Producer Profile: S13

You gottah love D&B for throwing artists your way that you haven’t even heard of, but blow you away with the quality of their music. One such artist is S13, who’s free Yourself EP features four solid tracks that are all well worth listening too and, even better, mixing. The highlight for me is a track called Earth Ulro, which is totally inspired and inspiring.

If I can dig up any info on S13 I’ll add it here, but for now he is a mystery to me. So I’ll just have to copy and paste the press release that came with the EP.

Once two different stories began. As the result we give you the best quality electronic music for free. S13 has been a big secret but now it’s time to tell you the truth.

Nestle down and don’t talk. Hear the cold and depth of his thoughts. Feel the sand and gaze of his mysterious eyes. Discover his weird Earth Ulro.

Download the EP for free yourself HERE

The Nothing – Ear & Drum Session 30

Remember The Nothing from the Never Ending Story? A huge black mass of clouds that swept across the land and cleared all before it. Well this mix reminded me of this. I’m not normally a hard D&B kind of guy, but I do enjoy mixing the heavier stuff every now and then. Lately as a genre it has been on the improve, producers are dropping the over the top scull stepping for a more junglistic vibe and melody seems to be creeping back into the heavier beats.

The Nothing – 1hr of heavy rain

Ash – Bashment
Nolige – Leave Me
Clive Concept – Out of Control
Breakage – Temper
Mindscape & Munk – Into the Night
Bachelors of Science – Warehouse DayZ
Dub Tao 0 East of Underground (Bungle Remix)
Muffler – Dirrrty
Jubei – Alignment
Antibreak – From the Wreckage
Breakage – Foundation
Maldini & Sylo – Oceanic
Engage – Helium
Royalston – The Test
AK1200 – Juniors Tune (Digital Remix)
Raiden – Aquarius

The Stares – Ear & Drum Session 29

If you’ve had a big Easter like I have, you’ve hit Monday a little bit rinsed out. The concentration isn’t quite there and you find yourself occasionally drifting off and staring into nothing. This set is for all those times when you get ‘the stares’.

The Stares – 1.5hrs of minimal melodies

Abstract Elements – Abysmal Deapths
Calibre – Step Toe
Circa – Ida
June Miller – Converge
Naibu – Far Reaches
Spor – Overdue feat. Tahsa BAxter
Bachelors of Science – 25th Street
Derek, Tonika & Implex – Personal Diving
Paul SG & Caine – Quiet Steps
Kharm – White Picket Fences
Blu Mar Ten – She Moves Through (ASC Remix)
So:Flow – Long Way Over
Dirrrty B & Wreckage Machinery feat. Jett – Autumn Nights (Vocal)
Native – At My Side
Bachelors of Science – Bombay Sapphire
Naibu – Fireflies (Seba Remix)
Camo & Krooked – Time Is Ticking Away feat. Shaz Sparks
Camo & Krooked – Turn Up (The Music)
D.Kay & Mat – Be Free
Lenzman – Fade Away feat. Jo-S
Naibu – Worn Out
Bachelors of Science – Song For Lovers (Dan Harbanam Remix)
Jubie – Patience feat. dBridge
Misanthrop & Phace – My Arae
Rockwell – Tribes
Sabre – Javelin Feat. Alix Perez
Synkro – Depature
Bachelors of Science – The Rush
Adam Form – Halls Shine
Lenzman – Rags to Ritches

Globally Connected – Jungletrain Session 178

This mix is being re-hosted for ASC. His Covert Operations label was one of the finest atmospheric D&B labels, not only for it’s quality music, but also for it’s constant output of new talent from around the world. When the label folded last year it left a huge hole in the D&B landscape that still hasn’t been properly filled to this day. Even though his label has shut down ASC has gone on to bigger and better things joining up with the mighty dBridge on his NonPlus+ / Exit / Autonomic labels.

The Global Connections series (volumes 1-6) broke so many great producers and gave them their first chance to be heard. This mix is an hours worth of what I considered the best tunes from the series. If you like sci-fi beats and atmospheric melodies this will put some buoyancy in your floatation tank.

