Juno Recommends Drum & Bass August 2018

Review: Lenzman's North Quarter imprint never ceases to delight or surprise... Without any warning or notice, they've suddenly dropped Tokyo Prose's first release in over two years. And it's a work of full length album beauty. First up, part one. Comprising some of the New Zealander's most ID'd dubs in years, it's a supreme collection to kick off the album with; the rising piano cadence of "Innate Motion", the Intalexual technoid stepper "Tremble", the delicate piano massaging "Trick Of The Light" and the smoke-stacked jazzy halftime headnodder "Gusts". And this isn't even half of it yet.

Review: Dom returns to his Dubs Dungeon once again and re-opens the Dillinja crypt for two more long-coveted dubplates. "You" is fresh from 94 with subs so thick and misty they'll freeze you to your bones and breaks so sharply edited you now have pierced ears just reading this short review, this was a major missile for the AWOL massive. "King Of The Beats" is a year or two deeper into Dillinja's unmatchable discography with a killer b-boy sample, rocket fuel drums and a waspy bassline that stings from a 10 mile radius. Jungle royalty.

Review: 22 years old and two J Majik blueprints finally see the 12" light of day. Excavated from a full collection of DATS he's archived over the years, both cuts take you right back to 1996 and J's explosive dominance of the scene at the time; ricochet breaks, icy atmospheres, sudden emotional twists and a feeling like you're not actually on this planet. Few artists could conjure up these feeling as well as J Majik and the weight and dynamics of these remind us just why. Pure future.

Review: Soundboy burying business; J Majik's Infrared dusts off two unreleased 95 dubs from Mr Metropolis himself. "The Undertaker" is an incredible ragga jungle cut with a funk-fuelled slinky live bassline, and classic horn samples while "Future Sound" takes us deep into a corner of Adam F palette that's a little more familiar; sci fi textures, scorching futurism and just a touch of foreboding. Don't sleep on this.

Review: Pow: another ageless dub from J Majik's personal vaults, "Absolute Zero" was one of the many unreleased space expeditions under Jamie Spratling's Innervisions alter ego. Composed around 94/5 and galvanised with incredible drums that stand up to (and beyond) today's production standards, this one track damager lives in its own atmosphere. Unapologetic, evocative and colder than a night with the ex on Pluto. Visionary.

Review: Shut Up & Dance! A legendary act and a direct order as the recently revived Deep Jungle imprint returns with another collection of unreleased rarities, this time from hardcore dons PJ & Smiley. Back to 93: "Wake Up" will stir the woken among us with its paranoid chords and urgent voice sample, "Cocaine" subverts the classic detuned rave synth stabs with total psychosis while "Kitty Kitty" is the trippy riposte to the Prodigy's "Charlie". Finally "Turn Off The Lights" sends for the guillotine with equal measures of manic urgency and dreamy softness. Something wicked is coming.

Review: One of the most vital and innovative producers drum & bass has seen in years, Skeptical comes correct with his debut album on the impeachable Exit and it's every bit as heavy, spacious and thoughtful as you'd expect it to be. From the opening mechanical purrs and well oiled halftime of the opening title track right through the dusty soul echoes of the album's downtempo finale track "Violet", Enjoy This Trip is the type of album that sucks you right in and refuses to let you go. With stacks of dancefloor weight in there too (see "Grub", "Void", "Duck Soup" to name but three), this is an exemplary LP that hits the spot at home on the headphones or home at the controls. Take a trip today.

Review: Few producer / vocalist partnerships in drum & bass have been as enduring or iconic as Seba and Robert Manos. Even though they both work autonomously with other artists, you can really feel it when they work together. Mystical, moving, soulful but heavier than lead boots, it's been this way since 2005's "Make Peace" and their work keeps getting better; "Etherall" is a hurricane break-based piece with fluttering pianos and dynamic breakaways that let Robert and his earnest, heart breaking lyrics shine through while "Always" shakes with more of a jazzy, cosmic energy where Manos's vocals provide just as much texture as they do soul. Timeless.

Review: The second instalment of New Zealander Tokyo Prose's surprise album drop on Lenzman's The North Quarter; once again it's another sublime, dynamic soul out whittled down to perfection. The long demanded dub "Brilliant Corners" takes the lead with some stunningly arranged and cascading ivories while "Runaway" takes us deeper into the spacier corners of Tokyo Prose's palette with faraway vocals from KSR. Flip for the biggest vocal cut on the 12" as Steo brings his signature honeyed dulcet soul with an almost gospel level of urgency on "Lift You Up" before "Back To You" closes with more of TP's distinctive fluttering piano work. Gracefully does it.

Review: Madrid's man in London Vromm has already made some resounding moves on the likes of Critical and Doc Scott's seminal 31 imprint but this could be his boldest move to date on this Cosmic Bridge debut. "For The New Age" is a powerful future soul slicker, all shiny, hopeful and sprung with jazzy flourishes, "Restart" switches to a slimline, jittering cosmic jungle aesthetic while Cosmic Bridge builder Om Unit himself taps in for a beautiful collabo finale "Stargazing". Freeform in its feel and focus, it's a near 10 minute trip that's once again tinged with a jazz mindset thanks to its heavy layers and percussive variations. Beautiful.

Review: Acid Lab gets all two-face on this new EP for burgeoning jungle imprint Convoluted Records. First up are two collabs under his Ahmad alias; "Grinder" sees Gremlinz join the fray with a nasty hornets nest bassline and pitched breaks that seem to melt through the LFOs while Parallel helps him unleash the soul of Beelzebub himself on "Judgement Day". "Jericho" closes on a savage jungle note with haunted choral effects and broadsword breaks. For a label called Convoluted, this sure cuts straight to the point.

Review: Calibre on Digital's Function. Life doesn't get much better than this. The Belfast doyen has brought along his mate Jet Li for the ride and the results are every bit as golden as you'd expect. "Push Through It" is an immaculate string affair with that classic Signature poignancy while "Trees In The Wind" echoes with a marbled synth texture, sudden flickers of piano and yearning guitar twangs. A match made in soulful roller heaven.

Review: Rory McPike dons his Pickleman alter-ego with this authentic foundation jungle roll-out. Sprung with a bouncy two step and laced with coiled percussion and planet-bounding textures, FX and pads, it nods neatly at the Goodlooking legacy without resorting to nostalgia. Tim Reaper adds more layers of his own authentic palette with more drums, perfectly splashed cymbals and jazzier hints on the chords while Mecca adds the final chapter with a much dubbier late night version that wouldn't go amiss in the Digital set. Detrimental might want to lose the 'Detri' bit of their name some time soon.