Time Is Now
Release Date: 3rd June 2022
The next Time Is Now white label sees two UKG powers join forces. The first of these will be no stranger to loyal followers of the series: Bristol native and Animated Audio boss Daffy makes his eagerly awaited return, one year after his label debut which established his prowess in producing UKG with a distinctly forward-facing essence. His collaborator PJ Bridger needs little more introduction. A nominee for the 2021 DJ Mag Best Of British Awards, categorised alongside Autechre, LCY and Calibre, the Berlin-based producer has been making some serious waves over the last couple of years, with his self-released refixes being nothing less than a staple in UKG sets across the country.
Way Back When EP gets off to a strong start. An assertive razor-sharp two-step rhythm drives 'We Come Dere' and 'Dutty', the former teasing elements of breaks whilst the latter leans closer towards grime. On the flipside, 'Way Back When' is an ode to the old school with ragga vocals and skippy 2-step drums that cruise along blissed-out ambience. TIN mainstay Bakey's flip introduces a mean warped bassline for an extra sprinkling of ruffage whilst Tola Peckham resident Ollie Rant takes an all together different approach, adding in a 4x4 pulse and a piano melody that capers gleefully over the top.
A1 Daffy & PJ Bridger - We Come Dere
A2 Daffy & PJ Bridger - Dutty
B1 Daffy & PJ Bridger - Way Back When
B2 Daffy & PJ Bridger - Way Back When (Bakey remix)
B3 Daffy & PJ Bridger - Way Back When (Ollie Rant remix)
Release Date: 10th June 2022
As Motorist, LA native Joe Rihn makes music which points in the direction of the soulful, jazz inflections of artists like Wax Doctor and Peshay. Time Is Now White Vol.20 pays testament to his dexterity in creating fully-immersive atmospheres, as well as his penchant for rhythmic experimentation.
The EP's smooth-as-silk opener 'Drip' typifies this, luring you in with the psychedelic-funk tones of wah-pedalled guitar plucks, and the instrumental quality of percussion which cruises along at half-time before Amen breaks pick up the pace. 'Balamb Garden' captures D'n'B's meditative potential, driven by a dynamic syncopation which swings beneath airy pads and piano tinkles before the harder-hitting raw club track 'Caldoria' brings the A-side to a storming close.
'Blast Route' picks things right back up again, together with 'Prism', which nod more to the hardcore proclivities of the likes of DJ Die with distorted drum breaks and warped basslines. 'Rover' strips things back once more, boasting Motorist's capacity for teasing out the slower, more mellow side of 160.
A1 Motorist - Drip
A2 Motorist - Balamb Garden
A3 Motorist - Caldoria
B1 Motorist - Blast Route
B2 Motorist - Rover
B3 Motorist - Prism
Release Date: 17th June 2022
For our next Time Is Now release, join us as we connect the dots between the Bristol - Leeds musical axis.
"Peaky Time Vol.1" sees us collaborate with the finest independent all-vinyl label the city has to offer, courtesy of the head honcho himself. Having so far received support from the likes of Moxie, Hodge, and Tom Ravenscroft, Tom Meyer has been making some serious waves as Peaky Beats - a name now closely-associated with his illustrious live sets which combine breaks, dubstep and UKG.
Kicking off proceedings is sunshine banger "Road Runner" which is later flipped by key member of the TIN London faction, Yosh, who puts his inimitable spin on the classic-sounding UKG. With syrup-smooth vocal licks and staccato piano stabs, "Cats From The Back" maintains the theme, sure to be heard at festival stages across the country this summer. Finally on "XL", Peaky brings the old school ruffage with clattering breaks and a breakdown that leads to a switch-up begging to be reloaded.
A1 Peaky Beats - Road Runner
A2 Peaky Beats - Cats From The Back
B1 Peaky Beats - XL
B2 Peaky Beats - Road Runner (Yosh remix)
Release Date: 13th May 2022
Making his Time Is Now debut, Killjoy brings a kaleidoscopic EP jam-packed with UK flavours, from 4x4 garage to UK Funky and tribal house.
