Emerging from beneath the Seine, Parisian outfit EZEPH resurface with their debut release. The French duo are no strangers to working under heavy pressure: after a long expedition spent submerged and isolated, they are finally ready to showcase their unique sound to those at surface level.
Title track Observance features a solemn sermon on the direction of society, delivered over a deep, shuffling dub techno riddim. On the flip the vocal is cut, leaving a raw chugging, high pressure version.
Bournemouth foundation Jungle Label -Underdog Recordings (est 1993)brings you the "Ghosts of Future Past" EP from unknown quantity Ghost Unit.
2x 170Bpm Jungle tunes on side A are complimented by 2x 130bpm breakbeat hardcore influenced tracks re-visitng some of the most well known vocal samples from the Rave Era repackaged for 2021 but still in the authentic Old Skool style
Released on a limited run of 300 electronic blue 12" vinyl.
Spray, founded in 2020, is a Berlin based record label providing the freshest old and new trance infused house, breaks, acid and downtempo sounds. The label focuses on reissuing slept-on ‘90s gems and aims to provide a platform for new artists. The first release brings in an outstanding reissue from one of LA’s finest artists from the ‘90s ‘Dimension 23’ including a remix from Spray favourite, Or:la - the perfect sonic combination between old and new and a testament to what the label aims to project.
Denver has long been a nexus point for the ley lines of global bass music. Home to a wealth of talent and an essential stop for artists both homegrown and international, now it’s the turn of nomadic label DNO Records to touchdown in the Mile High City, as rising stars Trisicloplox & Sectra join the roster.
Unlike anything heard on the label so far, the ‘Souls Were Never Here’ EP taps into that oh-so-Stateside sound; where dubstep’s unearthly weight meets the sound design of Detroit techno and the LA beat scene, all amplified by the screech and roar of grunge, sludge and noise.
On opening track ‘Alp’ — the only named collaboration — a methodical halftime march plays out to the footsteps of some unseen goliath, scraped and torn at by rusty needles of noise and bristling overdrive. Each following track is forged from the same dark matter, but transmogrified into its final beastial form by the individual witchcraft of each producer.
‘Duum’ sees Trisicloplox hack chunks from the rhythm so it stumbles along over raw subs, before switching up to syncopated kicks, a sheet metal melody and huge swells of bass to bring a swung hip-hop vibe to proceedings. Then, on ‘Changed Flesh’ he rips the beat from the track almost entirely, choosing to drag his thundering low-end kicking and screaming through a swamp of caustic fuzz and industrial rot.
Sectra’s solo effort, ‘I Was Never Here’, adds yet more coarse textures — like a painter mixing sand and glass shards into their palette. Picking up the pace slightly, the interplay of kick and bassline give the track a debauched groove, conjuring images of leather and iron and grease. Closing out with a digital-only track from Trisicloplox, ‘Siphon Soul’ finds the sci-fi effects that have been present throughout the EP coalesce into their strongest form yet, with snatches of guttural vocals building a tense dynamic around a slick rolling pulse.
Savage, ruined, dystopian — that’s the world depicted by the harsh, futuristic sonics of the ‘Souls Were Never Here’ EP, yet it’s also one where every sound and every second matter; where infinite dread and infinite detail sit side by side.
Whether DNO can escape the clutches of Denver’s twisted offspring to continue their journey remains to be seen.
Rhythms of postmodern realism at the very bottom of the DNO.
“Cartier’s five-track EP flits from futuristic electro into retro acid rave territory, with sugar-rush flashes of ghettotech and juke thrown in for good measure. The whole thing ignites a wide-eyed buzz, like watching a sci-fi flick for the first time as a kid, hopped up on cola. ‘humans’ closes the EP with a trippy acid electro flourish, all neon-hued and atmospheric; a soft, bouncy landing on an unknown planet.” -DJmag
featured on DJmag and BBC radio 1 introducing dance. support from intergalactic gary, dave clarke, anz, partiboi69, kessler, saoirse, solid blake, nite fleit, justin jay, jensen interceptor, asquith, dj mell g, jossy mitsu, darwin, december, amadeezy, emerald rose lewis, bell towers, shedbug
To follow the success of Breaka’s ‘The Startup’ - the inaugural Off Beat release which earned support from the likes of Addison Groove, Sherelle, Minor Science and Sicaria Sound to name but a few - label boss Rhyvahl (one-third of Off Beat), steps up to deliver three cuts of fun, percussive, bass-laden heat for OBR002.
Reminiscent of early Ramadanman records on Hessle Audio and Swamp 81, ‘Down Alarm’ rings out with gliding bass, 808 snares and vocal chops.
‘Hassle’ is a held-back stepper with various bass mutations and a system shattering mid-range whale call.
