Juno Recommends Dubstep April 2021

Review: Mancunian Walton heads to Munich label Ilian Tape for anther of his cutting edge EPs. No stranger to esteemed labels like Hyperdub and Techtonic, this soundsmith once again draws on ambient, techno, bass and IDM across six immersive and cinematic tracks. The first two are largely wide open, cavernous, ambient affairs in which to allow your mind to wander. The inventive rhythms and powerful drums then arrive on 'Dread II' and remain throughout the skittish synth energy of 'Rewind Riddim' and automated factory floor sounds of 'Overload Destruction.' 'Unknown Territories' ends on a more far gazing vibe with pensive pads over scattered kicks.

Review: Artikal Music outta France continues on its devastating bass mission with this crucial new 10" from Monty with hype work from T Man. It's a true school dubstep cut with earth rumbling kicks and wubbing bass cocooning you in sound from deep down below. A mad saw tooth synth rides up and down the scale to ensure utter dance floor carnage and with the vocal work up top adding extra fire, this is a sure fire winner. The Mystic State remix is more deep and smooth with slick rhymes making for a more grimy vibe.

Review: Japanese dubstep don Goth-Trad (real name Takeaki Maruyama) is back on Deep Medi for the first time in six years. Those who like the more abstract, intense, noisy, full-throttle and experimental end of his sound will love the new VIP reboot of 2012 single 'Airhead'. It's little less than an assault on these senses full of laser-gun electronics, vibrating motifs, machine-gun bass and industrial-strength beats, all whipped together into a frenzy of intensity. In contrast, flipside 'Apes' is deep, weighty and dubby, with foghorn tones and what sound like woodwind instrument samples teasing in a classy deep dubstep groove.

Review: 1985 is a platform for forward thinking electronic music, basing its roots in the 170/85 BPM range and beyond, that has dispatched previous missives from the likes of Monty, Fracture and veteran Alix Perez. Their latest comes from ascendant young Bristolian Drone and it has a fitting title: Evil Sky. From the murky low end theory of the title track, to the deep dubstep of 'Back & Forth' and the dark industrial grime of 'M416' with its seething subterranean energy - the stuff of nightmares never sounded so good!

Review: South London label GD4YA is really marking itself as the best of the best in the current garage scene. It is keep up a high quality, high rate of release here with another doozy, this time from Karma, aka deep dubstep explorer Corin Bornoff,.Now turning his hand to garage, he brings plenty of low end know how, laying down bulbous and cavernous drums and bass and overlaying them with skeletal metallic percussion that gets you on your toes. These are robust, muscular tunes that are all about making you move your body. The El-B remix is, as always, a killer addition.

Review: Now this is a powerful collection of talents and dons right here... OG grime MC 9er from Macabre Unit dusts off his mic to get real over some cold, cold rhythms from no-rules basssmith Nomine and jungle don Digital. The result is two tonne iceberg waiting to trickle down your ears. Stay spinning for more coldness; Slimzee & Boylan get busy with the breaks in a way only they know how, OG Macabre Unit member Nurve brings pure bassline science before Digital tags back in with DK for a solemn but jazzy trek. Concentrate.

Review: J:Kenzo is Jay Fairbrass, a DJ/Producer from Kent, that many followers of Artikal Music would be well familiar with, in addition to releases on 31 Records, Infernal Sounds and Tempa. He's back with an self-released one here titled Ruffhouse VIP. The first version on side A is deeply hypnotic and dub-laden tackle done proper. More underground sound awaits on the flip, with the second version featuring more meditative rhythms and immersive bass frequencies transmitted in typically heady fashion.

Review: The Widdler is based in Austin, Texas, but was born in Tel Aviv and is rightfully recognised as an innovator and originator of the dub sound. He takes cues from wobbling low ends and more relaxed dub, menacing bass throbs and pressurised percussion and always spits out his own unique sounding and essential cuts. And here are four more, with 'Triton' lurching on vast kicks and twisted basslines, 'Listen To The Sound' bringing some warrior horns as well as LFO madness and 'Remember When' popping off with tinny cowbells up high and watery bass oceans way down low. 'Lifeless' gets you in a hypnotised state with its eerie keys and meandering leads.