By no means a newcomer to the scene, Killjoy has long been perfecting his craft. Now residing in Sydney, he was instrumental in the rise of Nottingham's Tumble Audio: a musical heritage easy to detect in his current productions. Building on the stylistic tropes of bassline, UK Funky and Grime, Killjoy's sound istruly distinct, proven by support received from the likes of Scratcha DVA, Riz La Teef, Skream and Zomby.
For proof, look no further than TINWHITE016 which showcases Killjoy's myriad artistic identity, beginning with "Roof It (4x4 Mix)". Intervals of warmth and cool compete with each other - each one just as danceable as the other - later seeing a flip from TIN family member Soul Mass Transit System who captures the track's old school essence and enhances it with korg organ stabs that dance above. A marching triplet rhythm lends "E's Got Me" its driving propulsion: with plenty of swing and and weighty percussion, this one evokes the music of Tribal Brothers or Bakongo. Talking of UK Funky, "Bourbon" sees Killjoy put his spin on the genre with a broken rhythm that comes at no cost to the swing created by deep lower-end stabs that nod to bassline. These are then taken and drawn out on its VIP flip, occupying the intersection between Grime and UK Funky. This one begs to be played on a system.
A1 Killjoy - Roof It (4x4 Mix)
A2 Killjoy - Roof It (Soul Mass Transit System remix)
B1 Killjoy - E's Got Me
B2 Killjoy - Bourbon
B3 Killjoy - Bourbon VIP
Release Date: 13th May 2022
Two and a half years after the inception of Shall Not Fade's bass-focused sub-label, and a year since its last edition, Time Is Now is proud to present Allstars Vol.3.
For most, the artists featured on the compilation need little introduction. This will almost certainly be true for the Leicester duo who kick off proceedings with a fresh garage cut. "Pick Me Up" is Y U QT's second contribution to the Time Is Now catalogue and sees them rep the Midlands sound with their take on UKG, complete with a 4x4 speed garage switch-up, sure to energise any dancefloor.
Next up, proving that all good things come in twos, is Manchester duo Cortese who first blessed the label with the warmth of their tuneful concoctions in June last year. This time around is no different: "Regatta" is a real summertime banger, with sunny piano stabs and arpeggiating synths that drift above.
Keeping things soulful is Dublin producer PROZAK who hots things up with the buoyant 4x4 garage track "Next To You" - his third release on TIN.
Yosh sees in the compilation's B-side with "To Me" - a track that captures the London badman's ability to keep you on your toes with stuttering breaks that catch you off-guard.
Next up, and repping Copenhagen for the third time on the label, is Main Phase with the aptly-named "Pull Up Tool"- a thumping 4x4 UKG track which gives a healthy dose of ruffage before Groovy D closes proceedings with speed garage banger "Wun4Me". Set closer business.
A1 Y U QT - Pick Me Up
A2 Cortese - Regatta
A3 Prozak - Next To You
B1 Yosh - To Me
B2 Main Phase - Pull Up Tool
B3 Groovy D - Wun4Me
Release Date: 29th April 2022
Welcoming Joe Koshin to the Time Is Now family with a release of two halves. Time Is Now White Vol.15 takes us on a whiplash journey through the contemporary iterations of breakbeat hardcore before slowing down the pace and stationing in UKG's shadier corners.
With previous releases on Planetaria Music and Gimme A Break Records, Joe Koshin has been making some serious waves with his no-prisoner approach to breaks and jungle. Time Is Now White Vol.15sees the London producer continue in this vein with two raucous breakbeat hardcore tracks, and two dark garage tracks which boast the style's potential to be at once introspective and club-ready.
"Chunk" slams things into action. And if you thought the clattering drum breaks and growling low-ends couldn't do more to rip open a dancefloor, just wait for the switch-up. Stutters that Sully would be proud of. The title track grounds itself firmly in the genre's antecedents: breakbeat which is at once gloriously old-skool and fiercely forward-facing.
Flip to the B side and it is configurations of dark garage that take to the fore: first adorned with a hypnotic melody that floats above pitched-up vocals ("T4LK 2 M3"), and later energised by a buoyant swing which implores you to move ("Spectra Don").
