Trinity Carbon returns to Art-E-Fax with 5 raw club weapons rooted in UK club culture. Born out of many late nights & early mornings gallivanting around Bristol, the TC project has been put into life after countless studio sessions at the new base in Berlin.
“A black hole full of early UK Hardcore intensity, the minimalism of MF Doom's beatmaking and the imaginative dancehall productions of Steely & Clevie.”
a1. Om Unit Meets Seekers International - Check One (Version)
a2. Om Unit Meets Seekers International - Krnch
a3. Om Unit Meets Seekers International - Mic Up
a4. Om Unit Meets Seekers International - Murky
b1. Om Unit Meets Seekers International - Hold me
b2. Om Unit Meets Seekers International - Nu Killa
b3. Om Unit Meets Seekers International - Check One
Herb LF’s legacy in the garage scene is immense. With his work retaining class and style over more than twenty years. He returns to this integral spirit and provides ‘International Extraterrestrial Music’ with their debut record - a two-part dancefloor orientated EP. On the A-side, Helicopter money slips and pulses between powerful pads and expertly crafted drum patterns, commanding instinctive movements in a club. On the flip, Payday provides a concoction of nostalgia and forward-thinking garage spirit, a result that is suitable for any rascal to dance it out both in the club or sat on the sofa.
The latest drop on Sneaker Social Club comes from D&B standard-bearer Jasper Byrne, aka Sonic. While he’s been active in the scene for over 20 years, in many ways Byrne’s strong artistic identity and omnivorous spread of influences embodies the current rude health of creative D&B. In his refined, detailed and dynamic productions you can hear ideas that reach far beyond playbook genre totems to arrive at something genuinely fresh and unique.
Across his career Byrne has brushed up against some of the most important labels – Metalheadz, Reinforced, V Recordings, Infrared, Hospital, RAM and scores more, as well as operating his own Space Recordings. Finally dropping a debut album last year on the excellent Western Lore, Byrne demonstrated the depth and breadth of Sonic in jaw dropping fashion, and we’re thrilled to be presenting a swift follow-up with Eye of Jupiter.
Byrne’s confident grasp on melody comes to the fore throughout this album, but crucially these phrases, lead lines and hooks are delivered with a subversive slant that surprises and delights in equal measure. The swaying choral tones and MIDI strings on the lead in to “Prince Of Cambridge” land somewhere between Art Of Noise sample-a-delia and new age splendour, offset by the rugged, rolling break. There’s equally a grandiose quality to the organ breakdowns in “Accidental Junglist”, albeit one poured into a blender with echo chamber acrobatics and a generous dose of phaser-based manipulation (calling to mind A Guy Called Gerald’s pioneering work on Black Secret Technology).
Tracks like “The Bells” move into bolder territory still, swerving obvious structures for something altogether more experimental and expressive, all while grounded by harmonic principles and with space to welcome a break when required. The sound design on “20 Yr Riddim” equally reaches beyond the usual confines of D&B to reach a percussion-heavy peak of invention with the capacity to bang as hard as any straight-up track you care to think of.
Even with the space and skill to roam into intriguing pastures, Byrne’s art lies in his ability to make the wildest ideas accessible, and his most accessible tracks still brim with individuality. There’s an immediacy to opening track “Stranded 2019” which draws you in from the off, balancing emotive swoon and a perfectly pitched bleep lick with the rudest, roundest bass and some especially dexterous drum science. That it sounds so easy on the ears and yet so unlike any other tracks in current circulation is all the proof you need that Sonic represents a high watermark for modern drum & bass.
Wisdom Teeth label-head Facta rounds off the year with a two part ode to the dancefloor, pitting house and 2 step beats against warping FM synths à la Errorsmith and Mark Fell. ‘Doves’ picks up where 2019’s ‘Rose Red’ left off: all melting, pitch-bending synths that fizz and ping unpredictably around a solid 4x4 beat. On the flip, ‘MPH’ tugs on the heart strings with a plasticine MIDI melody, percussive vocal chops and a tearjerking set of high-gloss pads.
"I have wanted to put this release out since I first heard v1 of WITT. Hunter Reed from the moment he joined the EA fold has gone from new artist to essential part of the EA cohort. Praise be Hunter Reed."
Commodo is back with ‘Stakeout’ — a standout three-track follow-up to recent EP, ‘Loan Shark’.
‘Stakeout’ picks up where ‘Loan Shark’ left off, tapping back into the conceptual, crime-ridden Wild West first imagined across tracks like ‘Contraband’ and ‘Hot Pursuit’; “If anyone is working on a 22nd century film noir at the moment, this would make the perfect soundtrack” wrote Bandcamp back in June.
This sentiment echoes across the ‘Stakeout’ tracklist, which again details tracks that marry precision bass-weight and deft, nimble sampling techniques with nuanced flashes of genius; Commodo is no ordinary producer. From the swirling unease and sharp crackle of the title-track to the oddball, industrial swing of ‘Transit’ and menacing, Batman-style lurch of EP closer ‘Crooked’ Law’, ‘Stakeout’ forms the fascinating concluding chapter of Commodo’s latest Black Acre odyssey.
