Reviews Addendum

I just wanted catch up on a few releases that slipped beneath the radar at their actual time of release. I felt though, that they certainly deserved a mention here. So I’m wiring them up as a general addendum. The monthly review section will still cover all of the May releases at the end of the month. All of these were officially released between January and April 2012.
And this time, they’re in no particular order!

# : SYNKRO – Broken Promise (ep)

Label : Apollo
Style : Techno / Minimal / Ambient
Link : Youtube (Broken Promise)
Words:
Apollo, a sister label to one of dance musics most iconic labels (R&S) was recently revived with this release showing a bit of a different side to UK producer Synkro. Joe really is a versatile artist not shying away from drum & bass, dubstep, garage, ambient or techno. And his output has certainly shown progression within that last genre. Last year, his EP on Styrax received a very warm welcome on the blog and ‘Broken Promise’ elaborates on that.
The title track builds on warm minimal techno beats engulfed by layers of synths and other perky details. It provides that trademark nostalgic vibe you get from Synkro when he’s inserting melody in his music. “Why Don’t You” sees him reach back to his garage productions, confidently making use of vocal snippets, but again practising restraint on the beats. There’s a lot of head space in this track, and again, all the extra details give this rather minimal track, a lot of vibe and warmth.
“Memories of Love” is a timid take on the sort of Witch House the likes of Tri Angle have been releasing, still deep within the track there’s a garage hybrid vibe the likes of FaltyDL and cohorts always manages to offer up. The final track is perhaps the closest to his ‘regular’ output, building on the autonomic productions released on EXIT recordings. Tasty bass in this one. A very successful EP that showcases Synkro has more potential to grow in several directions. This one though, is perhaps a bit more suited for home listening rather than club banging.

# : MikIX the Cat – Inside Down (ep)

Label: Add Cat Records
Style: (Ballroom) House
Links: Youtube (Inside Down)
Words:
Parisian Producer MikIX the Cat didn’t really manage to convince me in the past years. He mainly stuck to a rather easy digestible form of Electro. Lately, it seems he’s been charmed by the resurgence of Ballroom House in Europe (along with fellow Parisian French Fries, showing that France in general seems pretty receptive to this American style of House).
The title track is certainly the one here, profiting from a great vocal hook. The beats are heavy and clinical, as is often the case with New York House: the tracks are relatively uncomplicated, but have a great impact with just the sufficient amount of percussion, heavy bass and loads of space.
“Who Are You” ventures closer to home, also looking at contemporary two-step offshoots, we’ve seen the likes of goldFFinch or Until Silence or even Addison Groove tamper with.
“I’m the Man” finally sees him adding some melody to the EP, with great success: it turns this one more into a classic raving house track, still it also for me shows his roots in electro: I would have liked it a little dirtier and less polished.
“Lose It” sits somewhere nicely between all three previous tracks, but lacks the direction and urgency of those tracks as well. It has a good r&b’ish swag to it but then moves into two-step territory to end up in basement house. The important thing is that MikIX the cat has forgotten his mediocre electro productions and now has truly moved on to more interesting pastures.

# : Beneath – No Symbol 001 (ep)

Label: no symbols
Style: House / Dubstep / Bass
Links: Youtube (Straight)
Words:
A debutant from Sheffield, but already tipped by prominents of the scene such as Pinch, Mosca and Blackdown, it should come as no surprise that this release took the hardcore underground community by storm. Beneath cleverly connects the dots between the heavy low ends and space of early dubstep and two-step, with the contemporary UK inspired house sound.
These tracks are all very minimal (much like early dubstep), but they deliver in every way: percussion, bass and little tweaks and twitches here and there. Some of the tracks are more straight up two-step meets bare bone house (like ‘straight’ or personal favourite ‘send’). ‘Bubble’ is slightly more complex though with also deep echoing ambience in the depths.
All in all, a very consistent EP that should really be in every DJ’s bag. Repress announced for later this year and NOSYM002 should be in stores shortly. Don’t sleep on it, you’ve been warned.

# : Akkord – Akkord 001 (ep)

Label: Akkord
Style: Dubstep / electro / Bass
Links: Youtube (Renewal)
Words:
Fans of the above Beneath will also certainly be interested in the first EP by anonymous Manchester Collective Akkord. They delve, in part, in the same inspirational source that are the early dubstep/ two-step productions. Mainly of course, for the sub bass and the low ends.
In terms of percussion and rhythm, these tracks sound like ultra minimal and slowed down versions of the exit/autonomic sound. Track ‘The Drums’ adds some cool manipulated vocals and subtle stretches of meditational ambience. Truly hypnotic.
‘Back and Forth” has a slightly more familiar feel to it, perhaps winking at the likes of Objekt or 2562. The percussion section borrows some funky house elements as well.
“Renewal” forms the most obvious link with the Autonomic sound but adds some Boddika like electro touches, giving it that trademark warehouse feel.
Again, I feel this one is essential for the DJ’s, they are truly three dark dance floor rollers. Hoods up, Skin up: all about that 05 feel but put in a 2012 perspective.

4 essential bits you really have to add to your bag if you didn’t already. The last two will undoubtedly receive represses soon (and both have second instalments announced for soon). The top two are available digitally as well.
Until the end of the month, for the next instalment of our monthly top 10 feature.
Cheers,
J.

April 2012 : Top Ten releases

Time now for another instalment of our monthly top ten edition. It turned out to be a varied selection again and there were a lot of contenders, but by my own rules I had to cut it down to the top ten picks. Also, as I mentioned previously, its been the first good month for albums with outstanding works by Actress (review to follow shortly), Clubroot, Distal, Machinedrum (reissue), Bass Clef and Lone amongst others. So check some of those out if you can.
Here’s this months list to get you started though:

#10 : Gerry Read – Yeh Come Dance (EP )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : Delsin
Style : House
Links : Youtube (Yeh Come Dance) / Youtube (Crawlspace)
Words:
Gerry Read is only 20 years of age, but on his third release (and the best one yet), he makes it sound like he’s been producing tunes for ages. He crafts a rather old skool blend of house, edging closer to the classic 4×4 niche than to the group currently occupying themselves with  experimental offshoots.  Though the EP sounds rather traditional at first listen, repeated sessions will reveal a combination of apt and crispy modern percussion and lo-fi mid-ranges and samples. This gives the music that classic and vintage basement feel. This is inspired UK House with a successful wink at the past. Its four to the floor aesthetics mean that despite the somewhat challenging lo-fi structures, this still makes for a highly danceable EP. ‘Bozza’ with its jazzy keys is particularly groovy.

#9 : Alex Coulton – Candy Flip / Brooklyn (12″) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : Idle Hands
Style : Techno / House
Links : Youtube (Brooklyn)
Words:
A celebratory release for Bristol label Idle Hands, as this is the tenth slab they send out there. And it has to be said it’s one of the better discs yet. I don’t think Alex Coulton is being particularly adventurous on this one. But what the record may lack in creativity, it sure as hell makes up for in danceability.
Both tracks rely on very heavy low ends: the bass is truly system material. There’s attention for detail in the percussion, with great toms and hi-hats scattered about. ‘Brooklyn’ enjoys my preference as it has a surprisingly funky build-up with drugged out sci-fi chords and a gruesome bass-line that will have everyone migrating to the floor. Techhouse by the numbers, but done very well indeed.

#8 : Trevino – Derelict / Buried (10″)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : Naked Lunch
Style :  Techno / House
Links : Youtube (Derelict)
Words:
Marcus Intalex has been making waves with productions as his Trevino alter ego on esteemed labels such as 3024 and Numbers. But on this 10″ colour vinyl for Irish imprint [NakedLunch] he presents two of his finest belters to date.  ‘Derelict’ has the most groovy snare you’ll have heard in a while. It adds a bit of 1994 acid vibes to the mix and just stomps on and on. But it still has a trick up its sleeve: there’s a gorgeous breakdown near the middle section that pulls the entire track back into techno territory for a moment: this choice  just adds doses of mood.
The flip is slightly more complex and has a melancholic yet swaggy undercurrent buried deep inside the grooves. It’s a quality track, but I’m edging more towards the direct approach of “Derelict”.

#7 : Beaumont – Never Love me (ep)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : Hotflush
Style : Funky / Electro
Links : Youtube (Never Love Me)
Words:
I must confess I wasn’t a fan of Beaumont‘s previous EP on Boxcutter’s Kinnego label. I simply couldn’t get into it because it sounded self indulgent. It came across as too soft most of the time. This new one for Hotflush though, adds more bass, beats and grooves and so succeeds where the previous EP failed. The snares on the title track are very powerful and work well with the Eighties inspired electrofunk,  vocoder vocals included. The EP is full of gazing arpeggios and excellent key work.
On the later tracks, there’s a good attempt at incorporating garage styled beats and one of the tracks even ventures into Kuedo territory, not bad at all.
But the title track really is the stand-out here. It also has the best vocal hook, the kind you’ll be humming for a few days after you hear it.

