Bad Taste Recordings brings forth Kodin featuring Billain
Kodin (Eatbrain, Mindtech, Close 2 Death) comes from Croatia with some massively technical sounds. “Get Yourz” starts off with a simple pad and atmosphere. While simple it is a “pretty”sound. the pad then comes pitched up to build you up into the drop. This is where its at! The drop is bad ass. With deep, crunchy bass, and those chopped up vocals, this track is seriously NEURO funky. Throughout the track you get a sense of that neuron vibe. The from synth hits, filtered chords this A side certainly does the trick and is needed for your deep mind adventures.
Then there is this track… Oh my epicness! Billain and Kodin team up on the track “Exobiota.” This track is beautifully arranged. The intro has some epic dark anime style pads. You and I will agree that the intro pads and strings can be a stand alone track. The brass comes through so well. The intrigue continues with the synth in the break down to build up. The hoover style synth brings you in, pitching up, raising you into OBLIVION! “I’m seeing things” and BOOM the drop! Certainly noticeable, billion drums and fast has with a crunchy sampled bass line. We dig it. Epic track from the duo. You need this. Probably one of the greatest workout beats out there for sure.
Drum & Bass fans around the world are lucky to have their ears blessed with this various artists album on the famed label Critical Music. Critical who is known for their deep Drum & Bass releases with artists like Mefjus, Signal, Signs, Hyrogifics, and so many more amazing producers, does it so well with this Binary:Codes LP.
DNBMAGAPPROVED is certainly Subtension’s “Run for Rum” track. Not only is it a well engineered track, Subtension keeps us intrigued throughout the track and then drops some breakbeat switch up on the second drop! Amazing!
From the label:
“Binary is a platform for new and less established artists to release their music and to expose themselves to a wider audience. So far we have been the launch pad for acts such as Hyroglifics, Signal, Klax and more.
After 12 of our ‘Binary Presents’ releases we felt we should celebrate those acts in the underground on their way to making considerable waves by compiling this album. 13 tracks of cutting edge new music by a plethora of exciting new producers.
We hope you are as excited about the future as we are!” Kasra 2016
Listen to the release below and visit Critical Music here.
L Double’sFlex Records brings it big this time with releasing a fantastic release of immense proportions. The label that hails from UK got a group of artists and signed some of their best tracks for an good ol’ All American party! We were excited to hear about this from its conception. This gave an opportunity for these artist to mingle and grow as producers. It also shows what is to come in the future of American Drum & Bass. The land of the free and the home of the bass!
Lets be real here. I’m biased and I think my tracks on the LP are the best. HA! But in all honesty I had to choose my top 5 from the plethora of talent that comes through this EP.
DNBMAGAPPROVED
Glitch
#1 is the intro track Glitch & Pish Posh “Before Adam.” This is what neurofunk is all about. The track brings you back to the days of Kemal, Rob Data, etc. The erie atmospheres, stabbing filtered synths, tight bass stabs and smooth neuro drums hit so well on a big system.
Space Journey
#2 is Space Journey’s “Arcturi.” While I wish the track was a little meatier in the midrange the drop wobble is so sick! The switch
is so much better! That switch hits super fast with the synth stabs flying you through the maze of bass! Great track if I do say so myself. And… I am. *wink*
#3 is Pish Posh “Programmed to Ignite.” This track was certainly programmed for something. That neck breaking grunge facing neuro crunker standing in the middle of the dance floor not giving 2 f*%ks about anyone else. Deep into the beat and the bass line.
Liminal
#4 is from the one we know as Liminal and his track “Frozen.” The offbeat amen style drums, the baseline, and that smooth vocal takes this track home. Gotta love this liquid sound here. Fantastic mix down and just an over all feel good track.
#5 and certainly not least is The Burner Brothers & Liminal with this AMAZING track called “Good Life.” This track speaks for itself… You need to get in if you haven’t yet.
