Dubstep Recommendations November 2016

Review: Grime and funk, Swindle and D Double E - pairing don't come any finer. A dream team in genres and artists, "Lemon Trees" is every bit as sick as you want it to be. Classic Swindle p-funk laced with a wry electro boogie and topped with some of D's funniest lyrics, this truly is citrus sharp. Ghetts jumps on board for the B: "Works Haffi Run" runs on a leaner groove that influences a staccato delivery from Mr Ghetto who's in full truth mode. Finally Flava D wraps up the package with a grunting 4x4 garage take on last year's JME-fronted smash "Mad Ting".

Review: Jamie Vex'd returns to his Kuedo project after several years working both underground and commercial sector as an engineer, sound designer and composer. His return couldn't have happened soon enough. "Slow Knife" is anchored by a strong sense of score-like sci-fi throughout as tracks such as the spectrum creeping alien trains of "Slow Knife" and the smouldering twangs and pensive vibrations of "Love Theme" create a dense, sense-blurring narrative. Elsewhere Jamie finds time to escape into raw futuristic soul ("In Your Sleep"), wry broken beat dancefloor procession ("Floating Forest") and overwhelmingly immersive sound design ("Broken Fox") This is just the tip of a sonic iceberg that will take many exciting listens to get acquainted with.

Review: It's been a strong year for Balkan badman Egoless who pulled in a whole new field of ears with his insanely on-point ska cover of Benga & Coki's "Night". "I'm From The Bakans" is a great showcase of his leftfield weight. The title track is an ardent reminder that we still have heaps of room to experiment in drums and textures with rhythm combinations that sound like no other. "Psychonautilus" is powered by creepy dreams. All wonky, foggy and freaky - if Nicolas Jaar did dub, he wouldn't sound too far from this. "Uck Foff" keeps us in the dense mists as thick atmospheres are broken but a strangely shuffling beat and unpredictable mechanical bass tones. No one is doing it like Egoless.

Review: France meets the Balkans on this tasty double-up from two of deep bass music's finest, most forward-looking operators. Von D takes the wheel first: a deliciously stately kick stomps along unhurried as a thick layers weave in and out of the mix with cosmic allure. Egoless switches mid-journey with a much darker design. Again, the pace is slow but the energy and weight is undeniable as the rusty sound bass groans under the pressure of it all. Serious system stuff, right here.

Review: Amit's AMAR imprint continues its consistent run of fresh 140 form with New Zealand dub-wiser Akcept. Easing us in with crisp keys, we're soon introduced to his spacious sense of groove and lean instrumentation as "Peace Pipe" lurks and lingers before a lavish horn sample hits midway. "The Streets" takes us further down Akcept's melodic rabbit hole as Clinton Sly spits and sermons over a more colourful version of the riddim. "Insight" takes the prize for heaviest dancefloor cut with a bouncing sub line that tramples with abandon beneath a flow of dubby FX and textures. Playful but ultimately deep and dark, these guys aren't mucking around.

Review: Barely a fortnight has passed since the gully Frenchman we know and love as Monsieur Von D shared an exceptional release with Egoless and already he's back. This time he's on Infernal Sounds, which is already proof of its quality - considering how selective and detail-oriented the label have been since launching two years ago. "Cross Of Hendaye" is a solid mechanical roller with heaps of human funk coded into the waspy bassline. "Remember" is a straight up homage to the early days with a sub that palpitates so heavily and tangibly your own heartbeat will sync within seconds. True to the craft.

Review: Following last year's celebration of his seminal "Pulse X", White Peach return to the don's small-but-perfectly formed vaults for an equally grand take on the legendary bounce-bass 4x4 cut from 2002. Short, sharp and such a joy to mix and cut, it remains just as crisp now as it did 14 years ago. But that's not to say a few contemporisations wouldn't go amiss... Hi5Ghost retains the depth plunge bass and 808 ricochet hits, Kahn & Neek throw in all the glitches and switches on their take while Astral Black's prize bang clapper brings SMS sexy back with his sub-heavy slight jukey version. Drink it up.

Review: Trusik aren't doing things by half: their launch release coaxed Tony Williams away from his Addison Groove project to bring Headhunter back from the ashes, now their second release (vinyl-only as standard) sees them coax the mysterious Ruffcut affiliate Tremble into the open. Naturally he's smashed it: "Too Much Terror" is a molten machine of funk and sci-fi signature whole "Bwoy" lowers the tempo temperature with a dancehall-inspired drum arrangement and dubby vocal textures. Both direct for the dance.

Review: A proper slice of history here: They Call Me Raptor (to use his full title) cooked these up over 10 years ago... Yet they still sound fresher than a lot of the competition today. Loosely swung, sample-rich and fearless in their drama and range, these will blow just as many minds now as they did when they first emerged on dub. Ranging from the eastern string badness of "Magic Circle" to the funk-riddled "Da Stooge" (which is more akin to hip-hop than grime), this really is premium gear. No formula adhered to, full character displayed - these are still ahead of their time now.

Review: Few crews are doing it quite as well as Boxed. Tapping down a real root note in their grime/beats fusions, each EP (and each party they host) knows when to keep it deep and when to really slap it out silly. This beautiful contrast can often be found within one tune. "Mashman Riddim", for example, warms up with swooning wavey synth textures before dropping into a riff that lives up to its name. Elsewhere the ubiquitous Mr Mitch pays respect to Burial, JT The Goon dusts off his flutes for an alien-charming drama session that could score the sequel to Braveheart while Sir Pixalot returns to his Newham Generals-endorsed "All In One" with a VIP that really does slap us about silly.

Review: Brand new label from Kadet P but you need to act fast... Only 150 of these puppies have been pressed and there's no promise of a repress. Deep Medi affiliate K Man ghosts on the A-side with all his phantom charm as "PWM" staggers and daggers between two crisp bass textures, both rising in urgency and groove throughout. Kadet takes the B with a deep-dreamy sub weave that's hazy and psychedelic one minute and tripped out beyond reality the next. This is how you do a label launch.