Dawn Wall has been the topic of hot debate within D&B circles this year. With their true identity still unknown, the marketing of this alias has caused genuine intrigue scene wide.
With a varied and technically gifted style, it is hard to put your finger on who may even be contenders to be unveiled as the seemingly best kept D&B secret of the last year.
Having released 3 EP’s on Artificial Intelligence’s Integral Records shortly after appearing on the scene, they have gone on to do remixes for the likes of Lapsley & Nero – shifting the focus of the hunt for their true identity towards someone with an already established name, that is willing to not take plaudits for their better known moniker(s).
Their most recent EP ‘Longshanks’ displayed a diverse skill set, featuring multiple styles, from the gritty reese-laden roller ‘Round Table’ to the emotion-invoking liquid track ‘Spears’.
Expect much more to come from these guys &/or gals in the future.
The nosey bastard in me is dying for their true identity to be revealed!
Having made his name as part of the successful duo ‘Octane & DLR’, culminating in their critically acclaimed LP ‘Method In The Madness’, the latter named artist (aka Dirty Leroi) has gone on to carve out an impressive and steadily expanding career for himself in D&B.
A key proponent and purveyor of an ever popular funky yet soulful tech sound, his recent solo projects have seen him release an EP & feature for Platinum Breakz 4 on Metalheadz as well as his debut LP & numerous singles on Dispatch Recordings, Utopia Music & Trendkill.
Friction recently premiered his new remix of Q Project’s ‘Champion Sound’ on his Radio 1 show, forthcoming on C.I.A Records – being asked to remix such an iconic track is truly testament to his stature as an artist in 2016.
In 2015, DLR & Mako announced they were working on a collaborative LP project for Metalheadz under the alias ‘OneMind’ – you can listen to what is to come from these guys in this mix for Radio 1 below.
// Altered Perception – Underpass
(Forthcoming – Vortex EP – @infidelity-records )
Release date TBC
// Dossa & Locuzzed – Fish
(Out Now – @mainframerecordings )
Beatport exclusive: 11th April
***** Special surprise guest Gremlin from @creaturesdnb ******
// Creatures – Eclipse – Dub
(Forthcoming – Untitled EP – @infidelity-records )
Date TBC
******** #WeeklySaluteRoundup *******
To check out our Weekly Salutes blog, go to infidelityrecords.co.uk/blog/ where we put an artist, label or brand under the spotlight.
WeeklySalute#10
// Audio – Make It Happen
(Out Now – @ramrecords – 2015)
WeeklySalute#11
// DRS & LSB – The View ft. Tyler Daley
(Out Now – Soul:r – 2015)
WeeklySalute#12
// Roni Size & Krust – Formulate
(Out Now – Full Cycle – March 2016)
Arguably one of the household names in modern day D&B, Alix Perez has flitted between the deep rolling sound that earned him his stripes when he first burst onto the scene back in 2005, the half-time-glitch riddims he has put out recently alongside the likes of Ivy Lab & has even tried his hand at more experimental styles such as Footwork & Juke over the last few years – however always retaining the high standard of technical proficiency that sets him apart from the rest.
Having collaborated with some of the scene’s top producers such as Noisia, Rockwell, Icicle, Ivy Lab & Survival (to name a few), he has been working on a new collaborative Juke project named ‘Shades’ with American producer EPROM, which released it’s 2nd EP ‘Powers Of Two’ in February of this year. He also teamed up with the legendary DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn for the track ‘Make It Worth’ on his 2014 ‘U’ EP.
Even whilst devoting time to a separate project, Perez has kept the solo releases flowing consistently across highly esteemed labels such as Exit Records, Critical & Shogun.
Purveyors of the tougher edged modern euro-neuro sound, HYPOXIA – a production duo from Antwerp, Belgium – have waded their way through to the deep end of neuro-royalty within a relatively short space of time.
Having released their debut single on Titan Records towards the end of 2014, they dropped their debut ‘Anova EP’ on the the prodigious Eatbrain imprint last summer to great furore.
One half of the duo, Athys, rose to prominence in the preceding years as part of the successful duo Athys & Duster – racking up a D&B Arena Award off the back of a fairly limited back cat. However, after teaming up with fellow Antwerp based producer Syntopia as Hypoxia, more material has followed, garnering the attention of some scene leading labels, as mentioned before.
Their forthcoming ‘COGNITION EP’ on Eatbrain, to be released as a Beatport exclusive on the 9th May ’16, will also mark the 25th release on the self dubbed ‘Premier Neurofunk’ label out of Hungary.
Look out for the track ‘Membrane Theory’ forthcoming on the ‘Cognition EP’!
‘HYPOXIA once again emerge from the twisted depths of the EATBRAIN fold to deliver the COGNITION EP. Following up their much-revered ANOVA EP, released on the label in 2015 and garnering widespread praise for their intensely engineered and heavy production aesthetic; the Belgian duo hit hard and true – cementing themselves as part of the Eatbrain family.’
An Essex boy producing Drum & Bass that truly reaches in and touches your soul.
LSB is rewriting the rulebook when it comes to feel good tunes at 175; a distinctive liquid sound quite often driven by orchestral elements, super clean sub bass & emotion inducing vocal samples.
A regular on Spearhead Records, Soul:r & Integral, as well as a spattering of singles across other labels scene-wide, including Hospital, Shogun, Demand & more. LSB’s reputation has grown in stature steadily over the last few years, culminating in his FourFit EP, About Tonight EP & taking production credits for one of the biggest tracks of 2015, DRS’ ‘The View ft. Tyler Daley’.
His production style is not entirely compartmentalised in the Liquid bracket, however. His 2015 track ‘Snapfunk’ pays homage to an early to mid 00’s rolling sound which could easily be mistaken for a track from that era. ‘Loop Of Love’ utilises an automated bass sound that cuts through the mix like that of someone like Chris SU, demonstrating his accomplished diversity as a producer.
