Tag: santoku

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Go Nen LP – 5 Yrs!

Go Nen LP
Go Nen LP

Santoku Records Go Nen LP is Drum & Bass at it’s finest

2017 marks the five year anniversary for Santoku, a definitive label for not just the US drum & bass scene but also globally. They pride themselves on being a platform for both European and American talent, which is exactly what their Go Nen album sampler presents with each of the unique sonic cuts displayed on its track listing. With records from Diode, dLo, Mean Teeth, Kodin, Horde and Hajimari, you’re pulled into a colour-wheel of musicality from start to finish. And lead by label-head honcho Logam, who appears alongside M.Justa, it’s no surprise that Santoku has already manifested a stellar reputation in under a decade.

Diode’s ‘Heinous’ begins the album, with a foreboding intro which suddenly chops and changes whilst catapulting you down a chasm of spitting beats. Each rumbling bass note pulls you in further, leaving you gasping for breath beneath its weight. Veteran producer dLo from Austin [Texas] adds his track ‘Clapback’, with the same passion, technical skills and keen ear which has pushed Santoku into the forefront recently, alongside snapping percussion and a guttural bassline. Then comes Mean Teeth’s ‘Time Shift’, presenting why they’re such hotly tipped newcomers and pushing forward on segments of crushing LFO. Logam and M.Justa delivers their collaboration ‘Dream Catcher’, a more ethereal liquid offering with a steppy melody which weaves itself throughout the mix. Kodin’s ‘Pillow Puncher’ steps up next, crashing forward on old-school breakdowns and snapping drum patterns which become more and more incessant with every beat loop. Horde’s ‘Concession’ is just as ominous, with a ticking intro that gradually winds further and further into minimalistic, snapping layers of sound. And lastly, Hajimari draws for ‘Get Lost’, featuring the vocal overtones of Cluda, throwing up an ingenuity which ruminates throughout the entirety of Santoku’s back catalogue.

As a collection, the Go Nen album is the perfect way to immortalise Santoku’s legacy. With every release they’ve unleashed this year, they’ve made more and more of an impact and the Go Nen LP is their final word for this year. Into their sixth year, they’ll continue to be an independent who pushes the boundaries whilst still catering to a huge array of tastes.

 

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iluvdrumandbass We all Love It!

iluvdrumandbass
iluvdrumandbass

iluvdrumandbass is the bee’s knees!

Whoa! So over the past few days, a wave of community has surged online. Several pioneers and drivers of the Drum & Bass sound got together and discussed the importance of reaching out on social media platforms. They are absolutely correct. All of the fans of Drum & Bass are certainly biased that the sound is amazing. However, one of the problems our sound has is the lack of viewership of the average listener. This has held us back and has kept our business from growing as big as other top level genres. Some factors have pushed us to the back of the room and seclude us from the rest of the club music seen. We simply don’t have a public “visual” look to show how professional our sound is. We have let our rebellious hard heads stay in the raver attire we grew up with. This, along with, drugs within “rave” culture (as portrayed by the media), has made all people steer clear of our scene and dub our sound “techno.” Which angers me btw! And now to the birth of iluvdrumandbass.

I’ve said this needed to be changed for ever ago. But to this day, it hasn’t, for everyone outside of England, anyway. But times are changing and the artists are using the limitless power of the world wide web to create a community where we de-segragate our sub genres and have one full playlist where all labels and artists will have the chance to be heard. Check out the latest from labels such as RAM, Hospital, Technique, Viper, Breakbeat Kaos, Formation & Playaz’s, Liquicity, Eatbrain, Critical, Santoku and more!

Check out Spotify’s newest Drum & Bass playlist I ❤ DRUM & BASS here.

I ❤ DRUM & BASS represents an unprecedented act of unity and a coming together of Drum & Bass labels from all over the world. An acknowledgement of the genre’s diversity and multifaceted strengths by creating a definitive musical resource, a constantly updated playlist from all the scenes label’s and artists.