#6 – DJ Q – Brandy & Coke / JD & Coke (12″)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : Local Action
Style : UK Garage
Links : Youtube (JD & Coke)
Words:
DJ Q presents a sneaky limited whitelabel (red vinyl) on the modest yet classy Local Action imprint. Good luck getting your hands on it though, because it’s sold out everywhere.
There’s nothing new on this plate: The combination of UK Garage and Brandy vocals is  a tried and tested one. This plate too ventures into the territory (formerly) occupied by the likes of El-B and Oris Jay. Q does add some more modern funky elements to the mix: it generally isn’t as  ‘minimal’ as the average El-B production. The bass on “JD & Coke” sounds quite contemporary. Any one who’s into garage simply needs this one in their bags. Lush material.

#5 : Sepalcure – Eternally Yrs (ep)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : Hotflush Two
Style : Funky / Footwork / House / Dubstep
Links : Youtube (Don’t Cry)
Words:
The second Hotflush release to make the list this month, Eternally Yrs is a bit of an addendum to Sepalcure‘s full length album that came out last year. The title track was one of the highlights on that album (which also received top marks here on the blog!). It combined the quirkiness of light-hearted footwork with lush (nostalgic) funk. It’s logical that this track gets an EP  release as well. New track “Don’t Cry” seems to be a bit of a divider: I personally love it, it’s got a great build-up and works its way towards a subdued emotional finale. Other listeners found the track a bit understated.
Then there are remixes by Trevino (see above) and Kevin McPhee (also of the Naked Lunch label). Trevino’s take is probably slightly the better of the two: it brings back that vibe from some of the early Joy O tracks. McPhee‘s take finds inspiration in Detroit, as he turns “The One” into a grinding techno piece (not that different from Gerry Read) but with sufficient attention to subtle melodic twitches. All in all, despite the lack of new material, a very accomplished EP.

#4 : Distal ft. DJ Rashad – Stuck up Money (ep)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : Well Rounded Individuals
Style : Footwork / Jungle / Hardcore
Links : Youtube (Short & Sweet)
Words:
I have to confess that this is probably my favourite release of the month. But last month, I gave the top spot (and the most attention) to similar artists Dream Continuum, so I just decided to bump this one down a few places.
Distal has been absolutely on fire this year: three excellent singles and an album already. And here he joins up with Chicago’s finest DJ Rashad, who helps inject the release with some extra tempo and percussion through his trademark brand of Juke. Much like Dream Continuum, Distal completes the circle from jungle, to juke to UK hardcore: such an interesting mix of styles old and new and an amalgamation that nullifies the meanings of BPM. Most excellent release that will bring you right back to a Nineties rave in Doncaster.

#3 : Untold – Change in a Dynamic Environment Pt. 1 (12″)

Label : Hemlock
Style : Techno / House
Links : Youtube (Motion the Dance)
Words:
Untold makes a glamorous return to the ever under appreciated Hemlock label. This is part one of a three part EP to be released in the coming months, and what a first instalment it has turned out to be. ‘Motion the Dance’ fires a typical deep 4×4 techno beat. Gradually, the track becomes more melodic with synths slowly stepping to the forefront and enveloping the track.  This is one of the best build-ups I’ve heard in a while. Then the track gradually changes face completely, becoming a twisted and dark, almost vile techno track. Truly dynamic indeed.
The flip is more house-inspired, but evolves in a similar way with an acidic bass line slowly sinking  into a deep electro swamp before drowning out completely. Refreshing stuff!

#2 : Helix – Drum Track / No Hooks no BS (12″)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : Night Slugs
Style : Grime / Techno
Links : Youtube (Drum Track)
Words:
Finally, Night Slugs are back on track. The debut plate for Atlanta born Helix is truly an anthem. I never thought I’d hear a combination of grime and techno, but here it is and it works great. Check the flip side for what I mean: grime MC Flirta D lays down some classic (almost cliché) bars on this anthemic tune.
The instrumental (Drum Track) takes some influence from the likes of Pearson Sound, Joe (the track reminded me of “Claptrap”) or the latest Objekt. But Helix deffo has an edge of his own, it’s like he stepped back and is on the outside looking in on this whole bass thing, seemingly throwing things together at random, but the contrary is true. Rhythmic brilliance is the result.
Perhaps this one does come with a warning sign: it’s very minimal, but it works mighty fine for me, especially with a grime MC spitting over it.

#1 : Elgato – Zone / Luv Zombie (12″)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : Hessle Audio
Style : Minimal / House
Links : Youtube (Zone)
Words:
Hessle Audio has to be my favourite dance  label out there: they simply have good taste and the balls to throw this experimental stuff out on there on a dance label.
Elgato returns to the label and makes a lasting impression. “Zone” is a track that simply does it for me. It is the kind of production I would love to make myself and that’s why I had to put it on #1. It’s as if he’s taken a futuristic house track, rid it of al its excesses and smeared it out nice and thick.
This is an exercise in repetitive minimalism at 118 bpm’s (a snails pace compared to a lot of the other Hessle material). But the track reaches deep: you hear this a lot but don’t even bother with this 12″ if you haven’t got a subwoofer. The sub bass is amazing and makes that a track this minimal and bizarre still works in the club as well. You simply have to hear this on a very big system and you’ll either get it or you won’t. A deserved number one spot for me.
The flip is more lively, upping the tempo to House standards and adding a more elaborate vocal. The Ravey chords give it a familiar character: it’s uplifting and intriguing. When the bass line hits, you’re reminded of the kind of tracks label mates Peverelist or Pangaea could produce. But again this track has no excesses, it’s bare and to the point but certainly not barren.
Hessle Audio prove why I think they might just be the strongest label out there right now.

Hope you enjoyed the read and found something you liked or have missed. I will try and review the Actress album and maybe a few other bits and bobs soon. If not, see you next month! As always, discussion is welcomed: heard something that I sorely overlooked here or don’t agree? Let me know!

Cheers,
J.

Album Review : Clubroot III – MMXII

Clubroot – III – MMXII

Label : Lo-Dubs
Style : Dubstep, Ambient
Links : Soundcloud / Youtube (Left Hand Path) / Youtube (Faith In Her)

Review:

In 2009, Clubroot introduced us to the first instalment of his “Clubroot” Trilogy. The album received much critical praise, because it reached back to old school dubstep in a time when wobble was really becoming popular (see Rusko, Caspa, Skream…).
At the same time, it benefited from influences by the likes of Burial or Synkro who also managed to capture and incorporate the sensitivity and emotive side of UK Garage into dubstep. Still, that album generally felt like a lonely barren journey to the stars with the occasional intergalactic phenomena providing bright flickers in the darkness.

In 2010, Clubroot unleashed the second part of the trilogy, “II – MMX “, a much brighter, uplifting and melodic experience. It felt as though the journey was reaching its climax and we had arrived in a wondrous world.  It reached outwards and embraced a much wider palette than the primarily dimmed and restrained sounds of the first album. It truly contained stretches of genius (not in the least on  the bonus EP).

And now, in 2012, just as dubstep is starting to fade like a volcano going to sleep, its underground magma flows crusting up because of exposure to cold atmospheres,  here we have  “III – MMXII” the final chapter, which is thus released at a most interesting time.  “III – MMXII” in terms of vibes and sounds, sits somewhere between the debut and the second album. It’s as though the highlight of the journey is now behind us, and we are continuing with two minds, one is looking back, reminiscing the splendour, the spectacles that we encountered on the journey. But the other mind is frightened by the big unknown that now lies ahead.

“III – MMXII” opens with the glorious “Ennio’s Eden“, an ambient intro that combines the dragged out soundscapes of Nicholas Szczepanik  and the deep vocal-induced ambient works released by Biosphere in the early 21st century. It’s as though we’re still taking in all the highlights of our journey as we prepare for the final leg.

Soon after the intro, the piano keys of “Left Hand Path” set in and you fully realise this is not going to be the eclectic album we just passed. This is sad, insecure and doubtful.You notice Dan Richmond has poured a lot of energy and heart into this one, he’s really tried to make this his most emotive work to date.But we can not linger on in sadness and doubt,  for there’s possible danger up ahead in the unknown.

When “Summons” kicks in, with Tibetan horns buried deep in the mix, it just sounds ominous.  It also reminds us that deep dubstep doesn’t need those “growls” perfected by Kryptic Minds in 2009, that are popping up everywhere again. On “Garrison” he successfully repeats the formula, but alters the tempo a little bit, edging closer to the autonomic productions featured on dBridge‘s EXIT recordings. He’s clearly been keeping up do date. It’s as though we’re journeying through rugged paths and obstacles, danger and tension are around every corner.
“Tempt Fate“, with its pristine violins, is  wallowing in a different atmosphere, but it also has a sub heavy bass and some old school mid-ranges reminding us that this is solid dubstep.

“Lurking In the Shadows” is more trademark stuff, profiting from a bone cutting pitched up Garage vocal. This one sits closer to the two stepping beats Synkro used to deliver a few years back. But again, despite the upbeat influences,  the track is completely undermined by the menacing atmosphere, giving the tune a dark edge. This album takes the best from threatening dark half-step and emotive garage.

