If you like your Drum & Bass deep and dark, then this one rolls like a marble across a metal floor. Setting the pace with the rolling master, Amit and his cavernous new tune Flow Off into one of my dream collabs Mako & Seba with their latest Stockholm Syndrome, this set kicks hard.
Kid Drama features heavily throughout via his collab with Garvo on CNVX – Nitrosurge along with solo efforts Rectify and Bulldog. Shouts to Rainforest for extending his range and heading into darker territories with his cuts Combative and Hypocrites (Bwoykah Remix) off the new Ascendant Warrior LP. And big ups to Myth, Conrad Subs, Kasra and Raiden and Offish & Attempt for their hefty contributions too.
Continuing on with the 25th anniversary celebration of Fokuz Recordings, this set focuses (excuse the pun) on the harder edged sound that most wouldn’t associate with the label. Just one look at the tracklist shows that these aren’t the usual suspects on the Fokuz roster. S.P.Y, dBridge, Bipolar and Akuratyde all bring the heat along with Tony Anthem (feat. Doktor) with the monstrous Gunmen & Specimen A remix of Tears Of Mine show that Fokuz can thrown down with the best of them when they want to.
Ever since they came into play back in 1999, Fokuz Recordings has been a mecca for great Liquid D&B. I was already a big fan of sister labels Celsius and the harder edged Citrus Recordings, but Dreazz’ took it to a new level with Fokuz through an output most labels simply couldn’t to keep up with. Discogs counts 757 releases in the 25 years the label has been rolling and while that is a huge quantity, it’s the consistent quality and diversity that has kept me hooked on Fokuz down the years.
Having recently released their 25 year compilation In:Fokuz, I thought it was high time I took to the decks and put together my version of the ‘best of’ Fokuz tunes I’ve supported down the years. Looking at the tracklist you’ll see a who’s who of Liquid D&B including Seba, The Vanguard Project, BCee, Lenzman and Random Movement. But it’s the lesser know artists that Fokuz released that really shine and make the label so exciting. I’ve discovered so many new artists down the years thanks to the label and for that I am truly grateful.
Happy 25th Fokuz, and here’s to the next 25!
Just a heads up, this is part one of a two part series. I’ll follow this up with a mix of the harder edged releases a little later on.
The Vanguard Project – Daredevil Nelver – White Clouds Macca & Loz Contreras – Against The Wall (FD Remix) Surreal – Riding Out WUFO – Call Back Atlantic Connection – Fathom (feat. Faith) Cnof – You The One Leo Wood – Perfect Imperfection (Feat. Reflektor) The Vanguard Project – Flying Away Seba & JR Vallo – Second Path Seba – Sweet Magnolia (feat. Jenna G) Monument Banks – Tidy Mind Smote & Blazil MC – I Can Show You Joakulm – 8am Roller The Vanguard Project & Pat Fulgoni – Still Together Unknown Artist – Sweetest Taboo Malaky – Belleve Sub:liminal, Minos & Cardia- Future Lines Low:r – Social Mania (feat. Sixar) T:Base – Is It True BCee – The Garden Monument Banks – Loop Thinking Satl – Forward Thinking (Calibre Remix) Unknown Artist – This Summer Hiraeth – Hold On To Me ft. Critical Event Macca, Loz Contreras & Critical Event – Snow Smote – Just Come Back Switch & Icicle – Ur in My Head Facing Jinx – Time Emery, Mackadena & Dreazz – Too Fly The Vanguard Project – Sundance Random Movement – I Stayed Around (Lenzman Reinterpretation) Phil Tangent – Giving Up The Ghost Lenzman – Re-Thinkable Impish – With You (Calibre Lenzman – The Worst Edlan – Lone Pine (Instrumental) Operator Unknown & Leo Wood – Who
Heading back into 160bpm territory with this eclectic blend of Trap, Atmospheric D&B and Jungle. This combination seems a little odd but it works thanks to Acid_Lab and their new My Tek EP and The Appreciation EP, both which gets heavily raided for this mix. ASC’s Spatial imprint also features heavily and keep an ear out for the much appreciated 2023 Remaster of Stars by Source Direct.