Spanning all sub-genres and being inclusive of all participating labels and artists ranging from RAM, Hospital, Technique, Viper, Breakbeat Kaos, Formation & Playaz’s, Liquicity, Eatbrain, Exit and Critical.. and that’s just for starters!

The concept emerged in October 2017 on a special message board originally set up to celebrate Grooverider’s birthday, with DJ Fresh sparking a conversation about the importance of adapting to and embracing streaming platforms. This line of thinking inspired Simon Bassline Smith to come up with the concept of a definitive drum & bass playlist for everyone’s music to feature on as soon as it’s released. A playlist with all forms of drum & bass from across the globe, self-organised by the scene itself and curated by the labels, with each label picking 1 track per week to be included.

A project with no political or corporate agenda, that exists purely to provide a home for the sounds of this global movement. A place where fans of the genre can explore the diverse sonic landscape of the music they love, or for those who want to explore the genre to immediately have access to the full spectrum. Without the bias of major label ownership and curation.

Driven by the strength of the idea, soon a core following of Dan (DJ Fresh), Simon Bassline Smith, Mickey Finn, Grooverider, Brendan Futurebound and DJ SS excitedly invited label heads from all over the world into a telegram chat room and I ❤ Drum & Bass was born.

Hundreds of players and labels have come together and committed to the concept from across the scene to bring you a place where the latest music is added daily by all the labels and artists you love. Including long-running institutions, hype and fresh labels and also niche imprints. Even unsigned releases and Drum & Bass releases from outside the traditional Drum & Bass labels are represented.

I ❤ Drum & Bass represents an evolving attitude in one of the most consistent and present genres of club music, bringing a new unity and energy to the table that’s set to invigorate the genre and inspire the world of music.

We need your help to spread the word. So please get on Facebook / Twitter/ Instagram / Snapchat and help us spread the message #iluvdrumandbass

I ❤ Drum & Bass is at…  http://bit.ly/iluvdrumandbass

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Featured Releases Neurofunk Techstep

Santoku cutting through the scene with the nastiness!

Space Journey
Space Journey "Disassemble" EP Santoku Reccords

Space-Journey-Head-Shot-RightOne of USA’s most respectable labels run by Ram Records artist, Logam, just released an EP by Space Journey on the Santoku Records imprint. Space Journey has been on a roll this year releasing with labels such as Warfare, Schedule One, Close 2 Death, and Abducted LTD reaching top 100 and dj charts around. This EP however should bring the artist further into the Drum & Bass seen. Santoku is known for putting out quality Drum & Bass such as artists Gridlok, Mayhem, Trei, Eatbrain’s Jade, Aggressor Bunx, and more.

Aeon is a perfect realisation of this – a slowly building tune which expands at the drop, firing lazers into the future with a combination of pulsating drums and eerie, echoing synths. The bass is bad, bad, bad, deep, dark and heavy. The track moves through, highlighting the single-minded approach that Space Journey takes, ramping back up at the end for a killer finish. Likewise the title cut, which explodes into life quickly, echoing the march of some supersonic race of robots. Here, the low end crunches into your speakers, burning a hole in your set before you even realise. Bounce and break along to the beats, you won’t be disappointed as your mind and soul get Disassembled.

Jump on the Motorcycle for the third track, a rapid trip into the future which incorporates elements of electro along with the nasty sounding neurofunk. Plenty of pace and acceleration mark this one out, as it rides along on a highway of vicious synth stabs and understated beats. Closing things out is The Lost, a fitting culmination to the EP. Voyage through realms of artificial intelligence, with military beats, echoing basslines and a sharp, coruscating atmosphere. Space Journey is clearly a name to watch despite being relatively new, and the Disassemble EP is the start of something very big.

 

 

https://soundcloud.com/spacejourneyofficial/sets/space-journey-disassemble-ep