A1 Joe Koshin - Chunk
A2 Joe Koshin - Delirium
B1 Joe Koshin - T4LK 2 M3
B2 Joe Koshin - Spectra Don
Release Date: 22nd April 2022
Yosh returns with his fourth Time Is Now release. Following the success of UKG-focused 5-tracker, "The Warning" released at the end of last year, Modulate EP sees the London producer put his inimitable spin on breaks, translating into 4 tracks firmly rooted in the genre's antecedents yet offering something distinctly new.
"New Dawn" is a prime example of Yosh's priceless ability to create something which is at once hard-hitting and soulful with clattering breaks and luscious vocals which float blissfully above them. Next up, "Modulate" adds a thumping 4/4 beat into the equation, creating an assertive march with plenty of swing before "Snap Back" brings the ruffage with a sharp two-step rhythm and fierce bass womps. Finally, it's up to "Track 1" to close proceedings. A real heater, a syncopated triplet rhythm lends it its driving propulsion - almost resembling the club sounds native to northeastern regions of the US such as Jersey and Baltimore. Thudding assertively beneath the stylistic tropes of UKG, this makes for a truly unique sound and solidifies Yosh's status as a highly innovative and forward-facing producer.
A1 YOSH - New Dawn
A2 YOSH - Modulate
B1 YOSH - Snap Back
B2 YOSH - Track 1
Release Date: 8th April 2022
Back by popular demand is DJ Crisps with his third solo contribution to the Time Is Now catalogue: the fierce 4-tracker which explores the many flavours of garage and justifies the Rotterdam producer's ever-growing ubiquity in today's UKG circuit.
Kicking off proceedings is "Keep It Up" - a high-octane speed garage banger, prepped with intervals of slamming reverse sweeps which carry their own rhythm. After "Alright's" unique blend of old skool grime samples and diva-esque vocals which play in dialogue beneath a sharp two-step beat, "Today" strips things back a little with a modest bassline melody and ragga vocals. Finally, with pitched-up, syrup smooth vocal licks "Bounce" captures UKG at its most soulful.
A1 DJ Crisps - Keep It Up
A2 DJ Crisps - Alright
B1 DJ Crisps - Today
B2 DJ Crisps - Bounce
Release Date: 15th April 2022
Welcoming Arfa to the Time Is Now family with his debut EP: a tight 5-tracker which sees the emerging producer come into his powers with a fiercely forward-facing take on dark garage, featuring a raucous remix from London's Bakey.
Real Badman EP starts as it means to go on. 'Run It Back' is driven by a fractured syncopated rhythm and a heavy warped bassline which lends it its tune, fusing together the stylistic elements of dark garage and speed garage to offer a fresh take on both genres. Clattering rimshots and a womping bassline compliment 'For The Mandem's luscious pads before being carried onto 'Ain't Ready' which adds a tight two-step rhythm and the chopped-up vocals of an old skool garage MC. Finally, 'Real Badman' sees the EP at its most playful. Staccato piano chords infuse it with an uplifting melody before Time Is Now family member Bakey steps in to deliver his take: a half-time rendition which strips back the higher ends to make way for a focus on the subs. A real stomper.
A1 Arfa - Run It Back
A2 Arfa - For The Mandem
B1 Arfa - Ain't Ready
B2 Arfa - Real Badman
B3 Arfa - Real Badman (Bakey remix)
Release Date: 1st April 2022
Next up on Time Is Now is a fresh cut from prolific Japanese producer Stones Taro: a kaleidoscopic EP which traverses the boundaries of genre to create something truly unique, occupying the intersection of UKG, electro, breaks and house.
After the raging success of previous releases on Scuffed Recordings, Breaks 'N' Pieces and more recently on his own imprint, NC4K, the Kyoto producer makes his Time Is Now solo debut with Super Hot Floor EP. Kicking things off is the pacey, club-ready banger "Integration" with stuttering synths and a driving bassline which leave little room for respite beneath a fierce breakbeat electro rhythm. On "Straight Walk" Taro offers a new take on speed garage with a sharp two-step rhythm and the suggestion of acid-tinged synth stabs which lure you in before reaching their full form in high-energy intervals of 4X4.
