Over the years the Playaz label has been known to unleash filthy club bangers a plenty into the DnB world, all of which have been embraced with open arms and rinsed on the dance floor. However, as time has gone on the Playaz camp have begun to show other sides to their arsenal and this was highlighted with the release of the first Playaz ‘Flavours EP’ earlier this year.
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Review: The Flavours EP vol 2
Disco77 Review: High Contrast – The First Note Is Silent / Fearful Symmetry
I must say I’ve been waiting a little while to talk about this one!
Why you ask?
It’s probably one of the most controversial entries into this world of Drum and Bass that we love this year. To be honest, this isn’t much of a review. It’s more a blog post/commentary on events as I’ve seen them leading us up to the release of this record.
So where do we start?
It’s been a long time since Lincoln Barrett gave us anything under his High Contrast monkier and when news of this collaboration filtered through the grapevine, we all awaited with baited breath. Read More
Disco77 Review: Metrik – Between Worlds EP
When I first returned to immersing myself in the world of DnB back after a 14 year haitus in 2009, one of the first producers I gravitated to Metrik. I think it was due to the uplifting vibes that oozed out of every proverbial pore of his releases. There seemed to be something in the productions that made me want to jump about like a lunatic with a massive smile on my chops. Since that time Metrik’s popularity has soared, partially due to support from mainstream national radio DJ’s, but primarily because he makes great tunes! So when I noted that the Between Worlds EP was released today, I knew it would be something that I would need to add to the shopping cart. Between Worlds crosses between genres of DnB, Drumstep and Dubstep showing why he’s seen as one of the ‘Go to Guys’ when mainstream pop acts want a DnB remix added to their single package.
The standout/must have tracks on the EP have to be T-2000, with it’s old school hardcore stabs, Terminator theme styled breakdown which bubbles into a crescendo of bass and Drum Step before switching halfway into a full on accelerator screaming DnB monster. Despite being a dancefloor destroyer in it’s own right, it’s a useful tool to
switch up the flow of your set if that’s what floats your boat. The second stand out ‘I See You’, sees Metrik team up with one of my all time favourite vocalists, Kathy Brown to bring the sunshine with this vibrant little slab of soulful/electro/liquid DnB (Bloody hell, there’s a lot of sub-genres in this jungle scene!) that will leave the crowd with their hands in the air during the breakdown and brocking out once the beat kicks in! Even if you’re not one to fork out for full EP’s both of these tunes need to be picked up immediately.
The remainding tracks are still to the expected high standards that Metrik and Viper recordings are known for, with ‘Genesis’ (which which could easily be mistaken for a Camo & Krooked track, and that’s not a bad thing!) and it’s rumbling filthy bassline and NES game styled rift. ‘Between Worlds’ sounds like it wouldn’t be out of place in one of those early 80′s ‘future world’ movies (think Vangelis’s epic score to Bladerunner and you wouldn’t be far wrong) with it’s atmospheric uplifitng chords tagged with grimy beats and bass. The final track on the EP ‘Nightdrive’ whilst maybe not hitting the highs of the rest of the release, is still head and shoulders above a lot of the tracks usually associated with this sub-genre of DnB. Plus, it’s featured as the free download on the EP, so you’d be stupid not to pick it up!
All in all this is a solid release from Viper and the man like Metrik and I’d recommend it to all.
Disco77 Review: Delta Heavy – Overkill / Hold Me
The 107th release for RAM records brings Delta Heavy to the table for another session of slow motion moshing, jump up, and those trademark dropped basslines that provide more cum faces than the worlds biggest bukkake party. Production duo Ben Hall and Si James have been making waves over the last year or so with their seamless intergration of Dub Step, Drum Step and DnB, and this release doesn’t disappoint.
First up is Hold Me, which is a Nero-esque Dub Step monster with a pulsating juggernaut of staggered bass, tight beats, electronic rifts and a classic old school sampled vocal. This will destroy any dance floor and will cause more floors to be stomped than all the toddlers in the world having a combined tantrum. I’d also go as far to say it’s one of the best examples of the Dub Step genre, it emanates quality all through the production, and even if this kind of sound isn’t your thing I refute that you wouldn’t lose it hearing this song loud and live.
If Hold Me, was the pretty daughter, the flip Overkill is certainly the bastard step child. This is an absolute monster of a song, as it bounds between Drum Step and full on DnB with the trademark Delta Heavy pitched, distorted screaming bassline in overdrive giving the sense that you’ve been electrocuted whilst simultaneously smacked in the face with a frying pan. Let’s be straight up, this is stadium Drum and Bass and whilst it distinctly has the ‘RAM’ sound this could be played in the sets of any DJ across the jungle spectrum (well maybe not liquid, that would be taking it too far!). If you’ve not bought this track, you need to as you’d be missing out on a future classic. I can see Overkill staying in my box (well…it’s an electronic one these days) for a long time!
