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

Cuts Deep – Ear & Drum Session 109

Stripped back drums and arcing sub-bass is the order of the day in this deep rolling set. Om Unit, Alix Perez and Fanu all bring their signature sounds and Calibre and Marcus Intalex help bring a more melodic take on what is one of modern D&B’s most popular sounds.

Cuts Deep – 1hr of Deep D&B

Om Unit – The Hand
Fracture x Chimpo – From Early
Ital Tek – Vector
Fanu – Dreamers’ Union
Alix Perez & Stray – Rip N Dip
Alix Perez – Understand
Hidden Turn – Dream of Tron
Fanu – Sleepwalking
Mark System – Optix
Loxy – Purity
Marcus Intalex – These Days
Skeptical – Square Breathing
House of Black Lanterns – Take Control
Thing – One Million
Om Unit – Grey Skies Over Chicargo
Ivy Lab & Hydro – Make It Clear (feat. Frank Carter III & Lucy Annika)
Calibre – Deep Orca
Skeptical – Offline
Digital & Spirit – Mosquito

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

The Down Low: Sessions 25, 26 & 27

What’s that you say? It’s the weekend and you haven’t got anything to listen too.

Well here you go – three new Down Low Session chock full of new tunes and diverse styles to keep you going for at leat the next three hours.

Session 25 is a cracking chill-out house set for of good vibes and lush lyrics. I defy anyone not to sing along to Blood Groove & Kikis – Free Like A Bird. This set is just like that holiday in Ibiza where you can’t remember how you lost your knickers on the dance floor.

Session 26 rolls up all ghetto with dubstep, hip-hop and trap kicking out the jams. You definitely want to keep an ear out for Atlantic Connection – Go feat. Tunde Olaniran which is my track of the year so far. Impossibly impressive beats, bass and vocals.

Session 27 is one for the Techno and Tech House lovers and has a heavy deep and dark and Chicago influence to it. Highlights for me is the oh-so-tech inspired Neighbours by Madben & Yann, Sixteenth Pulse – Frames and Rainforest’s chill out classic Weather Swing.

The Down Low: Session 25

DJ Conerso – Erris
Mango – Tokyo 7am
Schodt Feat. Aida Fenhel – White Tiger (Mango Remix)
Blood Groove & Kikis – Free Like A Bird
Blood Groove & Kikis Feat Richard J Aarden – Afloat
Haunted Water – Streets (Secret Elements Remix)
Ryan Farish – Lide In Stereo (Solarsoul Remix)
Max Denoise & Claire Willis – Caspio
Cooly G – Love Again
Rey Salinero – Lindo Cielo
Startdust – Music Sounds Better With You (Extended Version)
August Rush – Booster
Blood Groove & Kikis – Velvet
Bocca Grande – Beautiful Changes (DJ Trio Remix)
Bambook & Canvas – Truth is a Lie
Blood Groove & Kikis – Sunlight
Ibiza Groove Squad – I Don’t (Lounge Mix)
Mykel Mars – LA Nights
Daga – Lecerta
DJ Octopuz – Winter Nights (Main Mix)
Soulfultance the Real Producers – Funky Rhodes
Nicolette – Waking Up (Remix)
Rainforest – Weatherswing

The Down Low: Session 26

In the Dark – Stars feat. Haul
RL Grime – Scylia
Subtle Mind – War Machine
DFRNT – Whup
Atlantic Connection – Go feat. Tunde Olaniran
Bingo Players – Rattle (Spenda C Remix)
Fred Hassel – Callisto
SPenda C vs Major Lazer – Pon De Trap
DFRNT – Dark Jazz (DJ Madd Darker Remix)
Fybe:one – Fountain
Geode feat. Tivey – Ruh
Starkey – They Don’t Know Me feat. Trim
Spenda C & Justice! – We R Ur Friends
Subtle Mind & SubReachers – Withdrawn
Spenda C & Etcietc! – In Da Bank
Synkro – Back Then
Rae Sremmurd – No Flex Zone (Noy Remix)