Globally Connected – 1hr of atmospherics from Covert Operations

Altair – Reminisce
Ezeekil – False Profit
Probe One – Storm Cell
Altair – Collateral
ASC – Monochrome
Method One – In The Quiet Hours
Kytel – New Eyes For Old
Noric – Aqueous Passage
Theory – Aurora Flash
Solar Empire – Dynamics
Km & Paralyzah – Nega
Neon – Higher State
Tidal – The N.O.C.
Ruxpin – Now I Turn To You

Back to the Basement – Jungletrain Session 186

Another request this time from my other half who actually asked me to put it on her iPod. But listening back to it I thought it was more than worthy of a re-upping here as well.

Basement Records was one of the original labels that got me into D&B. Running from the very beginning of rave back in 1989, Basement always had a broken beats integrated into their sound which is what drew me to them. They gave Peshay his first big break, along with Photek in his ‘The Sentinel’ guise and Source Direct under the ‘Intensity’ alias. As a label their influence on the early Breakbeat Hardcore and D&B scene can still be felt today even though they almost stopped completely around 1996.

Interestingly they have resurfaced with a dubstep and grime release called the Nu Basement EP. A lot of this set come from their digital re-releases and if you are interested in picking up some of these you can find them as the Classics Series here for download.

Back to the Basement – 1hr of Basement Records classics

Peshay – Endless Thoughts
The Sentinel – Pulse of Life
Ruff with the Smooth – Twisted Girl
The Architex – Blueprint
The Sentinel – Genesis
Peshay – Futurama
Jack N Phil – I Like It
The Sentinel – Awakening
Roger Johnson – Walk of Life
Roger Johnson – Drum N The Bass
Roger Johnson – One By One
Intensity – Intensity
The Sentinel – Heavy Vibes
Intensity – Forbidden Medicine

Fup Duck – Jungletrain Session 195

An old mate from Brighton, Stick, has asked for a re-up on Fup Duck.

I hadn’t even heard of half of these guys before I stumbled over them in digital land. Danny Byrd, Break and Bcee & Lomax being the BIG exceptions. Loads of weirdness in this mix which is why I love it. If you like your D&B a little left of centre then give this a try.

Fup Duck •• 1hr of the weird and the wonderful

Tyler Straub – Walk With You
OD – Always Everytime
Break – Let it Lie
Rollz – The Truth
De De Mouse – The Galactic Nervous Boy
Danny Byrd – From Bath with Love
Morphesis – Hope
Bcee & Lomax – The Great Deflate
TVG Hates TVG – Sleepwalking with that Girl Drinking Paint Thinner
TVG Hates TVG – She Has Nicotine Under Her Nails
Motive – Freezeframe
Break – No Going Back

Now & Zen – Jungletrain Session 177

I did this mix about two years ago now for Jungletrain radio. It covers the full spectrum of D&B from the light to dark. There are some great tracks in here like Young Ax – In Too Deep, Logistics – Shanghai Skyline and Matrix & Futurebound – Womb.

I am lost as to what the Dan Marshal track is though, so if anyone knows it can they drop me a line and let me know so I can complete the tracklist.

Now & Zen – 1hr of Beats from the Centre.

Rob Sparks – Wildlife
Breakage – Cooper
Logistics – Slow Motion
Grinda & Zig Zag – Colours of the Night
Logistics – Reality Checkpoint
Grinda & Zig Zag – Always Newer
Dan Marshal – ???
Young Ax – Into The Deep
Logistics – Shanghai Skyline
Dissident – Escapism
Yousef & Carl Cox – I Want You [Forever] (DJ Marky & A-Sides Remix)
Matrix & Futurebound – Womb
Everlight – Frost Bite feat. Di (Totally Harmonically Controlled DNB Mix)
Overturn – Shinobi (Electrosoul System Remix)
End.User – In My Sleep Instead Of In My Life

News – The Ear & Drum: Now with pictures you can see with your eyes!

My chilli plant.

Plant pattern.

My boy having a deep moment.

Any regular downloader of my mixes would be pretty used to seeing the image of a cool android girl with headphones on that I mark my MP3s with. But what does that image really say about me? What insight into my life does this cold woman represent?

