We’re tearing the lid off with this one, so strap in and turn it up. There is a bit of something old, something new going on with tracks like Hyper-On Experience – Lords Of The Null Lines (Photek Remix), Amit’s unstoppable roller Roots, and DJ Cyrstl – King of the Beats (Fierce Remix) and a new track from an old don in the form of Mixrace – Metanoid on Over/Shadow.

From the new crate we have the latest drop from Seba & Paradox on Metalheadz Cypher, plus some raw power from Unglued with the killah JUNGLUED from his Timestretch: Past EP. And a special shout out to the DOA production massive Offish & 88 Katanas for their smasher Downpour from the latest Offish LP – Circling the Drain and Andy Odysee for his dark masterpiece Obsidian from the EP of the same name.

There’s a tonne more rip-snorters in here, too many to mention. All killer, no filler yadda-yadda-yadda — you know the drill by know.

Bring it – 1.5hrs of pounding D&B

Mixrace – Metanoid
Monroe – Echo Habit
Enei – Flute Anthem
Scar – Erase It All
Ed:it – Sends
Seba & Paradox – Cypher
Break feat. MC Fats – Natural Way (Remix)
Unglued – JUNGLUED
Dub Phizix – Hatchet (Extended Mix)
Conrad Subs – So Good
Flipper – Noir Pt2 – Transcaucasia
Anku – Primal (Offish Techstep Mix)
Bruk Rogers – Get Low (Zero T Remix)
Total Science & Mako – Kabaddi
Dub Phizix – Rura
Dunk – Danger
DJ Cyrstl – King of the Beats (Fierce Remix)
Hyper-On Experience – Lords Of The Null Lines (Photek Remix)
Need For Mirrors – Giger
Amit – Roots
Fox & Sl8r – Skull & Crosses
Ed:it – Word Out
Goldie, Rufige Kru & Submotive – Goldikus (feat. Cleveland Watkiss)
Ink feat. Jody Lulati – The Ungrateful (Silent Extent Remix)
Kublai – Certified
Mako – Direct Source
Offish & 88 Katanas – Downpour
Andy Odysee – Obsidian

Time to go rock hard once again with a mix of tuff tunes to shake your speakers. LSB kicks things off with an unusually hard flex in the form of Potshot which comes in three different flavours, two of which are found here. Need for Mirrors on Soul in Motion is always going to be a good time as The Chills from his EP of the same name proves.  Piranha Food on the Fear Grip EP on Zoltar is a Jonny L inspired joint also from Need for Mirrors.

Kid Drama always knows how to bring the bass, and Nitrosurge created with Garvo is no exception. Also keep an ear out for his track Bulldog later on in the mix. Bungle’s purple patch continues with Current from his Plasticity EP on the aptly named Dirty Hole Music, and the sublime Invisible on Santorin being my pick of the mix.

Granite – 1hr of Tuff D&B Beats

LSB – Potshot (Anile Remix)
LSB – Potshot
Need For Mirrors – The Chills (feat. Sal)
Conrad Subs – Embers
Martyn – Get Down
Last Life – Edena
Kid Drama & Garvo – Nitrosurge
S.P.Y – Alien Bass
Ejer – Fargo
Hymix &. Rly – Know Me Now
Kasra – tunnels
Shinobi – Lost & Found
Ejer – Black Daruma
Subwave – Think (Gest Remix)
T>I – Butane
Need For Mirrors – Piranha Food
Bungle – Current
Bungle – Invisible
Enta – Musing
Kid Drama – Bulldog
Ink & Sin – Infallible Drift (Sinoptic Mix)

Here to kick a hole in your speaker with some heavy hitters past and present, we kick off with Low Slung on Detboi’s killer Dispatch Blueprint 13 release. We’ve got remixes ahoy with Xtrah’s re-rub of Noisia’s mighty Omissions, Klute’s v. nice rework of Chris SU’s smash Antiserum, Kiljoy’s remix of the Digital & Spirit classic Remote Control and last, but not least, the massive D Kay VIP of Tech Itch’s incredible The Ruckus.

Seeing as we’re rolling some older classics I thought I’d also throw in one of my all time favourites in Jonny L’s Trouble, and I couldn’t go past the recent remaster of one of Hive’s best in Krush. Hooray to the incredibly kind DOA member who hooked me up with digital versions of Trouble and that Ruckus Remix, you know who you are. I’ve been on the hunt for a clean copy of Trouble forever, so bless you.

