The Unearthed Sounds crew members have compiled their weekly picks containing collectively, in no particular order, our favourite tracks/releases of the week.
Here's the selections individually from the crew: Lee: SMDE15 Max: TRASHEDPLANET001 Mat: 90SWAX3 Albert: ONE046 Morgan: SNKRG001 Dean: NQ014 Georgia: UVB76-015 Jon: OSMUK061 Rob: BSBR003 Chris: OP012
From the slamming science of “Ricochet,” through the jittery ghost-rave of “Survival” and the outer-space lover’s rock of “Dubbing You,” to the manic magic of “Finest Illusion,” this collection of early EPs by rave legends Foul Play tracks an astonishing evolution across barely more than a year. Some of the top tunes to come out of the hardcore > jungle > drum & bass journey? Yes, but also some of the most thrilling and gorgeous music of the entire ‘90s.
Simon Reynolds, author of Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture.
Re-mastered by Beau Thomas of Ten Eight Seven Mastering and re-issued for your aural pleasure. Don't sleep on this one!
a1. Foul Play - Finest Illusion
a2. Foul Play - Survival
b1. Foul Play - Dubbing You
b2. Foul Play - The Alchemist
c1. Foul Play - Feel The Vibe
c2. Foul Play - Feel The Vibe (Again)
c3. Foul Play - Screwface
d1. Foul Play - Ricochet
d2. Foul Play - Ricochet (No Stopping The Remix)
d3. Foul Play - Ragatere
Younger Than Me & Skatebård - 90s Wax Three [Yellow Vinyl]
Osiris label boss Simon Shreeve delves further down the rabbit hole in his quest for a fresh new take on Drum & Bass, spiralling deeper into the thick atmospherics that have inspired his Techno, post punk productions. Dropping two abrasive explorations into menace-laden nocturnal rhythms. 'Beyond The Bounds' lays down off-kilter, intricate breakbeats, by way of Aphex over a jazz infused ambience, while 'Parallels' crashes and throbs its mutated way through dark percussive chambers with stretched-out stabs and futuristic atmospheres.
Next up on UVB76 is Bokeh. Delivering a variation of genres and styles over a 4 track EP. Including some experimental techno, heavy drum & bass & an ambient piece for good measure.
Oall Hates returns to Of Paradise with Tranceporter, a ferocious 5-tracker that pushes the artists music into new and intoxicating waters, showcasing a truly innovative sound; one that this Austrian producer has honed and crafted meticulously over recent years.
Kicking off the A-side is the title track, Tranceporter a thumping club workout that fuses house, techno and acid together to form one glorious sphere of unrelenting audio hedonism. Following this is Gentrifies a monstrous slab of techno and acid that is guaranteed to tear through sound systems like rolling thunder and open portals to the subconscious.
The B-side opens with Adderol, an in your face house number that hurtles out of the starting blocks and never lets up. Thumping drum work and percussion work side by side whilst a sprinkling of acid and an infectious vocal detail keep the heart racing. Bones Faro keeps the adrenaline pumping as it pushes the release into more sinister territory with spiralling drums and percussion, backed up by nuanced flecks of acid and a snakelike bass line. Closing out the EP is Feelings a deftly produced slice of leftfield house that navigates the 5am streets with enough energy to keep everyone going well into the following weekend.
The digital release comes complete with the bonus track PCT-666 a pounding and relentless house number that travels deep into the belly of the rave. Hydraulic like drums merge with restless percussion to shake the foundations and bring the curtain down on an essential release.
Cult favourite Submorphics delivers his long awaited debut album “Kodak Dreams” on Amsterdam imprint The North Quarter. 15 year veteran producer Greg Axelrad has been one of America's premiere exports when it comes to Soulful Drum & Bass. His unmistakable 'smoked-out' take on the genre has made him a fan favourite for years. After his The North Quarter debut “Detroit Haze” early 2018, he now returns with his most ambitious project yet: “Kodak Dreams”. Written during a time of great personal highs and lows, his debut album is easily his most personal body of work. The Michigan native drew inspiration from his transatlantic journey and childhood memories to paint this musical memoir.
'Inspired by the treasure-trove of nostalgia I brought with me from Detroit, I plugged away at my own brand of D&B, hip-hop and neo-soul music in my new studio in the city of The Hague.' Submorphics explains. 'Cherished childhood photos reminded me of my roots: funky breakbeats and lush soul samples that I blasted out of my cheap boombox long before I knew what a sampler was. These old photos ended up deeply inspiring the album sessions, and even started permeating my dreams as I slept each night.”
A multi-genre piece that features vocals from frequent collaborators Big Brooklyn Red, SelfSays, T.R.A.C. and Christina Tamayo, brings together Soulful Drum & Bass and LA / Detroit flavoured Beats with an easy elegance. The album offers a glimpse into Submorphics' past, present and future and is brought together by snippet-sized, Polaroid-inspired narration, his personal Kodak Dreams.
a1. Submorphics - Flash Meters [Intro]
a2. Submorphics - Luminosity
a3. Submorphics - Roseville Funk / Musique Nostalgique [Interlude]
a4. Submorphics - Memories Of You
b1. Submorphics - 12 & Woodward
b2. Submorphics - Daydreaming ft Big Brooklyn Red
b3. Submorphics - The Prize ft T.R.A.C. / Golden Roots [Interlude]
b4. Submorphics - Faded Images
c1. Submorphics - Ithaca Blues
c2. Submorphics - Morning Alarms ft SelfSays / Waverly Place [Interlude]
c3. Submorphics - Find A Reason ft Christina Tamayo
d1. Submorphics - Feel So Blue / Deep Sleeper [Interlude]
d2. Submorphics - Return To The Source
d3. Submorphics - Hot Ish ft SelfSays (Dabrye Remix) [Bonus Track]
One Records return to celebrate Ten Years of the label with a 12 track Various Artists release split over 3 vinyl release. Part 1 features label owner Subb-an and new faces to One Adam Pits and Urulu as well as regulars Yamen & EDA. This EP delivers 4 club ready tracks for the dance floor starting a new era for the label.
B.Traits launches her Baby T alias, with a new musical direction and an upcoming live show. Under this alias she explores the middle ground between fast techno and jungle, fusing lessons learnt from her time in both communities.
The Portra EP contains 3 versions of the title track by Baby T - Hybrid, Ambient, and Jungle, spreading across tempo’s (and no tempo) to showcase styles Baby T will touch on. It’s a confident debut - a sonic summary of the Baby T path. To compliment these versions, Homemade Weapons and Ancestral Voices have contributed remixes that reinterpret Portra through their visionary processes, with impeccable results from both artists.
This 4 Track EP with 3 Unreleased VIP mixes of the original tracks and 1 extra unreleased track from 93. Written and Produced by S. McCutcheon (Syko) & R. Haigh (Omni-Trio) under the name 'Persons Unknown'. These group of artists collaborated on a number of tracks which were released on the Candidate Records label (a sublabel of Rob’s in-house label, Parliament Music). However, there were a number of unfinished, archived and VIP remixed tracks that are now scheduled for release on Blueskinbadger Records.
“ One day in early 91 a customer (Syko) came into my shop and played me a rave tune that he had produced on an Amiga. I was so impressed that I offered to put it out even though I didn’t have a label at that time. I then started to fuse my own existing ideas with the new possibilities of sequencing and sampling. Omni Trio grew out of this experimentation, around this time the Parliament Label was born...” - Rob Haigh
a1. Persons Unknown - 2020 2 You Vip
a2. Persons Unknown - 2020 Pianism It's All About The Fuckin' Piano Mix