Absolutely none, that’s what. 😀

So just to spice things up a bit, and to give you a look at the world through my eyes I thought it would be cool to start attaching photos I’ve taken onto my mixes. That way every mix will look different, and give you a different little peek into my life.

If you hate them and want the sexy android back then post in here and I’ll consinder it. 😉

Bring The Noize – Ear & Drum Session 28

Elementz of Noize are one of those under-rated outfits that slips under the radar mainly due to the fact that they were good at just about every genre they tried there hand at. Alan Clark & Justin Maughan started out making Intelligent drops like the amazing ‘Astral’ and ‘Yes’ in 1995. But as things started turning to the dark side they released a load of classic Tech Step barn stormers on SOUR Recordings. Tunes like ‘Communicate With The World’, ‘Talking Mad Shit’ and thier biggest hit ‘Hit Tha Deck’ were monster Tech Steppers that threw out the subtlety of Ed Rush and replaced it with bitchslapping beats and cavernous b-lines to make dancefloor damage.

After the Tech Step sound died out they moved to Emotiv and had a few releases on Fuze Recordings. Their new sound was still Tech based but had a more stipped back Stepper rhythm. Then in 2002 they returned to their melodic roots with the killer 12″ of ‘Clock/Guided by Lights’, showing that a tune could be musical and still hard as nails. Although they haven’t released much since this time, their legacy is still one of a back catalogue very few misses and a shed load of hits.

Bring The Noize – 1.5hrs of Elementz of Noize

Elementz Of Noize – Yes
Elementz Of Noize – Astral
Elementz Of Noize – Trrriple
Elementz Of Noize – Stick Up
Elementz Of Noize – Neon (Ray Keith Remix)
Elementz Of Noize – Flexiwidatek
Elementz Of Noize – Science
Micro-Burst – Punkmutha
Shapeshifter – Communicate With The World
Shapeshifter – Mass Hysteria
Elementz Of Noize – Hit Tha Deck
Shapeshifter – Talking Mad Shit
Ray Keith – D4 Toxic Waste (Elementz Of Noize Remix)
Elementz Of Noize – Cold Light of Day
Elementz Of Noize – Guided By Lights
Elementz Of Noize – Clock

Certifiable – Ear & Drum Session 27

When Certificate 18 closed it doors back in 2002 I was crushed. Here was a leabel that let producers find their own sound and had no fear about putting out experimental D&B at it’s finest. It’s list of artists was pure quality with the likes of Klute, Teebee, Polar, Code of Practice and Studio Pressure all honing their production skills at the label. The beauty of a Certificate 18 12″ or EP was that you never new what you where going to get, but that it was always going to be good.

This mix comes from mainly the albums that Certificate 18 released. Classics such as Teebee’s Black Science Labs and Through the Eyes of the Scorpion, Klute’s debut LP Fear of People, Polar’s sublime Still Moving and of course the lanels flagship compilations the Hidden Rooms albums.  The mix is as diverse as the label itself and jumps from style to style, but still manages to maintain it’s flow.

This is for all those who remember and for those that want to learn what amzing experimental D&B sounds like.

Certifiable – 2hrs of Certificate 18

Klute – Three Of Us
Klute – Workout
Klute – Leo 9
Teebee – The Void
Teebee – Severed Dreams
Teebee – Silent Depths
Sounds of Life – Hidden Rooms
Polar – Mind of a Killer
Studio Pressure – Currents (Studio Pressure Remix)
Lexis – Groove Therapy (Photek Remix)
Sounds of Life – A Spice of Jazz
Klute – Chicks
Polar – 5am
Polar – Innocent
Klute – Phone Call (Matrix Remix)
Klute – We R the Ones
Klute – X-mass
Teebee – Black Rain
Klute & The Green Man – Lost
Code of Practice – Can We Change The Future (Klute Remix)
Code of Practice – Can We Change The Future (Sounds of Life Remix)
Teebee – Stolen Documents
Teebee – Frequencies
Teebee – Spaceage
Teebee – Spaceage (Teebee Remix)
Sounds of Life – Release the Bells (Wax Doctor Remix)