BD1982 - Trails

Having cut his teeth back in Philadelphia, Brian "BD1982" Durr now resides in Japan. Slowly the influence of funky is starting to creep across the east coast of America, with more and more producers bridging the gap between dubstep and funky and so it reaches Brian via his pals in Philadelphia and so on.

The real star of the show is 'Magnets On My Back' with tropical drums and a Nintendo-y synth line. Always keeping his productions progressive and as far from monotonous as it's possible to get.

Gunhead makes 'Trails' into a sort of "tropical n' bass" with ravey synth lines over a heavy Tropical/UKF beat. The Jam City mix is much more of a garage/bassline affair that could just as easily be an L-Vis 1990 or A1 Bassline production, which is no bad thing (or a surprise given Jam City's work with the Night Slugs crew). The chilled out techno element gives it a real deep house edge and once more blurs the lines beyond all Venn Diagrams.

Finally we have the remixes of 'Let's Talk Math'. The first, a remix by Makumba Sound, also takes on a funky element with a very squelchy synth line splashing its way through things. The second mix and final mix is by a chap called Brey who has so far eluded our radars but this mix promises a lot and we're sure to hear from him again.

Stand out tracks: Trails (Gunhead Remix), Magnets On My Back, Trails (Jam City Remix)

Title: Trails (seclusD09)
Artist: BD1982
Out now on Seclusiasis.

Download: BD1982 - Trails

Grab your copy from Beatport, Boomkat, iTunes and Juno.

Also, look out for BD1982's mix for our podcast series out very soon!!

Kastle - Better Off Alone

The artist formerly known as B.Rich has set himself up for a promising year with this instant classic. Barrett "Kastle" Richards has taken on a dubbier sound with an almost housey edge to it.

It used to be that the UK had the monopoly on bass, but recently America, mainly the east coast, has started to take over. Artists such as Drop The Lime, AC Slater, Udachi and of course B.Rich stormed the scene with massive bass-heavy "choons" and "club-bangers".

Naturally, it seems appropriate to post a track featuring two of the biggest names in US bass: Kastle and Udachi. The original is a very mellow bassy piece reminiscent of Burial with a house twist. Now I have to warn you it does feature auto-tune. Luckily, it manages to pull it off by exercising some restraint and it does make it sound like it's underwater, which kinda fits.

Starkey adds a nice ravey horn-through-a-buzzsaw line to bang it up but it's Udachi's Funky mix that does it for me with the most awesome drum samples I've ever heard. Honestly, if you're not sure about Funky listen to this tune. A lot. Then listen to Willy Joy's Funky/soca mix or I'll slap your knees.

Under his B.Rich moniker it was more fast heavy bass drops and ghetto/hip-hop samples but with Kastle his productions have taken on a much dubbier, techy sound - lots of arpeggiated synths and handclaps. Definitely the beginning of big things for this chap.

Stand out tracks: Udachi Mix, Willy Joy Mix

Title: Better Off Alone (seclus026)
Artist: Kastle
Out now soon on Seclusiasis.

Download: Kastle - Better Off Alone (Udachi Remix)

Bong-Ra - Monster

Just when I was getting worried Enduser was the only one still making breakcore, so Jason "Bong-Ra" Kohnen knocks me on my arse with embarrassment.

Sitting at the more focused end of the breakcore spectrum, alongside End and Jason Forrest, Bong-Ra's new EP is a breath of fresh air. The aptly-titled 'Monster' incorporates drum and bass, dub, breakcore and electro into a fast and heavy whirlwind of live instrumentation and programmed kicks and snares.

The first track 'Behemoth' does exactly what it says on the tin, smashing you square in the trousers with a straightforward ballbreaking wobbly bassline to break up all those loud, nasty snares. If you were a fan of his old productions you'll enjoy this and you will take note of the step up in production quality. Not that his production was ever poor, but the sound seems cleaner and more focused.

The second track 'Cyclops' is a more considered affair, using a playful string section to add a sinister veneer, bringing to mind Venetian Snares' masterpiece 'Rossz Csillag Alatt Született' and even Mr. Bungle. Once again, Bong-Ra demonstrates his ability to chop and change between styles with the minimum of fuss, whilst still retaining a unifying structure within his records.

