Juno Recommends Bass: May 2022

Review: Here's a crucial one-two punch from the Dirtybird camp, heading into proper ruffneck territory for those who want to nasty up the dance. Nikki Nair is back on the label following two previous joints alongside outings for Lobster Theremin and Banoffee Pies amongst many others. This time she's paired up with NALA for two distinct vocal cuts. The A side 'Escape' is a positively grubby slice of ravey electro with plenty of production flair and a coolly detached rap refrain. Meanwhile the flip has a more melodious, catchy tint as NALA's vocal glides atop a crunchy breakbeat.

Review: Jacques Greene records are as interesting as they are innovative and for this latest essential long player he joins forces with Joel Ford, Satomimagae (RVNG) and Leanna Macomber. It finds the Montreal produce conjuring up floaty breakbeats and lashing of loose, free flowing synths to maker for an idealised club sounds that will be impossible for dancers to ignore. There is fresh spirit in these tunes as well as sedate shoegaze sounds, shimmering pads and super sweet grooves to make any party that bit more special.

Review: The clue's in his name... Breaka speaks fluent broken beat, a universal language that flexes from electro to dancehall to UK funky via UKG and baile funk - all of which you can hear on this exceptional self-released debut album We Move, an extraordinary instrumental journey into Breaka's imagination by way of the dancefloor. Highlights include the spaced-out minimal spring of 'Baile Steppa', the cosmic junglisms and euphoric rave echoes of cuts like 'Mass Gathering' and 'Solaria' and the pure drama and theatre of cuts like 'Descending'. A highly accomplished and thoughtful debut artist album.

Review: Sega Bodega's new album explores Sega's relationship with Luci - his fictional girlfriend who is named after Lucifer, which means bringer of light. Ot is a record packed with plenty of sonic curveballs and some of his best production work yet. His own vocal turns are also exceptional and rightly brought to the front more so than ever before. After a couple of years of building a solid fan base this work really cements him as a multifaceted artist who has produced for a range of top names from Shygirl to Caroline Polachek.

Review: Currently spotted conjuring up some marvellous jungle craft on the likes of Future Retro and his own Raw Basics, Basic Rhythm returns to his slower tempos for this beguiling outing on Hypercolour. All slo-mo, warpy and moody, each cut carries it own highly unique flavour... The dense percussive weaves of 'Pepper', the almost Theo Parrishian flavoured woozy, stumbling tripletty kicks, eerie pads and crazy trumpets on '3am On The Corner' and the zoned out kuduro of the finale 'Moonlight Flit'. No one does it quite Basic Rhythm.

Review: At long last, the vinyl editions of last year's link-up between prolific Scottish enigma Neil Landstrumm and the ever on-point Sneaker Social Club have finally landed. Eight tracks in total, exceedingly broad in their flavour, they tap into that free-for-all spirit that Landstrumm made a name for himself with back with Si Begg in the mid-90s. Vibes range from the cosmic trills and ghetto thumps of 'SOWAHH' to the straight-up hardcore fury of 'Milano' by way of the heavy subs and tunnelling dynamic of the free party jungle smasher 'The Truth'. Yell yell... So good they named it twice.

Review: Following his debut album Discretizacion in 2018, Mexican fusionist Imaabs delivers his sophomore LP Descifrar. An exploration of postmodern, hyper-digital emotions and fragmented encounters in the modern human experience, the album sees him darting off in multiple directions simultaneously. One moment we're rolling our sleeves up to pounding techno ('Distension'), the next we're swooning dulcet pop bliss ('No Time'), the next we're pushed head first into a bath full of cosmic bubbles and breaks ('Gare Du Nord')... These are just three of the extremities mapped out by Imaabs parameters. A perfect soundtrack for time that concentration spans forgot.

Review: Trackmaster Dre might seem like a new name to some but if you've been following the boomptier / hard-jacking side of Chicago house then you'll already know him from his Tripmastaz project. This project allows the Russian artist to do what the hell he likes, however, as he digs deep across his influences and draws for some excellent samples and textures. The range is felt here instantly from the Derrick Carter-style bashes of 'DoDo' to the Kruder & Dorfmeister flavoured 'Dowsie'. Elsewhere we're treated to lo-fi D&B ('Imperfections'), grizzled but uplifiting techno ('Outerstellar') and butt-shifting ghetto business ('Run Red IV'). Track these down!