Atmospheric D&B has come roaring back with some of the scenes finest going back to their roots and producing some absolutely beautiful Intelligent style D&B. ASC, Equinox, Voyager, Seba and even PFM have been elevating the sound to new levels.
Not to be left out, newer heads such as Jrumhand, Earl Grey and even Metalheadz wunderkind Kid Drama are keeping up, bringing their own take to the classic Amen driven sound.
Hitting up the soulful side of Liquid D&B again in this hour long excursion through some of the best melodic beats available right now.
GLXY has been creeping into my crate regularly of late. This duo has been rolling out beautiful tune after tune, and if you haven’t checked out their Research & Development LP I strongly suggest you get on it. Ritual is another who’s work on the Reach Out EP took me totally by surprise. With more hits than misses, this EP has no business being as amazingly strong as it is. And a big shout to Calibre (again) for his ridiculously lush remix of Lady Blackbird’s soul classic Collage. This one is in the running for tune of the year for me.
GLXY & [KSR] – Breathless Submorphics feat. Big Brooklyn Red – Daydreaming Vilem – One Track Mind The Upbeats & Shapeshifter – Aotea FX909 – Fly Away Redeyes feat. [KSR] – A Thousand Times GLXY – New Soul Ritual – Reach Out Ritual – Close Your Eyes Lenzman & Danny Sanchez – Gimmie a Sec GLXY feat. Rhi – Sweet Low Ritual – Currents Submorphics feat. Satl & Veda Black) – Let it Shine Ink & BTK – Triumph Erykah Badu – On & On (Silent Dust Remix) Pola & Bryson feat. Lauren Archer – Under Flo.Von & Tim Klein – No Better Sultan & Shepard feat. The Cut – White Lies (Keeno Remix) Lady Blackbird – Collage (Calibre Remix) BCee – Capture in Time (DPR Remix)
D&B has often been described as fast soul music and in this mix I’ll be leaning into that vibe. Kicking off with a cheeky bootleg of Soul’s of Mischief classic 93 Till Infinity and a remaster of Ink & J dub’s massive Feel Da Heat, the mix then settles into a soulful mix of new more laid back Liquid sounds.
You might notice I draw heavily from LSB & DRS’ new LP of remixed work from The Blue Hour – well worth checking out if you like their sound. And big shouts to Calibre for reworking Lady Blackbird ‘s brilliant and super soulful Collage. If you don’t know the 70s original I strongly suggest you seek it out.
Some music is just made for traveling. I jammed this mix together a couple of hours before I jumped plane, knowing that I’d need some fresh tunes to get me through. It did the trick, as I sat looking out the window watching the clouds slide by it struck me that D&B really is the perfect travel music.
Shouts to the older headz contributing to this mix like Makoto, Nu:Tone, Sonic and Seba, 20+ years in the game and still pumping out quality tunes. And big ups to the new school coming through with their own take on the sound such as Anthony Kasper, Meanone, Satl and Koherent.
Alix Perez feat Peven Everett & Spectrasoul – Forsaken (Calibre Remix) Makoto & Pete Simpson – Spread Love Sonic – Piano Anthem (S.P.Y Remix) Seba – So Beautiful Anthony Kasper – Depature (Technimatic Remix) Seba & Emily Harkness – True Unknown Artist – Sweetest Taboo Andy Skopes & Madcap – Trouble feat. Singing Fats Meanone – Twilight Spleen Satl – Forward Thinking (Calibre Remix) Koherent – Endless Haze Nu:Tone – Sweeter Nu:Tone – Girl on a Bike Alix Perez feat. Liam Bailey – Loud & Proud Mitekiss, Milo Merah & RSWT – City Angels Lenzman – Caught Up (Terror Remix) DRS feat. Mindscape – Never Made It Colossus feat. Jess Ratcliffe & Echo Motion – Wake Up (When it Comes) Need For Mirrors – Without You
The deeper side of D&B seems to have slowed down a little in the last year or so, but what it has lacked in quantity it has made up in quality.
Familiar names to the genre such as Calibre, Bungle and dBridge are still consistently rolling out quality stripped back tracks that perfectly loop. Best of all a healthy amount of new comers like VROMM, MKD, Ordure and Heron Flow have kept the vibe alive and run with it into deeper territories.
Respect to all the producers old and new keeping the sound fresh and fabulously deep.
Krust – It’s a Lot (Calibre Remix) Dom & Adres – Limelight Redders – No go Muffler – Watchdog Doctor Jeep & Rohaan – Unreal (Rohaan Remix) Camo & Krooked, Mefjus & Sophie Lindinger – No Tomorrow (Tom Fisher Remix) Bungle – Runaway Goldie feat. Jose James – Truth (Zero T VIP Remix) VROMM feat. Rider Shafique – Level Up Kasra – I Don’t Know What the Future Brings Andy Scopes & Madcap feat. Singing Fats – Trouble MKD – Krill dBridge – Tear in Vain Ordure – Hold Me Close Mystic State – Whole Half Heron Flow – Compare Love
Liquid is on fire at the moment. I know that is an oxymoron, but it is the truth. Lenzman, HLZ, Calibre, Mitekiss and their contemporaries are killing it, all to the sound of DRS on vocals.