“Celestial” forms the most obvious connection point to the other two albums, there’s both continuity and evolution in this trilogy, it’s as though this is a brief reflective moment, where we can look back over our shoulder and see where we’ve come from on this journey. But for a moment, the mournful message this album was spreading in the beginning is forgotten. We’re back in 2007 for a minute.

The final chapter of this album provides the answer to this trilogy: it is the most emotive and haunting we’ve heard Clubroot so far. “Restraint” is a dark and haunting beast, and “Untitled” (a VIP version of “Comedown” – the title is most fitting) leave us at the end of the ride, the big blackness is up a head and there is no redemption or catharsis to the journey. The end is open and unknown, but the brightest seems to be behind us.
Throughout the journey on this album, Clubroot showed us that Dubstep was in fact a glorious ride with many different faces, many different influences.  But let there be no mistake, the albums end betrays doubt, bleakness and tiredness. We’re exhausted and we don’t know where to go from here. An epic tale with for me, a rather sad ending.

So are there any negatives about this album?  Yes, “Demon Drum” for me , winks at Burial a little bit too obviously, but it is still an excellent track. “Faith in Her” has incredible potential, but here he overplays his hand a bit for me, a more restraint and minimal approach would have been advisable. The track doesn’t need all the orchestral input to be a heart breaker. “Inviolable” and “My Kingdom” aren’t bad tracks, but within all the material the trilogy has to offer, they are rather plain.
On a side note: I wouldn’t mind seeing Dan work on an ambient album: the second ambient piece on here,  “Murmur Interlude” is of great class, venturing more into the modern classical theatre.

I think this trilogy couldn’t have ended any other way and as you’ve noticed, I have a particular way of interpreting it, its storyline is similar to that of dubstep as a genre. It tells an epic story that must come to an open and insecure ending.
“III – MMXII” is perhaps not the best album in the trilogy as a whole, the second one was certainly more cohesive and the debut album was new and refreshing at the time. But this album does contain some of the best individual tracks Clubroot has ever made. It shows his progression as a producer and shows a fragility and insecurity I very much like. And it serves as a fitting end to an incredible but energy draining journey. I can’t wait to see where Clubroot goes next.

Album Review : Fort Romeau – Kingdoms

Well this is something I haven’t done in a while, an album review. I usually review a bunch of ‘em midway through the year and then make a final balance come new year. There’s literally so many albums that come out each year that you just didn’t get at the time of release, you didn’t have the money for or just simply overlooked or forgot about. So I simply don’t write about them and end up not having enough time to do them proper justice.
Not this time though as in the space of a couple of days, three magnificent albums reached my doorstep and I’ll be reviewing all three of them on here.  I feel compelled to write about them because I feel the year has finally kicked off with these. Anyway, here is the first in the series :

Fort Romeau – Kingdoms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label : 100% Silk
Style : deep House
Link : Soundcloud / Youtube (Jack Rollin’) / Youtube (I Need You)

Review :
I think a lot of people were put off before even listening to this when they found out Fort Romeau is in fact the keyboard player for British pop act La Roux. This really is a loss for those prejudiced people because this music couldn’t be farther from the keyboard induced electro-pop hits he churns out for La Roux’s radio chart ambitions. Actually, there is one huge similarity thatremains though, the knack for creating beautiful and catchy melody lines. And that talent certainly shines through on “Kingdoms”.

First off, this is a genuine deep house record: it’s nice and slow and has a hazy vibe to it. There’s a melancholy running through it, in part because of the clear inspiration sought in Chicago in the Nineties (again most evident in the keys). Even the kitschy cover-art suggests as much.
Make no mistake though, this doesn’t sound dated at all, in fact it is marvellously produced and clearly enjoys all the advantages of modern day production (in the treatment of the vocal samples, the hazy melodies or the crisp percussion for example).

“Jack Rollin‘” turned out to be the albums most recognised track, mostly because of the very famous vocal it gets its title from. This is immediately about as hard hitting as the album gets (a tie with “Theo” which appears softer than it actually is because of its tendencies towards disco). All the other tracks are covered in lush pads and synths that give the album an almost dream-like atmosphere. Indeed, this album is perfectly suited for the early hours on the floor, when everyone is intoxicated by the music (or something else) and they don’t even care any more that they should have been home hours ago.

This pure and lush vibe shines through the best in the highlight track “Some of Us Need For Nothing” (what’s in a title?), which combines euphoric bliss with also a very danceable middle section. But also, albeit in a more modest and saddening way, in closer “I Need U“, another highlight as far as we’re concerned. The difference in atmosphere is in nuances.
And it’s in those slow burners, that differ sometimes only in nuances in terms of vibe, that the real strength of the album lies, not so much in the more straight-forward hits like the “Jack Rollin’” or even the title track (which does benefit from classy percussion). When hearing “One Night” for example, I instantly became submerged in a hash-bar haze only the likes of Deep:Chord and a few other basic channel / Dubtechno acts can create.  The album really goes that deep…

But there are always the catchy poppy elements (usually the keys) or the aptly cut and treated vocals that manage to pull you out of the haze just in time to remind you that this is still a dance album, and dancing is what you’re supposed to do to this music. It combines the danceable elements of modern day house production, with the classic vibe of deep house in a 21st century setting. Give Fort Romeau a chance and forget for a second he’s a pop artist and he’ll bring you right back to Chicagoan underground rave of ’92, or the Fabric club in 2012, you’ll feel as though you’re in both at the same time.

Dour Festival 2012 Preview: Version III

UPDATE : edited on 24/04 with three new names and confirmed stage!

Another 22 electronic music names have been added to the official Dour Festival 2012 line-up. So yet again I feel compelled to also update my ongoing preview of the festival. Rather than making a third separate post about it, I’ve decided to incorporate the existing two previews into this third one, so now there is only one post concerning the Dour 2012 Preview, easier to find and easier to read and digest this way! All info from the previous posts can be found here, but the older posts have been deleted!

Do I need to mention again that this preview is being written from the viewpoint of Sub Meditation Music and that we’ll be focusing mainly on music that has (or could) feature(d) here or at least has some relevance to the contents of the blog. I will state clearly when a band/artist is only described purely because of my personal interest. But we will vaguely discuss some of the other styles present for each day on the line-up, so people know what the alternatives are.

Thursday July 12th Line-up:
Confirmed Stages :

Rampage Drum & Bass  Stage (balzaal):

• Murdock (10 year anniversary set)
• Wilkinson
• Fred V & Grafix
• S.P.Y.
• London Electricity ft. Dynamite MC
• Danny Byrd
• DJ Hype ft. Daddy Earl
• Break b2b Die

Ed Banger Label Night Stage :

• SebastiAn
• Mickey Moonlight
• Busy P
• Breakbot (live)
• Feadz
• ???

Unconfirmed Stages:

Techno Stage (?) :

• Adam Beyer
• Joris Voorn
• Scuba
• Max Cooper (?)
• Agoria Presents: Forms
• Rone

Headliners (?)

• Squarepusher
• Nero (live)
• Caribou

Line-up Preview :

I’m actually quite pleased about the Drum & Bass line-up. I think last year there was a huge overkill in big names that all played roughly the same set (and on top of that there was the fail that was Camo & Crooked’s performance). No variation and it seemed like one long night of the same music. I eventually fled to the techno stage last year. This year ’round, the names are less prominent, but there is much more variation in styles and I applaud that.
Fred V & Grafix are your typical summer festival act, also playing the lighter side of d&b. There’s old school (and a good warm up for Squarepusher) with London Electricity and then there are both the harder and more commercial sides receiving attention as well with Danny Byrd, S.P.Y. (personal favourite) DJ Hype and Break b2b Die (another good choice). All in all, I think this is a Thursday drum & bass line-up that justifies coming a day earlier and starting the festival in the middle of the week.

The second confirmed stage will be the Ed Banger label stage. I really don’t like this kind of pseudo-electro and I generally don’t like any of the acts on that label, though I can imagine there is an audience for that music (especially in the French speaking community). Personally, I find it bitterly disappointing that the rumour of Brainfeeder hosting this stage turned out to be untrue. That would have been a million times cooler to be honest. I’ll be avoiding this stage.

Then there’s the speculation on a possible stage featuring techno and related. All in all, I think this possible line-up seems a bit too flat. Adam Beyer and Scuba are more than valid excuses to get away from the drum & bass stage. Agoria presents Forms will be interesting if it also has some visuals, but like Joris Voorn and Rone, it lacks a punch, a harder edge I like to hear in techno. Not bad, but generally would have liked more hard techno / minimal. See Saturday for some better techno names.