Bong-Ra "Monster mix" by ad noiseam

Stand out tracks: Behemoth, Kraken, Cyclops

Title: Monster (ADN131)
Artist: Bong-Ra
Out now on Ad Noiseam

Hecq - Sura

When breakcore producers started to put out dubstep records I can't deny I wasn't wary of the results. So when I heard people like Hecq and Matta coming from Ad Noiseam my fears were totally put to rest.

Incorporating a lot of the rave samples of old and new, Hecq bridges the gap between dub and breaks. Expect jarring time signatures, crushing metal rhythms and possibly the heaviest bassline of the year.

It's records like this that make me wish I could DJ. When I listened to 'Sura' it was like listening to that first Bong-Ra or Enduser track when I was 16 thinking: "What in the blue fuck is this?" - and I mean that in the best possible way. No, really.

The b-side 'Tiamat' starts off with an epic soundscape reminscient of those really dark industrial records that Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle used to put out in the late 70s and early 80s. You should only listen to this record through the best speaker system money can buy so you can really feel the bass oscillate and swirl 360 degrees round your head and the snares crash into the bass of your skull.

Stand out tracks: Sura
Download: Hecq - Tiamat

Title: Sura (adn128)
Artist: Hecq
Out now on Ad Noiseam.

The Chemical Brothers - Further

Sounding very much like 'Baba O'Riley' during an aneurysm, 'Escape Velocity' sees The Chemical Brothers attempting grandeur but in the end it turns out to be just a really long song. As did the rest of the album, it bored the arse off me and was so bland and repetitive I found it almost impossible to pay attention to.

'Swoon' also sounds like it's borrowed from somewhere I can't quite place and that made for a really irritating listen. And for some reason all the vocals sound like Snow Patrol, which is awful. Just awful.

The tracks themselves are OK but nothing really stands out and you've forgotten it as soon as you've heard it. 'Snow' is alright, sort of a grower but takes far too long to get going and isn't really that great once you get there.

If you could somehow pass it through a filter that would remove the vocals and then on some of the tracks every single sound (I couldn't even finish the last track), you might end up with a decent electro or house record. Since The Chems decided not to do this it is not a decent electro or house record in the slightest and they are off my Christmas card list.

Stand out tracks: Horsepower

Title: Further (6325302)
Artist: The Chemical Brothers
Out now on EMI

Enduser - 1/3

After a pretty quiet year in 2009 - and by "pretty quiet" I mean "deathly silent" - Enduser is dropping his new EP on us in much the same way that Wile E. Coyote drops anvils. It's called 1/3 which would imply 2 more offerings in the future and possibly a new LP. That's all speculation so don't come crying when it doesn't happen.

I'm completely blown away by this release. It's good to see someone putting out a full-blown breakcore release in a time when bassline and funky are the dominant forces. Honestly, this is the kind of music I've missed for a while: harsh, fast breaks and snares with dark, eerie synths. Coupled with the almost soulful, ravey vocals this release is sure to become a breakcore classic.

What's really exciting is he's included some lush melodies with his trademark abrasive snares. Also, the instrumentation on 1/3 could almost have been a post rock or shoegazer tune - until the gabba kicks flare up, of course. The whole EP is really strong but it's Cardopusher's remix at the end which makes things REALLY interesting. I'll not say much more but you really have to check this EP out. Good lord!

Also, the warm-hearted folks at Ad Noiseam have allowed me to offer you a cheeky free mp3 for your troubles so tuck the fuck in.

Stand out tracks: 2/3, 1/3, Interruption 4 (Cardopusher Remix)
Download: Enduser - 2/3

Title: 1/3 (ADN125)
Artist: Enduser
Out now on Ad Noiseam

DJ Donna Summer - Raw EP

Just as 2006 belonged to electro, 2007 and 2008 to dubstep, and 2009 to bassline, so too will 2010 belong to UK Funky. So what better way to kick off the year in funky (even though it's March, for fuck's sake) than to review DJ Donna Summer's first release on Nightshifters in 2 years?

