Whether it’s drum & bass or any form of dubstep, Norman Foreman have remained open minded and all encompassing since it’s inception in 2021. However for their next project, the New Zealand label sets it’s sights on the roster’s 140 capabilities by producing a short compilation, consisting of four huge tracks by four emerging NZ talents. Today I have the pleasure of presenting a track from ‘Radio Crimes Vol. 1‘ by label mainstay Chunga, with his mighty contribution, ‘Survival Mode‘.
The track list begins with a rare dubstep piece from Phrase, one of the more established producers on the project. Known more for his deep and wavy dnb and invigorating bootlegs, Phrase brings his multifaceted sounds into the 140 sphere on ‘Levels‘, offering a thunderous dose of growling reese bass pressure that vividly sets the darker tone running throughout this project.
The lesser known but equally impressive Kakuza relishes in the cold and moody atmospheres of ‘Memory Extraction‘, before today’s premiere from Chunga replicates the darkness in an even beefier setting on ‘Survival Mode‘. Similar to Phrase, Chunga‘s dnb prowess shines in the 140 space, constantly adding texture and meat to the rattling bass bones and thumping bass tones. And finally we’re punched in the face by ‘Walker‘, a pure skank face production from Burningbush. It’s a classic gun finger slinger piece reminiscent of recent heaters like Hamdi‘s ‘Skanka‘ or Wraz‘s ‘Wraith‘, where only a filthy oscillating bassline and crashing percs are necessary for this rave friendly finale.
‘Radio Crimes’ is not only a true representation of the burgeoning scene that’s come alight on the islands of New Zealand, but also expresses the untapped potential of foreign-genre producers yet to express their 140 abilities. And it’s thanks to platforms like Norman Foreman who shows that ingenuity is out there and it only takes a little encouragement and awesome compilation projects like this for them to come out of the shadows.
‘Radio Crimes Vol. 1‘ is out 28/04/2023 and available to download from the Norman Foreman Bandcamp.
Check out Chunga on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out Norman Foreman on Soundcloud and Instagram.