Category Archives: Melodic

The Down Low: Session 035

Hard to believe house is over 30 years old, but the Chicago sound from the 80s that kicked off the electronic dance music revolution is still as exciting as ever. The great thing about house is you can have it on in the background as a soundtrack or jack the volume if you want to get down.

Kick off your weekend with a selection of new thumpers like Skream’s – Munk and Lane 8’s – Undercover mixed in with some stone cold classics like Rae’s – Hide U, Ross Evan’s – Everybody and Sandy Rivera’s – Come Into My Room.

Down Low: Session 035 – 1hr+ of Deep House vibes

Bob Sinclair – Save Our Soul (BT’s Re-edit)
Dennis Ferrer – Hey Hey (DF’s Attention Vocal Mix)
Sandy Rivera – Come Into My Room (Feat. LT Brown)
Ross Evans – Everybody
Skream – Munk
Rocondite – Levo (Club Edit)
Sugar Hill & Wasabi – It’s On You (Ganzfied Effect Mix)
Luxury – Pick You Up
Kokiri – Retrospect (12 Inch Remix)
2020 Soundsystem – No Order (Ralph Lawson & Rui-z Remix)
Dusky – Yoohoo
Lane 8 feat. Matthew Dear – Undercover
Purple Disco Machine – Where We Belong
Max Freegrant – Heisenberg
Fritz Lalkbrenner – Don’t You Say
Fritz Lalkbrenner – Centre to Centre
Intruder – Amame (Feat. Jei & Lang Ass Mix)
Rae – Hide U (feat. LT Brown & Sandy Rivera)
Blood Groove & Kicks – Free Like a Bird

Snow Peaks – Ear & Drum Session 122

It’s been a great year for chilled out liquid D&B which, in my humble opinion, has over taken it’s more upbeat form. Leading the charge are the likes of Lenzman, Alix Perez and Calibre, but the big surprise this year has been the emergence and dominance of Dawn Wall. Their silky smooth take on liquid is something special and as the triple play at the start of this mix will tell you their tunes go together like an absolute dream.

I’m not sure if I’ll get another mix in before the end of the year. So if I don’t, enjoy this one and have a great silly season. Peace.

Snow Peaks – 1hr+ of Chilled Liquid D&B

Chromatic – Smile
Dawn Wall – I See You
Dawn Wall – Kythera
Dawn Wall – Lose Face
Lenzman – Golden Age (feat. Steo)
Mindmapper & Silvahfonk – One Step Closer
Zed Bias – Driftin’ (feat. Zoe Violet)
Actraiser – Solutions (feat. Oscar Michael)
Dawn Wall – Spears
Mindmapper, Silvahfonk & Madcap – Up ‘N’ Smoke (Madcap VIP)
Mikal – When the Wind Changes
Dawn Wall – Saigon Blaze
Alex Perez feat. Even Everett & SpectraSoul – Forsaken (Calibre Remix)
Intelligent Manners – Everyday is the Same
Etherwood – Souvenirs (feat. Zara Kershaw)
Alex Perez – Had I Known
Alex Perez & Ivy Lab – The Last Night
Change of Pace – Innocent
Lenzman – Got My Mind Made Up
Rainforest – Flow (feat. Lu Angel)
Enea – Nightwalk
Impish – With You (Calibre Remix)
Mitekiss – Duck (Scott Allen Master)
Lenzman – The Worst
Dawn Wall – Between the Sheets (feat. Artificial Intelligence)

The Drift – Ear & Drum Session 121

If you asked people to name their favourite D&B albums invariably LTJ Bukem’s Logical Progression pops up. The heavily melodic atmospheric sound is as endearing today as it was when it first came out, and it lives on though labels such as Omni Music and Candence Recordings.

This mix focuses on THAT sound and, in particular, the artists Rainforest and Aural Imbalance. I stumbled upon Rainforest by complete accident, but one listen and I had to track down everything he had written. He’s simply that good.

Aural Imbalance has been producing atmospheric D&B since 1998 and runs Cadence Recordings which is an off shoot of Deep Space Recordings. Both labels focus their sound on the original 1996 Good Looking / Looking Good sound. And it is no surprise he has an early release on 720º, an offshoot of Bukem’s main labels.

If you want to know where atmospheric D&B is today, or just miss the Logical Progression sound, then you could do a lot worse than giving this a listen. Enjoy.