A major shout out to all Artists involved. Pish Posh , The Burner Brothers , Space Journey , Liminal & Bengal ,NoizeKomplaint , Mixed Media & iIl Omen, HammerZz & Glitch.
The Prodigy - The Day is My Enemy (Bad Company Remix)
Bad Company is slowly making their way back
The name that we all know in the Drum & Bass scene has attached itself to a new remix this year. Bad Company UK is known for some nasty music. They delivered us The Bridge, Dogfight, Bullet Time which was later remixed by Spor, and the all time classic Tech Step track The Nine. Just recently they have reemerged and gave us a free download in the tune “Equilibrium.” They have also come out with their second public track and its a remix of a track by one of my personal favorite groups of all time, The Prodigy.
The Day is My Enemy is the title track from the Prodigy album released in 2015. The remix by the UK based group is defiantly a good one. Its a bit reminiscent to old school RAM during the pendulum and Suib Focus days but certainly is a great track to drop in a mix or on the dance floor. All respect to the pioneers of Tech Step, Bad Company is coming back! Check out the track and the buy link below.
Current Value and the team come from the Othercide
We have been fans of Current Value for something. Every release comes through correct and original. His style is by far one of the most unique while maintaining energy, craft, and the engineering is just on point. Tim (Current Value) is certainly a machine in human disguise. He churns out tunes like McDonald’s churns out hamburgers. Except his tunes are far tastier and healthy for the Drum & Bass soul. Heavy bass, crunchy beats is what current value and this EP “Rethink” is no different or is it..
This artist was known in the past for heavy drums, sick bass, and you know what? Nothing has changed but the sub-genre is now Neurofunk. We are certainly welcoming it! With projects like MachineCode and releases on Critical, Blackout, & Eatbrain, CV is a true musician who’s found his calling in Drum & Bass. Othercide Records was on the same page and they took on an amazing rendition of music with great remixes to boot.
Is Rethink one of the best of 2016? YES!
This release allows you to literally take a step back and re-analyze what Drum & Bass is, was and will be. This artist is truly brings you back with some awesome pads, atmospheres, synths, to the days of circa 2004 but gives you these gut wrenching baselines. The sounds this man creates can be considered circa 2030. Some of the bass sounds make me think of movies like Space Odyssey or Tron and the kind of music those movies should’ve had.
This Rethink release has interesting points to be touched on. First is the track “The Deep” which can bring you back to older Current Value music from labels like as Position Chrome and Section 8. I was interested to hear this experimental sound and the touching back on those metallic drums I was always waiting to hear. The atmosphere given my this track is erie to say the least but at the same time you feel like you’re on a floating pixelated cloud that continuously glitches and changes with every effect going on. It’s an interesting take compared to the slammers on this release.
CV and his Amazing Friends!
Current Value and Othercide bring in their friends. Billain who is well known for extremely fast beats, crazy bass, and
immense sound design remixes the title track “Rethink.” Now, I must say it can’t touch the title track but Billain does the tune justice! This is one of the few tracks Billain has written where you and hear some emotion in the tune. Billain is known to put forth Robot Drum & Bass and the synths in this one are a bit different. It’s still a “Billain” track, though! Fast, Hard, Snappy, and the switch up and effects used throughout are so awesome! Next are the Signs remix of Serum X and Dean Rodell’s remix of Capsule. Both were done extremely well!
CV rocks it the hardest however with the title track. “Rethink” is that tear out Drum & Bass we all love to crank out to on the dance floor. We won’t talk much about it. This track speaks for itself! Don’t take our word for it. Listen. Then pre-order!
We are certainly proud of Misanthrop releasing his self titled album on one of my favorite labels, Neosignal. Neosignal has released amazing music and it keeps getting better. We are certainly impressed with the recent album. The album has some crazy sick dance floor tear out, minimal funk, white noise music great for an anime movie’s ambience with “The Funk.”
