Tag Archives: Ear & Drum Session

2009, Ear & Drum Session, Liquid D&B

Up Rising – Ear & Drum Session 18

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A new mix this time based on the uplifting vibes of Summer. I know it has headed into Autumn in the Northern hemisphere, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to mix up a little reminder of what made the festival floors burn.

Hospital were obviously a HUGE part of Summer with Sick Music and Logistics new LP Crash, Bang, Wallop! hitting hard and heavy. But it seemed like everyone caught a dose of the fever with producers like Fresh and Jonny L also wading in with their take on the Summer warehouse sound. And of course regulars like Lenzman, Greenfly and Young Ax produced their normal high quality crowd pleasing choons.

If things are getting a little parky around your way, and you want to feel the sun one last time before Winter kicks in I suggest you get this on your iPod and take it for a spin. 😉

Up Rising – 1hr+ of uplifting tunes from the Summer of 2009

Luca – Screen I Motion
Young Ax – System of Survival
The Burbs – Organic
Greenfly – Monopoly
Lupe Fiasco – Paris Tokyo (DJ Clart D&B Remix)
Sigma – Paint it Black
Infectious – Capital Connections
Crystal Clear & Netsky – King of Stars
Calibre – Ringtone
Logistics – Warehouse
Operon – Electrons
Metrik – Anthem 09
Lenzman – Sugar Hill
Logistics – Eastern Promise
Logistics – Murderation
London Elektricity – Just one Second (Apex Remix)
Bcee – Glitterballs (Redeyes & Lenzman Remix)
Logistics – Transporter
Jonny L – Microdaze
DJ Fresh – Fantasia (Liquid Mix)

Cross Genre, Hard D&B, Jump Up, Tech Step

A Certain Sound – Ear & Drum Session 17

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1998 was a pivotal year for drum & bass. Certain sounds like Tech Step and Jump Up were on the rise and other like the Intelligent and Rave/Hardcore sounds were dying out. What it did mean was that there were all sorts of experimentation taking place and some amazing tracks coming out.

In this mix I cross all sorts of genres from Jump Up & Tech Step through to early Neuro and Drum Funk and everything inbetween. Some of the tunes were big smashers back in the day, whilst others are hidden gems that time seems to have forgot.

But if you were around back in 1998, then this should make the memories come flooding back and put a smile on your face. And as always it is best played LOUD!

A Certain Sound – 1.5hrs of big bass from 1998

Exocet – Demon Seed
Ray Keith – D4 Toxic Waste (Elementz Of Noize Remix)
UTI – I’m Finished
Adam F – Brand Nu Funk
Test – Fluid
Paradox – Some Kind of Illusion
Kraken – Warped
Fortran – The End Part II
Photek – UFO (J Majik Remix)
T-Power – 33rd Parallel
Paradox – A Certain Sound
Gang Related & Mask – Dictation (Michael Caine Remix)’
DJ Zinc feat MC GQ – Bring the Danger
John B – Pressure
Ed Rush, Optical & Fierce – Cutslo (Lokuste Remix)
Pish Posh – Corrupt Cops
Jungle Bothers – Brain (Natural Born Chillers Remix)
Profound Noise – Soundscape (Remix)
Klute – In The Zone

2009, Cross Genre, Ear & Drum Session

Catching Up – Ear & Drum Session 16

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I’ve been a little out of the game recently due to life getting in the way of music. So this mix is an attempt to catch up on the last couple of months in Drum & Bass.

June, July and August has seen some of the best tunes of the year coming out, plus some huge albums as well. Sick Music on Hospital, Memoirs of an Afterlife on Metalheadz and Ambassadors 4 on Santorin are all incredibly strong releases. Add to this the slew of quality 12″ releases and I had plenty to keep me to spinning for a couple of hours.

I’ve tried to get in a good variety of styles, and take it on a bit of a ride. So whether your are having Summer in the North or Winter in South, this should be a good sound track for the season.

Catching Up – 2hrs of New Tunes

Break – In Between
D-Bridge – Wonder Where
Lynx & Kemo – Tribes
Sh1 – Bangalore
Spectra Soul – Cherry Smoke
Alternative Vibes – Wavelength
Smote & Stunna feat. Submorphics – Sweet Passions
Danny Breaks – Volume 1 (Logistics Remix)
Rufige Kru – One More Time
Rufige Kru – Chances (Alex Perez and Sabre Remix)
London Electricity – Just One Second (Apex Remix)
Data – Delicate
Fanu – End of an Era
Simon V & Telmo A – The Rhythm Track
Madmen & Poets – Afraid of Jazz (Lenzman Remix)
Nu:Tone – Balaclava in my System
Luca – Screen I Motion
Rufige Kru – Sometime Sad Day
Young Ax – System of Survival
The Burbs – Organic
Nookie – Walking Away
Concept & Shnek – Burning Up Inside
Nookie – Mr Slippery
Sigma – Paint it Black
Crystal Clear & Netsky – King of Stars
Trei – Justify
Rufige Kru – Something About You (D-Bridge Remix)
Oak – Starbird