Among the electronic head-liners, only Squarepusher is of any interest to me. I guess it is pretty much confirmed now that he will be playing the main stage, which is a bummer because the main stage at Dour festival is the only crappy stage. No atmosphere, no good vision (important for a show with visuals) and poor positioning on the festival ground.
Nero (live) is pure and utter crap, these d&b/tear-out superstars have lost any credit I would have given them three years ago. It is thin and over produced teenage crap and I’ll avoid them at any cost. If I want spam, I’ll get canned ham. Hell,  I even rate Caribou 10 times higher.

Friday July 13th Line-up :
Confirmed stages:

Balzaal Regular Line-up :

• Mount Kimbie
• Shlohmo
• Pinch
• Ikonika
• Sun Glitters
• Richard Colvaen

R & S Records Stage (balzaal) : 

• James Blake (dj)
• Teengirl Fantasy (live)
• Lone
• Space Dimension Controller (dj)
• The Chain

Unconfirmed Stages :

Tear-out Stage (?) :

• Datsik
• Caspa
• Friction
• Foreign Beggars
• Delta Heavy

Other essential names :

• Godflesh (personal favourite)
• Actress

Line-up Preview:
We’ll start with the confirmed Balzaal stage. I presume that the R&S label Night will in fact be at night (meaning the rest of the names play before them). In all honesty, the other way around might have been better. Then again, they haven’t programmed the heaviest names so it might work.
Any way, mixed feelings about this one: on the one hand, happy that a strong label like R&S gets some much warranted attention. But then on the other hand, they didn’t invite any of their big guns: indeed, where are Blawan, Pariah, Model 500…? Certainly they are better than any of the acts they invited now? I am baffled by this really. The entire stage is sort of decapitated by the lack of a huge head-liner. Bitterly disappointing and certainly a missed opportunity. But let’s focus now on who IS there.
James Blake dj set? I don’t think any one can complain about that, much better than him playing live, even though his mixing skills are rather poor. I’m sure his selection will make up for it. Lone can deliver a set, as long as he doesn’t venture into the 8bit territory too much, I’ll be happy. The Chain are perhaps my favourite act on the stage, looking forward to that. I honestly couldn’t give two shits about Teengirl Fantasy, much like Vondelpark, it is a name I didn’t want to see on this stage, but I guess you can’t win ‘em all. They’re part of the live roster of R&S that is frankly much a do about nothing, with the exception of Airhead. SDC will be hit or miss, I enjoy some of his work and I think a DJ set works better for me than a live set, which would probably venture too deep into electro territory. A decent line-up, but it is just screaming for a Blawan at the end, such a missed opportunity.

If we look at the rest of the Balzaal line-up, first thing you notice how lonely Pinch must feel up there. Really, he is the only good and seasoned DUBSTEP act at the entire festival. I can not fathom how a festival that had three or four major players last year, Digital Mystikz stage a couple years before, now has chosen the path of brostep and weak commercial dubstep. It’s sorely disappointing to see so many diluted, weak and thin acts. You know: it comes a cross as ready made music, like microwave dinners. That’s not Dour’s character at all. More on this later.
If you look at the other names, Mount Kimbie and Ikonika both are good, but they’re not heavy enough, it’s all too light-hearted. I’ll more than likely go see them, but I don’t expect to have my sub bass needs fulfilled after them. I’m not a particular fan of the rest of the line-up, it could have been worse but none of the rest of those artists really turn my head. They’re all threading in well paved paths and are 4th or 5th even within their niche.

And also on Friday, there’s the first bunch of tear-out/bro-step producers. Avoid these at all costs, unless your looking for mindless “fun” orchestrated to the proverbial drops. No thinking, just brainless thin music at this stage: Caspa has stopped mixing tunes 2/3 years ago and now just goes from drop to drop on his CDJ’s, though he might still play an older tune, if you’re really lucky. I’ve seen him, at least, five times already.  Friction will be at every single festival this summer, so don’t fret if you miss him here. Datsik is part of the “Canadian” movement that birthed the likes of Skrillex. I personally wouldn’t even call it dubstep. It’s weak and easy digestible music (despite claims of heaviness, it’s just a cacophony of mid-ranges), that has trimmed the edges off everything and just focuses on bass and mids and half-assed melodies. If that’s your thing, go enjoy yourself, you won’t see me near this.
The other acts are even more a mystery to me: pseudo grime act Foreign Beggars really just make tear-out and mediocre tear-out at that (though they can hide behind some high-end collaborations…). And Delta Heavy ? Please I won’t even waste words on them. Another hypothetical stage to avoid.

Let’s finally have a quick word about two must see acts for me: Godflesh and Actress.
Actress has featured on the blog here before, he is simply a musical genius threading the deep waters between techno, electro and ambient. His new album “R.I.P” is one of the best I’ve ever heard and I’ll see this guy at all costs. I have no clue at what stage he will be playing though, he is truly in a universe of his own.
Godflesh are the most legendary industrial act and use drum machines for programmed beats along with crushing bass guitar and discordant post-apocalyptic riffs . They’re one of the heaviest bands in history and have recently reformed, so this is a unique opportunity to see them live again. I hope they won’t clash with too many other acts, because I’ll want to see them.

Saturday July 14th line-up:
Confirmed Stages:

Untitled! presents Circus Label Night (balzaal):

• Flux Pavilion
  
• Doctor P
• Figure
• Subscape
• Cookie Monsta
• Bar9
• Gemini
• Koan Sound
• Funtcase
• Brown & Gammon
• Kastor & Dice

LeftO presents : 10th Anniversary Stage (magic soundsystem) :

• MF DOOM
• Dilated Peoples
• Lunice
• TNGHT
• LeftO (10 year anniversary set)
• Dam-Funk
• Dimlite
• BadBadNotGood

Unconfirmed Stages :

Future Bass Stage (hosted by ??) :

• Mosca
• Julio Bashmore
• T. Williams
• goldFFinch
• BRNS

Hardcore Drum & Bass Stage (?) :

• Limewax vs. The Panacea
• Audio
• Counterstrike

Techno Stage 2 (?) :

• Ben Klock
• Marcel Dettmann
• DJ Koze

Line-up Preview :
Indeed, let the second night of bro-step onslaught begin. Untitled!, the biggest dubstep organiser in Belgium, has again hosted the Balzaal on Saturday. Last year, they at least tried, to get some variation in the line-up. Those efforts are all gone now, as the line-up this year is tear-out from beginning to the end. Literally, twelve or so names that play almost exactly the same kind of “dubstep”. I mean, I can understand that tear-out has to be there, it’s a popular stretch of dubstep and it will get the crowds (especially the youngsters) to the festival. But really? No variation at all? A long sausage that just tastes the same from beginning to end? I’ll pass thank you. Kind of disappointed by the Untitled! Crew, as usually they are at the forefront of pushing experimental and new sounds and vibes out there. Perhaps they were limited in their selection? Or perhaps they just went for the cash? I won’t analyse the line-up, as there’s simply no need for it. It’s pretty much all the same and all of those acts have been in Belgium recently or many times before. No surprises, nothing new.

On 22/04 Dour festival confirmed that leftO indeed will be hosting the Saturday Magic Soundsystem stage.
A bit of a weird addition with electronic names TNGHT and Lunice (I’d have expected to see them on the future bass stage) added to the rest of the futuristic experimental hiphop names. I think they certainly add some colour to that stage, at which, apart from the two above I’m only interested in MF Doom to be honest (just DOOM these days). LeftO as a host can be hit or miss, some of his radio shows are well worth the listen, but some of his production work isn’t really up my alley. The other new name announced was Dam-Funk. Not particularly educated on that, will have to look into them/he.

There will also be a Future Bass stage for sure (last time around, Brussels label and organiser Stainage was responsible for one of the best line-ups ever to have graced Belgian festivals, so much so that Pukkelpop 2012 festival copied part of it).
If my speculation turns out to be correct, it will turn out to be quite a good stage: no complaints about Bashmore, Williams or Mosca. All three of them are doing big things right now and they’ve earned their spots on the festival. The same can be said of Brussels duo GoldFFinch who are really stepping up in the bass scene. Another well deserved invitation.
A familiar festival problem will most certainly arise, as some of these performances will evidently clash with the anticipated Techno stage and choices will have to be made. On Friday this will already be the case (Actress / Godflesh are a concern), but on Saturday the choices are even tougher.

Speaking of Techno on Saturday, as I mentioned the line-up so far already is  much better than on Thursday. Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann are exactly the names I wanted to see. You simply can’t beat Berlin/Berghain when it comes to deep and hard techno. Save some energy for them. I hope one more name will come and support them (like Shed, or Surgeon?) because I’ve honestly never heard of DJ Koze before.

And then there’s the hardcore d&b stage (that will probably begin after the metal bands have ended, if tradition is respected). No innovative names, no surprises, but all names on that bill are tried and tested and I’m sure the Dour crowd will eat them up. Hard and no compromise, a late night shake to one of these artists certainly isn’t out of the question (with Audio probably being the highlight artist for me).

Sunday I will not analyse here, as it has no music related to Sub Meditation Music (or little electronic music at all in fact). It is still uncertain whether I will stay for Sunday. But it features some pretty awesome stoner/doom/metal bands that are worth your time. Check them out at the festival website. There’s also some turntablism and dub to be enjoyed.