Crossing over to the Soulful side of the street for this one with Heron Flow, Seba, and Calibre all stepping up. We have a couple of tracks from Soul Connection’s latest LP – Possibilities which is well worth a listen. And we’ve also got the very under-rated Riya & Collette Warren on their own Carnelian imprint with a Bladerunner remix of their track Vices and a Vanguard Project re-rub of Little Things.
Also keep an ear out from one of my favourite artists, Adred on Inperspective Records with his killer track Just Now featuring the one and only Robert Manos. And last but not least the return of Badmarsh & Shri through Calibre’s remix of their track Signs which dropped on Signature recently.
Winslow – Sweet Tooth Dub Head – In My Mind PeRex – For Love Creatures – Desire Seba – Public Beauty (Zero T’s Ugly Mix) T.Base – Take You (Silentium Remix) Heron Flow – Snow Soul Connection & AKA – No Pressure Soul Connection – Break of Dawn Artificial Intelligence – No Fun Quartz – Way Back Riya & Collette Warren feat. Whiney – Vices (Bladerunner Remix) Calibre – Soul 80 Sully & Salo – Nights (Vocal Mix) Riya & Collette Warren feat. Technimatic – Little Things (The Vanguard Project Remix) Anja – One Time (Euphorics Remix) Adred feat. Robert Manos – Just Now Break feat. Lorna King – Wait for You Badmarsh & Shri – Signs (Calibre Remix) The North Quarter All Stars – Never The Sauce – Time Must Come
The heavier side of Drum & Bass has recently decided to get it’s groove back, which I am here for. Not so abstract, still dark and heavy, but with a distinct dance floor flavour that gets the head nodding.
As per usual, Kasra and Critical Music seem to be on the bleeding edge of the sound with releases such as Shatter with YAANO and bb.oo. Metalheadz are holding it down too with Marly Marl’s Feel Deep Headz and Run Away doing bits, Dark ’97 by Immerse, Philth & Ant TC1 rolling out and Inner Terrain’s killer track No More also holding the groove. And I couldn’t resist throwing in the recent Universal Project remasters of Bleach and Rux Flava because they are just too damn good.
A word of warning that there is a slight glitch in this mix around 30 minutes in due to a recording muck up. I loved the rest of the mix so much, that the thought of re-doing it just to smooth over a tiny glitch just didn’t feel right. Hopefully you can over look it while listening through.
Soulful D&B can be a bit of a Marmite sound, you either love it or hate it. I personally love the groove, the soul and the smoothness. And when it comes to smooth it is hard to beat people like DRS, Lenzman, GLXY, Naibu and every other producer in this mix.
If you like this sound and haven’t discovered DRS’ Everything Must Go! album, get on it! Ditto for GLYX’s incredible Love, Chaos EP and the new Nauibu joint Sans Soleil. So much great soulful stuff around at the moment.
DRS & Mither – Angels On My Shoulder GLYX – Detached GLXY & Catching Cairo – – Fine Lines DRS & Mither – No Surprises T.Base – Universe DRS, The Skeptics & MC RVS – Stand Calm GLXY & [KSR] – What it Seems Mohican Sun – Blurred Peak Lenzman & Reeves – Play Around Random Movement – Modelo Fumunda Brainwork & mnml – Grey DRS & SI8r 0 On Us Lately Naibu – Sunless (feat. Robert Manos) Naibu – Sans Solell (Reprise DRS & Vangellez – Hurts To Breathe Naibu – Spring Soul Connection – Truly The Sauce – What’s Going Down Heron Flow – Snow
Part two of my infrequent series focusing on beats at the 164bpm range. There is too many great tunes in here to call them all out. I will highlight MOOD$ impressive Soul Music EP on Outhouse Sounds however as every tune on it is a straight up banger.