2009, Cross Genre, Ear & Drum Session

Sup? – Ear & Drum Session 15

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Back onto the new tunes for June 2009 in this mix. We kick off with some tracks from the highly under-rated Future Thinkin’ label, and then get into some Alaska & Paradox from their new LP ‘Isolationist’. Rufige Kru’s – Memoirs Of An Afterlife EP gets a nod, as does Paradox’s – The Age Of Outsiders Vol.2 and Helsinki Sunshine, the new LP on Peshay’s Pivotal Entertainment label. We even get into some heavier territory thanks to Break’s – Traits remix and Spor’s nasty rework of Two Finger’s – That Girl.

There is a whole heap more than just what is mentioned above, so if you want to hear something new and different I suggest you shove this into your ear hole.
 

Sup? – 1hr+ of new beats and bass lines

Escher – Slice
Am De Sa – Beyond the Saurian
Alaska & Paradox – Zion
Geln E Ston – Equinox
Am De Sa – Aaj Mera Jee Karda
Rufige Kru – Sometime Sad Day
Solar – Exploration
Instra:Mental – Photograph
Contour – Helsinki Sunshine
ASC – Stardust
Draft – Life Cycle
Break – Traits (Remix)
Two Fingers Feat. Sway – That Girl (Spor Remix)
Alaska & Paradox – Mauja
Lenzman – Bright Lights
Paul SG & Eros – Midnight Rain
Roni Size – It’s Jazzy (Nu:Tone Remix)
Calibre – The Blues
D-Fect – Contact
Break – Enigma (Calibre Remix)

All Label Mix, Cross Genre, Ear & Drum Session, Old Skool

31 Seconds Part 1 – Ear & Drum Session 14

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Doc Scott’s 31 Records is a seminal label in D&B. It has released so many classics down the years with tunes like Shadow Boxing, Liquid Fingers, Mechanics and Deadline all becoming synonymous with defining their various genres. 31 is also the label that launched Pendulum onto the world with the almighty Vault, a track that has had more rewinds than you’ve had hot dinners.

When 31 Records first hit the scene I bought everything they put out. With artists like Dom & Roland, MIST, Optical, Digital, Nasty Habits and Klute on board it was pretty much impossible to pass up on a release. I unfortunately missed out on a lot of the later output on the label until A Bunch Of Cuts opened up its MP3 store and laid down the entire back catalogue of 31. I couldn’t resist, I had to down the credit card and start filling in all the holes in my collection.

This mix is the first in a 3 part series covering the early days of 31 Records. Part 2 & 3 will cover the middle and later part of the labels history. What you get in this mix are the choons that made 31 Records a must have label for every self respecting D&B DJ. Tracks like Chilling Out, Prototyped, Technology, The End Part I and Part II, Liquid Fingers, Deadline and of course Shadow Boxing stamped 31 Records as one of THE premier labels in the mid to late 90’s.

Even though these tracks cross all sorts of genres they all have a distinctive 31 sound. A futuristic and technological edginess that always made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and the dance floor go mental. This one goes out to Doc Scott and his merry men for leaving a legacy 99% of labels can only dream of creating.

 

31 Seconds Part 1 – 1hr of 31 Records early masterpieces

Deep Blue – Immersion
Optical – The End Part I
Octave One – Chillin’ Out (Deleted Mix)
Dom & Roland – Mechanics
Octave One – Chillin’ Out ’94
Nasty Habits – Liquid Fingers (Goldie Remix)
Fortran – The End Part II
Dom & Roland – Prisms
MIST – Dreamworld
Klute – Song Seller
Klute – Dawn of Reason
Nasty Habits – Shadow Boxing
Nasty Habits – Prototyped
Digital – Deadline
Octave One – Technology
Total Science – Get It On

Cross Genre, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session

In Too Deep – Ear & Drum Session 13

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I did a mix years ago now called ‘Deep Seated’. It had all my favourite deep steppers on it all in one mix. I went to listen to it again recently only to find that that by some tragic accident it had never been backed up to DVD. Luckily I still had a full set list, so instead of letting it get me down I decided to remix the set and make some new additions to it. 🙂 The end result is ‘In Too Deep’.