After "Watching You" strips things back, the B-side brings the energy with Pulse X style stabs ("Super Hot Floor") and old school house-indebted Korg organ melodies a la Robin S ("Dry Flower").
A1 Stones Taro - Integration
A2 Stones Taro - Straight Walk
A3 Stones Taro - Watching You
B1 Stones Taro - Super Hot Floor
B2 Stones Taro - Dry Flower
Release Date: 18th March 2022
Leeds garage connoisseur and Time Is Now family member Groovy D is back with a kaleidoscopic 4-tracker which sees him explore the many different flavours of UKG with the help of grime legend, Trim.
When it comes to rhythm and texture, BadderDanDem EP leaves few stones unturned. On the title track, a heavily swung two-step rhythm - seemingly off kilter yet fiercely controlled - keeps you on your toes, whilst sinister sub groans and the unmistakable flow of protean MC, Trim, make it a real soundsystem banger. Next up, '187Dreams' welcomes the first of many shifts in mood. At once maintaining the womping bassline which make it equally as suited to big stacks, this one sees melody take centre stage, licked with infectious vocals which inject a dose of groove and soul. Flip the record over and speed garage banger 'Haul&Pull' brings the high-octane ruffage before '97Groove' adds a bit of sex appeal, closing precedings luscious pads and and a tight two-step rhythm.
A1 Groovy D feat. Trim - BadderDanDem
A2 Groovy D - 187Dreams
B1 Groovy D - Haul&Pull
B2 Groovy D - 97Groove
Release Date: 25th March 2022
Emerging DJ and producer Yemi brings the soulful groovers to the Time Is Now white label series.
Having already received support from the likes of UKG mainstays Sammy Virji, Conducta and Smokey Bubblin' B during his relatively youthful career, Yemi is certainly an artist to watch. For justification, look no further than the vibrant, uplifting 6-track EP which combines luscious vocals and blissful piano chords to create a sound which is at once nostalgic and fiercely forward-facing.
Its two opening tracks get things off to a buoyant start, with a bouncing 4x4 rhythm and the syrup-smooth vocals of emerging artist and long-time friend, Bria Keely. Pair these with rattling bongos on "Never Let You Go" and the gleeful trumpets of "Smooth Talkin" and you have two tracks which make it impossible to keep still.
"My Heart" welcomes a change in mood with a loose two-step swing and moody vocals: a track made for the feels. But before you get too self-indulgent, the deep bass grooves of "Soul Food" bring the energy right back and "Tension"'s euphoric piano chords leave things on an ecstatic high.
A1 Yemi feat. Bria - Never Let You Go
A2 Yemi feat. Bria - Smooth Talkin'
A3 Yemi - Smooth Talkin' (Instrumental)
B1 Yemi - My Heart
B2 Yemi - Soul Food
B3 Yemi - Tension
Release Date: 1st April 2022
Please welcome to the Time Is Now family one of the scene's most exciting talents. London-based drum specialist, Bluetoof, brings the heat with a multigenre 4-track EP, featuring a weighty refix from the likes of Manchester badman, and close compadre, Interplanetary Criminal. A multi-faceted EP to keep its listener on their toes. The title track gets things off to a steady start with a minimal bassline and complex percussion, inspired rhythmically by breaks but textured by layers of hollow drums which lend it a more organic sound. Next up, "Perilous" takes things on a darker, more bottom-heavy turn with a traditional two-step beat and a womping bassline, suited to the club's early hours. As to be expected, "That Got Dark" continues in the same vein. The focus remains on percussion with a skipping, half-broken rhythm which is interrupted momentarily by breaks overtaken by a stomping 4/4 beat. Finally, enter Time Is Now family member, Interplanetary Criminal, who extends the 4/4 propulsion to create a pacey speed garage banger.