The Drift – 1hr of Atmospheric D&B

Blok One & Rainforest – Delusional
Blok One & Rainforest – 6am
Entomb – Primeval Forest (Aural Imbalance Sub Tropical Remix)
Okie – Project 15
O’clock – Time Stops
Ash Walker – Thunder (feat. Lord Laville)
Entama – Facet
Aural Imbalance & Voyager – Transmission Control
Deep Stealth – Project 15
Deep Stealth – Mystic Realms (Aural Imbalance Remix)
Aural Imbalance – Project 15
Intersolar – Soulshatter (Aural Imbalance Remix)
Deskai – Rest In Peace
Cryogenics – Coalsack
Blok One & Rainforest – Balcony View
Rainforest – Scar(s)
JCB – Project 15
Rainforest – Over The Years
Mitekiss – Dustmites

Sebatical – Ear & Drum Session 118

Sebastian Ahrenberg AKA Seba first came to prominence on LTJ Bukem’s Good Looking label during the 90s. His deep atmospheric sound is unmistakably his own, and for me he is one of D&Bs great unsung heroes. Whether by himself, or teaming up with other technical producers like Paradox or Krazy, Seba has produced a back catalogue most producers simply can’t touch.

I haven’t done an all artist mix for the longest time, but if anyone is going to pull me back into playing a single producer’s work it is Seba. So deep, melodic and hypnotizing – his sound blends so effortlessly that it is a sheer joy to mix.

If you are fan of Seba’s work you’ll love this and if you are new to him, boy are you in for a treat. Enjoy.

Sebatical – 1.5hrs of Seba

Seba – Blaze and Fade Out
Seba – Keep Me Waiting
Seba & Paradox – Move On
Seba – Distance
Seba – Vanity
Seba – What’s You Fantasy
Seba – Nostalgia
Seba & Paradox – Last Goodbye
Seba – Shades of Me & You
Seba – Never Let You Go (Blu Mar Ten Remix)
Seba – Nightrider
Seba – Can’t Describe
Seba – Dangerous Days
Seba – Inside Yourself
Seba – Nothing Can Replace
Seba & Paradox – The Light
Seba – Steel
Seba – Piemo for B
Seba – Blanace of Power
Seba & Krazy – Finola
Seba & Paradox – Because

Fluid Saque – Ear & Drum Session 115

First mix of 2016 and we are heading into deeply fluid territory. Almost a who’s who of liquid D&B producing alumni, this mix rolls out so smooth you could almost slip on it. Perfect for a lazy weekend or a Sunday morning session, it’ll keep your head nodding and hips swaying.

Turn it up and rinse out.

Fluid Saque – 1hr+ of Liquid D&B

Hybrid Minds – Kismet
Mindmapper & Silvahfonk – One Step Close
Malay – Blue Monday
Anile – Not the Way (to Run)
Thesis & Anastasia – The Bridge
Mindmapper, Silvahfonk & Madcap – Up ‘N’ Smoke (Madcap VIP)
Michael – When the Wind Changes
Silence Groove – Dust Bowl
Calibre & Marcus Intalex – Something Heavy
Dave Webber – Drifter
Linesman – Move & Focus (Submorphics Remix)
Etherwood – Souvenirs
Lenzman – Starz (LSB Remix)
Silence Groove – Shine Through
Pluton & Skyer – Evening Streets
Skyhook – Music
Submorphics – The Devine
Ether wood – Light My Way Home
Head: Crab – U Got
A-Sides & Makoto – Jupiter
Impish – With You (Calibre Remix)
Turney – Just Can’t Give You Up
Hybrid Minds – Lifted

The Down Low: Sessions 28, 29 & 30

A fresh batch of Down Low Sessions for you focusing on the best of bass, house, techno and other beats related type tunes.

Session 28 is a house and techno expedition with a little bit of jungle towards the end. The cover picture sums up the vibe on this mix, full of 6am sunrise types tunes, this is the kind of mix perfect for getting home and seeing in the break of dawn.

If you prefer it deep, dark and moody then Session 29 will take you there. The first three tunes of this mix set the scene perfectly with drifting vocals and dark, low basslines. If you like the Cosmic Bridge labels 140bpm jungle sound then this will hit the spot. Other notables in here are Tipper and Atlantic Connection, who can never do wrong in my book.

Need some jeep beats to bump along to? Session 30 is a more upbeat take on the bass and house sound which will get you nodding and singing along in places. Special mention for Martin Solveig & GTA’s – Intoxicated which is a little more commercial than I’d normally go, but has become a guilty pleasure for me. It is just so damn funky and one of the best party tunes of the years for me.

A special shout out to Phuture Freq Radio, where these mixes were originally being played and hosted. After more than a decade of providing exceptional beats across the internet the site has finally closed it doors. I’ve been involved with Guy Andrew’s station since 2002 and I wish him all the best on his burgeoning production career and hope he gets a similar site up and running again soon so we can continue to bring the music to the masses. To Guy and PFRadio, Respect.

