Forward ever! Sustaining the consistent support and output of subculture sound system music, Austria's eminent Dubstep label Sub Audio Records lifts the curtains on its fifth 12" vinyl release. Encapsulated devilry, 'Life Without Meaning / You Can Run Much Faster' harbours the experimental sounds of Soukah - evoking heavyweight soundscapes slathered with gratuitous amounts of black magic. The enigmatic artist follows up on recent, acclaimed releases via Rarefied and Silent Motion among others - spellbinding bass music enthusiasts once again with two masterpieces cast onto wax. Raising hell alongside, none other than the rising notables and core Sub Audio artists Kodama and Ourman return to the label for a pair of super-charged remixes - proper version business indeed. A must-have for any discerning record collector, residing in subterranean soundscapes and experimental sound system music alike.
a1. Soukah - Life Without Meaning
a2. Soukah - Life Without Meaning (Kodama Remix)
b1. Soukah - You Can Run Much Faster
b2. Soukah - You Can Run Much Faster (Ourman Remix)
Rory McPike is an artist who holds a special place in the core of Melbourne’s musical heart. His primary alias for the past 5 years, Rings Around Saturn, has been releasing sub loaded technotic synthesis with hints and glimpses of a 140 bpm’d dubstep track on the horizon — The horizon is here — Welcome.
Goose Step pays homage to the UKs 06-07 dubstep powerhouses with undeniable sound system power itself. Minimalistic on first listen, rude tune on the fourth. Goose Step is a piece we have been looking forward to pressing for a long time here on Modern Hypnosis. All this talk about dubstep, we almost forgot about the A side!!?!!
THX Assassin has more character than Merry and Pippin in LOTR. A hot piece of dub garage combining ultra pleasing sonics with clean percussion, articulated wubs and a halfway vibe check.
Both tracks mastered and cut by Beau Thomas @ Ten Eight Seven Mastering. 180g black 12” vinyl.
Introducing Maes (Manchester UK) the newest crew member on Navy Cut. Serves up 3 cuts of hard hitting sub bass with complex percussion and packed with energy while retaining the original Dubstep sound.
Here comes the « Wonderland of Green Riddim » from Fruits Records’ studio band The 18th Parallel. This one is a super heavy rub a dub riddim played in the Roots Radics early 80’s traditional style. Double 7” single, the first record features the legendary Jamaican vocal trio from Studio One and Black Ark days, The Silvertones, singing the roots anthem « Wonderland of Green » and an extra killer dub mix by French wizard Westfinga on the B side. The second record features the big bad DJ Burro Banton with « Living In a Wonderland » and the instrumental version on the flip side. A must have double 7” single for all selecters!
Here comes the « Wonderland of Green Riddim » from Fruits Records’ studio band The 18th Parallel. This one is a super heavy rub a dub riddim played in the Roots Radics early 80’s traditional style. Double 7” single, the first record features the legendary Jamaican vocal trio from Studio One and Black Ark days, The Silvertones, singing the roots anthem « Wonderland of Green » and an extra killer dub mix by French wizard Westfinga on the B side. The second record features the big bad DJ Burro Banton with « Living In a Wonderland » and the instrumental version on the flip side. A must have double 7” single for all selecters!
a1. The Silvertones - Wonderland of Green
b1. Westfinga & The 18th Parallel - Wonderland of Dub
Teffa makes a more than welcome return to Foundation Audio with the 'Advance EP' featuring four of his greatest productions to date! The more attentive dubstep connoisseurs amongst you might well recognise 'Advance' which has been doing the rounds for a hot minute now mashing up countless raves. The rest of the EP ain't no joke either.. pure FYAH from front to back! Love to Teffa each n every.
The next release on Hi Tek Sounds sees the inimitable JEB1 bring his distinctive sound to the label.
The A side, ‘Guyana’, is a mournful, melancholy affair full of lush melodies and choral arrangements, accentuated only by a pared down percussive rhythm track and growling bass line. The title connects the contemporary sound of inner city London back to JEB1’s ancestral heritage.
East Man steps up for the remix on the B side, stripping the track back even further, reducing it to a bouncing tin pan percussion and driving rhythms, and alternating between a warm low sub bass and a gritty growling bass lead to cut straight to the dance floor.
Mungo’s Hi Fi cement their long-standing connection with Italian-born, Paris-based singer Marina P, by releasing eagerly awaited concept album Soul Radio. Over six years in the making, Soul Radio is an ambitious representation of the artistic fullness of Marina P, expanding into multiple genres while keeping its roots in rocksteady, reggae and ska.
