It’s been tough to fit in all the fantastic releases from the last month. There’s been so many great high quality releases across the spectrum, but these are some of the records I’ve enjoyed most!
Phossa – FKOFd037
There’s no doubt Phossa is going to be a regular on the blog for months to come. The Bristol bad boy has already contributed one of my favourite EPs of the year thus far with ‘Buried‘, his collaboration with Glume on White Peach Records, and there’s plenty more to come from those two. However this month he went solo on FatKidOnFire (barring a solid collab with 3WA) with four equally superb tracks. From the trippy ‘Stygian’ to the weighty otherwordly sounds of ‘Drones’, there’s plenty of gear on this one to satisfy my Phossa addiction I’ve developed over the last few months.
Rygby – Dubplates Vol.3 (DUPLOCV003)
DUPLOC‘s fledgling vinyl project ‘Dubplates‘ is quickly becoming one of those must collect lines of releases. From Hebbe to Ternion Sound, the label has made sure to go for the best of the best and there was certainley no drop in quality for the third instalment as Rygby took the reigns. For Volume Three, Rygby brought four of his finest productions, utilising his vibrant and varied sound palettes that he’s become known for. His beats packed with character!
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Kahter – GS009
I thoroughly enjoyed Glome Sound‘s previous contribution from Soukah last month where the mysterious sound-smith brought his dark gloomy sounds to the dance floor. For the next instalment on the Ohio based label, Bristol’s very own Kahter brought his sounds to the label, where again we were treated to another lovely blend of dubstep and techno, perfect for the club. And yes, that’s three super talented Bristol producers in a row on this months Hive, jheeeez!
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A:Grade – Flavours Part 2 (UA032)
Seven‘s ‘Uprise Audio‘ label seems to have gone under a little revamp going into 2019, having gone somewhat quieter towards the latter stages of 2018 by their standards. From Kyrist debuting on the label last month putting her 140 productions on the map as well as putting UA back on the map, label roster resident A:Grade returned with ‘Flavours Part 2‘, a follow up to his EP early last year. Similar to his previous EP on Uprise, A:Grade has made sure to keep the productions fresh and varied; militant business on ‘No Drama‘, minimalist structures on ‘Samurai‘ and an absolute rough and tough face melter with ‘Stop It’, a collaborative track with Koma and my favourite on the EP.
Various Artists – Wakkusu (CNCPTV001)
We go back to Bristol once again for this release, where Bristol label and collective CNCPT Collective brought its highly anticipated vinyl only compilation record featuring a plethora of talented producers. Some of them in my opinion, the best in the game right now. Cartridge, Chad Dubz, Rygby, Chokez, Glume, Koma, The Greys and Sepia all feature on this one with eight incredible tunes. My picks? I’ve been reaching for Glume‘s ‘Pyre’ and Sepia‘s super dark and spacey ‘Anubis‘.
Here’s some more releases I’ve been feeling this month –
Icicle – Raising The Dead (SEN009)
Of course Icicle needs no introduction. Now considered a veteran, he conquered the drum and bass scene long ago whilst dipping into a bit of 140. He headed back for the dubstep this month with a four track EP on Sentry Records.
Mystic State – Mahdi EP (ARTKL039)
Known for their deep atmospheric productions, dubstep duo Mystic State debuted on the prolific Artikal Music with their best yet. ‘Mahdi EP‘ features three deep, powerful foundation shaking tunes.
DubApe – ENV041
It seems DubApe has been on somewhat of a journey over recent years. From producing as a duo to going it alone, the Austrian producer switched from predominantly 140 orientated music to drum and bass successfully and notched up a few high quality releases in the process. However, over the period of the last twelve months, he’s stepped back into his natural surroundings, creating 140 bangers and appearing on Deep Dark & Dangerous plus RDG‘s label Surfase Records. Now, for his first release of the year, he brought a heavy four track ep on the relentless Encrypted Audio.
Sensi – Flare (CNCPT004)
Sensi had a tough act to follow with his new EP on CNCPT Collective following that big compilation record mentioned previously. However I think he managed it with these four dynamic tunes. If you like you beats deep and bass driven with a perfect blend of trap drums and melodies, this one is for you.
Hebbe – Appeal/Culcha (DUBSGALORE003)
Hebbe showed off his versatility once again this month, moving away from the contemporary productions to some roots and culture vibes with two dub wise tracks on wax, courtesy of little known label Dubs Galore.
DE-TU – Tried By Tu/Waiting For Jah (IFSXXX002)
Another vinyl only two tracker came from Bristol duo De-Tu with two of their most sought after dubs ‘Tried By Tu‘ and ‘Waiting For Jah‘, courtesy of Infernal Sounds.
My free download picks from this month –
Mungk – Kol Hawa (SUBAF08)
Malleus x Rae Sremmurd – She Taught Me How To Swang
Ternion Sound – Tin Shack
Raptor – Structure (SGDNF059)
As always, don’t forget the Weekly Buzz!
This month began with Austrian producer Gnischrew putting out a wicked three track EP ‘Malheur‘ on Indigo Movement. Read more here.
The following saw the one and only Samba debut on the mighty Deep Dark & Dangerous where ‘Kings‘ finally got the high profile release it deserves. Check it out here.
Another man at the top of his game, Opus, also debuted on a prolific label this month. ‘Crumble EP‘ features three mammoth tracks available now on Chestplate. More info available here.
And finally, we started with an Austrian heavyweight and now finish in similar fashion with Vienna’s Sedan who debuted on Manchester label Locus Sound. Read more about LOCUS009 here.
Big shouts to all the artists and labels who featured on this months edition of The Hive and especially to you for taking the time to check out my recommendations this month!
– Tom