DUKU is DJ and founder of THE MINE a collective out of Brighton, UK. More recently he launched the label DNO Records who we proudly distribute. Here he provides us with his favourite vinyl releases right now.
DNO have just dropped their latest release, courtesy of Japan's CITY1 with the "Kiswahili" EP, available pre-order on the store right now!
Though citizens the world over are trapped inside under lockdown measures, freshly minted Brighton label, DNO Records, continues traversing the globe to highlight rising talents from the international bass community.
Release number two — the ‘Kiswahili’ EP — comes from CITY1, himself something of a wandering spirit. He hails from the Okinawa islands in Japan’s tropical southern tip, a place of teeming coral reefs and long golden sands, where inhabitants are known for living long lives. Having moved to the bustling capital of Tokyo, CITY1 has since joined Goth-Trad’s Back To Chill crew.
The sound of the ‘Kiswahili’ EP is the sound of CITY1’s two worlds combined — the Pacific island’s mystical soul binding with the digital roar of the hyper-modern metropolis. A-side ‘Sifa’ draws on the polyrhythmic interplay between ramshackle percussive constructions and a gruff, oscillating low-end, built to push sound systems to their limit. Over on the B-side, beat work takes a step back, allowing thunderous atmospherics to take the fore. ‘Funza’ is a sparse futurescape, where blacksmith-hammer strikes puncture the swell of murderous subs, as swarms of acidic bleeps fire off like overactive synapses. On ‘Vitu’, flabby drum skins reverberate beneath the dominating undulation of bass and mournful Middle Eastern wails — a ritualistic death march for the dawn of a new decade. Last but not least comes the digital bonus track, ‘Cheka’. Though the most traditional dubstep offering here in terms of arrangement, CITY1 infuses the track with a coarse, Doppler effect dynamism to ensure it remains a cut above your average dancefloor weapon.
Another essential release from a label determined to make its mark, CITY1’s ‘Kiswahili’ EP arrives on 12” vinyl and digital on the 19th of June 2020.
Rhythms of postmodern realism at the very bottom of the DNO
The Black Sea is a curious place. Bordered by Europe and Asia, it is somewhat isolated, but still nourished by seas and rivers that touch distant lands and times past. Its unique geography causes the water to form two separate layers; the top is full of movement and life, while beneath lies a basin devoid of oxygen, where nothing but the most basic organisms can survive.
On the coast of the Black Sea, in a Russian town called Gelendzhik, lives Kercha — a rising producer, whose new ‘Broken Illusions’ EP reflects all the mysterious complexities of the depths just beyond his doorstep.
Like the sea’s rich surface, each of the EP’s tracks draw from sources separated by vast distances and generational gaps.
Opener ‘Eagle’ looks to the Middle East, its methodical plod accentuated by eerie, sun-baked flutterings — ancient instruments meeting a distinctly digital dubstep pulse. ‘Frozen’ matches oily, oscillating mids with half-heard flashes of jungle; throwing yet another curveball via the thick pops of distinctly electro kicks and snares.
‘Broken Illusions’ itself harks back to turn-of-the-millenium UKG, intricately skipping percussion meeting urgent snatches of clarinet and suspicious sax straight from the neon-lit, rain-slashed streets of some classic noir flick. Underpinning each track is an obsidian low-end — abyssal subs that, like the hidden expanse at the bottom of the Black Sea, threaten to suffocate all life with their oppressive bass-weight.
These three stone-cold cuts not only showcase Kercha’s irrefutable raw talent, but also mark the first outing from DNO Records, the new label from the brains behind Brighton dubstep institution The Mine. A home for international talents who refuse to be confined by genre or tempo, DNO promises to be a home for rhythms of postmodern realism, and a force to be reckoned with on the dancefloor.
Kercha’s ‘Broken Illusions’ EP arrives on 12” vinyl and digital in the end of February 2020.
Clearlight brings his wonderfully tripped out production wizardry to Foundation Audio for a 3 track journey into the void!
Clearlight has always stood out from the crowd and pushed boundaries with his unique take on the genre. It sounds like dubstep swallowed a bottle of LSD… or smoked some DMT… There’s no point going into detailed track summary as it won’t do the music justice, - just sit back, spark one up and get sucked into another dimension.