Shouts to ASC and Eshaton too for hooking me up with a slew of incredible music on the regular which I very much appreciate. Keep the goods coming.
Sub Motion – Random Movements Aural Imbalance – Altered Perception Starski – Eros Cryogenics – Shadow Path ASC – Repetition HAIDA – Don’t Need A Title (Mystic State Remix) The Noise Of Art – Aquatic Comedown The Noise Of Art – The Revival Technimatic – For All of Us Thought-Forms – X3 Perspective:R – Rays of R Starski – Dawn Dew Calculon – California Heat WUFO – The Day Perspective:R – Don’t Go Marenn Sukle – Never Hurt U (Mystic State Remix MOODS – Jodie’s Song MOOD$ – Soul Music Addison Groove – Meaty Business MOOD$ – Severence Levrige & Mystic State – Undercurrent
Always out to prove that Liquid isn’t a dirty word, this mix has a little bit of everything except the stadium sound that most people associate with the genre. Furney’s cracker track Tantrum is a jazz fused number with a heap of grunt behind it and we have the title track from his recent So Cold LP on Soul Deep. Break is back, also with a new Digital World LP on Symmetry Recordings from which I’ve drawn Tell Me and his amazing vocal track Wait for You with Lorna King. And I’ve pulled Daylight and Low Flying from Bungles recent Under Influence EP on the titular Influence label.
Other tracks of note that I’m feeling are Green Lane by the dream combo of Alix Perez & GLXY. These two just don’t let up on their quality liquid output. Eddy Don’t Sail & Isla Wolfe – No Place Like Home, which is just a straight up banger of a vocal track and the classic Artificial Intelligence track Switch On that recently received a much appreciate remaster.
Alix Perez & GLXY – Green Lane BCee – Creed Technimatic & Ruth Royall – Help You Stay Furney – Tantrum Technimatic – Coming Back Eddy Don’t Sail & Isla Wolfe – No Place Like Home (Extended Mix) Break – Tell Me Furney – So Cold BCee – Shelter Random Movement & Anthony Kasper – Tomato Bisque Total Science feat. Riya Quartz – Walk the Same Line (Villem Remix) Quartz – Way Back Quartz – Ivy PA – Live Life Break feat. Lorna King – Wait for You The Vanguard Project – Chimney Qua Rush – Honey (feat. Sista Lu) The North Quarter All Stars – Never Calibre & ST Files – Astral Plane Artificial Intelligence – Switch On Bungle – Daylight Bungle – Low Flying Eddy Don’t Sail & Isla Wolfe – No Place Like Home (Extended Mix)
I stumbled across The Chikara Project at the end of ’22, and fell down the rabbit hole in ’23. Pretty much every release of Mystic State’s has something to draw me in. As a production duo they are obviously talented, but as a label they incredible. Adding artists like HAIDA, Marenn Sukie, Deviant, Levrige and Brainwork to really up the ante.
There is something infectious in the The Chikara Project’s ability to be chill and ambient, but add enough grit to get you nodding your head and moving. The bass is warm but huge, the beats are tight and the vibe is there. There isn’t enough of this sound in D&B, but at least Mystic State are holding it down. Respect.
Mystic State – One For You Mystic State – Dreamscapes Mystic State – Light Of Day feat. Marenn Sukle Mystic State – Solva feat. Alicia Kiah Mystic State & Marenn Sukie – This Time Mystic State feat. Congi – Too Late (Captivate Remix) HAIDA – Don’t Need A Title (Mystic State Remix) Marenn Sukie – That Time Mystic State & Marenn Sukie – Find Your Way Mystic State – Retaliate Deviant – Always Marenn Sukie – Never Hurt U (Mystic State Remix) Brainwork – Felt Your Touch Mystic State – We Can Help Each Other Mystic State – Right Here Marenn Sukle – Never Hurt U Brainwork & mriml – Grey Mystic State – Expectations Levrige & Mystic State – Undercurrent
