Although I’ve been fairly quiet on the blog this month, that doesn’t mean some fire hasn’t been unleashed! Once again (and for the final time) ‘Bandcamp Friday’ came through, enabling producers to fire out some fresh material themselves and benefit to the fullest extent. However with that said, some of my favourite labels still came through with the good stuff…
SWR – Square Soulja EP (IFS022)
Continuing the imprint’s unstoppable hot streak, Infernal Sounds welcomed SWR to the label for a wild four track ride entitled ‘Square Soulja‘ EP. Following up on his debut release on Bristol’s Cocobolo Sound earlier this year, the Londoner put on a creative masterclass, digging into a goody bag of unique sampling and ear worm inducing leads. Greeted with the rough and tough ‘Square Soulja‘ with it’s piercing lead, distorted trap-esque chants and killer flow, SWR continues the 808 assault with one of my favourites ‘Vertigo‘ and the wet and wild sounds of ‘Cypher Zero’. The low frequency loaded, sample processing masterclass reaches it’s climax when SWR ditches the 808s for a more full bodied bass-line on ‘Isshin’s Theme‘ and plays with a plethora of textures and sounds, most notably taken from the famous Sekiro video games.
Lord Jabu – El Molino EP (LOCUSV002)
Lord Jabu, another expressive producer ingenious with his sampling and sound palettes, made his mark on the ever growing Locus Sound label for the imprint’s second vinyl release. ‘El Molino’ EP features three of Jabu‘s toughest tracks to date, but still with that vibrancy we’ve come to expect from the London based producer. From the characteristically animated and bright chimes of ‘El Molino‘, Lord Jabu turns to the dark side for the rough ‘n tough stomper that is ‘Swarm’ and my favourite of the three ‘Buccaneer‘, with it’s super gritty and murky bass-line doing the damage, alongside a zany melody and super slick drum fills.
Gisaza – Ali Baba’s Dub EP
I’m certain that the mysterious Gisaza hasn’t put out a bad tune yet and doesn’t show any signs of doing so, particularly after this latest self released masterpiece, ‘Ali Baba’s Dub‘ EP. The Slovenian delivers four tracks of heavyweight, razor sharp material, curating more stunning adventures across his far reaching deep Dubstep soundscapes. Following the energising eastern flutes of ‘Nabuja‘, Gisaza goes dub-wise for a meditative stripped back trip ‘Joko’s Call’. Things are kept minimal for the wavy ‘Serpentine‘ before going back to Gisaza‘s mystical lands on the title track ‘Ali Baba’s Dub’, with another beautifully eerie flute lead and neck breaking bouncy bass-weight.
Sepia – Sanctuary EP (BDMN008)
If an entire album wasn’t enough last month, one of Dubstep’s brightest names Sepia let one of his biggest tunes loose courtesy of Badman Studios. Alongside the vivid, twisted sounds of ‘Sanctuary‘, we’re also treated to three of Sepia‘s more aggressive, sound system shakers including the massive ‘Step Back‘ with crazy mid-range textures and destructive low end flow.
Ninety – Ambi EP (UNTD003)
Thanks to this EP right here, Russian producer ‘Ninety‘ has immediately become on of my favourite upcoming names. Courtesy of Russian label ‘UNITED‘, Ninety flexes his low frequency capabilities across four unmissable tracks. Right on the nose of my current tastes, Ninety comes in with the haunted ‘Ambi‘, a dizzying combination of undulating, bone crushing subs and ominous sampling. He continues to flex his instrumental and sampling prowess on the string heavy ‘Silk’ before falling into a classically dark sound system stomper, ‘Grace‘. However Ninety concludes with the most energetic cut of the four with ‘Negative‘, lead by a massive distorted flute, angrily shrieking to the end.
Retina – Dusted EP (FAV016)
Denver’s Retina brought four dark dance floor heaters to the always diversifying Foundation Audio for ‘Dusted‘ EP. From the chaotic 4×4 body mover ‘Dusted’, Retina continues to shake the foundations on the spooky eyes down belter ‘Nameless and Nothing‘ with it’s creepy plucks and hollering crows. The B-side opener ‘No Fear I‘ has been a long time coming and certainly my pick of the bunch. A chest rattling, suffocating roller with some amazing low end movements. Retina‘s tribute to the old school ‘If Not The Orb‘ concludes this top tier EP and one of my favourites to land on FA.
Here’s some more of what I’ve been feeling this month…
Constrict – Geng EP (CNCPT010)
Brighton’s Constrict briefly dips his toes into some 140 madness for a couple of meaty tunes on ‘Geng‘ EP, before demonstrating his bread and butter at a quicker pace for the closing skanker, ‘10 Below‘.
7Kidz – Execution EP
Long time friend of the blog 7Kidz came through with a trio of bangers for his highest profile release to date on rising imprint Overdue. If you’re new to the Belgian’s beats, expect slick, creative percussion and infectious rhythms.
Kaiju – MEDI111
No intro necessary, the legendary Kaiju unleashed two massive dubs on the equally legendary Deep Medi. As always, a couple of tunes that should come with an earthquake warning.
Nova – Noughts & Crosses EP (DOD004)
The young and talented Nova enjoyed a release for his big ‘Noughts & Crosses‘ tune on Dread or Dead Records, alongside a couple of supercharged remixes by Japan’s Dayzero and Repulsion representing the US.
Free downloads…
Blazid – Communicator Dub
Gnasha – Glaze
Max Profit – Calm (Zygos Remix)
As mentioned before, July has been a little quieter than usual on Honey & Bass, after all, this is a one man blog and these things happen! However with that said, check out the couple of releases that did feature on The Weekly Buzz this month.
The rising Teffa debuted on the flawless Hotplates Recordings with two characteristically heavy tunes. Check out HOTPLATES006 here.
Fledgling Bristol imprint Foto Sounds brought not only a new name to the label but also this to blog and my own digital collection. DBL Negative made his presence felt with ‘Come Correct‘ EP. Check it out here.
Big shouts to all the artists and labels featured on this edition of The Hive and especially to you for taking the time to check out my recommendations!
– Tom