Clarity’s first solo release on UVB-76 Music arrives in the form of a highly polished, firm footed quartet. Four grounded, heavyweight churners that sit proudly at the core of relevant Drum & Bass: Torsion, Stateless and Taking Effect.Across the three original compositions Clarity commands the frequencies of the contemporary breakbeat form. Completing the circle is Clarity’s remix of label mate Overlook’s All of Them Witches, an interpretive reimaging of an already bona- fide modern classic; poise, precision and execution.
a1. Clarity - Torsion
a2. Clarity - Stateless
b1. Clarity - Taking Effect
b2. Overlook - All of Them Witches (Clarity Remix)
Samurai Music's Russian connection - Saint Petersburg-based Torn has refined his hi-tech dread to maximum efficacy since his solo vinyl debut on Samurai sister label Shiro in 2017. The Internal EP sees his sculpted malaise reaching a creative peak, completing construction on a distinctive desolation he now inhabits like a second skin. 'Acheron' - an inevitable collaboration with Homemade Weapons, sees these two masters of menace fusing their rhythmic prowess into a sleek, malicious tear, while the 3 solo tunes display Torn's newfound artistic maturity with pride and vigour. Sharpened breakbeat spears are deftly welded to Torn's pounding pulses of gloom, with lead track 'Internal' being the most dominating stylistic showcase on the EP. A forceful statement from one of drum and bass music's more promising new talents.
Biome returns to Madam X’s Kaizen imprint with 5 heavy hitting, warehouse-ready club tools.
Serving up his signature style of big drops, frenetic growls and mutated bass, the A- side sees leading tracks Garvey and They Know marry his legendary origins in Dubstep with the carefully crafted, UK techno assaults of his recent work.
Early support from Mall Grab, Darwin, and Loefah puts the tracks firmly in the UK techno scene’s ‘gully-130’ danger-zone.
The B-side sees Biome exploring his sound further. Equinox’s dense textures perfectly accommodate its dub-heavy moments as it subtly creeps into the listener’s brain, whilst Stagger’s laser-sharp groove explodes in bursts of energy as it scales the heights of its 81-style soundscape.
The aptly-named Conquer brings the They Know EP to its gut-wrenching climax, starting with suspense-building hi-hats and ending with an aggressive breach of tech- out rollage: dark, bassline-driven UKG at its finest designed for dark spaces and big soundsystems.
As witnessed in the preceding decades of electronic music fragmentation, it is a bit of a phenomenon that entire threads of sound exist elusively between the tempos and syncopation of rhythm and percussion of each respective genre. just as dubstep was evolved into & somewhat stumbled upon it is somewhat certain that many more areas of illumination lurk in the echoes & shadows of sound.
As has been hinted on sonically with Surface Tension I, Clubroot's previous release & first foray into the second decade of the new millennium, the elusive aforementioned producer from St. Albans has managed to alloy a new sound with the swing and BPM of uk garage, space, air and atmosphere of true dubstep, and with all the unparalleled virtuosity and unmistakable aural DNA of Clubroot, which we dare say is rarely equaled. in doing so, clubroot illuminates the realm of uk garage and electronic music in general towards a currently unforeseen future.
Surface Tension: II further explores these discoveries and further reinvents them in the process. starting with the expansive 'Infatuated'; with its gradual, intensifying movements towards the ultimate reveal, and supported by the equally singular 'Explorer' and 'For You', Surface Tension: II is as much an additional high watermark in clubroot's overall discography as it is a companion piece to Surface Tension: I in both its genre-straddling style and overall ethos, with the vinyl release being pressed on one-time 'solar flare' color vinyl featuring moving original art which stylistically continues the narrative through the as of yet not fully revealed tetraptych.
NC008 see's the return of Navy Cut's debut release artist - Leo James. Presenting two incredible dub-techno inspired slow burners, featuring the mesmerising and soulful vocals of J Appiah.
As with his NC001 release (Speak Back / Day Dream in Dub), Leo James exclusively showcases a deeper, simpler and more progressive side to his productions for Navy Cut. The alias of Dom Howard/Ruckspin; widely known for his production and engineering for Submotion Orchestra and Author, with several acclaimed albums and worldwide tours under his belt since his 2001 production debut.
J Appiah, a singer/songwriter from Hackney, East London, who's work is autobiographical, often rooted in, and taking shape from life experience and whatever sounds he's immersed in at present. A highly sought after vocalist, and artist in his own right; his thoughtfully crafted melodies and lyrics are beyond impressive and refreshing. An artist true to himself and his feelings, Appiah's music conveys to us what it is to feel alive and human in the world.