A1 Bluetoof - Alakazam
A2 Bluetoof - Perilous
B1 Bluetoof - That Got Dark
B2 Bluetoof - That Got Dark (Interplanetary Darker Mix)
Release Date: 25th February 2022
Almost exactly a year after Tower Block Dreams' Time Is Now debut and the launch of our white label series, the UK-born, Madrid-based producer returns with a club-ready 5 tracker which fuses together the most danceable facets of UKG, grime and breaks.
The opening track "Bare Dubs" pays tribute to UKG's antecedents in pirate radio with sporadic MC vocal samples and a womping bassline. The product: a soundsystem banger with a disjointed, yet fiercely controlled two-step rhythm and grimey, extended basslines a la So Solid Crew and early Scratcha. Flip over the record and the A-side's cold rigour is swapped out for a sultry groove.
Euphoric piano stabs and playful R'n'B vocal chops energise "If You Want The Reload" and video-game-esque bleeps lend "Last One From Me" its blissed-out melody. But don't get too comfortable. The aptly-named "From The Top" sees a return of the opening tracks' grime sensibilities and introduces an FM static atmospheric to take things back to the old school.
A1 Tower Block Dreams - Bare Dubs
A2 Tower Block Dreams - Street To The Slammer
B1 Tower Block Dreams - If You Want The Reload
B2 Tower Block Dreams - Last One From Me
B3 Tower Block Dreams - From The Top
Release Date: 11th February 2022
Kobe JT showcases his sonic malleability on TINWHITE011: a tight 4-track EP which guides its listener assertively around the scene-defining avenues of UKG, from melodic garage house to dark two-step swings.
Blissful piano chords, vocal chops and skipping house rhythm imbue the opening track, "All I Do" with a soulful, uplifting groove. Equally as driven by melody, "Next DJ" makes room for more dynamic lower-ends as Kobe teams up with Northern force, The Phat Controlla, to deliver a club-ready speed garage banger.
The record's second half exposes the darker underbelly of Kobe's sound: hostile sub groans shade the stripped-back stepper "Lost In The Club" whilst the fragmented vocals on "Hope" lends the EP's full-bodied closer with an uneasy intensity.
Time Is Now White Vol.11 drops February 11th via Time Is Now.
a1. Kobe JT - All I Do
a2. Kobe JT feat. The Phat Controlla - Next DJ
b1. Kobe JT - Lost In The Club
b2. Kobe JT - Hope
Release Date: 28th January 2022
Young LA star, Justin Jay, has already caught the ears of DJs and fans worldwide and released on the likes of dirtybird and Culprit. Last year, Jay shared an EP of deep house gold on Shall Not Fade sister label Lost Palms. Now he returns on their bass-oriented sublabel Time Is Now.
Hypnotized EP is a fun, breaks heavy romp featuring rave powerhouse trio Denham Audio and a remix by jungle mainstay Tim Reaper. From the off the energy is high, the title track rolling out pitched vocals and dramatic drops. "I Know" is ever more frenetic, breaks cascading over one another to a fever pitch, while Denham Audio collab "Swarm" brings out 303s and dramatic sub bass wobbles for a tour-de-force of hardcore dance vibes. Rising lofi house producer Angelo Jsn gives a euphoric, breathless edge to "Burgundy", an emotive space age trance number. Tim Reaper's untameable refix of "Swarm" keeps the heart racing to the end.
A1 Justin Jay - Hypnotized
A2 Justin Jay - I Know (Edit)
A3 Justin Jay feat. Denham Audio - Swarm
B1 Justin Jay feat. Angelo Jsn - Burgundy
B2 Justin Jay - Swarm (Tim Reaper remix)
B3 Justin Jay - I Know (Extended mix)
Release Date: 4th February 2022
Dublin's garage connoisseur Prozak shares with us five clean-cut steppers on Holy Spirit EP; pairing UKG with ambience and breaks with jubilant club sound palettes.
The killer record opens out with triumphant, easygoing garage on "1996". Meanwhile the title track is a raucous beast, explosive breaks and frenetic vocals that tear through the dubwise breakdown.
"Want Ur Luv" is full of romantic energy and cascading melodies; diva vocals float over classic two-step in blissed-out fashion on "Hold Me Down". Lighthearted glimmering ear candy continues on "Higher"; a high-energy rave roller with a retro feel.