I find this deep steppy sound usually sorts out the part time D&B listeners from the true heads, as it doesn’t rely on any fancy production techniques and tricks, or on a relentless firing Amen to keep you interested. Instead it sets up an almost hypnotic beat and just rolls out into a deep panorama of sound that locks you in. It takes some true production talent to pull this off and not sound boring and repetitive, so you know some serious amounts of talent and work have gone into making these tunes work.

This mix is comes in three parts with two half beat interludes provided by the genius of Russia’s Coldicus between each section. First up are all my favourite old deep steppers from labels like 31 Records and Creative Source. Minimal, stripped bare melody tracks that take you on a proper journey. Next up is the modern day legacy of this deep D&B provided by Commix and D-Bridge. And the third section is the harder & darker edge of the deep step sound. Atom One’s pioneering Trance and Bass stepper Imminent is massive and Doc Scott’s – Shadow Boxing puts the class in D&B classic.

 

In Too Deep – A Brief History of Deep Step D&B

Nasty Habits – Liquid Fingers
Kazimir – Memories
More Rockers – Saying
Carlito & Addiction – Make it Real
Marcus Intalex & ST File – How You Make Me Feel
Roar Deal – Roar Deal
Howard Huges – The Real
TeeBee – Lifeless
Coldicus – Dreamaboutgirlfromkndr
D-Bridge – Creatures of Habit
Commix – Bear Music
D-Bridge – The Question
Coldicus – My Dreams Are My Dolls
Preasure Drop – Legacy (Paul Daley Remix)
Atom One – Imminent
Splash Collective – It’s For Us
Doc Scott – Shadow Boxing

2009, Cross Genre, Ear & Drum Session

Forward Thinking – Ear & Drum Session 12

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Another 2009 mix up this time. It’s been a good year so far for D&B with a lot of labels and artists getting more experimental with their beats and pushing their traditional sounds into uncharted territories. This mix reflects some of these more experimental bits and gets in some good old fashioned D&B grooves as well.

Implex & Enei are two Russian artsits who’s Sublife Lp impressed the hell out of me. I’ve put a lot of the good bits from this into the blend. There is a lot of Metalheadz tracks in here as well, but you might not pick them as they are definitely on the stripped back and spacious tip. Bop & Despot get a high five for their amazing Song About My Dog and Random Thoughts tracks out on Medschool, meanwhile Logistics and High Contrast on their sister label Hospital also feature.

This mix takes in all styles and sounds, and crosses a fair bit of ground. It’s main purpose is to highlight what is new and cutting edge out there in the underground.

 

Forward Thinking – 1.5hrs of the latest D&B for 2009

Bop – Song About My Dog
Data – Mutued
Alix Perez & Sabre – God Fearing
Implex & Enei – Snake Style
Sabaruko – Warped (Instra:mental Remix)
Implex & Enei – Iceberg
Implex & Enei – Spring Tune
Commander Strange – Time
Bachelors of Science – The Beautiful Life
Implex & Enei – Behind The Law
Invisible Landscape – First Is Forever
Atmospherix & Soultec – No Way Out
Pal SG & Eros – Ask Her
Human Factor – Diggin Deepa
Logistics – Toy Town
Total Science & Conrad – Soul Patrol (Lenzman Deep In Your Soul Remix)
2Key – New Beginnings
Naibu – Screens
High Contrast – Seven Notes in Black
Alix Perez & Sabre – Everglade
Subwave – Dreamcatcher
Bop & Despot – Random Thoughts

Chill Out, Ear & Drum Session, Jazz & Bass, Melodic, Old Skool

The Finest – Ear & Drum Session 11

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1996-97 was the era when Drum & Bass was at it’s most popular in the broadest sense. From hardcore Hip-Hoppers to chart topping acts, everyone needed a D&B remix on their 12″ or album. CafĂ©s, bars and restaurants were using it as muzac and every second advert on TV seemed to have a D&B backing track. It also happens to be the era when D&B as a music was at it’s most melodic and intricate, which is why I love the jazzy/intelligent D&B from around this time more than just about any other era.

This was a time when commercial success wasn’t such a dirty word (Sony and others were snapping up artists for their labels) and accessibility to the music didn’t seem like such a bad thing. Artists like Wax Doctor, LTJ Bukem, EZ Rollers, Omni Trio, Aquasky and many others all put delicate floating melodies over tough chopped up Amens and beats to produce a sound that you could play on a dance floor, but also play to your Mum and still have her stay in the room. The best thing about this era is that it still sounds as fresh today as when it first came out. It never seems to age or become disposable like some of the genres that came after it.