Born in Italy to jazz loving parents, Marina P travelled to Paris to get involved in its music scene. Word reached Mungo’s HiFi of this rising singer with a cool yet emotive tone, and the Scottish sound system and label reached across the Channel to voice her on their industrial strength Belly Ska riddim. The result was 2007’s massive and enduring Divorce à l'Italienne, which was included on Mungo’s 2009 Sound System Champions LP.
That track is present on Soul Radio, alongside an inspired rocksteady cover of Smashing Pumpkins’ Soma, plus ska smash, And The Beat Goes SKA!, an adaptation of Sonny and Cher’s And The Beat Goes On. Having worked up a sweat on the ska and rocksteady dancefloor, the album relaxes into a more chilled space, with the haunting Nice To Meet You and the serene Great Wave. These calming, secluded sonic spaces combine Mungo’s forward-thinking production with a retro 90s-meets-50s, trip- hop-in-a-jazz club nostalgia. Taken as a whole, Soul Radio celebrates Marina P’s depth and versatility as an artist. It’s also the perfect soundtrack to both the night before - and the morning after.
a1. Soma
a2. Mama Was Right
a3. Divorce A L'Italienne
a4. The Beat Goes SKA! ft Tippa Irie & Dennis Alcapone
Hold tight, Cimm's back at the controls. For the fifteenth physical release and his third 12" on the revered Sentry Records imprint, the prodigious UK-based artist reveals some of his finest high-grade sound system combustibles yet. DJ Youngsta's label demonstrates how it's done once again, proceeding with the consistent stream of quality excursions and another four mammoth-sized tracks to shake a leg to and light up the audience. Super-charged, Cimm's murderous sound design in all its glory.
Hurling dubbed-out vocal fragments through the nether soundscape, 'Endo' kicks off with an infectious swing and larger-than-life attitude. Taking your friendly neighbourhood sound-boy for a wild ride and full-frontal hype apocalypse - drenched in Dub influences and murderous distortion - sure to turn heads and yield rewind requests. 'Grape Lime Ricky' takes on a more laid-back attitude, basking in its silky lo-fi pads and ephemeral lo-fi aesthetics. Granular and detuned, soulful to its core - a seemingly effortless top-notch production with Hip-Hop influences and plenty of pressure to go with it. Sheltered in its ominous ambience 'Endless Sky' unleashes an earthquake meditation, encapsulated with surreal, hypnotic sound design and bespoke foley sampling. Lurking in the percussive dungeon, reverberant horns complete the setting, in all its glory. Returning to the ancestral roots of Dub, 'Space Queen' hits in all the right spots - conveying the vital Jamaican heritage onto a modern framework, heavyweight Roots Dub bassline included. Taking over the dance with a vintage flair, retro percussion and authentic skanks - King Tubby would approve.
The far west has long been known as hollowed ground for Dub Reflective arts, from the birth of Reggae and subsequent Jamaican diaspora to the more recently developments that ultimately informed Dubstep. Many key figures have emerged on the left coast of the USA throughout these developments in Culture and Roots-centric Dubstep, with key among them being the surfacing of LoDubs, and its rise near the advent of the sound in 2006 serving to inform and cement Dub's true DNA at a time when the field of those carrying the torch throughout the region could be counted on a single hand.
Within this formative time period of the first wave of Dubstep those to the north of LoDubs land where also involved in spreading the sound, with one of the key bright lights being Daega Sound of Vancouver BC. Known far and wide for their live PA's and blistering exclusives weaved into them, it was always on the list for LoDubs to team up the with these two fraternal soundmen. That has finally been realized in the form of the two originals on this EP, “Gatekeeper” and “Second Strike”. Adding to that is the don of all dons Kromestar remixing the former with a creation that deftly piles the elements of the original into a swirling ominous tempest in which low, mid, syncopation and jungle-esque flourishes lay waste to the dance. All together a symbolic tome from three veteran stalwarts of the sound, still on top of their game.
Low frequency mastermind, Zygos, makes his Albion Collective debut alongside returning roots commander, Dubbing Sun. Their single, “Cradle To The Grave”, empowers the dancefloor in a unifying steppas style. Intensifying the marching bassline, prophecies from Rider Shafique and Ras Addis urge the revolution forward.