Review: From cor blimey to core nuclear reactor; Mean Streets continue their Trilogy collection with a second volume of gully comprising two more vibes from the left side. Donnie Kromestar starts the skirmish with his devastating heavyweight bash-about 'Dancehall' while P Jam & Dok flip the experience in the B with 'Funky Nandos'. A springy slice of broken beat with jazzy shimmers and cheery organs, it takes you back to Plastic People even if you didn't get to go there back in the day. Street talk.

Review: Juss B is Torrey Thomas, a producer based in Long Beach, California with releases on Uprise Audio, CPA and FatKidOnFire. He's got a new one out this week on Belgium's Duploc, the 'leading tastemakers for real dubstep' with some Stateside low end theories on the label's 42nd release. Features the Ourman remix of Sandman, which is said to be highly anticipated and we can see why - definitely some deep hypnotic vibes on this one! Elsewhere, there's the roaring bass exploitations of 'Burn This' and the bass bin destruction of 'Make It Rain' which altogether represent the standard of quality that's so prevalent on the west coast at present.

Review: Yoofee makes a big impression with his debut on Albion Collective. He is known as a rule break and rhythmic innovator and that plays out form the off. 'Seek & Move' is a dark, focussed, devastating cut with wooden hits and prickly fills over jerking beat frameworks. A female vocal is the only source of humanity in an otherwise alien world. 'Jankar' builds the pressure with insistent drum work and stark claps next to alarming synth screams that make for spring loaded progressions. The Berlin-based jazz musician closes down with 'Make You Believe', a more musical vibe with organic pianos brining plaintive moods over a shimmering and shuffling rhyme.

Review: Fresh from missives on Red Lagoon, Tribe 12 Music, ENGZ and Plantpower, Nova brings his unique brand of melodious, ultra-deep bass science to Romulus. He hits the ground opening with essential opener 'Ghosted', a collaboration with Saule that adds chopped spoken word samples and chiming, music box style melodies to a rolling dubstep beat and pulsing sub-bass. 'Glisten' adds more undulating, ear-catching synth sounds to a faster and arguably even weightier beat, while 'Win U Back' is ghostly, chunky and heavy in the best possible way. Remix-wise, we're particularly impressed by Meddem's rework of 'Win U Back', which alternates between heady ambient sections and deep, crunchy dubstep grooves.

Review: These precision cuts from Monotronique are engineered to perfection for maximum dance floor devastation. The Ukrainian opens up with 'Incoming Signal', an eerily sparse conception with earth shattering kick drums, jittery hi hats and dystopian sci-fi effects that keep you locked right in. 'Spiral Mind' then layers up broken beats and more coarse percussive textures with a distant but funky hi hat and more withering chord work. On the flip, Pugilist offers a remix designed for wrecking heads and shaking backsides, and 'Gaunt' layers up experimental loops, textures and malfunctioning machine sounds into a darkly atmospheric number.

Review: Following up some promising releases for the likes of Stern Plates, Albion Collective and Locus Sound, Lord Jabu is back with the Formality EP on Kirbstomp & Sepia's Hotplates Records. On the A side, we have the kushed-out, bass-driven hypnotism of the title track, which is exactly the kind of street sound dub that we like. On the flip, the quirky and psychedelic 'Ancient Mariner' will entrance you with its creepy vocal and warbling melody, which lurk around an infectious guitar solo sample - and really gives the track its magic.

Review: For his newest album, the highly rated Flux Pavilion has put together some of his best and most intricate work yet. It is meticulously crafted, multi-genre tackle that hits you in multiple ways - devastating bass, over-sized kicks and heavy lurching grooves, but also delicate synths and dreamy guitar riffs next to airy textures and well treated vocals. All this helps make it more widely appealing record that covers all contemporary bases with the artists own special glistening and gleeming touch. Flux himself recently said he is "no longer a dubstep person, it feels right to move on" and this is a step in the right direction.