So in this mix I’ve tried to put together what was great about the 1996-97 Jazzy D&B genre. Some tracks you will have heard and, hopefully, there are a few obscure surprises in there that you haven’t. Best listened to with a good drink in your hand and your feet up on the couch, I suggest you kick back and enjoy what is not only great D&B, but great music too.

 

The Finest – 1.5hrs of 1996-97 Jazz & Bass

Nuyorcian Soul – I Am the Black Gold of the Sun (4 Hero Remix)
JMJ & Flytronix – In Too Deep
Flytronix – The Rhodes Tune
EZ Rollers – Dropping Science (EZ Remix)
Dr. S. Gachet – Remember the Rollers (The Meaningful Mix)
Omni Trio – Tripping on Broken Beats (Carlito Mix)
Statik Sound System – Revolutionary Pilot (Rob Smith Mix)
EZ Rollers – Sub Tropic
EZ Rollers – Believe
Photek – The Hidden Camera (Static Remix)
Aquasky – Opaque
Olive – You’re Not Alone (Roni Size Remix)
Alex Banks – Control
DJ Krush – Only the Strong Survive (Dillinja Remix)
LTJ Bukem – The James Bond Theme
Intense – Careless Minds
St. Germain – Alabama Blues (Wax Doctor Remix)
Ken Ishii – Stretch (Shogun Remix)
Wax Doctor – Finer Things
Adam F – Aromatherapy

2009, Cross Genre, Ear & Drum Session

Box Fresh – Ear & Drum Session 10

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A new mix full of fresh tracks for the second quarter of 2009.

Starts off mellow with some great tracks from Command Strange, Dirrrty B and Lenzman (the man of the moment). I start winding it up about mid-way through with Spirits mighty ‘Connected’ and some new stuff from Silent Witness and Submorphics. My man in Brisbane, Operon provides an amazing dub step & bass number ‘Lorien’ with some help from LM1 and Serum & Bladerunner do some old school style damage with their killer track ‘Snakefist’. I finish it off with some weirdness in the form of the purely atmospheric ‘Boundless Wonder’ by Entharsis (a new name on the block) and then hit the pure funk finish button with the help of Atlantic Connection and his sublime track ‘Retro’.

I had great fun mixing this one, so I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did piecing it together.

 

Box Fresh – 1hr of tracks fresh from the box 

Command Strange – Don’t Touch
Dirrty B – Time to Change
Er.ic – Aware
Trisector – Morning Rain
Lenzman – Vale of Tears
Command Strange – Don’t Move Down
Lenzman – Mesmerized
Spirit – Connected
Silent Witness – Poster Girl
Radiohead – Bodysnatchers (Submorphics Bootleg)
Operon & LM1 – Lorien
Ulterior Motive – Link Down
Serum & Bladerunner – Snakefist
Entharsis – Boundless Wonder
Atlantic Connection – Retro

All Label Mix, Ear & Drum Session, Liquid D&B, Melodic

Rolled Gold – Ear & Drum Session 9

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This is just as much a review as a mix, as I focus on the amazing label Golden Orb. This label has been up and running for about a year now and already they are up to release number nine. The fact that I could find an hours worth of quality music to fill a mix is a real testimony to the quality control set down by those at Golden Orb.

Operon, the labels manager, pricked up my ears with release one which had the madly funky Inside Man on it and from there the label has never looked back. The artist roster has some better know producers such as DJ Clart and Melbourne’s ATP, but the label isn’t shy with breaking new talent. They have a string of producers I’d never heard of, but who I will be keeping a serious ear out for in the future.

The best way I can describe their sound is a cross between the golden age of the ‘intelligent’ Moving Shadow releases (think Storm From The East), Good Looking and Fokus recordings. Even though Golden Orb has all these similar elements, they still manage to have a distinct and unique sound which is both lush and deep all at the same time.

Their last two releases, the Eastern Promises EPs, sees them toughening up their sound quite substantially with Invisible Landscape’s – First is Forever and Shebuzzz’ – In Infinity clear standouts. In Infinity is what can only be described as an out and out Amen spanker and is a dead cert for making the floor go mad.

If you like what you hear in this mix please give them your support by buying their stuff from .

 

Rolled Gold – 1hr mix of Golden Orb Digital

D-Fect – The Dayz
Cutworks – Alone in the Silence
ATP – Montego Funk
ATP – Struggle
Koritsa – Mine (Infuzoria Mix)
ATP – Soho Lament
DJ Clart – So Selfish
Intelligent Manners – Showtime
Command Strange – Goa
Flirt with Dirt – Taken to Reverie
D-Fect & Crix – All I Ever
Operon – Inside Man
Invisible Landscape – First is Forever
Shebuzzz – In Infinity