Mountainous – 1hr of Rock Hard D&B

Detboi – Low Slung
Break – Overstayed
Kublai – Sucka
Crystal Clear – Gangster Business
Technical Itch – The Ruckus (D Kay VIP)
Raiden – Helium VIP
Noisia – Omissions (Xtrah Remix)
Trakker – Cold Sweats
Detboi – Bruk Up
Marly Marl – Run Away
Chris.Su – Antiserum (Klute Remix)
Jflux – The Heart Wants
Raiden – Hubble
Digital & Spirit – Remote Control (Kiljoy Remix)
Hive – Krush (2024 Master)
Dunk – Minimal Bounce
Jonny L – Trouble
Spectral – Submerge

Rolling with some phat beats from the harder end of the spectrum this time around with Metalheadz getting a special mention for a particularly strong year. With Tech Noir – Pitchwheel, Nookie – Over & Over, Goldie – Inner City Life (Break Remix) and Scar’s The Lane VIP, Count It Off VIP and his remix of Goldie – Angel all giving solid vibes though out the mix.

Other notables are Kid Drama & Garvo’s heavy Nitrosurge on CNVX doing bits, more goodness from Loxy & Resound’s Dub Pack Vol. 1 in the form of Metro VIP and DLR’s best tune this year Tryna Get This Money. Special shout out from me to the classic Sinthetix Remix of BSE’s Smoke which recently received a much appreciated remaster for 2023.

Obesity – 1hr of Phat D&B Beats

Goldie – Angel (SCAR Remix)
Amoss x Molecular – Effortless
Scar – The Lane VIP
Tech Noir – Pitchwheel
Total Science – Fallen Angel (Kolectiv & OB1 Remix)
Black Sun Empire – Smoke (Sinthetix Remix)
Kid Drama & Garvo – Nitrosurge
Loxy & Resound – Metro VIP
Chimpo – Domino Rally
Enel & Odddi – Other Side
A-Audio &. Unoaked – Dip Out
Myth & Black Barrel – The Woolen Man
Ink – Tell Me (feat. Collette Warren) (SIN Remix)
Aleyum – Glowing Memories (Silence Groove Remix)
Beeson & Dynamite MC – ‘Til 4am
Nookie – Over & Over
Goldie – Inner City Life (Break Remix)
Unglued – Tilted
Digital & Response – Traces
Scar – Count It Off VIP (ft. 2NickB)
DLR – Tryna Get This Money
Acuna & L-Side – Heavy Drop

A little bit of old and a little bit of new with a big bit of bitch slapping beats in this mix off tuff tracks from 2023. The old comes in the form of Doc Scott’s rework of Rider’s Ghost called Ghost 25, and some very tasty remasters from Seba and Paradox thanks to the Secret Operations Reissue series.

The ‘new’ is everything else, with my picks being Carlito coming out of nowhere with a banging 12″ on V Recordings. Both tracks Take Me Down and Got It are doing the damage. Electrosoul System also takes a turn for the darker with his outstanding Black Album on his own Kos.Mos.Music imprint. I love it when producers step out of their lane and do something different and both of these releases fit that bill!

The Well – 1hr of Tuff D&B Beats

Break – Don’t You Ever Stop
Electrosoul System – Suicide Suicide
Electrosoul System – Somatic Blues
Acid_Lab – Wait No More
Dom & Rolland – Scatter
Ed:it – Wikid Bad
Leaf – Keep On Truckin’
Carlitio – Take Me Down
Doc Scott – Ghost 25
Seba – Wakeup Call 2023
Subfocus & MC ID – Alarm
aBLe – Still There
Carlitio – Got It
Seba & Paradox – Fire Like This
Kasra – Negative Space
Electrosoul System – Chuck Norris On LSD
Jubei & LSB – The Source

With the retro trend sweeping across D&B, it was only a matter of time that nostalgia returned for tech-step tinge tunes to come back. While a lot of these tunes might not lean into the stripped back 2-step beats of that era, the one thing that brings them all together is the funk that Ed Rush and Optical helped pioneer back in the day. Nailing the perfect drum and bass loop to give a tune that funky rolling flex is not an easy thing to pull off, but I hear a lot of it in all of these tunes and I have to say, I’m here for it!

Labels liked Souped Up and Sofa Sounds Bristol have been heading this way for a while now, but T>I’s recent Rollers Delight EP really nails the tech-funk. Critical Music, while not putting all their eggs into the tech-step revival basket, are also pushing the sound through their label boss’ latest LP – Humans in tracks like Acid Shot and Calm.

Functional – 1hr of Heavy D&B Rollers

T>I – Dye Migration
Rainforest – Antihero
Bladerunner – Rave Machine
Skoel – Letisound
Slay feat. Chimpo & SLR – Dis One
Calibre – Verstat
Enei – Acid Shot
DJ Trace & HLZ – Valves
Heron Flow – Raging Sea
Blocks & Escher – Shot in the Dark
Beeson & Dynamite MC – ‘Til 4am
aBLe – Still There
Enei – Calm
Enei & Jakes – Omega
Iris – Not Even a Big Up
Unglued – Peanut Butter Kid
T>I – Outboard
Data 3 – String Theory
Scar feat 2Nick8 – Count It Off
Emz & Sam Binga – Don’t Stress
T>I – Step Back