The Down Low: Session 27

Darren Emerson – Hot Dog
Ozaka – Bonfire (Mountai Remix)
Gabriel Ananda & Maceo Plex – Solitary Daze
Madben & Yann – Neighbours
Der Dritte Raum – Stimmt
Sam Paganini – White
Der Dritte Raum – Aydszieyalaidnem
Robert Babicz – Rave Angel
Him_Self_Her – Don’t Fail Me Now feat. Calder (Dubspeeka Remix)
Affkt & Thomas Gandey – The Boss
Him_Self_Her – Don’t Fail Me Now feat. Calder
Nathan Cable – Get Up
Ramon Tapia & Stevroz – Havana
Mutt – Changes (Currier Remix)
Rocketpunk – Alt 3
Sixteenth Pulse – Frames
Jaques Le Noir – Cave
L.B. Dub Corp – Take It Down Again (In Dub)
Kill Frenzy – All Night Long
Rainforest – Weather Swing

Unfathomable – Ear & Drum Session 107

A spiritual successor to the Fathoms mix that I did last year, this is deeeeep. Simple beats looped to tick along while rolling bass carries you away. The simplicity of a lot of these tracks belay their complexity.

A big thanks has to got to Doc Scott and his 31 Records imprint for the Future Beats album which features heavily here. Plus Kid Drama, Sulex and Clarity all who I had never come across before but sure am glad I did.

Unfathomable – 1hr of Deep D&B

Ital Tek – Vector
Clarity – Surge
Kid Drama – Azure Pt.1
Kid Drama – Crimson (Don’t Look Down)
Marcus Intalex – These Days
nClear – If This Then That
Kiat – Feeder
DFRNT – Dark Blue
High COntrast – Racing Green (Modu’s Rework)
Seba – Inside Yourself
Skeptical – Imperial
Dub Motion – Azure
MAV – Skylines (Inertia Remix)
Moresounds – Rahstok
Bios Destruction – Crystal
Klute – you Won’t Like It
Atlantic COnnection – Geppetto feat. Tunde Olianiran
Clarity – Cyclone (with Indigo)
Skeptical – Offline
Sulex – Root
Calibre – The Wash

Twilight’s Song – Ear & Drum Session 106

More of a vocal inspired than straight up D&B mix. Most of these are just great songs beautifully sung that happen to have a breakbeat behind them.

Calibre features heavily, as does Atlantic Connection, Intelligent Manners and Nelver. Plus a whole host of weird and wonderful who have been flying well below the radar.

If you are looking for something a little different, you have found it.

Twilight’s Song – 1hr of Vocal D&B

Nelver – Impressions
Spenda C vs Alison Wonderland – I Want You (Spenda C Remix)
Atlantic Connection – Without You feat. Rose Hart
Intelligent Manners – Numb
SpectraSoul feat. Terri Walker – Light In The Dark (Etherwood Remix)
Alix Perez feat. Peven Everette & SpectraSoul – Forsaken (Calibre Remix)
Mobility – Fully Interlocking
Al Pack – Come Correct (Kalum Remix)
DFRNT – Dark Blue (Stunna Remix)
Intelligent Manners – Everyday Is The Same
Furney – Missing Her Missing Me
Nelver & Steeotype – Spring Inspiration
Artificial Intelligence & dBridge – Better Days
Will Miles – Moon Rising
Hydro, Frank Carter III & Ivy Lab – Make It Clear
Atlantic Connection feat. Tunde Olaniran – Geppetto
Calibre – The Wash
BCee – Typical Description (Calibre Remix)

Call the Ambience 7: Deep Sleep Therapy – Ear & Drum Session 105

Perfect for the weekend, this mix of the chilled out and laid back will make surfing the couch a dream. I’m not even sure if a lot of these tracks can be classified as D&B. But they all share a wonderful ambient style and certainly blend together beautifully.

