system, in good company. Berlin-based Aaron and Felix, aka Fjaak, have found themselves on a rapid uphill trajectory this last few years, tearing up the techno scene with their broken rhythms and massive floor fillers. With ‘WH?T EP’ we take things back underground, keeping in check with a darkside-son- ic familiar to Tectonic.
Lead track ‘WH?T’ is a brutal dancefloor track, weighted by a thundering distorted bass and skittering broken breakbeats and meticulous drum programming. Title based sample “Whaaaaaaaaaaaat” chimes in now and then to remind you what you’re listening to.
Label boss Pinch is first up on remix duties, taking the ‘WH?T’ original and deeply upsetting it. Hard bang with some 4/4 bits and loads of distortion. We flip then for a rare collaboration between Fjaak and Felix’s brother J. Manuel (originally a founding member of Fjaak and brother of Felix), taking things into scribbly-acid territory, while keeping the mood low-slung and rolling. Dangerous beat manipulator Eric Baldwin aka Cocktail Party Effect finishes up the plate with a synapse-sizzling version backed by heavy drum programming and ankle hugging subs.
a1: Fjaak - WH?T
a2: Fjaak - WH?T (Pinch Remix)
b1. Fjaak & J. Manuel - XoXp0rt
b2. Fjaak & J. Manuel - XoXp0rt (Cocktail Party Effect Remix)
’Lothian Buses’ is an EP of genre collisions with Proc Fiskal amalgamating his twinkling, caffeinated grime sound with the rhythms and sounds of other genres, without ever overthinking it. To kick off, ‘Thurs Jung Yout’ is a kind of shoegaze drill with strings and gentle tones swelling and dissipating against busy drill beats. ‘Baguettes’ is a more classic Proc sound, a galloping rhythm against a sparse melody that was a quick fix up for a show that turned out well. ‘Choco Frito (Calamari)’ was influenced by the good life, DJing in Portugal in the sunshine and hearing Kuduro played out. The latticing drum patterns nod to the style, dropping into a sunny accordion chorus with a plucked guitar line. ‘Scarab Aloph’ is Proc's style compressed, full of micro-glitches, tight drum fills and incidental drop-outs across a pretty melody, while ‘HopeTak2’ is his percussive, breezy take on funky house with smiley melodic stabs. Finally, ‘Mullit Madollock’ takes the sonics of airy Bukem-style atmospheric jungle, an instantly recognisable inspiration that's not been as foregrounded in Proc’s work before, refitted and updated with grime-inspired melodic bass kicks.
AEON FOUR may be best known for their modern jungle but are equally at home with hardcore rave sounds. 'Ruffer' is a perfect example of their seriously addictive groove.
With releases on essential hardcore labels such as Kniteforce and a classy Acen remix in the bag, you can count on NERVOUS+ANXIOUS to deliver. 'Immersion' sees them heading back to the heyday of hardcore - no wonder as their roots are firmly in early 90s generation rave.
Original junglist INFEKTO has been at it since '94 and shows no signs of stopping. Following up the recent jungle slammers on Mystery City and Bass=Win, ’Lift Off’ hits the sweet spot between early hardcore and jungle.
Samuel & Nasley calmly waited 20 years for their first vinyl outing on last years Northside compilation. As PRIME TIME their story goes even further back: written in the early '90s 'Hypnotic Hardcore' comes with classic rave stabs sprinkled on a mesmerising beat.
UK based producer Hugo Massien has been slowly but surely making a name for himself over the past few years. Metamorphosis marks Hugo’s debut LP on the E-Beamz Record label.
Having first released in 2014 he quickly built a legion of fans who absolutely loved his bass heavy breaks, sometimes wonky beats, trance rave, and acid tinged sound. By 2018 he had released a winning string of EPs on various imprints including XL Recordings, Keysound, 17 Steps, Unknown to the Unknown and of course E-Beamz.
He now drops his debut album Metamorphosis which brings together all the best elements of Hugo’s creativity into one cohesive release.
Multi-faceted artist Calibre today shares his sixteenth studio album "Feeling Normal". The album is out now to pre-order on Vinyl, CD and on digital platforms via his own independent imprint Signature Recordings.
