ever since his first release for cultured london label 2nd drop, djrum has been someone i’ve had to keep an eye on.
teshno
'in germany, they can't say 'techno,' they say 'teshno'' ~ seth troxler [march 2008]
djrum ~ seven lies on 2nd drop
behling & simpson ~ closer ep on 2020 midnight visions
2020 sub label 2020 midnight visions has rather stolen the limelight from its elder sibling this year.
lukid ~ lonely at the top on werkdiscs
like singles on his own glum rather than the seductive sugary sweetness of his previous three records, lukid’s fourth full length, lonely at the top, is not an easy listen.
altered natives ~ tenement yard vol 3 on eye 4 eye recordings
plenty of people can imbue their music with a certain charm or character, but how many can actually lace up their beats with a real sense of their own distinct and real life personality?
artifact ~ worn on local action
for a while there, it seemed that people were so hell bent on dissociating themselves with dubstep that they were producing any old shit with an irregular beat pattern and calling it fresh.
teshcast t ~ christian löffler
i first came across german dj, producer and ki records label boss christian löffler earlier this year upon the release of his aspen ep.
special request ~ lolita / alone on special request
despite quickly becoming a close planet e associate in the last year or so, still leeds based paul woolford has also flirted with ‘bass music’ ever more openly.
sei a ~ frozen flower on turbo
this ep’s title track comes on, quite simply, like a burial tune… all haunting and churchy, with sliced-up vocal groans layered upon soft knocking beats and harmonious bell notes. at the mid-point, a melancholic mood briefly turns more oppressive and depressive, but the minor chords eventually win out and a brighter dawn emerges once again.
interview ~ ramadanman / pearson sound
this weekend, leeds’ boutique clubbing session mono_cult gather together one of their tastiest line-ups yet. the season opening party will feature the house and bass talents of joy orbison b2b ramadanman/pearson sound; the soulful croonings of strictly rhythm man ben westbeech; the deep and murky house of workshop confrere move d and the creamiest vocal disco stuff from local hot creation miguel camnpbell.
teshcast j ~ kamo
their ep for hypercolour/glass table associated label, losing suki, last month was enough for me to want a teshcast from this pair immediately. read the review, but it ably displayed a range of fresh bass styles which the series has thusfar lacked. when installent j landed, though, that was instantly rectified.
djrum ~ mountains ep on 2nd drop
apparently london based producer and yardcore promoter djrum doesn’t use any synths in his music, instead heavily treating and layering samples to get the lo-fi, round-edged sound he wants. and so it is that a vintage veil of burnt hues and thick atmosphere characterize (at least three of the tracks from) his new mountains ep for 2nd drop – the label run by london dubstep writer, mark gurney.
kamo ~ hulme ep on losing suki
the internet yields very little in the way of information about kamo. in fact the only thing i know about the production moniker is that it belongs to two manchester based aussies. this marks their first release on boutique hypercolour off-shoot losing suki, and surely the arrival of a name to watch for the assuredness of the records on offer.