A1 Prozak - 1996
A2 Prozak - Holy Spirit
B1 Prozak - Want Ur Luv
B2 Prozak - Hold Me Down
B3 Prozak - Higher
Release Date: 21st January 2022
Hypho is a producer fast building acclaim for his rowdy late-night cuts, stirring a melting pot of genres that exemplify British dance music sounds and catching releases on renowned UK labels like Swamp 81. After his collab with label favorite Interplanetary Criminal on Time Is Now Allstars Vol.3, the young Mancunian returns with a white label full of rumbling bass hits.
Opening on a sparse garage beat which explodes into distorted sub madness, 'London Tower Blocks '94' is ready to tear up basement dancefloors. Interplanetary Criminal's stormy refix hits hot'n'heavy on the ears, dub siren ringing out into the rave stab-infused 'None Of Them', featuring hypnotising flows from Logan. UKG workout 'Get Bun' closes out the EP, pulling nopunches with pacey bassline ruffage.
A1 Hypho - London Tower Blocks '94
A2 Hypho - London Tower Blocks '94 (Interplanetary Criminal remix)
B1 Hypho feat. Logan - Hypho
B2 Hypho - Get Bun
Release Date: 17th December 2021
Bookending a year of Time Is Now releases, close label affiliate and master of the UKG revival scene, Yosh returns with The Warning. The London-based producer is skillful in his creation of break-heavy, dubbed-up tracks to fire up the party, and blown up with releases on Dansu Discs and Holding Hands under his belt this year.
This EP hits from the start; hyper breaks meet down low sub bass on "How We Roll" in a minimalist roller. "2 Times" goes back to the classics with a stylish two step groove and expansive diva vocals, one for the old schoolers while the frenetic energy of "It Goes" will rumble
easily through a club.
Yosh slows the pace for "Shape The Future", which grows from a staccato rhythm into a cheeky distorted stinker that rolls smoothly into "Pigments", the playful bassline closer with an explosive drop which requires a reload.
A1 YOSH - How We Roll
A2 YOSH - 2 Times
B1 YOSH - It Goes
B2 YOSH - Shape The Future
B3 YOSH - Pigments
Release Date: 10th December 2021
The next ten-inch cut of the Time Is Now series comes courtesy of Nicky Soft Touch. These four tracks are a taste of things to come, handpicked from an as-yet-unannounced double LP the Bristol native has had in the works since 2019.
Nicky Soft Touch's recent outings include two dusty hip-hop dubplates on London's Ghost Notes Worldwide; for Lonely City Sampler he explores a more British sound. Using a tape deck and a pile of old jungle tapes, cut-up snippets were crafted into an audio collage balancing ambience with rave style crescendos. Driving dubwise bass dominates 'Lost In A Sea Of Rolling Eyes' while disrupted breakbeats meet stuttering chords in 'Lonely City Cut 4'. The closing track's garage-inflected UK techno beat is haunted by spaced out diva vocals, a melancholic mover for city nights.
A1 Nicky Soft Touch - Lonely City Cut 2
A2 Nicky Soft Touch - Lost In A Sea Of Rolling Eyes
B1 Nicky Soft Touch - Lonely City Cut 4
B2 Nicky Soft Touch - And Then There Was The Mass Chanting
Release Date: 3rd December 2021
The unstoppable force that is Interplanetary Criminal returns to Time Is Now teamed up with up-and-coming DJ Cosworth. The Mancunian, one of the first artists to release on the imprint, and the Londoner making his debut, pack a punch with three chest rattling tracks making up Ruff EP.
Hyper two-step underpins 'Trust Me', a stuttering unconventional bassline stinker which sets a tone of unpredictability. The high octane breaks that explode from 'Ruff (Hyper Mix)' catch the listener equally off-guard, Ripgroove-style drop added for good measure. 'Jumpin' feels minimalist in comparison, with just hints of a thunderous sub-bass for tension building heads-down business.
