Category Archives: 160bpm

160bpm, 2023, Ear & Drum Session

Ear & Drum: Session 265 – Revival

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Pulling the beat back to 160bpm on this mix of new tracks and remastered classics. Kicking things off we have Mystic State who’s One For You LP on their criminally under-rated The Chikara Project label is one of the best releases of the year for me. ASC seems to pop up every time I roll a 160bmp mix and this is no exception with his track Dreamcatcher from the Sea of Dreams EP on his Auxiliary label. And a big up to Neekeetone for his Anti-War Dubplates series, for his reworks of Gentleman’s Dub Club – High Grade and the Fat Freddy’s Drop’s classic Cay’s Crays.

One last shout for D.R.S recently re-releasing his classic Everyman in the form of the Spandangle Selection Volume 27: D.R.S – Everyman Remixes. I’ve waited almost 30 years to get my hands on the Everyman (2Bad Remix) ever since I heard Hype drop it back in 94-95. So to play it for you is a great, great pleasure.

Revival – 1.5hrs of 160bpm Drum & Bass

Mystic State – One For You
Ocean Dawn – Sanction
Mystic State – Light Of Day feat. Marenn Sukie
Nine Windows – Looking Back
Nine Windows – Galaxian
ASC – Dreamcatcher
Chimpo & Salo – Let Me Rise
Tommy The Cat – Running Wild
Haste – Forever
Gentleman’s Dub Club – High Grade (Neekeetone Jungle Rework)
Blame – Revival
Nookie – Kaeya [’96 Mix]
J:Kenzo – Broken Dreams (Specialist X Remix)
Philip D Kick – The Journey Home
Aural Imbalance – Solitude
Fat Freddy’s Drop – Cay’s Crays (Neekeetone 160 Rework)
R/K – Still Not Smoking
Astral Haze – Pushing Time
Subjects – Blissful Solace
Nebula – Sonic Waves
D.R.S – Everyman (2Bad Remix)
Fracture – First Aid Kit

160bpm, 2023, Atmospheric, Ear & Drum Session

Ear & Drum: Session 257 – Pour Down

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Back on the 160bpm train for this mix of mainly atmospheric D&B. Focusing on two labels in particular, first up is the massively underrated Westbay Music label run by Atlantic Connection, his recent Don’t Play EP and Unconventional EP are slabs of breakbeat perfection. I really don’t understand why Atlantic Connection isn’t bigger than he already is.

Another label blazing their own trail is ASC’s new(ish) atmospheric jungle imprint Spatial. The quality of Spatial releases is clear to hear on first play, but it isn’t until you start mixing these tunes that you really get a sense of just how immense some of this music really is. If you loved Progression Sessions at The End, these tunes will take you straight back to that special place in time.

Pour Down – 1hr of 160bpm D&B

Atlantic Collection – Unconventional
Atlantic Collection – Ina Dem ’23
Atlantic Collection – One Night
Kid Drama & Tim Reaper – Ambient Sequence
ASC – Substance
Aural Imbalance – Sunlight Through Clouds
ASC – Tranquility
Adred – Before You Eyes
ASC – Deep Dive
ASC – Devine Intervention
Coco Bryce – Mantra
MSDos – Melodi
ASC – Loose Ends
Blame – Fallen Heros
Atlantic Collection – Space, Time
Nine Windows – Looking Back
ASC – Vapour Trail

160bpm, 2023, Amen, Ear & Drum Session

Ear & Drum: Session 254 – One Six Four

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160bpm D&B continues to expand and grow as a genre and while there isn’t any set ‘sound’ at the moment, the one thing there is a lot of is quality. Following in the footsteps of Fracture and his 0860 LP and mixtape, Kid Drama and DJ Trace have released a similar package again looking back at the classic Amen driven days of rave. The project titled Rule of Thirds came out under a combined alias of Nine Windows, and well worth your time as you’ll hear in this mix.

Kid Drama also features with breakbeat mastermind Tim Reaper on Ambien Sequence from Future Retro’s excellent Meeting of the Minds series of releases. Wardown’s Graphite and Glitter and The Ideal City come from the kitsch Wardown II LP, Pete Rogers of Technimatic’s ode to 60s futurism. And I have to shout out Orbit from Om Unit alias Philip D Kick’s stunning and sadly last LP, Off World Tales. Having jacked in making fasted BPMs for Electro and Techno inspired sounds, he will be missed.