The combination of smooth deep bass lines, tight beats and great vocal hooks make the genre one of the best listening experiences around at the moment. Special shouts out to Silent Dust on the Erykah Badu On & On remix and Focus Recordings mysterious Unknown Artist for the Sade – Sweetest Taboo bootleg. Keep them coming.
This mix is dedicated to Dan ‘Mo’ Money’ Moore who tragically lost his battle against brain cancer earlier this year after a brave and tenacious 10 year battle.
I first started the Call the Ambience series when Mo’ first went into hospital as a way of giving him something calming yet D&B related to listen to while bed bound. Mo’ was a music lover, and one of my biggest supporters who stuck by me even when others turned against me on my return from the UK. His friendship and loyalty meant the world to me and defined what a great person he really was.
Mo’, you were one of the good ones. Even more so, you were one of the best friends a man could have. Thanks for all the good time and Rest In Peace.
Another liquid mix in a rolling style with some absolute belters thrown in. Starting off with Need for Mirrors – Without U, others such as Terror & Espa – Loaded Gun (BCee Remix) and Severity & Whiney – Broken Hearted (Whiney Remix) will have you singing along.
Also keep and ear out for new tracks from Marky, Alix Perez & Workforce, Need for Mirrors and the killer Zero T re-rub of Goldie and José James’ – Truth.
Need for Mirrors – Without U DJ Marky – 1992 Track Madcap – Hide Nelver – Our Time Physics – Looking Back Terror & Espa – Loaded Gun (BCee Remix) Rowpieces – Come On (Version 1) Alix Perez & Workforce – Distant Figures Goldie feat. Jose James – Truth (Zero T Remix) Koherent – Bliss BCee & Charlotte Haining feat. DRS – Love for the Fallen DJ Marky – Hunny Flaco & Glen E.Ston – What You Need Severity & Whiney – Broken Hearted (Whiney Remix) Need for Mirrors – Coco Nu:Tone – Sweeter Heron Flow – Compare Love
We’re back to some contemporary beats after the 200th Anniversary sets with a mix of rollers from 2020-21. These tracks are almost a genre on their own with their tuff but rolling beats and dirty basslines. They feel a bit more accessible and floor friendly that the usual hardcore D&B tracks and give a bit of a nod to the older Jump Up sound of the early 2000s.
Artists like Buunshin, Mikal and Was a Be are definitely leading the pack along with players like Workforce and Breakage in this sound. This set features work from Mikal’s amazing Metalworks LP which was packed full of tuff rollers and definitely a highlight for Metalheadz late last year.
As hard as some of these tracks are, it is almost impossible not to nod your head and have a smile while you’re at it.
Degs feat. Pola & Bryson – Sleepless (Bladerunner Version) Buunshin – Descended Kidsonic & Swift – Follow Me Substance – Be Forgiven Mikal – Resampled Mikal – Doesn’t Matter Mikal – Journey into the Reverb Was A Be – The Walk (Radiax Remix) Mikal – Turn it Around Goldie feat. Natalie Williams – I Adore You (Total Science Remix) Mikal – Strident Breakage – Valhalla Was A Be & Radiax – Beijing Banger (Was A Be Remix) Soul Intent & Ms Tempz – 2 Bad Breakage – As We Enter (Break Remix) OAKK, Rider SHafique & Radiax – Growning (Radiax Remix) Duoscience – Shallow Kidsonic – Deeper Love John B – up All Night (Data 3 Remix)
Continuing on from the first part of my 200th Anniversary mix, this is look at D&B from the years of 2005-10. While not D&B’s finest era, there were some amazing tracks that did come out during this time and some stand out artists who kept the vibe alive.
As mentioned last time Marcus Inatlex and Calibre came into their own during the 2000s. But joining them in the later part of the decade were dons like dBridge, Rockwell, Sunchase and Naibu who gave us anthems that are still worth a rinse today.
I hope you enjoy the final part to this anniversary celebration and that I might have been able to shine a light on some gems from the turn of the century. Thanks for all the support down the years and as always, enjoy!
Bridge feat. Instramental – Blush Response dBridge – The Question Magnetic Man – Perfect Stranger (dBridge Remix) Unquote – Hide Your Tears Because We Are In Heaven Mutated Forms feat. Jenna G – Last Time Ill SKillz & S.P.Y – This is Why Dub FX – Flow (Ill SKillz Remix) Shapeshifter – The Touch (Netsky Remix) Logistics – Now More Than Ever The Burbs – Organic DJ Marky & S.P.Y – Mystic Sunset Seb & Paradox feat. Kirsty Hawkshaw – The Light Camo & Krooked – Turn Up (The Music) Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaur – Garden (Calibre Remix) Alix Perez & Spectrasoul feat. Peven Everett – Forsaken Spectrasoul feat. Tamara Blessa – Away With Me (Calibre Remix) Templecloud – One Big Family (Dexell’s 7am Remix) Calibre feat. Diane Charlemagne – Bullets Doc Scott – Tokyo Dusk Metric – Ocean Drive Seba – Keep Me Waiting Commix – Be True Total Science feat. MC Conrad – Soul Patrol (Lenzman Deep In Your Soul Remix) ST:Cal feat. Alison Crockett – Late Night Squeeze Bungle – Aura Rockwell – Underpass Atlantic Connection – Retro London Elekticity – Just One Second (Apex Remix) Marcus Intalex feat. Calibre – Meltdown 2012