The Down Low: Session 28

De$ignated – Valentine (Applebottom Remix)
Pete Tong & John Monkman – The Bumps (Pleasurekraft Remix)
DVA – Walk it Out
Billion feat. Maxine Ashley – Special (CamelPhat Remix)
Funkystepz – Vice VErsa
Blackdown – Wicked Vibez (Horsepower OG Remix)
Eastern District – Eight Days
Kill Frenzy – So Fine
Rootkit feat. Danyka Nadeau – So Fine
Deep Lark – Give it Away (Aki Bergen Remix)
Rey Salinero – Lindo Cielo
16 Bit Lolitas – Deep In My Soul
Cooly G – Love Dub Refix
Barry Jamieson – Stars (Charlie May Black Hole Remix)
Dusky – Yahoo (Benton Remix)
Sam Paganini – Exit
Rainforest – Weatherswing
Kill Frenzy feat. Astrid – XXX

The Down Low: Session 29

Smoothiesforme – Will This Ever End (DFRNT Remix)
Everything But The Girl – Temperamental (Pull Timewarp Remix)
Ital Tek – Vector
Moresounds – Business
Scuba – Transience
Tipper – Ambergris
Ticklish – Sum 1 Like U
EAN – I Bus The Mic
Boxcutter – Active Transformation (Feat. Star Fu)
Om Unit & Moresounds – Nuff MUsic
Om Unit – The Crossing
Goldie – My Little India
Om Unit – March of the Cosmic Diasporia
Sinistarr – H3xx
Atlantic Connection – Ina Dem
Atlantic Connection – Geppetto Feat. Tunde Olaniran

The Down Low: Session 30

Chris Lake – Chest
George Fitzgerald – Knife to the Heart
Royal-T – Glacier
Digital – Mini Cooper
MOT3K – Fallout (Unsigned and Unmastered)
Above & Beyond & alex Vegas – All Over the World (Illyus & Berrientos Remix)
Clubroot – Whistles & Horns
George Fitzgerald – Call it Love (If You Want To)
Clubroot – Orbiting
Direct & Labisch – Make a Move (feat. Openwater)
Martin Solveig & GTA – Intoxicated
Scuba – PCP
Scuba – Why You Feel So Low
Beatind – Funky B (Soccao & Shake Sofa Remix)
Gazelle Twin – GUTS (Tom Demark Remix)
Make & Pasteman – Oh Baby
Maribor State – Got Me Down (Pale Remix)
Royal-T – Shotta (Instrumental)
Martin Solveig & GTA – Intoxicated

Call the Ambience 8: Anesthesia – Ear & Drum Session 112

Welcome to the eighth edition in the Call the Ambience series. Like those that came before, this is a more relaxed and ambient take on the D&B sound. Not quite float tank material, but if you think D&B is all bang and clang this will get you guessing again about your preconceptions.

In terms of artists featured, I recognise only a handful of the producers in here which is always exciting. New talent means a healthy music scene and hopefully there is a bunch of fresh talent for you to discover.

The flow of the mix is quite anesthetic as we start of with some solid, but laid back, D&B beats that give way to chilled out trip-hop type stuff combined with pure ambient soundscapes. And finally we slowly come back to consciousnesses by shifting into some deep minimal D&B towards the end.

This is perfect Sunday listening, so kick back, turn it up and drift off.

Call the Ambience 8: Anesthesia – 1hr of Ambient D&B

Marso & Gala – Promise
Electrosoul System – Traffic
Silence Groove – Cue
Fanu – Dreamer’s Union
DYL & Blanca – Aft
Asa & Culprate – Heartbeat (Steelan Remix)
Hidden Turn – Dream of Tron
Synkro – Contact
Everything but the Girl – Mirrorball (DJ Jazzy Jeff Sole Full Remix)
George Fitzgerald – About Time (feat. Boxed In)
Instra:Mental & dBridge – White Snares
Remeses B – Arise
Om Unit – Layers
Etherwood – Under the Surface (feat. Ginny Ferraro)
Sinker – Falling
Dan Stezo – Psychonaut (Redeyes 1999 Mix)
Ill K – Windspiel
Acid Lab – Drown
Broken Promise – Catapult (feat. Chet Matuto)

In Deep Water – Ear & Drum Session 111

Really enjoyed putting this mix together. I’m not sure if it was the fact I haven’t mixed for months, or just the selection of tunes, but it felt right.

Offworld Recordings wunderkind Silence Groove kicks us off and also features later on with Shine Through. Metalheadz is represented via Halogenix who’s All Blue EP harks back to the Blue Note days and gets three tracks dropped in this mix. And the final shout out is for ElectroSoul System, who’s new LP on Med School is everybit as good as I would expect it to be.