One Six Four – 1hr of 160bpm D&B

Optimistic – Helper
Nine Windows – Looking Back
Nine Windows – Galaxian
Speckman – One the Flip (Synkro’s Ambient Jungle Flip)
Jamie Myerson – Shade Without Color
Nine Windows – Innersense
Philip D Kick – Orbit
Wardown – Graphite & Glitter
Arcologies – Secret Keeper
Adred – Before Your Eyes
Fracture – From the Very Top
Orboram – Sun Showers
Arcologies – City at Dawn
Kid Drama & Tim Reaper – Ambien Sequence
Nine Windows & Tim Reaper – Transitions
Robert Haigh – Koto Line (ASC Spatial Remix)
Wardown – The Ideal City
Fracture – First Aid Kit

160bpm, 2023, Ear & Drum Session

Ear & Drum: Session 248 – Rush Job

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New year, new sounds as we roll into the first mix of ’23 and we’re peeling back the BPMs to 160. This mix was inspired by Fracture’s recent ode to 90s pirate radio 0860, which was one of THE releases of ’22 for me. Nailing the 90s hardcore sound and crossing it with modern day production to create laid back but dance floor vibes is something I hope we hear a lot more of in the coming year.

Kid Chameleon’s Open Soul EP was another big release toward the end of last year, and features heavily here. Weaved in between these two heavy releases are tracks from OGs like J Majik, Lemon D, Cloud 9, DJ Crystal along with modern day legends such as ASC, Acid_Lab and Adred.

Rush Job – 1hr of 160bpm Vibes

Fracture – Telepathy
DJ Focus – Online (Recoded)
Kid Chameleon – Open Soul
Eusebeia – Change Your Stars
J Majik – Hold ‘You (Lemon D Remix)
Fracture – 0860 (feat. Eastman)
Cloud 9 – Warriors Revenge
DJ Crystal – Meditation
Acid_Lab – Conquest of Space
Adred – Before Your Eyes
Fracture – From The Very Top
Kid Chameleon – Electric Machine
ASC – Black Rain
Con-Figure – Ataraxia
Kid Chameleon – Syrup
Oboram – Sun Showers
Thought-Forms – Star Struck
Mineral – Old School 2022
Fracture – First Aid Kit
Nitepunk – Unspoken
Acid_Lab – Imagine The Future
DJ Crystal – Warp Drive (Dubplate Mix)

160bpm, 2022, Atmospheric, Ear & Drum Session

Ear & Drum: Session 229 – Killah Deep

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Back to 160bpm, but with a D&B instead of a Jungle focus this time around. As previously mentioned, this speed is ideal for letting Amen breaks breath. But there are also a lot of artists now winding back the BPM clock for other breaks to give their D&B productions that extra bit of depth.

Acid_Lab & Coco Bryce are the first artists that spring to mind, but with more than half of the tracks in this mix being from Omni Music, who’s atmospheric sound lends itself perfectly to the slower tempos, Eshaton’s killah label is worth a special mention here too. They have an amazing pool of talented producers bringing a greater depth to tunes by pushing D&B’s original tempo.

You can find all of the Omni Music tunes in this mix (plus 100s more) over at https://omnimusic.bandcamp.com/

Killah Deep – 1hr of 160bpm D&B

The Vanguard Project & Jemima Reed – Stitches (Coco Bryce Remix)
Grey Code – Primrose
Coco Bryce – Dial M for Mayor
Clothcutter – You’ll Know Me
Cryogenics – Haunted
Acid_Lab – Conquest of Space
IMANU & The Caracal Project feat. Josh Pan – La Fournaise
Added – Before Your Eyes
Dan Guidance – Creating Waves
Conman, Evasion & Mod:Co – Lifestyle
Woken Balance – Atlas 6
Mineral – Separated Attitude
Antony G – Lockdown
Moakz – Distant Waters
Mineral – Old School 2022
Dust-e-1 – One on One
The Vanguard Project – Want U Back (Coco Bryce Remix)