Slide on your headphones, close your eyes and drift off into deep sleep therapy territory.

Call the Ambience 7: Deep Sleep Therapy – 1hr of Ambient D&B

Cern – Don’t Leave Me
MAV – Time & Space (LM1 Remix)
José Raúl – Cala Den Serra
Seba – Painted Sky (DFRNT Remix)
Implex & Julia Marks – 1000 Years (Pryzma Remix)
Afterlife – A Little Bit of Love
Mobility – Sunrays Through Rain
DFRNT – Dark Blue
Atlantic Connection – Sirens Song
Krone – Microcosmos
Andre Donaldz – Soft Landing
Andrew Cash – The Sound of Eternity
DFRNT – Everything
Bite My A – A Lonley Place
MAV – A Journey Through Skylines (But Sweet Dreams) (Microspacefunk Bop Remix)
Thriftworks – Pad FUKKK
Twicey – J6
Mistabishi – The Howling Void Where Your Soul Should Be

Liquid(n)ation – Ear & Drum Session 104

Liquid [lik-wid]
adjective
1. having the consistency of a liquid.
2. (of a sound) clear, pure, and flowing; harmonious.
noun
1. A subgenre of drum and bass. While it uses similar basslines and bar layouts to other styles, it contains fewer bar-oriented samples and more instrumental layers (both synthesized and natural), harmonies, melodies and ambiance, producing a sentimental atmosphere directed at home listeners as well as nightclub and rave audiences. Music genres such as jazz, soul and sometimes blues have a pivotal influence on liquid funk.

Liquid(n)ation – 1hr+ of Liquid D&B
Calibre – Make Me Feel Alright
T Base – Digital Future
Silence Groove – Bass Police
Karma – Silhouettes
Billion feat. Maxine Ashley – Special (Nu:Tone Remix)
S.P.Y – Perth Sunset
CLS – Baltic Air
Nelver – Nightwalker VIP
Will Miles – Dream to Be
Unreal – Just One Night
Intelligent Manners – Everyday is the Same
dRamatic – Diamond in the Rough
Nelver – Black & White
Nelver & Camargo – Aurora
Calibre – Sagan
Soul Cube & Rowpieces – Wake Up
PLK – Her Side
Nelver – Nibiru
Cern – Those Left Behind feat. Hydro
Semi Sense – Fast Days
Silence Groove – Northern Groove
Neo – All the Love (Chris SU Remix)
Mindstorm – Think of the Future
ActRaiser – Full Moon
Nelver – Shadows
Parhelia – The End of the Introduction
Avizura – Blue Sky

Drum Struck – Ear & Drum Session 103

Percussive Drum & Bass has come a long way since the pots and pans style abstraction pioneered by the likes of Polar, Paradox and Equinox. These days some serious polish is going into the production plus the addition of some groove that makes it, dare I say it, almost danceable.

For me OM Unit is blazing this trail and his Inversion LP on Metalheadz was one of THE albums of the year across any genre. But there are many others following hot on his heels including some giant names such as Calibre, S.P.Y and Marcus Intalex all pushing their sound into territories unknown.

This mix may not be for all tastes, but if you are up for some challenging listening then dive right in.

Drum Struck – 1hr of Percussive D&B

OM Unit – Parallel
S.P.Y – Twilight Zone
Calibre – Eschaton feat. MC DRS
Nebula – Blackout
Digital, Spirit & Response – Different Style
Dub Phizix – Bounce
Liz-E – Need You
S.P.Y – Lost Orbit
Ulterior Motive – Inta-National
Marcus Intalex – These Days
Mefjus- Continuous
Ulterior Motive – Stay
ArQer & Realtime – Derpetroid
OM Unit – Touching Down
The Invaders – Burning Book
Vromm – F Plex
Goldie – My Little India
Icicle & Mefjus – Isolation
S.P.Y – Frozen