'Prole Art Threat' is producer Anthoney Hart's second LP for Planet Mu under his East Man alias, after 2018's well received debut 'Red White & Zero'. It brings together a set of MCs from all over London, Darkos and Eklipse from East London and Lyrical Strally from near Feltham who were on the first album, Ny Ny and Mic Ty also from East London, Streema and 'Vision Crew' member Whack Eye from Lewisham plus Fernando Kep, an MC from the burgeoning Brazil grime scene. They work across a cohesive set of tight riddims forged from thoughtful amalgams of grime, dancehall and drum & bass.
a1. East Man & Streema - Know Like Dat
a2. East Man & Mic Ty - Everybody Knows
a3. East Man & Fernando Kep - Ouroboros
a4. East Man & Lyrical Strally - Ten Ton Riddim
a5. East Man - Boys
a6. East Man & Ny Ny - Who Am I?
b1. East Man - East Man Theme (reprise)
b2. East Man & Whack Eye - Wow How?
b3. East Man & Eklipse - Ease Up
b4. East Man & Darkos Strife - Look & Listen (Part 2)
One of the UK's freshest emerging dance music labels, responsible for stalwart releases from Special Request and Nightwave, return for their 19th release.
The succinct beats of Pugilist have perked the ears of labels like Whities, 3024 and Trule to name but a few. And having previously featured on volume one of the label's new 'EleVAte' compilation series, among artists like Otik, Appleblim and Commix, he returns to the imprint for his first, full four-tracker; 'Siphon'.
The title track, Siphon, blasts through with authentic jungle chops, scattered together asymmetrically like a beautiful chaotic tapestry.
'Regrowth' is a swung garage stepper, jammed live on a 909 with earthquaking low-end frequencies that warmingly morph from underneath.
On remix duties of 'Siphon', is no other than Lobster Theremin alumni, Coco Bryce. With surreal, microprocessing of the heavyweight blows from the original, he also resamples time-stretched speech samples to devastating effect.
'Nightshade' closes out the record with its steadfast amen rinse-out and pokey 808 subs, concluding one of the most forward-thinking and new-school jungle records for the label, all the while serving as an exemplary ode to the old-school.
The fourth release on Schloss Records comes from British multi-instrumentalist and polyrhythmic wizard A Psychic Yes (Timothy Crombie). While most of us are even confused as to where to place a hi-hat, Crombie carefully and effortlessly arranges a bouquet of bleepy bloops, melodic U-turns and chaotic ideas, welding together a beautiful soundscape that makes perfect sense. Or as one friend described it: “his music tastes like strawberries”. A Psychic Yes has previously released music on Kalahari Oyster Cult and Tech Startup. The B-side features a lush remix from Bristolian DJ and producer Hodge. Artwork, as always, by Schloss co-founder Ida Ekblad. That Swamp Feeling is mastered by Matt Karmil.
FKOFv004 is the third physical release from FKOF Records in 2020, following WZ’s FKOFv003 in January and the 2x 12” FKOF10 album celebrating 10 Years of FatKidOnFire earlier this summer. We open with the heavyweight Chad Dubz and Biome collab – ‘455’ – that’s been inspiring gunfingers and screwfaces around the world since being teased online a few months ago. It’s everything you’d hope the combination of two of 140bpm’s finest talents would create: incredible synths, crushing percussive power and atmospherics for days. Pure weight.
“A2 is another Chad Dubz collab, this time featuring Uprise Audio’s boss Eddy Seven on the buttons. ‘Strictly’ has been doing regular damage on the FKOF Sessions show on Subtle Radio and is exactly what its sample says it is – ‘strictly for the sound system’. We signed this one for the mad switch up and the sub that hits harder than a rollercoaster. You’ll know what we mean when you hear this on the system. Absolute rudeness.
“The B-side opens with the only Chad Dubz original mix on the record; the relentlessly effervescent ‘Nilaari’. It’s a production on the rowdier side of what we’d normally sign, but we knew we had to have it when Chad sent it our way. You’ll need a lie down after this one!
“We conclude by welcoming the legendary DJ Madd to FKOF Records for his debut, putting an old school, stripped back flip on ‘455’. The remix evokes the brooding, dangerous dubstep sound from classic Minimal Mondays sets back in the day on Rinse – or the halfstep vibe from 2010-13. It’s a fitting end to what we feel is an incredible record. We hope you agree!
![Sorrow - Mourner VIP / Voynich [10" Vinyl] - Unearthed Sounds](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/fpl023_{width}x.jpg?v=1607051400)
![Om Unit Meets Seekers International - Secret Location [12" Vinyl LP] - Unearthed Sounds](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/bh063_{width}x.jpg?v=1607043475)
![Sonic - The Eye Of Jupiter [2x12" Vinyl LP] - Unearthed Sounds](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/snkrlp007f_{width}x.jpg?v=1607622030)
![B-Say - Grift / Emparedado [10" Vinyl] - Unearthed Sounds](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/env028b_{width}x.jpg?v=1607026534)
![Hunter Reed - WITT / Rolling Hills At 70mph [10" Vinyl] - Unearthed Sounds](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/env028a_{width}x.jpg?v=1607035397)
![East Man - Prole Art Threat [12" Vinyl LP] - Unearthed Sounds](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/ziq423_{width}x.jpg?v=1607032536)