Disco77 Review: Professor Green feat Emeli Sande – Read All About It (Nu:Tone Remix)
Drum and Bass has recently become zombie-like, arising from the underground to feast on the flesh of the pop charts. Major record labels have sought the talent of DnB producers to give their acts songs a new spin, with the likes of Danny Byrd, Metrik and most recently Andy C providing twisted versions of songs that grace the top 40. One of the mainstays of the standard ‘DnB remix of Pop Song’ has been Nu:Tone, whose last dabble into these waters was the remix of Emeli Sande’s Heaven. A remix so good, it could quite possibly be considered better than the already amazing original. I can only presume that when rising star Emeli’s soulful tones featured on Pro Green’s new tune, it made sense for Nu:Tone to step up to take on remix duties again.
The result is the standard Nu:tone pop remix made up of soulful strings, rolling amen loops and plonky bass which rightly tend to focus on Emeli’s soaring vocals. Pro Green’s vocals do get a look in, and add to provide a menacing undercurrent to atmosphere of the track. I’d definitely say the track is useful as an early song in your mix/set, and would especially benefit if playing to a more commercial crowd who are looking for something recognisable over the beats. This won’t set the world on fire by any means, but could be a useful weapon in your war with the dance floor.
Review: Shogun Audio presents Way Of The Warrior
Since its inception in 2004, Shogun Audio has been responsible its fair share of high-quality drum and bass, thanks to a stable of very talented producers. Despite criticism from some quarters for releases which have over-promised and under-delivered, the label’s stylistically diverse output has attracted a large and loyal fan base.
After seven seemingly short years Shogun have reached their milestone 50th release – the hotly anticipated Way Of The Warrior album. And a glance at the contributing artists will surely have even the doubters salivating, with appearances from Icicle, D Bridge, Phace, Rockwell, Break, Alix Perez and Commix.
With strong support from some of the scene’s top DJs, the hype surrounding Way Of The Warrior prior to its release was massive – but does it deliver the goods?
SpectraSoul slips smoothly into first gear with soulful liquid roller The Gift, before the brooding bassline of Cemetry sets the tone for Icicle’s pounding Alien Groove. There is a moment of respite provided by the melancholic vocals of Since We’ve Been Apart, followed by the dark, pulsating Jupiter from label owners Friction & K Tee.
Phace & Rockwell serve up a psychotic fusion of their trademark styles with Rat Race – an addictively glitchy neurofunk banger which will leave you twitching on the floor, reaching feebly for a rewind. A tune definitely deserving of its own paragraph.
Unfortunately, the cracks begin to show in the two subsequent tracks, which are both disappointingly dull liquid efforts. Despite a promising intro, the poorly-placed vocal sample in Break’s Trying succeeds only in making you wish you were listening to S.P.Y.’s awesome By Your Side instead, and it’s a mystery why it took three well-respected and innovative artists to create the uninspiring Montpellier – too many cooks, perhaps?
Icicle & Distance take an excursion into deep dubstep with Exhale, before Alix Perez breathes life back into proceedings with the dark and minimal Exemption. Rockwell returns to form with some razor-sharp edits in 4U, and Icicle & Commix wrap up with the excellent Ultra Clean.
Refreshingly for a label compilation, this is more than just a random collection of tracks – the running order has been carefully considered and despite its flaws Way Of The Warrior is a cracking album. Don’t miss out.
Review: Makoto – Souled Out
Makoto has long been a popular figure in the drum and bass scene, since emerging as LTJ Bukem’s protégé in the mid-nineties.
With his early releases on Good Looking Records, Makoto delivered deliciously deep and soulful drum and bass, occasionally exploring down-tempo territory on the seminal Earth series. His first solo album Human Elements (2003) continued along similar lines, and two years later the Golden Girl single was an instant classic.
However, by his second album Believe In My Soul (2007), Makoto’s sound seemed to have become a little stale, like much of the scene in the mid-noughties.
Fast-forward to 2011 and a drum and bass renaissance, fuelled by an injection of fresh talent, has arguably given rise to more exciting new music than ever before, from artists established and new. Against this backdrop, and after a three-year hiatus from music production, Makoto has returned with his third album, Souled Out.
Fortunately, Makoto’s break seems to have done him the world of good – he’s back to his best and serves up a veritable smågasbord of musical delights with this latest effort.
The album starts gently with a prelude of swelling pads and cosmic effects setting the tone for the laid-back instrumental Magic Hour, before bursting into life with the funky, up-tempo Tower Of Love, featuring the vocal talents of Paul Randolph.
And so begins a magical journey which sees Makoto effortlessly turn his hand to a myriad of musical styles – expertly swinging from disco-funk with Girl I’m Running Back 2 U, through deep-garage with In Between, to the electro-jazz workout Turning Points which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Herbie Hancock album.
At this point, I’m guessing a few die-hard bass heads will be shuffling uncomfortably in their seats, if indeed they’re still reading. And perhaps with good reason – only four of the fifteen tracks could be called drum and bass: in addition to Tower Of Love, Keep Me Down is underpinned by the classic Amen break, and Woe and Untold both feature long-time vocal collaborator Deeizm.
As the title suggests, this is really a soul album at heart, and vocals feature heavily – all of them beautifully performed. But Makoto draws on minimal sounds and flawless production to turn his unmistakable ‘funk and bass’ into something bang up to date and more expansive than ever.
The album is rounded off by Room Enough – a straight jazz number featuring the silky smooth vocals of the legendary Clevland Watkiss – a parting reminder that the album isn’t constrained by genre.
Makoto – Souled Out is out now on Human Elements (HE002CD)
