Tuff Culture – Circles

Despite something of a revival of late, the TIWWD inbox isn't troubled by as much UKG as I might like… so to get a whole album of the stuff that's as good as this, is something of a rare treat.

There are ten tracks here, that between them take in most shades of garage music the UK has ever produced. I Wanna Hold You is a jerky, twitchy 2-step number with cut-up vox inna Todd Edwards stylee, It's Me & You is a bassier affair with ragga vocal flourishes, Need You Around is smoother, more commercial 2-step, Walking In Ecstasy works a classic vocal over big, bassline house-ish backing, there are more bassline-y vibes on the R&B-vocalled Temptation (featuring Miss Rhodes), Like A Star takes us back to the SG glory days (complete with a few cheeky, very familiar samples) and Enigma Dubz collab Maris flirts with future garage/post-dubstep flavas.

Consistent enough stylistically to feel coherent, yet varied enough not to get same-y, this is a must-check for UKG fiends.

Out: This week

About: This comes on LU10 Records – find 'em on Soundcloud and Facebook.

Enigma Dubz - How It Is EP

This is one of the bits I didn't get round to last week, but a) I'd been feeling bad about that, cos it's really rather good, and b) the Geddes rub of Raffa L has put me in a garage frame of mind. So here we are.

In its Original form, How It Is is probably best filed under 'future garage', with its long, dreamy intro, looping, cut-up male vocal sample and busy, 2-step-ish rhythms, though unlike a lot of such tackle it's also pretty energetic and upbeat.  Elsewhere on the EP, Feelings Gone operates in more typical late-night future garage territory while We At War is perhaps better described as UK bass/post-dubstep. Rounding out the EP, Dancing In The Dark is an excursion into the dubbiest of late-night pastures, and one to melt into the sofa to.

A very strong EP all round.

Out: Last week, but what's seven days between friends?

About: This comes from the slightly mysterious but always checkable Four40 Records, who can be found on Soundcloud and Facebook.

Everyman – Take The Block EP

We stay on a kinda post-dubstep/future garage tip now with the latest from the slightly mysterious Four40 Records.

The standout of this four-tracker for me is No Doubt, which comes on like the bastard love-child of Never Gonna Let You Go and Show You Love. Which was never going to fail to please this reviewer! But elsewhere on the EP, the title track fuses dubstep with fierce and firing tech-house, Let It Up wears influences from early jungle and the sparsest of two-step proudly on its sleeve while the chipmunk-vocalled Player has echoes of both bassline circa 2003-5 and, of course, classic rave.

This is one of those records that manages to sound simultaneously like A. everything you ever heard all at once and B. the future. You need to check it out. Review ends.

Out: This week. Oh yeah, and it's a Juno Download exclusive.

About: You can find Four40 on Facebook and Soundcloud.

P-Note – Cosmic EP

Three tracks of deep and moody post-dubstep here from LU10 Records.

Ronin opens proceedings, alternating between sparse, twitchy, toppy rhythms and a jagged, wobbling sub-bassline. The other two tracks are credited to P-Note & Aftee: Drama goes down a slower, dub techno-informed route and is the pick of the EP for me, while finally Souljam takes us into more cinematic, bordering-on-ambient pastures, making you suspect P-Note might have one or two System 7 or Tangerine Dream records in his/her collection…

Three quite varied cuts, then, but those in search of cutting-edge sonic explorations won't be disappointed.

Out: Today!

About: LU10 don't give a lot about themselves away but you can find 'em on Facebook or at their own blog.

Seraph – The Rush EP

Not sure whether you'd want to call this 'future garage' or 'post-dubstep' or what, but you get the general idea!

Just the two tracks on offer. The Rush itself is big, sparse and steppy, its frenetic, twitchy rhythms overlaid with warm orchestral strings and echoing female vocals. The Climax, meanwhile, leans more towards the dubstep side of things, with wobbling bass and snips of rap vox but not, I should stress, in a stoopid gnarly electro kiddy kinda way.

All told: forward-thinking stuff that you should really check for yourself…

Out: This week

About: This comes on LU10 Records, who you can find at their own blog or on Facebook.

Zerbaman - Dub Foundation EP

Time for some dubstep action, methinks. Been listening to quite a lot of dubstep lately and I must say, it annoys me when people dismiss it for the wrong reasons.

Some people seem to think it's all about cheesy Nero/Magnetic Man purple pop with the horrible AutoTuned pop vocals. Alternatively, they think it's all about the gnarly tear-out gorestep (AKA 'chavstep' round these parts) side of things. It's like someone thinking that Hed Kandi comps reflect all there is to know about house music! If those people would just dig a little deeper, they'd find quality nuggets like this.

There are three tracks on offer. Cagney VIP is an eight-minute cinematic number sprinkled with pianos - you imagine it'd work best in a DJ set as a tension-builder before a BIG drop. Laura is more ethereal, bordering-on-ambient affair, not a million miles from the dubbier moments on early Orb albums, and then finally, Foundation itself is another moody, midpaced soundscape piece with some fine analogue synths of the kind more normally found on nu-disco records and cheap 80s sci-fi soundtracks.