I wouldn't say I'm a convert yet, but the possibilities within the genre have been opened up to me. Tracks like 'Wood' remind me of the old glitchy records that tigerbeat6 used to put out back in the day. The percussion-oriented tracks seem to allow for more irregular time signatures, which is encouraging, but the RnB element that never seems to die still exists in funky. Which is gay.

You can always rely on Donna Summer to do something exciting with a genre or style of music. Hopefully, the jungle element will come to the fore and BPMs will go up again. He's bagged a good bunch of producers for remix duties as well: Noise Floor Crew and Hostage deliver as expected, and Bok Bok delivers what some are describing as his best tune yet, but Sonido Del Principe are the surprising little gem with a Cumbia-inspired take on Funky.

Stand out tracks: Raw, Wood, Fighter
Download: DJ Donna Summer - Fighter

Title: Raw (NS013)
Artist: DJ Donna Summer
Out now on Nightshifters

Grab it at: Beatport, iTunes, Juno Download

Four Tet - There Is Love In You

Four Tet's fifth album was always going to struggle to follow 2005's 'Everything Ecstatic'. In the end, it looks as though he's produced a surprisingly solid release. Whether it consistently meets those demands is not always so easy to argue.

Hebden first began his music-making journey in 1997 with the post-rock/electronica band Fridge. Around 2001 the group informally parted ways, allowing Adam Ilhan and Sam Jeffers to attend college while Hebden focused on his own solo material. With his fourth album, 'Everything Ecstatic', everything exploded for him as his music began appearing in adverts and even Quantum Of Solice - not that anyone actually saw that film.

And he has the Radiohead seal of approval, having remixed 'Scatterbrain' from 'Hail To The Thief' ad supporting them on their 2003 European tour. Since then, his collaboration with Burial opened dubstep fans up to the possibilities of life after bass, whilst earning him an infinite number of cool points.

Tracks like 'Love Cry' blend the percussion-based melodies of his earlier work with the dark, techy melodies of 'Everything Ecstatic' to create a truly introspective release that flirts with everything from folk to techno to italo without becoming derivative. What's impressive is this blending of sounds and styles never detract from his own signature glitchy sound. His music is so removed from what is going on in the mainstream that it retains relevance and uniqueness across the years.

Unfortunately, Hebden only touches on the brilliance that went before, struggling to balance technical prowess with palatable melodies. Some tracks like 'Plastic People' manage it perfectly, but others get swallowed up by the skippy, glitches he puts in for almost no reason at all. Despite that, however, it is still a solid album and much better than 'Dialogue'. If you're expecting an improvement on 'Everything Ecstatic', then keep looking. Otherwise, tuck in and try to listen to this on its own merits, rather than in relation to its predecessor.

Stand out tracks: Love Cry, Plastic People, This Unfolds
Download: Four Tet - Love Cry (Joy Orbison Remix)

Title: There Is Love In You (wig254)
Artist: Four Tet
Out now on Domino

Chew Lips - Unicorn

After hearing The Plastician's remix of 'Salt Air' I couldn't help but eagerly anticipate Chew Lips' debut album, 'Unicorn'. However, the rest of the LP and the synth-by-numbers approach to production felt like a La Roux b-sides collection.

Featuring vocals that are somewhere between Florence & The Machine and Karen O, the album fails to make any sort of significant impact. The production is another gripe of mine: ripping off everyone from Devo to the Eurythmics and The Legendary Pink Dots, this album would have sounded dated and unoriginal 30 years ago, let alone now.


And that's precisely the problem with this current wave of quirky female singers all trying to exist in the realms of Annie Lennox and Kate Bush: they have none of the flair or originality. In fact, it's becoming increasingly apparent that La Roux, Little Boots, Goldielocks and anyone else of their ilk, are singing pretty good songs but with lazy production because they know that it doesn't really matter, as long as they get an "edgy" or "trendy" producer like Skream or The Plastician to add credibility with a remix that becomes way more popular than the original. Is that good? Is it good that the person who wrote the song couldn't even record the best version? No. No, it is not.

