Hello,
If it ain't broke, don't fix it, they say. No music in this newsletter needs fixing however, despite containing some of the most advanced breakbeat science perceived by human ears.
Covering all intensity levels, we recommend Rustie's relentless skids this week, alongside System's subtle dubstep allusions, Sick Girls' booty-bass selection 'Revolution N°5', Detroit electro on Submerge's 'Follow The Leader 3' compilation, and Jack Sparrow's full-length debut on Tectonic, which stands out as a masterfully executed dubstep album.
Gonjasufi's 'A Sufi And A Killer' and Commix's 'Call To Mind' certainly didn't need fixing either, yet were treated to two outstanding remix compilations for these classic albums, courtesy of their labels Warp Records and Metalheadz. |
FEATURED RELEASE
Can I get a rewind? 'Call To Mind', the 2007 album by drum'n bass legends Commix is regarded a classic in its field and is now getting a refix in its entirety, with this 11-track-strong remix package, 'Re:Call To Mind'.
To some this might not sound all that spectacular at first, but wait till you get to the small print. Burial, Underground Resistance, Marcel Dettmann, Instra:mental, A Made Up Sound, Pangaea, Kassem Mosse, and dBridge are some of the names that will ensure that 'Re:Call To Mind' catches the attention of electronic music fans far beyond Metalheadz's usual audience.
Name-dropping aside, how does this intriguing selection of superstar producers hold up music-wise? In short, exceptionally well. Highlights include dBridge's take on 'Belleview', one of the few tracks that stick to the original's d'n'b vibe. Further 'Be True', which becomes a washed-out ambient piece at the hands of Burial, and A Made Up Sound's deep interpretation of 'Change', to which he adds a stop-and-go rhythm in UK funky style.
Straighter beats are supplied by Kassem Mosse, whose delivers a stunning analogue edit of 'Strictly', Two Armadillos with a deep house take on 'Spectacle', and Marcel Dettmann, doing what he does best: relentless, pulsating techno. With plenty more gems to be discovered, 'Re:Call To Mind' is an essential package for any discerning electronic music fan.
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MORE BROKEN BEAT ESSENTIALS
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Releasing only a small batch of single releases and remixes spread sparingly over the course of about 3 years on Stuff Records, Wireblock and Hyperdub, Rustie's 'Sunburst EP' is his most extensive work to date, acting as a brilliant, neon-tinged precursor to his forthcoming album for Warp.
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Compilation released 04-10-2010 on BBE
Berlin's Sick Girls are commissioned by BBE to compile a mix of the grimiest, booty-shakin' bass music around. According to them, 'Revolution N°5' is about music with no borders that obeys only one rule - The Bass Must Kick Ass!
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Jack Sparrow bravely steps up to the plate to produce what few have dared to in 2010: a dubstep album. 'Circadian' on Tectonic foregoes the meshing of styles or mainstream crossover attempts to bring this thoroughly deep and heavy dubstep experience (sans excessive mid-range wobble)!
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The so-called 'electro Hendrix' Gonjasufi gets a full-blown remix album for his stunning debut 'A Sufi And A Killer' on Warp Records released earlier this year. Featuring remixes from Mark Pritchard, Oneohtrix Point Never, Bear In Heaven, as well as Broadcast & The Focus Group.
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Cool return from the veteran G-Stone producers, taking a convincing turn towards the electronic, with leanings towards dubstep, abstract downbeat, and electronica. Always with a distinct pop appeal, super-crisp production, and containing 16 tracks and 3 videos this is not a stingy package either.
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A sprawling soundscape of hazy textures and dystopian beauty that sounds like Lee Scratch Perry at his most at his most experimental, taking some tips from Burial and Mount Kimbie. 'B' is rich with dense layers of sound, reverb and the barest hints of melody that still manage to get buried in your mind.
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Ninja Tune backs the San Francisco-based producer, Eskmo, with his self-titled debut album for the label. Eskmo's experiments with dubstep as a point of reference, venturing further combining ice-cold melodics and lurching syncopated rhythms.
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The new album of our podcast star this week, Robot Koch, who contrasts his party-bass productions for Jahcoozi with some excellent electronica-tinged breakbeat material. Featuring Boxcutter, 1000Names and RQM, there's some highly advanced beat science on display here.
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San Francisco-based newcomer, oOoOO, follows up on Balam Acab's excellent debut release with an enthralling debut of his own on the recently minted Tri Angle label. Haunting, emotional, and introspective the oOoOO EP brings darkness into the light in refreshing new ways.
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We're welcoming one of the hottest dance labels on the planet into the zero" fold with their biggest yet - Roska & Untold on Numbers! A perfect amalgamation of both producers' styles, 'Myth' b/w 'Long Range' merges Roska's trademark effervescent percussion with Untold's heavy bass quirkyness. Recommended!
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Punch Drunk Records summons two of Bristol's underground mainstays, Superisk and Mensah, to deliver one of the heaviest singles on the label to date. Superisk channels Shaolin drunken master-style to deliver a dizzying melody for 'Find A Way', and Mensah marches to his own beat for his energetic remix.
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Maxi-Single released 04-10-2010 on Hyperdub
Rinse FM's bright and early breakfast show host, DVA (a.k.a Scratcha, and sometimes Scratcha DVA) serves up fresh and funky house cuts for Hyperdub. 'Just Vybe' is strictly deep house with plenty of bump in the trunk. 'Step 2 Funk' takes Scratcha's grimy roots and converts them into dark 4-to-the-floor pressure.
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Excellent sampler from Detroit's Submerge camp, featuring rare and exclusive tracks by Mr. De', UR, B. Calloway and newcomer Jules Wells. Bouncing electro flavours, from upfront to laid-back, are on display here with Mr. De's 'Big Drama' standing out as a definite highlight.
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Presented as a 'mini-album' by Warp Records, Flying Lotus' 'Pattern+Grid World' is a snapshot of the current state of his constantly evolving sound. FlyLo pulls no punches experimenting further into the abstract beyond his 'Cosmogramma' album with varying tempos and beat structures.
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It has been nearly two years since dBridge & Instra:mental debuted their seminal Autonomic podcast series and heads are still trying to catch up! The influence was felt early by Manchester's Synkro, presenting his take here for Blackout Music. Includes an awe-inspiring remix by Autonomic founder, dBridge!
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After issuing a double-header of releases featuring artists XXXY, Ike Release, Jamie Grind, and Gon, the Infrasonics chief, Spatial, returns to his acclaimed bass music label with this beefy set of highly-functional dancefloor killers for his fourth solo outing.
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Dave Huismans (a.k.a. 2562) continues to explore the middle ground between dubstep and deep techno sounds with his A Made Up Sound alias. Warm pads, shuffling beats and deep echoes make 'Demons' another excellent and unique sounding document of the man's brilliance. Check.
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