If you dig Burial, Youngsta or Distance, this is well worth checking.

Out: This week

About: This comes on US/UK label Plush Recordings. You can hit up their website for more info, or find Zerbaman himself on Soundcloud.

Yet more free dubstep bizniss

I know we just had some free dubstep shenanigans the other day but I got sent this DJ mix by 2D yesterday and it really is rather good. Very good indeed, in fact.

In 2D's inimitable style it blends ska and (proper) dub influences into the dubstep pot to create a damned heady brew that's sure to make you, ahem, wind up yer waist. Or something. Anyway it's ace, and here it is – I'd SERIOUSLY recommend grabbing this one even if you think you're not a dubstep fan. It rocks, quite frankly.

2D -POST URBAN DJ Mix by resin records

And as if that wasn't enough, you can also get your hands on 2D's own In The Cold Night in all its full-length glory:

2D - In the Cold Cold Night by resin records

All this freebie goodness is by way of promoting 2D's new single, Soundboy Chronicles. So it's only fair for me to mention that you can buy that and other Resin Records releases here HERE.

Synkro - Look At Yourself

Apparently this track is already getting quite a lot of props in dubstep/future garage circles, and I'm not surprised – it's really quite stunningly good.

The hype sheet describes Look At Yourself as "sitting in the middle ground of ambient electronica, R&B and garage". I'm not sure I'd agree with the R&B bit so much but it's not a bad description all the same. I'm going to go for 'Donna Dee meets Massive Attack' - informed by UKG in the beats and the use of chopped-up vocal snippets, Look At Yourself is a strong contender for 'downtempo cut of the year' if you ask me! A simply beautiful piece of music. Nuff said.

On the B, It's is essentially in a very similar vein, while Girl is similar but with the R&B influence clearer in the use of crooned male vox as a sound source. While neither quite comes up to the level of Look At You, the EP as a whole nevertheless marks out Synkro as very definitely an artist to keep a close eye on. More soon, please!

Out: That I can't tell you – slackness on the PR's part, I'm afraid. Honestly, how hard can it be?

About: I CAN tell you that this is on Mindset Records, the Manchester-based label run by another producer you should definitely be looking out for, Indigo. Their website isn't properly up and running yet but you can find Synkro on MySpace.

Forensics - EVL

Forensics has featured on this blog once or twice before, his dark and sparse yet still strangely haunting and beautiful take on dubstep having been a favourite of TIWWD’s for quite some time. I actually get sent a lot more of Forensics’ shizzle than there’s ever time to tell you about, so sorry bout dat Kristian but I am listening!

In any case, this latest cut, EVL, is a typically brooding, menacing and moody affair, all ominous violin scrapes and a beat that recalls Massive Attack’s Karmacoma. It makes me think of wandering though deserted city streets in the darkness, looking for something (for some reason).

Anyway, it’s apparently being released as a single b/w Tied To The Big Hand, but I’ve not been sent that one. Still, check it out if you can - s’good.

Out: Now-ish, or if not then soon…

About: This will be coming on Forensics’ own label Methodology Recordings, which is also the epicentre of the 111bpm movement. Here’s the label MySpace and here’s the Forensics blog where you can download a ton of mixes n' stuff

Desto - Glass Clouds/Stay Strong

More uncompromisingly deep dubstep here from Ramp, this time with the emphasis more firmly on the dub elements.

Glass Clouds rolls along at a half-time 70bpm, while Stay Strong technically registers at 140 but is still a relatively sedate affair; both are a hundred miles from the cheesy wobble-bass-plus-trance-vocal shite that Top 40 buyers think is dubstep, which is the main thing. I’m less convinced by the fractured, experimental beats on the Late Remix of Stay Strong but this is a heavy, heavy package all the same.

Out: 2 May

About: Ramp Recordings are another stalwart dubstep label who you really shouldn’t need me to tell you about... so here’s their website and let’s leave it at that.

Avrg Joe - NY Diesel EP

It makes me laugh when this sort of thing gets called 'future garage', cos it's not really all that new or futuristic at all… older heads will remember that there was a time, around the end of the 2-step era, that there was quite a lot of this very experimental steppy stuff about. Hell, even Azuli Black Label had a dabble! It's just that the more bass-heavy variants – the music that became dubstep and grime – got the most attention, and consequently we haven't heard much music like this for a while… and now we are and it's getting called 'future garage' or 'post-dubstep'. So it goes.

Never mind all that though cos this is just ace. Already big on Rinse FM with Scratcha and Del Horno, apparently, and quite rightly so. NY Diesel's the most two-steppy (and my fave, if pushed, but stick to the Crypt Remix), Purple Indica's the most dubstep-y and Snow White's the most downtempo/experimental, but all told this is quality forward-thinking music you should be checking for.

Just remind me again, though… wot do u call it? Garage?

Tee hee.

Out: This week

About: This is on Four40 Records, who seem to be part of the LU10/Lepento/Loved Up/Double Dice stable. The only link I've got though is for LU10 themselves. Oh no, hang on, here's a Soundcloud page as well, so you can HEAR THIS and everything! Off ya pop...