Reinforcing the A-side, Digid leads the lion charge, churning the bassline with rock steady grit. Stripping the anthem back to stone-shaking 140, Somah rebuilds the B-side with Trinity Centre brickwork and trenchtown mortar.
Reaching forward while honouring its roots, Albion Collective adds new dubstep super-powers to its roster while welcoming back some of the label’s earliest titans. Zygos and Dubbing Sun’s original mix and its flips are set to keep raves stomping from the “Cradle To The Grave”.
a1. Cradle To The Grave ft. Rider Shafique & Ras Addis
a2. Cradle To The Grave ft. Rider Shafique & Ras Addis (Digid Remix)
b1. Cradle To The Grave ft. Rider Shafique & Ras Addis (Somah Remix)
Dutch duo The Illuminated makes their debut on the lowlands Rotterdam based Dub Communication imprint. On the A side, featuring Vale's horns, you'll find 'Revolution' (previously known as Liberation). A shought after 120BPM dubplate stepper which ignites the dance each 'n every time.
Flip the 7" and you'll find that, with their signature sound, they remixed 'Hugh Dub' - originally by Blind Prophet, previously released on DUBCOM003V.
a1. The Illuminated - Revolution ft Vale
b1. Blind Prophet - Hugh Dub (The Illuminated remix)
Young gun and badman producer Retina returns to Foundation Audio for his debut vinyl release and quite frankly it slaps!!!!
‘Dusted’ kicks things off with a hyper 4x4 beat and an eratic bassline – this one comes flying straight out of the gates! ‘Nameless and Nothing’ a meaner, beast with its eerie atmospheres and plodding bassline takes the A2 spot. Flip the record and we have ‘No Fear I’ a subby monster best described by the word SUB. ‘If Not The Orb’ closes proceedings with a 07-08 old skool antisocial kinda vibe wrapping up the ep perfectly. Dubstep goodness from front to back and solid proof that Americans can also do the dubstep.
To celebrate 100 years of the Theremin, super producer Gaudi and friends have created an album of Theremin infused dub.
Developed in 1920 by Russian physicist Léon Theremin, the Theremin is an electronic device which works with magnetic fields and consists of one metal antenna controlled without physical contact. Predominantly a fairly niche instrument, it has featured in several styles of music since its creation, from classical works to sci-fi movie soundtracks, pop and rock.
Gaudi was supported in this tribute by five of the world's top dub producers - Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, The Scientist, Dennis Bovell and Prince Fatty. All hugely respected individuals who have been representing the best of international dub production for the last 50 years, they have provided the riddims that underpin Gaudi's Theremin playing on this astonishing project.
As a solo artist, Gaudi has recorded over 20 albums, while as a producer he has hundreds of productions under his belt. In his 30 year career he has worked with legends of the reggae and electronic music worlds including Steel Pulse, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Horace Andy, Michael Franti, Deep Forest, Zion Train, Dub FX, Youth, The Orb, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Trentemøller.
As a Theremin player for over 25 years, Gaudi has often combined his passion for the instrument and for reggae music, playing it on several of his albums, but until now he has never dedicated an entire release to it. Known and lauded for putting his "dub-take" on many musical genres, '100 Years of Theremin (The Dub Chapter)' is Gaudi's brainchild.
Listening to this blissful out-of-body-experience of an album, where roots reggae meets the enigmatic and ethereal sounds of sci-fi, is a deep and pensive experience. Haunting and mellifluous melodies meet earthy, bassy grooves in an unlikely yet undeniably successful union. Despite the individual styles of the producers involved, the album has a unified quality, the cinematic feel of a soundtrack with the narrative being the distinctive voice of the Theremin.
Infernal Sounds show no sign of letting up during 2020 as they present their 5th release of the year, this time with a debutant to the label, SWR. The relatively unknown artist (formerly known as Widowmaker) has been making fluctuations since arriving on the scene - his release with Cocobolo Sound receiving high plaudits as he created two tracks which perfectly paid homage to the original '06 sound. As for his Square Soulja EP for IFS022, he's plated up four cuts that showcase his vast variety in skill and sound, taking influence from grime and lacing a future sound within his productions. Whether you prefer the more surreal sounds of 'Vertigo', the downplayed filth on 'Isshin's Theme', or the more in your face skankers in both 'Square Soulja' and Cypher Zero', this is a 12" you'll want to be packing.
Having already received heavy support from the likes of Truth, N-Type, and many other reputable artists in the scene, this is an insta-bag.