A1 Interplanetary Criminal & DJ Cosworth - Trust Me
B1 Interplanetary Criminal & DJ Cosworth - Ruff Hyper Mix
B2 Interplanetary Criminal & DJ Cosworth - Jumpin'
Release Date: 3rd December 2021
Northern stars of the Time Is Now series, Soul Mass Transit System, are back for their fourth full-length outing on the popular garage imprint with All I Need. The duo, both established producers in their own right, bring infectious grooves and cheeky samples to shake off the winter blues to.
Sax-infused opener "Freak-ee" serves up shuffling two step and retro vocals - gentle diva intonations giving a housier edge to the sound. "Show U Love" criss-crosses between crooner samples and a classic, dirty dub-driven delight for late night punters.
Skippy snares and cleverly glitched up samples make an earworm melody in "All I Need (Deepa Inside)", before the tempo is pumped up speed garage style for the closing track "The Message". If the rumbling dubwise melody doesn't control the dancefloor, the tantalisingly elongated second drop will.
A1 Soul Mass Transit System - Freak-ee
A2 Soul Mass Transit System - Show U Love
B1 Soul Mass Transit System - All I Need (Deepa Inside)
B2 Soul Mass Transit System - The Message
Release Date: Q1 2022
Four heavy weight steppers sourced from the streets of Leeds, for them dark basements and early morning afters, brought to you from two new bad bwoys on the scene D. Jason & Baby J. The debut release from Time Is Now - originally released as a Bandcamp exclusive. Four cuts of UKG goodness.
a1. D. Jason - Original Bad Bwoy
a2. D. Jason - The Function
b1. Baby J - I Wanna Tell U Something
b2. Baby J - Unity (National Anthem)
Release Date: 15th October 2021
Soul Mass Transit System is a familiar name to fans of Shall Not Fade's highly popular garage imprint, Time Is Now. The Leeds duo made up of producers D. Jason and Baby J have been favourites of the series and of the UKG revival in general, recently scoring a release on another trend-setting label of the scene, Dr Banana.
The Dubble Trubble EP traverses the wide range of very British club sounds with ease that only comes with expertise, from frenetic hyper breaks to deep dubstep bass. Opener "Give It 2 U" tempts listeners in with its dramatic rolling minimalism, forward off-kilter drums and a chest-rattler of a sub. Sludgy A2 "My Name Is Down" centres a Niche style bassline, plenty of swing and dubwise sensibility.
On the B-side things ramp up a notch; "Trubble N Strife" tears it open, peak time cybernetic junglist gear with more than a few tricks up its sleeve. "U Got Me Burnin" is a real climax; jubilant, hands-in-the-air rave nonsense that closes out a collection of solid dancefloor toughness with more choppy breaks.
A1 Soul Mass Transit System - Give It 2 U
A2 Soul Mass Transit System - My Name Is Down (I Am On The List)
B1 Soul Mass Transit System - Trubble N Strife
B2 Soul Mass Transit System - U Got Me Burnin
Release Date: 15th October 2021
Shall Not Fade is cultivating a tight family of producers for the Time Is Now imprint, showcasing some of the freshest garage and breaks - London based DJ Yosh is well-established within that family now, returning for his second EP of 2021.
Like the last,expect killer cuts of breakbeat madness, built for the darkest clubs and the wildest nights. Tactics EP opens with the rough and ready "Strike Back", harsh percussion and screeching rave stabs that make the heart race and sets the tone for the record. Returning to a more classic sound on "Just Like That", Yosh smatters syncopated samples with UKG elements to create a throbbing dance track.
"Drifted" catches the listener off-guard - chilled out pads that give way suddenly to layers of breaks that make for a dark and dirty jungle breakdown, pushing at breakneck speed into "Hypnotise Me", a rolling tool inflected with garage-esque melodies. EP closer "Gen 1" feels like the wind-down of a rave, stuttering breaks and echoed vocals slowing to a sweaty, satisfied end.
A1 Yosh - Strike Back
A2 Yosh - Just Like That
B1 Yosh - Drifted
B2 Yosh - Hypnotise Me
B3 Yosh - Gen 1