I hope you enjoyed this little preview and I welcome all debates and discussions. Remember this is written from the viewpoint of SMM and we focus on future bass, UK bass and dubstep music. SO don’t blame us for not writing about your favourite indie band. See you at the festival.

March Top Ten

After our little preview of the summer festivals, Sub Meditation returns to business as usual now as we review the top 10 UK Bass releases of March 2012. Once again it has proven to be a varied list of interesting releases. Again, apologies if I missed a crucial record in your book, but we are limited in time, effort and unfortunately also finances. Here’s our take on this months most important musical happenings.

#10 : Airhead – Wait / South Congress
Label : R & S records
Genre : dubstep / downtempo / ambient
Link
Airhead is in that leftfield corner of the dubstep aftermath occupied by the likes of Mount Kimbie and label mate James Blake.  He expresses himself in a more post-rock oriented way (compared to the artists above) on this glorious return to one of dance musics most established labels. “Wait” uses a female vocal and scarce guitar plugs to set the mood whereas the flip utilises a piano, guitars and subtle stretches of ambiance. The fact that it also wallows in post-dubstep beats means the flip-side is more likely to speak to a wider audience. In the later stages it also erupts in shoegazing fuzzy guitars: it’s an accomplished piece of music!
I enjoy both cuts in equal measure because they’re very moody but beat junkies will be perhaps a bit let down by this as it certainly mood over matter on this one.

#09 : T. Williams – Can We EP
Label : Enchufada
Style : House / UK Funky
Link
T.Williams returns with his most varied effort to date on the modest Enchufada label. I can be very brief on this release: it isn’t the most experimental, most elaborate or creative release out there, but what’s on there is skilfully produced and, most importantly, works like a charm on the dance floor.
Williams adds all kinds of flavours to this release: deep house, funky, electro and even a touch of dubstep. But the tracks never lose their purpose and bring it hard on the dance floor. Not all releases can be their solely for pushing boundaries, this one is for the DJ’s for sure. I look forward to seeing him at Dour festival 2012.  Personal favourite is the grimey/funk hybrid “30degree”.

#08 : French Fries – Yo Vogue EP
Label : Dirty Bird
Style : (Ballroom) House
Link
I’m still vibing off MikeQ‘s essential FACT mix from a few weeks ago. Indeed, New York Ballroom House productions are hot right now in Europe. Its repetitive and minimal style with tongue-in-cheek lyric stabs and subtle melodics are doing wonders on the floor right now.
One of the producers that’s jumped on the hype is French Fries. And this eagerly awaited EP on American label Dirty Bird doesn’t mess around.
The title track is nice, heavy and minimal with a killer vocal and a booty-vicious breakdown near the end. Granted, it is probably almost at the end of its lifespan due to heavy rotation on radio, but it’s a killer tune nonetheless. The remixes are, apart from perhaps Claude Vonstroke‘s take, a bit disappointing though.

#07 : Dark Sky – Black Rainbows EP
Label : Black Acre
Style : Funky / House / Techno
Link
The boys from Dark Sky return to the label where it all started for them. Their latest effort can be split in two halves really: the first half shows a new side to the groups productions. And they’ve clearly looked towards Blawan for some inspiration (especially in the percussion department). The first half of the EP present itself as a variation to Blawan‘s trademark dubstep and techno hybrid. Perhaps Dark Sky‘s approach is more refined and minimal though that’s not necessarily always good: I like the formers grittiness .
The second half of the EP sees them take their natural style to another level, incorporating UK garage influences in straight up house beats. Heavy two-step beats and some sinister synths really bring out that warehouse rave atmosphere. There’s something for everyone to enjoy here, but I preferred the latter half of the EP myself.

#06 : Dam Mantle - Her Woes
Label : Get Me
Style : Footwork / Dubstep
No link Available
Dam Mantle presents his smartest track to date (in my opinion). He’s slowed a basic footwork track down to about 140 bpm’s (much like Addison Groove‘s first productions), but he’s certainly given this track his own UK twist.
There’s a great  future garage melody (think early Joy Orbison) running through this one. And the vocal snippets cleverly alternate between London and Chicago.  The synths give the track an added euphoric bonus. This one works both in the club and at home and it are those kind of tracks we’re after here at Sub Meditation Music.
A short note on the flip: It’s decent track by Becoming Real, who delivers a night slugs flavoured track also dusted with some footwork percussion. The track keeps on building and building but never quite erupts unfortunately. But the a-side is more than reason enough to get this one.

#05 : Conforce – 24 EP
Label : Clone Basement Series
Style : Techno
Link
I’ve been meaning to give some credit to the strong Clone Basement Series who are really pushing cross-over techno in a big way at the moment (with releases by Conforce, Blawan, Untold, Mexter…). At the same time, I have to be honest and admit that the foremost reason for this EP’s inclusion in this list, is in fact the Gesloten Cirkel remix.
Don’t get me wrong here, Conforce delivers some big and clinical techno hybrid cuts. But GS remix just blew me away. It’s so simple yet oozes with melancholy and at the same time, has a monstrous acid bass. That 808 will have the neighbours at your door but once they hear the rest of the tune they won’t be complaining, they’ll be joining you for a dance. Contender for one of the top remixes of 2012.

#04 : Martyn – Hello Darkness EP
Label : Brainfeeder
Style : Techno / House
Link
‘Hello Darkness’ is one of the best Martyn tracks since his early output on 3024. So that track alone is reason enough to get this EP (don’t quite see the use of including a radio edit). It sees Martyn attempting a Burial inspired composition that’s just oozing with that rave-nostalgia “Untrue” managed to distil and concentrate into a full album. This is far from a blatant copy though, as Martyn pulls the entire composition through a Berghain bucket of paint. Great stuff.
I’m not too keen on the L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok remix myself, but I love what Redshape has done here, creating a moody and minimal techno hybrid of the highlight track of “Ghost People” – We are you in the future.

#03 : Champion ft. Princess Nyah – Crazy
Label : Formula
Style : UK Funky / Grime
Link
So this one here is a straight up radio hit as far as I’m concerned, but that doesn’t matter. Funky is meant to bring just this vibe: It’s fun and playful but at the same time, is quite superbly produced. The instrumental by Champion brings that gritty grime-inspired funky sound also found in productions by the likes of Funkystepz, Burgaboy or Walton. But Princess Nyah’s vocal is so splendid and I feel the tune really needed that. Certainly the number one club hit of March.
Also feeling the Terror Danjah remix here, adding some more neurotic grime vibes. This one will take you out slow!

#02 : Pearson Sound – Untitled
Label : Self-released (PEARS88)
Style : UK Funky / Dubstep / House
Link
It seems like  forever since I had some new Pearson Sound on here so it felt remarkably good seeing this was out on vinyl. This untitled dubplate has been setting the scene on fire, first heard on the boiler room, then on shows like BEN UFO and Benji B. There’s not much use in describing the tune: it’s just trademark Ramadanman / Pearson Sound with spacey percussion, incredible melodies and crunching 808 bass. Must have if you’re into Hessle Adio.

#01 : Dream Continuum – Reworkz EP
Label : Planet Mu
Style : Footwork / Jungle
Link
This is a footwork project that combines the skill of two great producers who’re enjoying great success right now in their solo careers: Machinedrum and Om Unit. On this EP they show the full potential of Footwork for me. They use its tempo to also reach out to Jungle which is very similar in bpm’s in the end. The combination works wonders: there’s breaks there’s footwork onslaught, there’s classic hardcore melodies and amen breaks: everything to please the underground heads. A truly fresh and inspiring EP that uses tried and tested elements in a new way. More people should be doing things like this.

February 2012 : Top 10

Time to shed our monthly light on what releases have been colouring the bass land scenery during the past month. I feel, compared to January, things slowed down a bit during this month. Having said that, the contender for best EP of 2012 has finally dropped so that’s big enough news in its own right. Let’s have a look at the rest.

# 10 : Tshetsha Boys / Shangaan Shake – MMM / Old Apparatus remixes
Label : Honest Jons
Style : Electro / Techno
Link : No link available

This is the final instalment of the Shangaan Electro remix series issued by Honest Jons. Although some of last years editions (including Peverelist) were really top notch, this one here provides a fitting end to the series.
On the front side we have MMM sticking very much true to the original material: those South-African minimal vibes shine through in this slowed-down and subtle piece of electro.
On the flip, underground collective Old Apparatus take a different approach:
This slowed down, drug-induced version somehow reminded me of Shackletons recent output, but still it’s hard to compare it to anything. The hazy vibe is certainly a different approach to the original material, but its half-stepped tempo will please dubstep, techno and deep house fans alike.

