The Unearthed Sounds crew members have compiled their weekly picks containing collectively, in no particular order, their favourite tracks/releases of the week.
Here are the selections individually from the crew:
It's been a few years since Gemmy returned with a release, but he's back in business with a brand new 12 on Infernal Sounds. Entering the imprint on the milestone 30th release, this is a record of pure character and old-school licks that you'd be more than accustomed to if you've listened to the purple-laced producer in previous years. 'Irreversible Culture' kicks things off with a rough and tough low end kick and step, layering that ultimate groove and steppers delight. 'Destination' opens up the B-Side business, taking the direction a little lighter with nimble percussion, progressive mid-range tones, elevating you higher with a playful drum-pattern and vocal-snip mastery. RSD comes bounding in on the B2 remix of 'Irreversible Culture', showing just why he's one of the most lauded producers around, still to this day. The veteran takes the original track and spins it into a deep, dark 2-step roller, giving you those minimal and garage style undertones on the low-end driver. The release has already received heavy support from the likes of Bandulu Gang (Hi5Ghost, Boofy, Kahn & Neek), Joker, Neffa-T and many more reputable DJs.
The first vinyl release from the Crate Classics label. Celebrating the success from the Rose Tinted digital release featuring Eliza Legzdina and a remix by DJ Haus. The vinyl also features the original instrumental used for Rose Tinted as well as an exclusive Crate Classics track remixed by Jamie Rodigan.
a1. Crate Classics & Eliza Legzdina - Rose Tinted
a2. Crate Classics - Top Shotter
b1. Crate Classics & Eliza Legzdina - Rose Tinted (DJ Haus Remix)
The boss of NC4K, Stones Taro's new EP is out now. This is the first release with a 12" vinyl from his own label.
The first track, "Magma Diver", is an energetic breakbeat with sampled vocals from dancehall.
A2, "Auto Translation", is a very practical house track with repetitive simple basslines and clear breakbeats.
B1's title track "Seed Man" is a jungle track created by his own original style, with his unique use of vocals, great bassline ideas, and clear breakbeats.
B2 is a Baltimore-style remix with rave sounds by Coco Bryce, a wicked producer in the modern jungle scene.
a1. Stones Taro - Magma Diver
a2. Stones Taro - Auto Translation
b1. Stones Taro - Seed Man
b2. Stones Taro - Auto Translation (Coco Bryce Remix)
The storied music producer readies his sophomore solo album for release, ten years after his first album, The Gemini Principle.
The ten-year gap between solo albums has seen dBridge releasing landmark collaborations and projects as part of the Autonomic movement, Module Eight, Heart Drive and exploring other Bpms as Velvit.
dBridge's journey within electronic music has seen him at the front and center of electronic music culture and then by design, as the seasons change, he has retreated to his own world to work on his next statement.
A Love I Can't Explain is the sound of dBridge making music for himself. As a man he finds himself in a new phase of his life- in love, married and a father that is no longer concerned with previous constraints and this has led to a new freedom in creation. An artist looking at the same sculpture but now from a new perspective.
a1. dBridge - Gen 19
a2. dBridge - Broadcast Pain
b1. dBridge - Depersonalised
b2. dBridge - Syncofated
c1. dBridge - Monitored Meanings
c2. dBridge - They Loved ft. They Live & Poison Arrow
d1. dBridge - Violent Circuit Autonomy ft. Lewis James
d2. dBridge - Your Bit Crushed Heart
e1. dBridge - Nachtlus
e2. dBridge - Lost In A Memory
e3. dBridge - Filtered Scenes
f1. dBridge - Wij Zijn ft. Lewis James & Kid Drama
Breaka’s come a long way since he first turned heads in 2018 with shivering bass anthem ‘Rory’s Theme’. After releasing further records on Holding Hands and other labels, he also kicked off his own eponymous label, and held down remix duties for Interplanetary Criminal and Kelly Lee Owens. Now, his musical curiosity gets the spotlight with self-released debut LP ‘We Move.’
Made on a laptop and midi keyboard during the winter of 20/21, the album clearly goes out to the club: singles ‘Mass Gathering’ and ‘Solaria’ earned attention from DJs like Anz, Call Super, and Om Unit, while also doing the rounds on NTS, Rinse FM, and the BBC, as well as featuring on BBC essential ‘Mix of the Year’ by Elkka. Tracks such as ‘Look Inside’ and ‘Solaria’ navigate themes of reflection and isolation, while numbers ‘We Move’, ‘Honeydrum’ and ‘Baile Steppa’ work genres like UK funky, trance, kuduro, and samba together into new forms. Whether considering the dance from a distance or toying with new ideas of what the dance can be, ‘We Move’ is a confident statement of intent, showcasing Breaka’s love for explorations across the electronic axis.
Artwork comes courtesy of Breaka and Jake Elwes, with featured photography from Sophie Jouvenaar.
a1. Breaka - Look Inside
a2. Breaka - We Move
b1. Breaka - Descending
b2. Breaka - Honeydrum
b3. Breaka - Baile Steppa
c1. Breaka - Mass Gathering
c2. Breaka - In Ur Dreams
d1. Breaka - Solaria
d2. Breaka - Admit Ignorance
dBridge & Madison Willing - Made In Silence EP [12" Silver Marbled Vinyl]
Almost a year ago, dBridge reached out after hearing a self released album I made in the summer of 2020. I’ve been a fan of his work since I started listening to electronic music ten years ago, and still stand by a comment I posted stating that Inhibited LP is the best album of 2020. Naturally, I accepted the offer to work together. Over the following three months we exchanged text messages, often, sending music back and forth in an effortless work flow. He challenged the way I thought about music, questioned what the meaning was behind the music, showed me how to develop a small idea into an evolving track, and most of all, treated me with kindness and generosity throughout. There was no sense of ego, we just wanted to create something new. Our styles couldn’t be more different, I’m a film composer who makes ambient/orchestral soundscapes, while his enigmatic ‘talking drums’ are mechanical, dislocated, groovy and continuously mutating. While we compliment each other through our difference, it felt like we shared a similar musical sensibility. And it was completely unspoken; the entirety of our relationship carried out through text messages, the entirety of the album being made in silence.
The benefit of this silent messaging was that the music felt incredibly personal. I revealed that I was going through a break up which left me feeling liberated and free, after a toxic relationship had shattered my confidence. You Set Me Free began with the dark, heavy beat dBridge had sent to me, which inspired me to vocalize how I felt. The vocal sample is an honest voice memo recording of how I felt at the time. dBridge responded by adding a beat at the end of the track after the break, “to represent you moving on.” The chords are hopeful because I was grateful I had my life back. Sometimes the person you think you’ll spend your life with turns out to be the worst thing for you. It was incredibly empowering to realize that I was grateful that this person in my life had said goodbye.
One Note began with a piano part, a whole track constructed from one repeated note. After sending it to dBridge, he gradually built up this evolving distorted break, as if it was revolving around the note. Similarly with Pulse, the strings have this onward moving journey while the metal bowl sample has a lightness that compliments dBridge’s polyrhythmic percussion and bass. Words I would use to describe Pulse are aspirational, progressive and spiritual.
The music video for One Note is apocalyptic. It was filmed just after lockdown, using places of travel as an indicator for our dystopian ‘new normal.’ The video tells the story of someone going on a journey, to a place she remembers and feels nostalgic for, but is gone when she arrives. It’s that feeling of striving toward a goal in life, only to realize when you get there, the destination is not as expected. The filmmaker likes to remain anonymous but goes under the alias name Ruma, and uses old super 8 family videos to create the feeling of nostalgia and memory, combined with the character’s realtime journey.