Closing out yet another extremely promising release for the Manchester-based label is ‘Footcell’. Drawing on a Grime framework, a series of bit-crushed blips dance around the choppy, shortly-sustained synth licks, like fireflies illuminating.
As Bristol’s Phuture Shock Musik strides into its landmark tenth year in action and the next chapter of its journey, the sister arm of the label casts the net a little wider in both a geographic sense and genre wise for its latest vinyl-only compilation release -‘EXCURSIONS # 7’. Rallying up a dynamic force of global talent from as far and wide as South Korea to South Africa through to Europe and the United States, this instalment orbits a sonic dimension where modern, left-leaning strains of house, broken beat and future soul freely collide together across four exclusive cuts.
a1. DJ Bowlcut - Aurora Borealis (Scratcha DVA Remix)
Release Date: 3rd July 2020Italian DJ and producer Lynch Kingsley returns to Inperspective Records with new album Death Cycles, out 5th June.
An eleven-track release, Death Cycles is a slow-burning journey that sees Kingsley craft rich, atmospheric soundscapes informed by his D&B background. The first half of the record is characterised by downbeat, ambient breakbeat exploration, with tracks like ‘Rites of Passage’ and ‘Distance Between Soundwaves’ expertly setting the scene. In the second half, both the tempo and intensity rise gradually, most notably with the pounding, rapid-fire breaks of ‘Acid Dream’, before things are closed out with the sophisticated liquid D&B sounds of ‘Reach Through Meditation Pt. 2’.
Hailing from Rome, Kingsley has built a reputation around his complex, cerebral brand of electronic music, which is equal parts emotional, raw and intimate. Making his debut on Beat Machine in 2014, he has since released a brace of records on Inperspective, ‘Eden’ in 2016 and a Void’ in 2018. Closely associated with the ‘Dreamers’ crew in Milan, alongside the likes of Neve, he established himself as a frontrunner in the underground italian breakbeat circuit.
An expansive, complex collection of tracks, Death Cycles sees Lynch Kingsley kick off the new decade in scintillating form.
a1. Lynch Kingsley - Estranger (Sequence 1)
a2. Lynch Kingsley - Heart of Thorns
a3. Lynch Kingsley - Inner Vision
b1. Lynch Kingsley - Rites of Passage
b2. Lynch Kingsley - Distance Between Soundwaves
b3. Lynch Kingsley - Kigoku ft K4LL4X
c1. Lynch Kingsley - The Blind Ronin
c2. Lynch Kingsley - Aqtiquity (ft. Resound)
c3. Lynch Kingsley - Acid Dream
d1. Lynch Kingsley - Reach Through Meditation pt.1
d2. Lynch Kingsley - Reach Through Meditation pt.2
'Break The House' is a brand new label from the crew who brought us the highly successful 'Rave 2 The Grave' series. This time, fusing rare & classic influential house hooks with a modern & highly original breaks house vibe.
The debut 12" release from Bulu & Etch's label BTG.
Created as a means to explore styles and sonic territories they may not explore through their own avenues, BTG was set up as a means for complete creative freedom not restricted to tempo style or dancefloor formularity.
The fourth release is a big one for Holding Hands as they branch out into brand new territory with their first new signing on the label. Breaka usually runs in very different circles, producing footwork, juke and DnB from his home in Leeds. These are the first tunes of his at a slower tempo to be released but you can certainly hear those in6luences loud and clear in these certified UK 125-130bpm bangers.
Rory’s Theme has the tension of an early Metalheadz release but when it drops it makes the hair stand on the back of your neck. The synths fly high with exultation whilst the 808 sub kicks and rolls up and down your body. The track has the truly rare combined qualities of a pure elation mixed with enough stank face to get your gun fingers punching through the heavy air of a pounding club. Basically, it’s a certified peak time weapon.
As has become customary for Holding Hands, Puffer Jackets sits bang in the middle of several difference genres and influences. The sound of 2009-2012 UK bass mixed with the grime and 2-step of 2018. This one will turn a club upside down and inside out. You better hope you aren’t standing too close to the subs when it kicks in...
For the B2 Holding Hands head honcho Desert Sound Colony steps in for remix duties of Puffer Jackets. Slightly slowed and dubbed out, this one rounds out the EP perfectly with a deeper take on the Breaka sound. Perfect for the beginning of a night or for a hypnotic section of a set late on, this one is built to captivate you and take you drifting away...
All three tracks are produced and sculpted for the club. They want big sound systems and dark rooms. Close your eyes, hold hands and experience transcendental space flight...
Seekersinternational sends dub into another dimension, a place where the laws of physics appear irrelevant. Formerly solid structures are made improbable and surreal; songs become dizzying, recursive mazes. But for all this weirdness, the Canadian producer has generally hung onto dub's loved-up feel.