#9 – RUF – Traveling EP
Label : Kraken Recordings
Style : Dubstep
Link

Here at Sub Meditation, we like our melodies. And RUF manages to incorporate just that into his music (hence this is the top rated pure dubstep record in this months list, selected over numerous more established names that just delivered decent mediocrity this month, such as TMSV, Dark Tantrums, Cluekid or even El-B).
The title track takes cues from the hazier front-runners of the current Future Garage scene (like Deadboy for example) and adding some over-the-top rave stabs. “Wallclimber” on the other hand, is a solid minimal banger: I’d imagine this is what a marriage  between Coki and Jakes could sound like. It’s hardly fresh or inspiring, but it works .
“Headhlights” is my favourite tune of the EP, the melodies here are truly splendid: one of the best ‘future garage’ tunes of 2012 so far. While with “Traveling At Night’, RUF also proves he can handle more experimental track formats. Great and varied EP one many might just overlook.

#8 : Randomer – Scruff Box / Get Yourself Together
Label : Hemlock
Style : Techno / UK Garage
Link

The techno-inspired B-side “Get Yourself Together” is the one that does it for me. Immediatly, the influence of acts like Blawan or Untold is noticeable and it shows how much those guys have done recently for the genre. Randomer does give it his own distinctive little spin, adding a rugged and lumpy bass and adding nifty details in the high ends. The flip is a good take on classic two-step with a bit more breaks and dirt added to it. For some reason it reminded me of what DJ Narrows and the likes were doing with UK Garage years ago. A welcome reference to be honest.

#7 : Clubroot – Scars / Hellion
Label : Solace
Style : Dubstep
Link

Clubroot is one of those producers operating in the deep dubstep spectrum pioneered by Burial. Still, I think his style is a bit different and this, perhaps more than ever, shines through on this twelve debut for the exciting new Solace label.
‘Scars’ is a track many of us have been waiting for: It’s got a haunting vocal (?) that sounds closer to some sort of bow-like instrument than anything else. It’s percussion and bass are firmly rooted in dubstep (much more than Burial‘s later output). It’s  got a couple of eerie yet warm rave-like synths (border lining kitschy trance but they work).  And it maintains a solid minimal approach providing loads of necessary space.
The flip-side ‘Hellion’ works by the same principles, but is generally more dark and traditional half-step orientated, with a very solid sub bass underneath it: think Kryptic Minds and cohorts. Meditation vibes.

#6 : Sigha – Abstractions I-IV EP
Label : Hotflush
Style : Techno / House
Link

Sigha has proven in the past that he’s got a great feel for electronic ambient productions and the opening track on this here EP, is his most accomplished sidestep in that field to date: it’s just oozing  warmth and nostalgia.
But after that, it’s right down to business. ‘Where I come to Forget’ takes more than a few cue’s from the likes of Regis, Rivet or even Surgeon: it’s maximal minimal techno with a steel-cold aesthetic, yet with a lot of variety and activity in the percussive section and it’s in that particular area Sigha has created a trademark style for himself: you can recognise his percussion straight away and this style really suits it: you can say he’s found himself on this release. Closing track ‘Drown’ is similar but it adds more eerie ambience in the mix.
‘How to disappear’ leans closer to his older work, in that it relies on strictly 4×4 approach.

#5 : LHF – EP 3 : Cities of Technology
Label : Keysound
Style : Dubstep / Grime / Funky
Link

UK underground collective LHF have received praise on here before. They return in 2012 with a precursor to their, as of yet, untitled album later this year. They’ve gone several years back in time with this EP but at the same time, production techniques and colourations scattered across the tracks betray a contemporary production.
The tracks provided by Double Helix will undoubtedly bring to mind the early works of DMZ, Kode9 or even The Bug. There’s a sort of tribal quality to them as well.
Amen Ra injects a dose of grimey funk into the ep with his cut: neon bubbling synths and a sort of r&b swagger provide some extrovert tones to the EP.
No Fixed Abode‘s track is the hardest to digest and shows the experimental and contemporary nature of the collective the most: It’ s built around a classic half-step rhythm (again Kode9 comes to mind) but the smorgasbord of samples filling up the rest of the track, also giving it an exotic/tribal vibe, are what really set this one apart.

#4 : Objekt – Cactus / Porcupine
Label : Hessle Audio
Style : Techno / Dubstep
Link

Objekt was one of the best artists to emerge in 2011. Both his self-released twelves received praise and a bunch of exciting remixes too helped raise expectations for his debut on top label Hessle Audio.
Long awaited dubplate ‘Cactus’ fills up the front side of the vinyl: It combines the bass of the UK sound with the engineering and programming of his place of residence, Berlin. It’s a quirky roller with stabbing basslines, engineered for the floors. If anything, it can be called a hybrid between say A Made Up Sound (‘take the plunge’ anyone?) and Untold.
For me, it’s all about the flip-side ‘Porcupine’ though. I loved the way Objekt injected subtle melody, especially on his second EP. And now he builds on that with ‘Porcupine’, showing confidence in his melodic abilities, yet still applying them with a certain restraint. This track reminded me of a certain Pearson Sound record on the same label, but more subtle and techno-inspired.

#3 : Joy Orbison & Boddika – Froth / Mercy
Label : SUNKLOWUN
Style : House / Techno
Link

‘Froth’ has been setting rooms on fire for a couple of months now. It builds and elaborates on the previous successful collab between these two (and reviewed here earlier), ‘Swims’. ‘Froth’ is a great combination of a four-to-the-flour techno beat, warped and manipulated by everything that is going on around it. Joy O is undoubtedly the one responsible for injecting those vogue-style vocal snippets and synths.
The flip-side is considerably darker, reaching back to the ghetto’s of Chicago for some inspiration. There still a connection with the UK sound though, in that it’s quite reminiscent of some of that speed garage going about in the UK (think FitzPatrick for example): straight ahead!

#2 : Shed – The Praetorian / RQ-170
Label : Fifty Weapons
Style : Techno / House
Link

Fifty Weapons are ridiculously fast becoming one of my favourite labels. Their output last year was amazing and with this one (and Doc Daneeka’s / Benjamin Damage‘s album last month and an Addison Groove album soon) they are setting the bar even higher for 2012.
Shed is of course no small name in the techno scene. In fact, I think he’s one of the better names in that scene for the past five years or so. On ‘The Praetorian’, he investigates the distant dubstep roots of the label and incorporates it in the backbone of the track. But to the remainder, he applies a dreamy techno and house aesthetic. This is almost like a shoegaze track for me: it’s circling and looping melody’s over a minimal and repetitive, almost but not quite half-step rhythm: it shows creativity and ingenuity.
The back is less experimental and closer to the bed for most the listeners out there. It’s clearly influenced by what names like T++ have been doing for some time now (still executed to perfection): there’s junglist rhythms, industrial clicks and noises, a tribal vibe and all this on a solid techno backbone. The almost siren-like sound incorporated brought back fond memories of Techno Animal (clearly an inspiration for this track!).
#1 : BURIAL – KINDRED EP
Label : Hyperdub
Style : Garage / House / Ambient
Link

Clearly, there could be only one winner this month. And it will take a miraculous record to dethrone this EP as best of the year in the coming 9 months. I mean, it’s varied, it shows evolution and perhaps even progress certainly from the last EP and perhaps even from ‘Untrue’. It’s simply genius.
The question many people are asking themselves is, is it better than ‘Untrue’ (or in some cases, better than the first album?). The answer is : it doesn’t matter because it is different. I still think this doesn’t qualify as an album: Many people say that if you add “Street Halo” to this one, you have your full album. I disagree there though.
Any way, this EP, the ‘Paradise Circus’ remix and, perhaps to a lesser extent, ‘Street Halo’ show that his guys hasn’t lost any of his talent. It will be down to motivation whether or not we’ll ever see a third album. I think he’ll stick with the ‘mixtape’ formula myself.
I won’t write any more because a) I might do an in-depth review of this record later when the vinyl arrives. And b) this really needs no words, the music just speaks for itself.

Untitled 5 Year Anniversary : Review

I’m going to keep this short, but I just had to write something about arguably the biggest indoor dubstep/bass related event in Belgium and mainland Europe.

Untitled! started out as the first collective to bring the dubstep sound to Antwerp. Around 5 years ago, they organised the first edition of Untitled! in a youth club somewhere up in the city for a couple of hundred guests. Now, five years later, the event has become a full weekender: two days, two rooms and over thirty DJ’s spinning records. There’s attention for all kinds of music:
Friday featured, amongst others, Distance, Dismantle and Mensah. The club upstairs was taken over by none other than Deep Medi Musik. They delegated founder Mala, along with Silkie, V.I.V.E.K. and Commodo for sets. They were further supported by legendary Belgian DJ, producer and dubstep pioneer Bun-Zer0. A number of local talents and upcoming Belgian DJ’s were also booked in support
The second night featured a slightly more commercial vibe in the main hall, with Skream, Gemini, Bar9 and Hijak taking to the decks. Upstairs, the room was delegated to the Numbers Label, who sent over Jackmaster, Redinho, Deadboy and Spencer. Upcoming Belgian talent Jonas Lion helped fill up the ranks.
Here’s my short account of what transpired at the night, below is also a video compilation I made from the Deep Medi Night (forgot my camera on the second night unfortunately).