Having said that, their upcoming single 'Solo' (out on Kitsuné very soon) and their debut, 'Salt Air' do offer something in the way of promise (What better than a ballad about drink-driving to get the party started?!), but even then Tigs can't break out of Karen O-lite. And I know, I know they're deliberately trying to sound unoriginal so their sound doesn't date - hang on, how is that better? "Well, we knew it was a waste of time trying to produce anything original so we just smashed a Florence CD into the head of our keyboard player until his ears bled, flicked the Casio to stale and kicked back and watched Hollyoaks." Great. That doesn't make me depressed at all.

Ultimately, underneath all the knowing, ironic references and kitsch eighties productions they're no different to Girls Aloud - formulaic, saccharine, derivative and completely uninteresting. And would you look at them? That's what Andy Warhol would have looked like had he been a T4 presenter.

Sona Di So Good For Me

Recently I haven't listened to a great deal of post-rock, it all started to sound boring, depressing and monotonous; Explosions In The Sky were starting to repeat themselves and Godspeed have pretty much collapsed as an entity. How refreshing, then, to find a post-rock band that doesn't preoccupy itself with playing the same dull guitar riff over and over again until the end of time - step forward, Sona Di.

Last night I was privy to a spleen-blowing gig at the Head Of Steam up here in sunny Newcastle, Sona Di were the opening act but nothing separated any of three bands. What made it an exceptional gig was the way in which every act complemented each other perfectly.

What sets them apart from, say, Explosions In The Sky is the passion in their performance and the fusion of other styles like drone and noise into a style of post-rock that peaks and falls with far more tension than their contemporaries.

I do like Explosions In The Sky but their performance when I saw them at the Sage was turgid, with very little progression. Sona Di, on the other hand, seemed to have planned their set perfectly, climaxing as it did with the literal disintegration of the stage.

As their set reached its zenith, so did their exertion: Angus Mason, the drummer, beat that drumkit so hard it shook throughout and collapsed right at the end as their driving beat crescendoed; Daniel Irving, the guitarist, rose from his seat at the same point and played with such ferocity that he too nearly collapsed. That with the intensity of Michael Marwood's vocals made for a truly impassioned performance.

Now look down for some (two) Sona Di goodies: a video of the performing live at The Musical Restaurant last year plus a free mp3 of my personal favourite Sona Di tune to indulge yourself in. Enjoy!

Download: Sona Di - Forest

Randy Twigg - Undone

After spending 3, count them 3, hours downloading this LP, I couldn't help but feel that it better be good. And honestly, I wasn't expecting much.

I hadn't heard of Randy Twigg before but the accompanying blurb from tigerbeat6 told me that she comes from:

"Deep in the bowels of Europe, well past the architecture and schnitzel hauses, past the sweating line-ups roped away from already packed clubs, past the throbbing mass on the dance floor itself, deep in the hot flashes of stages across Europe and Canada, slamming her beats, strapped into her bass, playing every note like her last"

With that in mind, I slapped it on and was underwhelmed to begin with. At first listen this sounds a little too much like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, without much of a signature. Having said that, 'Done Up' is a great opener, with a real Kraut-rock influence and a touch of MC5 for good measure.

After the first track things get a little hazy and border on lazy until you get to 'Photograph' and the bluesy electro-rock really kicks in. Any worries I had about Ms. Twigg not being able to find the right balance between electroclash and garage rock completely dissipated.

The vocals throughout draw on elements of Kate Bush and early Siouxsie Sioux, but what I love most is how the contrasting layers and the soundscapes they use reminded me of Einstürzende Neubauten with just a hint of Nick Cave. Shitty derivative Radio 1 electro it ain't. Which is nice.

I couldn't tell you what the lyrics are about, and if I'm honest I'm not sure she could either, but it's really great music and makes a nice change from the whole "kooky female singer" schtick with the likes of La Roux, Little Boots, etc. It does teeter on the verges of really boring girl-shouting-over-electro a la Fannypack and Fagget Fairies, but it picks up by the fourth track and there's some really great remixes of from Kid606, GD Luxxe and Khan to boot.

Stand out tracks: Suitcase, Made Of Mouse, Bona Fide, Assassin
Download: Randy Twigg - 3 Parrots (Kid606 Remix)

Title: Undone (meow154)
Artist: Randy Twigg
Out now on Tigerbeat6