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.
Here comes the Liquid heat. It’s a bit hard to pin this mix down as it is Liquid, but a lot of it has a hard edge that will have you head bobbing . Kicking things off is Calibre’s – Thrubbin from his 8th Shelflife release. I always look forward to Shelflife releases as the opportunity to catch up on Calibre’s unreleased and more obscure tracks is always appreciated. This one does not disappoint with Heat, No Sense and Thrubbin’ being obvious stand outs for me.
Other big tunes for me a Rockwell & LaMeduza’s – Estranged, a vocal banger with Rockwell’s signature skittery drum work and production. Very good to hear more Rockwell after a short hiatus. Seba also has a new track out on Spearhead’s Soul Warming Sonics LP with Marina Sambą providing the vocal on Whatever You Feel. Not your typical Seba track, but still solid as always. From the same LP is the Workforce Remix of Lens’ big tune from 22′ Feels Like, a tougher more dance floor rerub that does the business.
Heading into deeper territories with this mix of half time and more minimal rollers. Scar features heavily with tracks from their moody Metalheadz LP release The Road Less Travelled as does J:Kenzo with Typhoon / RawZ on Alternate Recordings, both well worth investing in.
Shouts to my DOA brethren, Satl for his track UFO off the Gloom LP on the ever present and tasty The North Quarter. So too Electrosoul System for the unique Black Album, very nice to hear him stepping away from liquid and flexing deeper and darker take on his sound.
This one is best listened to travelling on a rainy day through some headphones watching the world slide by. Enjoy.
My second mix on the Ear And Drum and it’s another one of my favorite artists Big Bud, Like to thank Woz again for hosting my mixes. Originally did this mix back in 2006 and it was about two and a half hours long but it was still missing some peoples favorite tracks from him and it was at 192 kbps and the sound quality wasn’t that great so i was reluctant to re-upload it when i was occasionally asked to. I’ve since bought the tracks that Were missing from the original mix and done the mix again but it turned out to be nearly four hours long so i decided to split it into two parts. This is obviously part 1, with part 2 to follow soon. Big Bud was OK with a mix of his tunes back in the day because they were all old tunes and not on his label, i hope he still is. Some of the tunes are more than 25 years old now but still sound fresh, like they were made yesterday. Such relaxing beautiful music, i hope you enjoy it.
01 – 00.00 – Big Bud 2000 – Millenium (Carlito Remix) – Creative Source 02 – 06:42 – Big Bud 1997 – Meltdown – Vibez Recordings 03 – 13:00 – Big Bud 1998 – Pistachio – Good Looking Records 04 – 20:30 – Big Bud 2001 – Indian Summer – Good Looking Records 05 – 27:50 – Big Bud 2000 – Hypnosis – Good Looking Records 06 – 34:30 – B.U.Z.Z. Feat. Sarah Morris 2003 – Fever (Big Bud Remix) – Full Fat 07 – 41:08 – Big Bud 1998 – Soulfood – Good Looking Records 08 – 49:00 – Big Bud 1995 – Fantasy – Creative Source 09 – 53:25 – Big Bud 2000 – Bluegrass – Good Looking Records 10 – 1:01:08 – Big Bud 2000 – High Times – Good Looking Records 11 – 1:07:34 – Aquasky 1996 – Tranquility (Big Bud rmx) – Moving Shadow Records 12 – 1:13:14 – Big Bud 1998 – Blue 52 – Good Looking Records 13 – 1:21:20 – Big Bud 1997 – Rafiki – Creative Source 14 – 1:27:40 – Big Bud 2000 – Listen – Good Looking Records 15 – 1:34:30 – Big Bud 1999 – State of Mind – Good Looking Records 16 – 1:42:36 – Big Bud 1998 – Mystique – Good Looking Records
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.
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
Who say rewind on all the classic Jungle dub plates and VIPs finally seeing the light of day some 30 years later? Thanks to labels like Aphrodite’s – Urban Shakedown, DJ Rap’s – Proper Talent, Deep Jungle and Suburban Base digging out their DATs and releasing a swag of tunes that only ever cut to dub plate and played by a very select few DJs back in the 90s. That is until today.
A lot of the tunes in here I only ever hear on tapes from pirate radio or recorded from UK raves back in the day. If I was lucky I may have heard one or two mixed live at some of the local parties I went to. It feels fitting that D’Cruze bookends this mix with tunes from his Hidden Tracks EP only recently release on Suburban Base. Sandwiched in between D’Cruze’s Hardstep and Sublime State are some of the ruffest Jungle cuts I’ve had the pleasure to play. Enjoy.
For my debut mix here on the site I’ve put together a mixture of cosmic jungle, heavenly half-time & atmospheric liquid.
There’s new tunes alongside some older favourites in here, with labels including Modern Conveniences, Omni Music, Offworld, Fokuz, Metalheadz and Goldfat represented, amongst others. Most of the action takes place in the 166-172 territory.
Really hope you enjoy the mix – many thanks to Wozowski for inviting me over!
Played out this set at the lovely Melodic Bar in Liverpool UK as part of their open deck night. Its a cool spot, highly recommended for any music headz in the area. Has its own radio station broadcasting from a shipping container above the bar – https://www.melodicdistraction.com/ Maximum boost to the friendly crew there!
Burial – Unite Djrum – Ode Photek – Can’t Come Down Djrum – St Martins Fikir Amlak – Walk With Jah Nomine & Youngsta – Foundation Darkstar – Need You Dominic Eulberg – Der Tanz de Gluehwuermchen (Rone Rmx) Synkro – Transient SpectraSoul – Melodies Instra:mental – Naked Zoo Sabre, Stray & Halogenix feat. Frank Carter – Oblique Alix Perez – Losing You Kelela – On the Run Calibre – If you Wait Remix Satl – So Much Better Commix – Scarlet Calibre – Mirage Bicep – The Game Burial – Rodent Echo in the Dark (Hanna & Tommy) – Serotine William Bell – Forgot to be Your Lover
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.
Heading into the soulful side with this mix of smooth sounds. When it comes to soul Dogger & Mindstate, Calibre, Lenzman and LSB instantly spring to mind, but the vocalist they always lean on is the seminal DRS. Having been around since the hey-day of Bukem and his MC compatriot Conrad, DRS has reinvented himself constantly down the years and his 2020s incarnation as Mr Soul just might be his best yet.
A good chunk of this mix is from DRS’s Del-Rok-Ski LP, which came out towards the end of last year. Collaborating with a who’s who of soulful D&B producers, this LP had way more hits than misses and was one of the strongest releases for me in 2022. Another LP well worth a listen is FX909’s Liquid Heart which also features hear along with a few tracks from Need for Mirrors super strong Nerd EP.
Akemi Fox – Lie to You DRS & Monroe – Kiss & Tell Dogger & Mildaste & DRS – TMWFTE Need for Mirrors – Happy Mondays Auris – The Difference Colossus – Possession DRS & Calibre – Embers Reign DRS & Dogger & Mindstate – Wake You Up DRS & Duskee & Disrupta – Waiting to Go Dub Phizix – Snowprints Gabanna – Always the Same DRS & Document One – Can’t Explain FX909 – Without a Name Missing – Ever Wanted FX909 – Two Little Birds Need for Mirrors – Mourning Tune Echomatics – Sense of Control Bop & Subway – Last Night Degs feat. Nu:Tone & Duskee – Can We Talk (Imo-Lu Remix) Sl8r – Magnolia Echo Brown & KSR – Motions DSR & LSB – Sweet Love