Friday.
I only bought a ticked for the Deep Medi night, so I didn’t even set foot in the main room. Anyway, we arrived for the start of Commodo‘s set. He opened with a sick mix of Asap Rocky’s ‘Wassup’ into Martyn‘s classic ‘Vancouver’. I really thought this was a sick mix and one of the highlights of the first night. The rest of his set included a lot of dark half-step now being called ‘Dungeon’. I don’t mind it at all on a big system and Untitled! certainly has a big system! Seeing how it was still early, this also fitted in well in the build-up of the night. So no complaints there.
V.I.V.E.K. was up next. Unfortunately, the set was hindered by a lot of technical difficulties with needles and turntables, so mixing was difficult for him. Nevertheless, he delivered some amazing tunes. ‘The Big Bang (VIP)’, ‘Asteroids’ and ‘Kismet’ all went down extremely well. The soundsystem was tested for sure.
Main man Mala delivered the goods. All the lights went out except for one spotlight, bringing back that old dark room vibe. The set was one continuous dose of awesomeness and not a bad tune was played (tunes by himself, Goth-Trad, Skream..the works). Only minor point was a quadruple wheel of Coki‘s ‘Duppy Soursop’. It’s not a bad tune, but to say it warrants more than 5 minutes of a set…that was a bit of a downer. Otherwise, nothing but vibes and this was the way dubstep was meant to be experienced.
Silkie had a difficult task taking over after such a set. He got off to a bit of a slower start but after about 15 minutes, found his groove. I liked the variation he brought and the attention to melody his set had, it doesn’t have to be an onslaught all night. Especially liked that mash-up of ‘Cyber Dub’ with, was it ‘What’ by DJ Wonder?
Legendary Sub.FM affiliated Brussels based DJ Bun-Zer0 closed off the night in good fashion. He started off quite dark and aggy with tunes by the likes of Tunnidge, a rude first 40 minutes indeed. Then he upped the tempo for a bit, but big props to him for finishing off with Jaybird‘s ‘What Da Funk?’, big tune.

Saturday
Got a ticked for both rooms because I was planning on checking out Skream but that didn’t happen. Arrived upstairs at the Numbers label light in time for Redinho‘s awesome live set. It had melody and emotion and especially skill. Bigup Untitled! for booking acts like this (and Ben Westbeech last time around). Vibes all around. The upstairs room was made significantly smaller than the day before, perhaps not a surprise: though bass music like this is on the rise, many people have not found their way to it yet. But again props for the Untitled! crew for letting acts like these play out, it’s all about the education. And the room still was pleasantly full most of the night.
Deadboy took over and brought more garage vibes into the building. I was well wasted by this time, so I’m not going to pretend I remember all the tunes, but props for rinsing the Julio Bashmore remix and a host of other big tunes. Then Jackmaster took over and the lights went out for me: he rinsed tune after tune after tune. Great and varied set that included grime, crunk, dubstep, house, funky and techno: everything the electronic music lover needs! Rustie‘s tune went down especially well.
Things cleared out during Spencer‘s set because of the overlap with Skream. Turns out Skream’s set wasn’t that memorable in the end so didn’t miss much. I’m reading nothing but superlatives on his set on the web. But my friends, who I trust,  weren’t convinced by him and they’re even a lot more into the popular branches of dubstep than I am. I was fortunate enough to see him a couple of years ago (also at Untitled! by the way) and I’ll probably go see him again eventually.
My friends only pointed out ‘Xmas Day Swagger’ amongst a few highlights. Anyway, Spencers set was probably good since I stayed for it. I remember him digging a bit deeper with a few techno and house grinders. Jonas Lion started off quite slow but after ‘House of God’ things picked up dramatically and there was time for some ‘Night Slugs’ material and I found my spirits again.

All in all, a very good weekend. Mala certainly took first prize this weekend, ahead of Jackmaster for me. But behind those two it was really anybody’s game with simply a lot of quality and awesomeness all around. I also hear from my mates that Distance delivered the goods as well in the main room.  Bigup Untitled! crew, the artists, my mates who got me there on Saturday and the good vibes from the party people inside.
Up next? I’d imagine Kryptic Minds, El-B and Cluekid in March!

Deep Medi Video :

January 2012 : Top 10

Sub Meditation’s Top 10 of January 2012.

#10 : Coni – Luz In Pool / Crush
Label : Clek Clek Boom
Style : Dubstep / House
Link
This record served as my formal introduction to Coni and I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised. There’s nothing wrong with A-side “Luz In Pool”: fashionable 808 bass, simple and effective melodies, and a club friendly vibe. But It’s the flip “Crush” that I’m really liking at the moment: it obviously takes some cues from the likes of Girl Unit or Jam City but it has those swooping rhythms sitting somewhere between futuristic dubstep and r&b with over the top synths and well placed vocals. It has a certain allure to it and even though it’s only 130 bpm’s, I’d like to think of this style as a way into which dubstep can incarnate further (but purists will probably not agree with me because of the tempo discrepancy…).

 

#9 : Goth-Trad : Airbreaker / Cosmos
Label : Deep Medi Musik
Style : Dubstep
Link
I don’t know what it is that has me not liking Goth-Trad‘s new output. I think it’s because he was a master at creating vibes through simple melodies (sometimes Eastern-tinged). He’s sort of forgotten about that and seems to be focusing on a more direct form of mayhem, which does shine through in this single (for his upcoming album ‘New Epoch’). This is indeed dubstep made for crushing the floors. He beats a lot of producers going for this vibe at their game on this single: It’s a lot more energetic than the dark halfstep sounds that have been making a resurgence and equally frantic as a lot of the tear-out stuff but with respect for the dubstep roots So that deserves some merit.
“Cosmos” is especially well built, taking some cues from early Headhunter material and at the same time, not shying away from some in-fashion Electro-influences. In the second part, there are also some  hints at those Eastern tinged-melodies that put Goth-Trad on the map.
“Airbreaker” is not so special, but still gets the job done: It elaborates on the style Skream used to practice for a while, going for a direct 1-3 (kick-snare) approach. But Goth-Trad simply knows his percussion a little better.
Bot tracks work, but having said that, I’ve listened to some previews of his new album and for me, these two tracks, album highlight “Mirage” and perhaps one other track would have made for a perfect EP.
The album is quite repetitive and the less dark bits get completely overshadowed by Mala‘s “Enter Dimensions” for example. The ambient experiment “Strangers” doesn’t succeed and the more reggae induced tracks should have been on the “Babylon Fall” Ep. If it weren’t for ‘Mirage’, I’d advice you’d have plenty with just this single.

 

#8 – Boddika & Joy O – Swims
Label : Swamp 81
Style : House / Dubstep
Link
I don’t think this one requires much attention. Contended for ‘track of the year’ at the 2011 DSF awards, this one was just waiting for a release (having said that, the lifespan for this record in 2012 might not be that big any more seeing how much it got rinsed). This track puts the House in Warehouse for sure: stuttering 303′s, cowbells and a solid kick in the drums. This will get the floors moving. A bit too reminiscent of Boddika‘s ‘Rubba’  track, that’s about t all criticism I can come up with (and perhaps that’s not even a negative thing!).

 

#7 : Chasing Voices – Valley Of the Dry Bones
Label : Preserved Instincts
Style : Techno / Rave
No Link Available
The Chasing Voices collective are yet to release a bad record. Their music is always different but it’s always quality. The first record (perhaps still the best) was techno dread still heavily rooted in dubstep. The second one moved away from dubstep into tech/house territory, whilst the last one drastically upped the tempo almost to jungle standards. This new one takes a different approach altogether slowing the tempo down to well below 130 bpm’s.
It’s a weird mixture of techno, deep house, rave-synths  and syncopation all tucked in an urban jacket. It evokes a vibe of sleepless city nights and wondering mystic.
Not easy listening, but for the more adventurous and experimental heads, it will provide the right amounts of awesomeness.

#6 : Modeselektor – Evil Twin (dub) / German Clap
Label : Monkeytown
Style :  UK Funky / Electro
Link
This is a single from last years ‘Monkeytown’ album. “Evil Twin” features none other than Otto Von Schirach on collaborative duties so yes, it’s a dark track. It starts of rather slow, with some jerking electro synths and menacing vocal bits, while the beat slowly becomes more prominent. The best part is near the end though, when the track morphs into a dark, 4×4 and acidcore-inspired roller, causing tunnel-vision for anyone who happens to be listening. “German Clap” on the flip is a more straight-up UK Funky-induced bit, taking cues from the likes of early Mosca.  Yet, there’s still a bit of a Berlin vibe going through the synths on this one (think Cosmin TRG). Good combo and two solid tracks.