The record is his first bonafide 140bpm record and a staggering body of work that shows the genius levels of one of electronic music's most respected auteurs. Across the 13 tracks, he transcends through space and time, creating music that will take the listener on a weighty sonic journey. The album announcement is accompanied by two dub versions "Bad" and "Badder" deconstructed from the track "Badman" with DRS from Mark Ernestus available via his Hardwax store January 29th and Bandcamp February 12th. "Getting to work with Mark Ernestus is a real honour, I collected Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound and his other work for many years and still do. It's hard to avoid the influence of this guy in electronic music across genres and so it is a real pleasure to have him do his thing with the Badman tune which I think sounds closely related."
All of the tracks on the record have been road-tested in Calibre's DJ sets over the last 2/3 years with many of them being sought-out by his hardcore fans. It was only a matter of time then that he put them out for all to consume. With a nod to the dancefloor, the clear idea for the album came about following the release of his most personal album to date "Planet Hearth". "It still works in the headspace but ultimately it's been written for the sweaty club experience we miss now, also after an album like Planet Hearth it felt very liberating to do," he remarks. When writing albums, he often just puts it down to the general chaos of life, not citing any one influence but generally just waits to see what comes. With one of the tracks on the album written 7 years ago on the island of Valentia, It became a project that he spent the intervening years collecting tracks for, not really knowing when he was going to put it together as an album. "The whole album is special to me, everything on there has import and meaning beyond for me, I have spent much time on all these and hope they are special for other people too."
Belfast-born, Berlin-based Calibre - AKA Dominick Martin - shows no sign of slowing down. As a producer, DJ, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter, he is one of the most unique and inspiring living artists. With a career spanning two decades, his ability to remain underground whilst being one of the most-respected is testament to who this enigmatic artist is. To this day, he has never been remixed and has a seriously impressive amount of unreleased music under wraps. With everything on hold and gigs on the backburner, this record is exactly what the world needs right now.
‘Reality Tunnels’ is a concept that was originally introduced by Robert Anton Wilson in his 1983 book ‘Prometheus Rising’. In essence, the concept of a reality tunnel relates to an idea on how we create our own perspective – the subjective filter that we each apply to the world around us; the things we perceive and what our consciousness deems worthy of attention, IE what we see and hear is entirely relative to what we do not.
At points angular and uncompromising with levels in the red, frequencies pushed out and EQ curves stretched into strange new shapes, Pinch mixes both low and hi fi on this boldly distinct sonic statement. It sees him flexing years of production skills – but unconventionally so – knowing well that safe predictability and rounded polish don’t get the most interesting results.
a1. Entangled Particles (feat Emika) a2. All Man Got (feat Trim) a3. Accelerated Culture b1. Returnity b2. Making Space b3. What Are We Waiting For (feat Trim) c1. Party (feat Killa P) c2. Back To Beyond d1. Change Is A Must (feat Inezi) d2. Non Terrestrial Forms d3. The Last One (feat Nive Nielsen)
Jossy Mitsu (Rinse FM / 6 Figure Gang) makes her production debut on Astral Black. A resident DJ for the labels monthly club residency and host for their monthly radio shows, the club night-cum-label is the perfect home for Jossy's debut solo release. The Birmingham-raised, London based DJ has become known for her ability to shell down any club, whether that’s rinsing out a twisted concoction of sweaty House, Techno and left field club heaters, firing heavy-weight Rave and Jungle sets, or serenading you with her 2-step vinyl collection. Now holding down a Rinse FM residency and part of the much loved ‘6 Figure Gang’, the past 18 months has seen Jossy DJ across Europe and the UK, alongside artists such as Joy Orbison, Dance System, Maya Jane Coles & Dusky and perform at events such as The Warehouse Project, Glastonbury & Outlook Festival among many others.
Throughout the 4-tracks here on 'Planet J', Jossy invites the listener to take a step inside her sonic world. The meandering pads and scattering drum patterns of EP opener 'Odyssey' are seasoned with warped chords 8-bit arpeggiators and ticking cow bells reminiscent of producers such as Skee Mask or INVT. '1997' brings together pounding 4x4 kicks, bouncing basslines and pitched vocal samples, giving the track the makings of a house anthem and leaving the listener yearning for a return to sweaty basement clubs. The high octane energy of 'Turismo' takes the records BPM up a notch for a marathon of skittering snares drums, raucous percussion and menacing sub bass. Whilst the heavily reverbed chords and melodic basslines of subdued EP closer 'Ø' demonstrate Jossy's ability to create thoughtful electronic music whilst still retaining a hard, dance-floor focussed edge.