So get on it, give it a rinse and as always turn it up.

In Deep Water – 1hr of Deep Liquid D&B

Silence Groove – Cue
Eavesdrop – Past Life feat. MC Fava
Electrosoul System – Traffic
Aux Verba – The Hardest One To Find Is Ourselves
Instra:mental & dBridge – White Snares
Ehterwood – Souvenirs feat. Zara Kershaw (Ulterior Motive Remix)
Two Fingers – Saint Rhythm
Halogenix – All Blue feat. Cleveland Watkiss
A-Sides & Makoto – Night Flight
Silence Groove – Shine Through
Halogenix – Beyond The Bounds
Electrosoul System – Timetraveller
Nummix – Mirrors of Illusion
Liqutek – Aurora
Stray – Dizzy
Enea – Nightwalk
Halogenix – Paper Sword
Electrosoul System – One, Two… Madness

Rise Up – Ear & Drum Session 110

Everything just fell into place with this mix. I didn’t plan or over-think it (or think about it at all), I just loaded up a stack of tracks and had fun mashing my way through them. I hope some of that spontaneity comes across when you listen.

While there are a lot of the regular legendary liquid producers in here, there are more new faces than old. Eavesdrop, Northern Zone, Patience, Fraen, Bios Destruction, Vandera, Mediks, Eugenics Eight and Madface are all new to me and all slam down a mighty good tune. Madface’s ‘In Love’ deserves a particular mention for the lyrics alone, which are both catchy and hilarious in equal measure.

I hope you have as much fun listening as I did slinging this off-the-cuff liquid roller together.

Rise Up – 1.5hrs of Liquid D&B

Actraiser – Forest of Illusion
Eavesdrop – Past Life (feat. MC Fava)
Erick Trodly – Be Around
Northern Zone – Faint
Deskai – Art of Noise
Rowpieces – Seventh Heaven
Electrosoul System – Traffic
Actraiser – Soul Priestess
DFRNT – Dark Blue (Stunner Remix)
Studio Pressure – Presha XIII
Patience – Sunrise
Rowpieces – Life is Not A Game
Decon – Rareties (Flowrain Remix)
Fraen – Feel Free
Physics & Mr Joseph – Higher Than Beofre (feat. Jere Garcia)
Bios Destruction – Crystal
Marvel Cinema – Detroit Insiders
Vandera – Make Believe (feat. Alicia Romero)
Madcap – Real Love
Mediks – Solidarity
Simplification & Translate – Deep
Northern Zone – Abyss
Soul:Motion – Sentiment
DRS – The View (feat. LSB & Tyler Daley)
Eugenics Eight – Concentrate
Madface – In Love
Nelver – Origin Source

Signs of Intelligence – Ear & Drum Session 108

Ah the 90s – electronic music’s golden era and definitely D&B’s original hey-day. Around ’96 D&B was everywhere and everyone wanted a piece, from movie soundtracks to TV advertising to mainstream music labels, they all wanted what D&B had. And what D&B had was some of the planet’s hottest production talent exploring electronic musics most diverse musical genre.

Photek was in his prime, dropping must have tune after must have tune. LTJ Bukem and his label, Good Looking, were killing it with an incredible artist roster including legends such as Blame and PFM. And Jonny L was on the verge of greatness and flexing some seriously beautiful music.

It was a gentler time, when D&B didn’t feel like it had to be dark or underground and it was an era I still love coming back to so I can lay down sets like this.

Signs of Intelligence – 1.5hrs of 90s Intelligent D&B

Photek – Into the 90s
Madalay – Flowers Bloom (Secret Lovers Mix)
Therapy – Loose (Photek Remix)
Fallen Angels – Frequency (Tango Remix)
Big Youth – Jim Screechy (Smith & Mighty Remix)
Everything But The Girl – Before Today (Adam F Remix)
Lil Louis & The Party – Clap Your Hands (PFM Remix)
Arkatuba – Josimar (Fila Brazillia Remix)
JMJ & Ritchie – Universal Horn
Jonny L – This Time (Cool Dub)
LTJ Bukem – Music
Sneaker Pimps – 6 Underground (In The Jungle Mix)
Everything But The Girl – Before Today (Dave Wallace Remix)
Photek – The Rain
Blame – Overhead Projections
PFM – One & Only
Everything But The Girl – Blame (Fabio Remix)
Neil Trix & Danny Mills – Pearls
PFM – Western (Words 2 B Heard Vocal Mix)
Jonny L – Nightlife
LTJ Bukem – Horizons
Eugenix – Sunshine