#5 : GoldFFinch – Point Of Entry / Arabian Prince
Label : 877
Style : House / Techno
Link
GoldFFinch had a breakthrough year in 2011. The Belgian producer released on some of the top labels, including DSF ‘Label of the Year’ nominee Numbers. Still, this is his most accomplished release to date in my humble opinion.
Like many, he’s turned to the ghetto’s of Chicago for some inspiration.  This juicy stepper takes some footwork vocal samples (in the vein of Addison Groove), but the tempo is much slower and the atmosphere less frantic, meaning this will please a lot more people on the dancefloor. The flip side applies the same aesthetics but goes for an R&B sample and a house beat this time around. Generally, a well focused effort with a less is more approach. Perhaps a bit on the repetitive side though.

#4 : Machinedrum – SXLND EP
Label : LuckyMe
Style : UK Funky / House / R&B
Link
New York based producer Travis Stewart delivers his second EP on the Glaswegian LuckyMe label. Compared to his successful album ‘Rooms’, he’s cut down on the juke mayhem on this one. The beats and percussion  are sparser and the tempo is slower. The EP kicks off with the surprising ambient bass experiment that is “Take Good Care of Me”, but the lingering vocal snippet is a forebode for the rest of the EP: we’re in for some surprises!
The tittle track is pretty much all r&b,  showcasing a great autotuned vocal-hook, rude drums and the addition of some funky synths. “No Respect” is housier, sounding like it could be a leftover track from last years ‘Sepalcure‘ album. “Van Vogue” takes a turn left into funkier territories aptly applying some more r&b vocal snippets. The offensive breakdown midway through was this EP’s most pleasant surprise.
Finally, “DDD” completes the tour through the musical landscape, introducing some garage inspired house.  A varied, complete and frankly surprising EP by Machinedrum. He sets the bar for 2012 very high with this one (and this coming pretty much straight off the back of a very different album!).

#3 : Digital Mystikz – Marduk / Enter Dimensions
Label : DMZ
Style : Dubstep
Link a  Link aa
New DMZ material should be at the top of all dubstep fans wish-lists. On the A-side, Coki shows the critics wrong: he’s still got it. I have to say after a mediocre album in 2010 (‘Urban Ethics’) and a downright poor EP in 2011 (‘Don’t Get it Twisted’), I was getting worried myself. Then again, his ‘Carbon Aliens’ single on Tempa was very good (and gets a bit overlooked, even by myself). On ‘Marduk’, a long awaited dubplate that finally sees a release, he finds that right balance again between disgusting midrange synths that stab like knifes, outrageous amounts of space and oldskool dubstep percussion. On some of his past releases, those last two got pushed to the background too far in my opinion. But because the synths here are sort of built like breaks, there’s more space again for the bass and percussion to shine through.
On the flipside, Mala shows (on another awaited dubplate called ‘Enter Dimensions’) that he’s still trumping anyone doing the old skool sound (frankly, the new Goth-Trad tracks sound a bit childish compared to this beast). It’s old skool meditation vibes like we’ve come to expect from him: certainly not his best ever effort (very little melody to be found), but blast this through a system and close your eyes and you’ll be in the right place  for sure.

#2 : Locked Groove – Rooted EP
Label : Hotflush Two
Style : Techno / House
Link
Debutant Locked Groove is no new name for me, seeing as we hail from roughly the same birthplace. He first featured on Scuba‘s essential DJ Kicks mix with the heavy stomper “Drowning” which also features on this EP. This track hails straight from Berlin and takes no prisoners, it’s hard and moves like it means business, but not as straightforward as one might suspect after the first couple of minutes. Switch-ups in the acidic synths and bulging bass-lines keep it interesting for the whole length of the track.
Title track “Rooted” takes a more melodic approach: it takes its sweet time to build up a dreamlike landscape before an utterly groovy bassline kicks in. This is surprisingly old school whilst still sounding fresh.
For me, it’s all about the deep house goodness of “Change” though. I can see this one reaching the 2012 best of charts easily. It’s melodic and again, very dreamlike. Less grooving but more drifting.

 

#1 : MikeQ – Let It All Out EP
Label : Fade To Mind
Style : Ballroom / House / Juke
Link
A completely new sound for me. And part of this blog is pushing new and exciting sounds out there, which is probably why this one tops my January charts. ‘Let It All Out’ is released on Kingdom‘s Fade To Mind label, an American subsidiary for the awesome Night Slugs.  MikeQ provides his take on an obscure style called ‘Ballroom’ (from New York). It’s very repetitive and minimal music and I’d situate it somewhere in the House compartment myself (though I’m sure that’s up for debate). This is strickly for the systems, as the tracks are lengthy and repetitive, making home listening sessions perhaps a bit tedious for your average listener.
The bass is monstrous and the vocal cuts infectious but all in all, it was the subtle dark and overwhelming atmosphere that grabbed me. The remixes featured here are all worth the effort as well. Nadus brings his Chicagoan take on ‘The Master Blaster’, whilst Vjuan Allure‘s take on this one might rival the original. My personal favourite remains that original version of ‘Master Blaster’ but really, I like them all.
This one comes with a big ‘WARNING: NOT FOR EVERYONE’ though, as it even took me a while to get into the tracks. But now, there’s simply no turning back and I’m hoping to see some European DJ’s rinsing these tracks live in the next couple of months!

Pinch – FabricLive 61 Review

I hardly ever review mix albums. I tend to get bored of them rather quickly and also, in these days, most of the top plates featured in official mixes see some form of pressing eventually. So you just end up getting the singles when they come out and slowly but certainly, forget about the mix.
FabricLive are a series of mixes (issued by and named after the influential English Nightclub) that most people at some point will have checked out. They invite a varied number of artists, ranging from drum & bass legends like Goldie or LTJ Bukem, to bands like Death in Vegas or even radio legend John Peel.
Before 2011, the series knew a lot of ups and downs in my opinion. But last year, their focus really shifted towards edge cutting bass music, with editions by Pearson Sound, Jackmaster and Four Tet, rightly reaching peoples ‘best of the year’ lists. FabricLive continue that great form into 2012, and this years first edition promises to be a memorable one as well.  For mix number 61, they invited none other than one of dubsteps founding fathers and Tectonic Label owner Rob Ellis aka Pinch.

Pinch has long been a driving force behind the traditional sound of dubstep. His label, Bristol based Tectonic, has been a guarantee for quality since 2004. His debut album “Underwater Dancehall”,  should certainly be included into dubstep’s Hall of Fame (if such a thing would ever exist). But with releases on Loefah’s Swamp 81 label, and the addition of names like Addison Groove or Roska to his own roster, Pinch too is slowly shifting his interest and output towards more experimental and forward thinking sounds. At the same time, he stays true to the dub roots ( testament his heralded collaborative album with Shackleton, which reached the #2 spot on our Top Albums of 2011 list!).

The opening section of this mix displays that  interest into emerging sounds that are genre engulfing . There’s a strong focus on 4×4 oriented beats, rather than the half-stepped rhythms of dubstep. EQD‘s ” Equalized #005B”, a modern take on techno, takes up a large portion of the opening section and rightly so. This flows into Pinch’s edit of the classic by Prince Green “love like” : more Croydon house with a really nasty sub bass underneath it. The section continues to move along at a <140 bpm pace, but with heavy slabs of sub bass and cavernous sounds giving it the pseudo dubstep vibe, trademark of Pinch’s 2011 output.
Boddika and Joy O‘s famous acid induced electro banger “Swims” (contender for track of the year at the DSF Awards) provides the experimental sections highlight.
Almost at the midway point of the mix, I was happy to encounter Roly Porter’s “Hessra”, providing an ambient break from the onslaught.  His album went largely unnoticed last year and hopefully now some more people will notice this gem.

After the break, the mix moves more into old school dubstep territory as the bpm’s are upped to around 140: most people will undoubtedly recognise “Broken” and “Double Edge”, both released earlier in 2011. But the inclusion of forthcoming Tectonic material by Roska (“480 BC”) was a welcome surprise. Perhaps my favourite tune of the entire mix.
There are another couple of tracks that stay within the 140 area ( unreleased material by Distance or the track “Mach”, found on Goth-Trad’s latest album, for example) that will please the dubstep purists. But for me personally, this was the least interesting section of the mix. Quality nonetheless though.
#61 ends on a strong note, showcasing some forthcoming Tectonic-issued  future sounds by Illum Sphere and Om Unit, the latter especially being very impressive. The mix ends the way it started, with that experimental techno/house/juke hybrid delivered by American producer Distal. This means the album is in effect, an endless loop, because the beginning and end flow seamlessly into each other. So put it on repeat!

This immediately is a contender for mix album of the year if you ask me. It’s relentless and sub heavy, with a lot of old school dubstep sounds to be found. But at the same time, it indulges sufficiently in that experimental material that is sitting between house, techno, juke and dubstep. So the forward thinking heads will get what they’re after as well. But most importantly, it doesn’t feel like there’s real sections in this mix (even though I used that word). There’s heavy bass and cavernous, dark sounds every where. In short: despite the ranges of tempo’s visited, there is a unifying dark vibe or theme and energy flows constantly from an  ever present wall of sub bass and a set of varied and mesmerizing rhythms.

Great stuff.