Our Favorite from this release however is “Infinite Hysteria.” Oh my god, what an “epicly” amazing track. The pitch drop off key synth is grand and the track name certainly fits the intensity inside the drop. Check out the album below!
We are so excited to receive this one from Infectious PR. The technoid-funk-heads at Neodigital bring you some straight techno influenced music. I have been waiting for this EP for sometime now. Since Neodigital dropped the Current Value – Approximation clip on their soundcloud, we were left on a cliff hanger dangling from our forefinger, breathing heavy, looking down below at the jagged rocks. As the finger lets go we are swept up by a giant robotic dragon! Its breathing fire and spewing it through its exhausts as we dive into a wormhole. Listening through this EP brings you to a “Tron” like universe, pixelated and out of control. The grid is folding upon us and there is no escape!
Man this EP is crazy. Phace, Signs, Stoner, Hybris, Current Value all on one EP. Is it Christmas already!?
If you have not picked this thing up yet, you must. Its without a doubt one of the craziest EPs this year. Our favorite tune of the EP is Signs – “Black Mirror.” Definitely not the “hypest” track on the EP but that triplet singing pitched dropped sample is so dope! Listen and buy now!
We were blessed once again with a promo. Shout out to Eatbrain, Terminal, and Promo.ly for the hook up. I have been waiting for this LP for sometime. The Mechtropolis Sampler definitely has one of my favorite tracks to date, Speaker. The MachineCode duo consists of Dean Rodell & Current Value. This tag team has put forth consistent quality Drum & Bass since there conception. The LP Sampler released earlier this year was certainly a taste of what was to come. Read that review here.
Now, in our review we touched on the feeling we were left with when listening to the release. The feeling of needing more. Ever feel like your meal was great but the food was not enough? Kind of like Kentucky Fried Chicken. Tastes great but not filling. We were left loving “Speaker” from that release but wanting more.
Did we get what we wanted?
The LP drops 9/5/2016. We had a chance to listen to this album and did so 4 times in a row. We wanted to give this one a fair shot and we’ll tell you why. There are some situations that require a second chance. We all love new technology! We’re always waiting for the latest smartphone, the next ribbon tweeter, or the newest midi controller. When we get a hint of whats to come we paint an image in our heads of how awesome its going to be. Then the newest iPhone drops and you look at it and its just like the one you just bought. We almost felt the Mechtropolis LP was the same at first listen…
And then I realized, I’m on laptop speakers, my kids, TV was going, the fan was on, and I’m cleaning my room looking like Aunt Jemima. What the [expletive] am I doing?! I laughed and I headed to my studio to give proper attention to what I found to be an amazing LP. Had to give a proper listen on my Adams.
MachineCode – Mechtropis LP
The Delivery
MC Coppa
I sat through the album another 3 times as I cleaned up the studio. Boy, some of these tracks were so sick. The album starts off with “Imagine” featuring the famed MC Coppa. This one features some great effects, high pitched vocals, and kind of reminds me of Karl K, Kaos, and Jae Kennedy and some other releases from circa 2005. Great intro track to kick off this LP.
They I was brought in to the world of Mechtropolis. A neo-dystopian society run by machines. Somewhat reminded me of Aeon Flux or The Animatrix Renaissance Part 1. The intro lets you in with great atmosphere and pads. Then the that Eatbrain style synth and the AWESOME vocal sample. “There once was a species called Human Being.” This took me in and then the drop was so deep. Now, this is not your romper stomper of a track that meant to make the dance floor jump up and down blowing whistles. This is a mind track. The synths and the effects that continously grow in the tracking wrapped in tight drum hits and a whisper by a sweep white noise / ride effect just keep it all going deep.
We dig it for sure but our “Ooooh” Moment was when we listened to “Skaro”. This is by far the best track on the release. Every track on this album was crafted with precision and we will certainly rep this album as a featured release on DNB Mag.
Have a listen below. Link to the sites to buy the release when it drops!
MachineCode comes through.
