FEATURED RELEASE
Album released 05-04-2010 on Rinse
For well over a decade London's leading pirate radio station Rinse FM has been infecting the city's airwaves with cutting-edge UK garage, grime, and dubstep. Most recently however the fresh sounds of UK funky house have been given a large share of airtime and exposure.
Rinse FM's influence on London's club culture can hardly be overestimated, having provided a platform for a who-is-who of London artists in the past, such as Dizzy Rascal, Wiley, Skream and Kode9, and the future indeed looks bright for the station's latest prodigy, UK funky shooting star Roska.
The young producer from South London's Norwood neighbourhood already runs his own prolific label, Roska Kicks & Snares, but Rinse FM's in-house label is a perfect choice for Roska's self-titled debut album, which perfectly epitomises the station's current sound. Tracks like 'Love 2 Nite' or 'Wonderful Day' combine minimalistic house chords with infectious vocals and percussive beats, which hint at dubstep and Kwaito influences.
Roska's debut album is well deserving of the current media hype surrounding its release, and going by its quality, funky house could well be the sound of Summer 2010.
|
MORE UK FUNKY ESSENTIALS
|
|
SBTRKT seems to be all over the place these days, remixing artists from Basement Jaxx to Gorillaz and Modeselektor. '2020' is a monster of a release, bridging the gap between classic house and dubstep with loads of depths and awesome drum programming. Belongs in every record case!
|
|
|
Maxi-Single released 12-04-2010 on Hyperdub
Remix treatment for Ikonika's freshly released and absolutely brilliant 'Contact, Love, Want, Have' album. Comes with a staggering version by Altered Natives who seem to be on top of their game at the moment, landing in all DJ crates around the globe. Click, Listen, Purchase, Have!
|
|
|
Maxi-Single released 05-04-2010 on Hyperdub
Detroit shooting star Kyle Hall follows up his recent remix for Darkstar with a brilliant solo single for Hyperdub. What might initially seem at odds - a teenage Detroit house producer on a London dubstep label - immediately makes sense when listened to: Two perfectly deep and synth-ladden tracks, laid out on top of light-footed grooves. Ace!
|
|
|
Brownswood hand-pick three rising artists to remix Jose James' 'Warrior'. Headlining the trio is Sbtrkt with his wicked, rolling remix that defies conventional genre classification. Jus Wan takes a more methodical approach with his sublime interpretation, while Rockwell takes a cue from Autonomic-style drum programming for his stylish take.
|
|
|
Getting big time support from the likes of Martyn, Mary Anne Hobbs, Kode 9, and Jackmaster, landing a remix for Ikonika's 'Idiot' on Hyperdub, and lining up a release for 3024, Altered Natives' star is seriously on the rise. He follows up his smash, 'Rass Out', with the sultry 'Believe In Me' and the ultra-heavy 'Raaatid Einstein'!
|
|
|
2+ years since making waves with her debut single, 'Please', Hyperdub drops the long-awaited debut album from Ikonika, 'Contact, Love, Want, Have'. Ikonika embodies the spirit of her home label with her genre-defying beats and neon-tinted synthesizers that sing and dance with confidence across this exhilarating debut album.
|
|
|
Torsten Pröfrock's T++ project takes a bow with the massive EP for Honest Jon's, 'Wireless'. Dense, washed-out techno sounds take influence from rhythmic developments in UK dance music, while incorporating East African vocal and ndingidi samples dug from Honest Jon's sound archives. Hugely recommended listening!
|
|
|
R&S signs its first dubstep artist with newcomer Pariah, and his debut release is well worthy of the label's seal of quality. 'Detroit Falls' takes a vintage R&B sample as the foundation of a shuffling and rolling downbeat track, whereas 'Orpheus' picks up the pace for a Burial-meets-Unfinished-Sympathy approach. Excellent.
|
|
|
The massively successful podcast series, Club Autonomic, breathed new life to the drum and bass genre with a fresh and unique sound that has turned heads across the entire dance music world. Its founders, dBridge and Instra:mental, unveil the official label, Autonomic, with a release by themselves and a very special guest, Skream!
|
|
|
Veterans to the evolving scenes that have spawned UK Garage, Grime, and Dubstep, Rossi B & Luca take another step in the future with the cutting-edge sounds of the newest mutation in the UK hardcore continuum, UK Funky. 'E10 Riddim' showcases the skills of these experienced producers that got the attention of the keen ears at Planet Mu.
|
|
|
The Ramadanman drops a massive new EP on his own Hessle Audio imprint showcasing an even more mature sound on the tip of jungle, dubstep and breakz, referring to the early days of UK bleeps. If Hessle Audio continues its strong run of releases in 2010 we might have to build a shrine for them.
|
|
|
The second release on Night Slugs (run by L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok) dives further into the wealth of young British producers, who are experimenting on the fringes of traditional dance genres, creating mutant forms of their own design. 'The Only Way Up' takes you in with a catchy, neon-colored synth and cradles you gently with deep, low-end pressure. Includes Ikonika remix!
|
|
|
London's idiosyncratic producer Actress and legendary outernational label Honest Jon's team up, and the surprising pairing is a match made in heaven for fans of quirky electronica. 'Paint, Straw And Bubbles' is the single to Actress' forthcoming album: Experimental techno meets new-wave electro. Great.
|
|
|
Album released 01-12-2008 on Rinse
'Volumes: One' collects some of the biggest funky tunes by Rinse FM station head, Geeneus. From the brooding 'In To The Future' to the catchy 'As I' with Katy B, and his remix of Benga & Coki's 'Night', Geeneus' style combines classic house vibes with the relentless drive of percussive Kwaito beats. Classic alert.
|
|
