One of the most original producers to have emanated from D&B in the last decade, Serum has built a reputation as a go to guy for the tastier Jungle – DNB crossover styles. A genuine stalwart for labels such as Dread, Philly Blunt, V Recordings & Run Tingz Recordings for his solo work, as well as regular collaborations with Bladerunner – a name that he became almost synonymous with at one point – and more recently with the prolific Voltage.
You can check out tracks from both of those collaborative partnerships below, one of which – Snake Fist VIP, is available as a free download from soundcloud.
CER TI FIED LEGEND. Bristol’s mac-daddy of organic sounding beats, Break, is returning with his 4th studio LP on his own Symmetry Recordings – ’10 Years Of Symmetry’ – to celebrate a decade of one of our personal favourite labels. Due for full release on 28th October 2016 and featuring collaborations with Total Science, Spectrasoul, DLR & Boston.
His distinctive, original sound is celebrated as some of D&B’s finest exports and i think it’s safe to say Break commands respect from beyond the confines of just this scene. With a mouth watering back cat stretching back to 2003 fully endorsing this, it’s actually a challenge finding music of his that you wouldn’t play.
His releases have been put out across a plethora of highly respected labels such as RAM Records, Digital Soundboy, Metalheadz, Dispatch, Critical, Playaz, Commerical Suicide & obviously Symmetry, as mentioned before.
This week we’re tipping our hat to relative newcomers in the D&B scene. Production duo ‘GLXY’, hailing from London, have been gaining plaudits from some highly respected institutions, including being named ‘Ones To Watch For 2016’ by UKF.
Their latest EP, ‘Expressions & Impressions’, released on the reputable Spearhead Records on the 16th September 2016, showcases their impeccable attention to detail when it comes to the deeper soulful liquid sounds, consolidating their claim to be one of the most exciting prospects about at the moment.
Google Play, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify & more.
The EP has been well received across the scene, with support coming from:
Dr Meaker, Rene LaVice, Chris SU, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, Bredren, JFB, Aphrodite, Villem, Ray Keith, Kolectiv, Aries, RSD, Logan D, Kyrist, Chris Yardrock, Vinyl Junkie, Kenny Ken, Parallel Motion, Sappo, Ill Truth.
Big thanks to the radio stations and blogs that have been supporting this release:
Ujima Radio, Kool London, Rough Tempo, Bassport.FM, Global DNB, Cre8DNB, GFM 96.6, UrbanUK.fm, RogueFM, Drum.ro, Freebreaksblog, Dream FM, Futuresound Radio, DNBVault, Bedlam Radio & many more.
Various Artists Evolve EP: Phase One
TerraHawk, Creatures, Subtle Element, Safety In Numbers & Lurk
Label: Infidelity Records Catalogue Number: DBINFDLTY7 Release Date: 26.08.16 (Beatport Exclusive) Format: Digital
The first in a brand new series of Various Artists EP’s from Infidelity Records; ‘Evolve EP: Phase One’ puts forth music from already established label artists as well as welcoming exciting new talents into the fold for the first time.
The aforementioned talents stepping up for their label debuts are all Bristol residents and prominent names on the Bristol circuit: Subtle Element, Safety In Numbers & Lurk – Underpinning the strength of label regulars TerraHawk & Creatures’ music on this EP.
Fully encompassing what Infidelity now represents as a label in 2016, expect a high standard of Drum & Bass to emanate from the ‘Evolve’ series.
Label bosses TerraHawk kick things off with the no holds barred roller ‘Cogent’; spitting out murky-filth from the get go. An eerie intro backed by solid punchy kicks warns of the aural corruption that lies in wait, firmly setting the tempo for the rest of the EP.
Creatures come fully correct with their offering ‘Clarity’. Unrivalled trademark drumwork & percussive elements confirm this as material worthy of a run-out on some of the world’s best D&B dancefloors. Keep your ears open for new music coming on Infidelity from the Creatures production lab in the very near future.
Prolific collaborators and regulars on the Bristol circuit; Subtle Element & Safety in Numbers have teamed up to bring you an updated 2016 version of their unreleased 2015 track ‘Symptomatic’ which was featured on Optiv & BTK’s ‘Dutty Audio Podcast’, as their respective label debuts.
Another label debut, but this time for a new boy in town. Lurk, another hot tip of ours to go on to big things, impressed us massively with material fired our way in the last 6 months – constantly exciting us with his distinct styles. ‘Preserve’ is a full on bass-laden stepper – charged with enough sub to rumble any club to it’s foundations.
Subtle Element’s ‘Last Hour’ is the penultimate number on the EP. Employing his now-trademark sound design, sub meets stabby reece in this energy filled rolling grub fest.
Impeccably rounding off a strong start to the ‘Evolve’ series, Creatures & TerraHawk collaborate on the comically named ‘Justin Thyme’; an intriguing fusion of both artist’s current styles. Definitely worth your thyme.
Never in recent history has an event such as the decision by Islington Council to revoke London’s iconic nightclub fabric’s license, been met with such utter outrage amongst the UK music community.
For almost two decades, fabric stood as a bastion of the underground dance music scene here in the United Kingdom – undisputed & universally respected. To lose what was and still is the crowning jewel of UK nightlife is another nail in the coffin for the UK music industry, and the potential repercussions of this callous decision should not be underestimated.
It only takes a little digging to discover that the tragic events, the deaths of two young men in the preceding months, appear to have been used as a red herring in a wider conspiracy to close the club and make way for the further gentrification of the area.
fabric’s legendary Friday night Drum & Bass events were at the pinnacle of the UK scene’s underground nightlife, with sell out events week in week out – working closely with the biggest labels & artists to curate forward thinking lineups in-house across all 3 rooms in the venue, no other venue promoted & nurtured underground dance music culture in such a progressive way.
Alongside the club, fabric runs it’s own record label which publishes 2 concurrently running series’ of mix compilations, ‘fabric’ & ‘fabriclive’, showcasing the work of established and emerging names in dance music, releasing almost 190 albums.
An institution such as this can never be replaced, and if the ruling cannot be overturned, we all will have lost something much more than just a venue.
Here is our monthly podcast, after taking a month off in August, we have had plenty of backed music to play you.
TerraHawk was joined in the studio by Gremlin from Creatures as special co-host for the night. The full playlist for the show and the download link is below, enjoy!
