It’s hard to believe that if you’d asked someone in the early ‘90s about Drum n Bass you’d most probably have gotten a blank expression with perhaps a “Drum an what?” to accompany it.
Nowadays the average mainstream pop artist knows that a DnB remix helps sales along tho perhaps not even SpecraSoul’s remix of Rolling in the Deep will ever truly help Adele, not in the way a double dose of laryngitis would at least!
As you know, I try and keep you up to date with various DnB releases but what with my recent lack of updates and the huge amount of tracks dropping it’s no surprise that I’m a little bit behind so this post is not going to be very in-depth as far as the artists themselves but you can always turn to Google if you’re really interested in finding out what makes them tick.
So, without further ado here’s what you should be having a listen to, if you haven’t already:
- Bristol trio Ruffhouse dropped The Foot & Bypass on the Ingredients label bringing with them a fresh approach and a 2nd 12” already mastered, certainly one to watch!
- Symmetry Records released an absolutely cracking 12 track LP called The Other Side which features the combined efforts of Break, Code 3, Eastcolours, Fields, Hydro, Mako, Mikal, Need for Mirrors, Octane & DLR, Prolix, Silent Witness, Ulterior Motive, Xtrah and last but not least Villem! This release is all killer, no filler and I thoroughly recommend it!
- On the more soulful tip, Mars Recordings dropped a Total Science remix of dRamatic and dbAudio’s Far Away which originally dropped this Spring. A new track, Days Runnin’ Out from dRamatic and dbAudio is on the flipside and is, as you’d expect, exceedingly tasty!
- Another vocal track that dropped was Love Finds Me by Beta 2, a cracking choon with vocals by Pete Josef. No offence to Pete but he sounded too much like Craig David for my liking which lessened my enjoyment. The AA side more than made up for it with Zero T dropping Red Hand, a complex piece of filth that got my toes tappin’.
- October closed with a moreish little 6 track EP entitled Purple Sky from French imprint IM:Ltd. 6 great tracks but for me it was all about Berliner Es.tereo who opened with Purple Sky, we’re talking more texture than L’Oreal here and Nuage whose track Above Time was light, spacey and balanced out with some sexy synth.
So that was October, what a month but already November is shaping up to be another corker.
- Last week saw Utopia drop Dilligence, a collaborative release from Break, Fields, Mako and Villem. I love what these guys are doing together, reminds me of those Jumpin’ Jack Frost Jungle like tracks from the late ‘90s. On the reverse Getz absolutely smashes it with My Soul. There’s no doubt about it, Utopia are really on fire at the moment.
- Mampi Swift dropped his LP History last week. DJ Bailey premièred Gangster on his 1Xtra show but for me the stand out track is Detox, this is a total toe tappin’ booty shakin’ number that only a genius like Mampi could pull off and I can’t wait to hear it a club with the walls vibrating like a Boss!
- Tomorrow, 12 November 2012, sees two more releases to delight your ear buds. The first, from Rooted Recordings, I predict is going to be a dance floor knockout as Spirit provides a full-on remix of Chemical Ally and Lady Flava’s Imagination of Yourself. The B-side is a tidy little number from Fade called Insider and if you get the digital version you’ll be rewarded with a track from 2Sides called True Skull.
- Talking of devils, Dub Motion drops tomorrow on a Regal Records release. Lucifer is another that’s destined to blow up the dance floor; it’s big, bold and devilishly dark with a cheeky little undercurrent. On the flipside Dub Motion kills it with Red Stripe which implores you not to stop and you won’t want to as long as it’s playing!
Well, that’s it from me, I’ve tried to include all the best DnB releases from the last 5 or 6 weeks but sadly some didn’t make it but hopefully you’ll find a few of these to your liking.
Next week sees a very different track drop. It’s what you’d call a Marmite track, half the people I’ve let listen to it love it and the rest hated it. My opinion varies depending on my mood at the time of listening. What is it? You’ll have to wait to find out!