The EP comes in a full colour sleeve with Planet J’s capital city visualised in a high-res CGI rendering courtesy of London-based designer Kerrie.IRL
Higgler's third instalment is a must have in your Jungle Techno and Breakbeat arsenal. This is Yelsew’s Higglers debut delivering two tracks that fly the rave flag with great aptitude. This EP masterfully fuses the old with the new, creating two classic break techno DJ Tools.
Received radio support from “Interplanetary Criminal – NTS”, “Saoirse – BBC Radio 1” and “Andy Hackney – Rinse FM’
The third release on Raw Basics is a collaborative effort from Basic Rhythm and the inimitable Lamont.
On the A side we have Hard Shoulder. Starting with an electro groove and meditative synth line, pausing for a moment to drop in a head nodding bass stab to accentuate the percussion before bringing in a gritty percussive roll and flair evoking Detroit and Chicago but with a contemporary twist. Hard Shoulder is a modern electro roller with energy to spare.
On the B side is Spring Back, a deeper more melodic affair that opens with a distorted chime melody, bringing to mind children nursery rhymes, before stripping back to clear simple percussion and bass stab. The track rolls along, dipping in and out of the melody line and playing with the time signature, before bringing in a deep sub bass and switching the groove up. This is space age bass music!
SG's debut "Oseng" launches the Between Fields imprint with an assortment of loose breakbeats and warm sonics. Recorded between 2018 and 2020 in Berlin.
After 4 succesful EPs for Lobster Theremin and Sneaker Social Club, Chavinski releases his first 12" on Myor, fusing '92 style rave ethics with early noughties garage vibes.
Kicking things off with a lot of finesse and power, EP opener "Far Out" merges Digital Mystikz dub hauntologies with the UK-centric breakbeat styles of Leftfield circa "Africa Shox". Lift-off comes in the shape of the second track "Temptation", a number that's sure to nail ravers down to the ground of many a discerning techno moshpit; dub echoes mingling with cavernous clangs, Detroit pads and elegant beats roll over tons a' relentless bass. A3 cut "Bassforce" brings in the LFO-style creepy strings to good use while technoid, broken riddims erupt in a way that references golden age dubstep, jungle and raw T++ tunes.
Swaying all expectations thus far, fourth track "Drowned" sends us into shiny anxiolytic bliss, with its crunched-down beats, dripping-wet soul samples and Maria Amor's dreamy textural vocals. Label mum-sweetie Violet takes a left turn into metallic electro rambunction with sub-bass wobbles, trancey stacks of synths and a breezy sense of melody. Closing down the EP in the best possible way, we've got none other than naive's main girl - and utter twitter champion - Ilana Bryne also on the remix, condensing a liquid breakbeat roller that sounds like the offspring of LTJ Bukem and Wookie; meditative and atmospheric airs of hope and mystery float over lean, funky kicks, snares and subs, irradiating healing vibes galore.
Multi-genre industrial bass that's equally at home in the underground of Berlin and the low-end-leaning dancefloors of the US and UK. With 'Warp Crawler' on the exciting YUKU imprint, Chrizpy Chriz finds a mature groove in the bass spectrum that deviates between restrained and tearing at its own seams. A must for open-minded purveyors of exploratory electronica with teeth.
Bristol's Jurango kicks off 2021 in fine style with the 'Retreat Ites' EP for the Livity Sound Reverse series.
From the paranoid echo of the title track to the dark mutant dancehall of 'Theeves', Jurango crafts heavyweight ice cold drum and bass rhythms exploring the outer reaches of soundsystem music in true school Bristol fashion, placing him amongst peers such as Laksa, Batu and Lurka.
Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground electronic music.
After the brilliant E-Unity’s CD-ROM-1, Intramuros invite 2 new artists on a perfect split EP for eclectic DJ’s. 4 different vibes & tempos.
On A-side, Basic from Positive Education / St Étienne (FR) with 2 fresh & untemporal bass music anthems, he opens with Blaze, a loud bass roller, and kills you with 66 Order, his personnal vision of dubstep.
On B-side, Cabasa from Eclipse Tribez / Brussels (BE) opens with Good Trauma, a sublime deep electro track, then Algo Mod Arp, a crazy track exploring fields between metallic & mental drummy sounds and Aphex Twin, for the 170 BPM crew.
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