I have a whole mess of new drum & bass tunes that you should know about…
Mako & Villem – I Used To Be Like You/Whatever Whatever – Warm Communications – OUT NOW
This is easily my favorite release of the month and not just because EHL’s Warm Communications label is Texas based (although I do admit to a pro-Texas bias). Mako and Villem’s “Whatever Whatever” delivers a gem and goes extra hard with a drumfunk breakdown. Mako’s solo effort, “I Used To Be Like You,” is the more subdued track on the release, but not by much. This was an insta-buy for me this month.
Double Helix – Leviathan/Microgravity – Deep Field Audio – Out June 24th
I’d be hard pressed to ID another artist that’s producing better neurofunk, outside of that sub-genres progenitors the Virus crew, than Double Helix. The Austrian-born beat scientist has that bouncy darkness down pat and it’s refreshing to hear when so much drum & bass these days is a little more minimal than I like it to be. The A-side, “Leviathan,” is the more epic of the two tracks with it’s sweeping synth build-up and then dropping into madness. This tune would be large in a club setting and, if I was DJing, would get a pull up. “Microgravity” is also a hammer, though slightly lower on the heavy scale from “Leviathan.” If you want more, Deep Field gave away Double Helix’s remix of Survival & Silent Witness’ “Fletcher” last month, you can grab that HERE.
LSB – Overthinking (Enei Remix)/This City (12″ Version) – Spearhead Records – Out Soon
LSB put out his “Overthinking” EP back in July of 2012 and now the title track gets a re-work from one of my favorite producers, Enei. Sian Sanderson provided the original vocal and Enei evokes a wee bit of late 90s drum & bass (to me anyway) with the bassline. It’s turned the original liquid funk vocal over a bit and dug down into a slightly retro tech vibe. It seems LSB’s “This City” has gotten a “DJ friendly” 12″ version rework on this release too. I’m not so sure what was DJ un-friendly about the first one, but this version is a tight little soul-laden tech tune.
VA – The Return LP – Bios Recordings – Out June 2013
“The Return” LP, as it’s name implies, marks the return of German drum & bass label, Bios Recordings. They haven’t had any output since 2008, so they’ve gone big with this one. It contains some remarkable by veterans and newcomers alike. Random Movement, Furney, Bassface Sascha, and Generic are all names you’ve likely heard before while Sterotype, Raw Q, Submatic, Dan-E, and Survey lead the new jacks. All the tracks are on of the liquid funk and atmospheric tip with a hearty dose of bass. The album, containing 13 tracks, will be released on CD, digital, and the ever rarer vinyl.
Rockwell – Detroit/Back Again – Shogun Audio – Out June 10th
Rockwell is just in another stratosphere from the rest of the drum & bass world. His music is really stretching genre boundaries and “Detroit” and “Back Again” exemplify that kind of production. If you’ve listened to any of the recent mixes he’s done that I’ve posted you’ve heard everything from trap to techno influences. Grab this while it’s hot.
Eastcolours, Quadrant, & Iris – I Don’t Know Why (Dabs Remix)/Sparse VIP – Avantgarde – Out June 10th
The Italians are pushing out some big riddims with the third release from Avantgarde. Head honcho Dabs handles the remix duties on Eastcolours, Quadrant, & Iris “I Don’t Know Why” (listen to the original) which injects some sweeping synths into the tune before dropping it down into a hard-step driller. Both the Dabs remix and the Sparse VIP have been getting play by Need For Mirrors, June Miller, Nymfo, and Sabre.
Kantzye – Fisheye EP – M-Atome – Out June 10th
I’m not sure what they’re putting in the water in France these days but the drum & bass output from that country is prolific. Kantyze is likely a new player to American ears, but in France Knockout and Feubo have been pumping out tunes for awhile. The Fisheye EP is the 16th release on their m-Atome Digital imprint and has seen their tunes get banged out by everyone from Launrent Garnier to the Upbeats.
