New Starkey EP on Civil Music

Philadelphia resident Starkey has a new EP out on Civil Music label. The 12 track release — 5 originals, 6 remixes and one narration track — is as expansive as it is ambitious. It harks back to his IDM roots with a science fiction-inspired spoken word track as well as sprawling soundscapes and cold bleeps.

It also comes with a pretty solid bunch of remixes, with Ital Tek and Rudi Zygadlo’s remixes of 'Playing With Fire' and 'Paradise' respectively outshining the others. Grab a copy of it at 7digital.

Space Traitor Vol 1 (preview) by starkey

KOTJ Radio | Episode 6: BD1982

This month Kick Out The Jam celebrates its first birthday and to celebrate we've got two - yes, two - mixtapes for you lovely shits. The first is from our good friend BD1982 and the second is from Nightshifters co-big cheese, Jubilee.

Episode six of our podcast series comes from Yokohama resident BD1982. Including Makumba Sound, Roska, XLII and Untold; it also features a couple of BD1982 originals, as well as his remix of 'Mommy' by Planet Soap.

The tape kicks off with an awesome blend of samples before throwing us headlong into a dubby dancehall number. It ties in all my favourite styles of tropical, funky, dancehall, dubstep and house into this really awesome dark trip that almost delves into the realms of IDM at points.

Honestly, just listen for yourself. Either download it below or stream at our Mixcloud page. It's a great place to start if you want an idea of the BD1982 sound. Also, be sure to grab a copy of the awesome 'Trails' EP I wrote about here.

Kotj Radio | Episode 6: Bd1982 by Kickoutthejam on Mixcloud

Tracklist:

01. Innocent Crew - Bad Like We
02. Makumba Sound - Dutty Girls
03. BD1982 - Magnets On My Back
04. Jali Bakary Konteh - Combination (Hat+Hoodie Remix)
05. Anthm - Fam Ting
06. Roska - Feeline (Guttershake Remix by J:Kenzo)
07. XLII vs. BD1982 - Envy Riddim (MC Zulu Version)
08. Boddika - Syn Chron
09. Gudda Gudda - Demolition Freestyle Pt.1 feat. Lil Wayne
10. Hype Williams - Rescue Dawn II
11. Planet Soap - Mommy (BD1982 Remix)
12. Untold - Come Follow We
13. The Cheese Sticks - Hos Ja!
14. BD1982 - Utukku
15. A Number Of Names - Sharevari

http://www.soundcloud.com/bd1982
http://www.myspace.com/bd1982
http://www.twitter.com/bd1982
http://bd1982.muxtape.com
http://www.seclusiasis.com

Download: BD1982 - KOTJ Radio Episode 6

New Zed Bias LP due in Spring 2011

Master of the breaks/garage sound Zed Bias has announced he will be releasing a new album this Spring on Tru Thoughts, titled 'Biasonic Hot Sauce'.

Following the succes of 'Make A Change' under his Maddslinky moniker, the new LP promises brand new Zed Bias material as well as collaborations with Skream and Mark Pritchard among others. There's little more info other than that the artwork will be daubed by Boo Cook, whose CV includes work for Marvel Comics!

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!!

5 new tracks from the latest Horsepower LP at FACT

Those lovely chaps at FACT magazine have uploaded five whole tracks from the highly anticipated new LP by Horsepower Productions, their first in six years. The new album is to be released on the thoroughly consistant Tempa and promises at least as much as can be expected from such a ball-achingly good label.

With such a phenomenal track record, Tempa's reputation needs little explanation or promotion from me. Having put out Skream's debut LP as well as Benga's 'Diary Of An Afro Warrior', their reputation is a formidable one to say the least.

With that in mind, all signs point to 'Quest For The Sonic Bounty' being a stellar release, particularly since many consider them to be the inventors of dubstep. It may also be the last dubstep release to be described as such. Though I'll almost certainly be proved wrong before the year is out.

You can stream the tracks here.

The Bug to release new EP on Ninja Tune

Kevin "The Bug" Martin has been a busy boy recently with the new King Midas Sound single 'Lost' and now a new EP under his Bug alias. The new EP, entitled 'The Infected', ia out on Ninja Tune on November 22nd.

The new release is a four track EP featuring the vocal talents of Roots Manuva and KMS's Hitomi, as well as a remix from Autechre and Scratcha DVA each. You can preorder your copy from Ninja Tune here.

Seriously, the Ninja Tune output has been absolutely stellar recently and the perfect way to celebrate their 20th anniversary, with most of the last month of XLR8R's podcasts being produced by artists on their roster. That coupled with its history (Mr. Scruff, Roots Manuva, Anti-Pop Consortium, DJ Food, Coldcut, Toddla T, etc.) make it an impossible label to dislike. Go here to check out the podcasts.

DJ Fresh, Warrior One, Jayou @ Inertia - 18/11/10

Drum & Bass giant DJ Fresh will be bringing his beats and pieces to our fair city. Pop down to see him with UK Funky beast Warrior One and James "Jayou" Martin.

Tickets are £6 at Beatdown Records, RPM and We Got Tickets advance or you can pay on the door if you're as disorganised as me. And check out the 'Inertia Global Radio' podcast at iTunes for an idea of what to expect.

Flying Lotus - Kill Your Co-Workers [Video]

Taken from the 'Pattern + Grid World' EP on Warp Records.

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)

New King Midas Sound 7" on Hyperdub

London natives King Midas Sound are to release their new single on Kode9,'s imprint Hyperdub. The release, which XLR8R described as "soulful and lovelorn", comes out on September 7. The b-side is the equally haunting b-side 'Frequencies'.


King Midas Sound is a dubstep project of Kevin "The Bug" Martin and London & Trinidad poet Roger Robinson featuring vocalist Hitomi. Having released their first 12" release 'Cool Out' and debut album 'Waiting For You' Hyperdub.

Under this guise Martin's music takes on a more Bristol-inspired sound as the ragga element takes a backseat. It's a more thoughtful endeavour and certainly one worth checking out for those lazy summer days in the park with cans of fizzy whatnot.

KOTJ Radio | Episode 4: Dev79

Another exciting podcast comes to us from Philadelphia resident Gair "Dev79" Marking. Starkey and he control Seclusiasis and Slit Jockey with El Carnicero.

Dev79 has been bangin’ out the underground sounds for years. I first heard his music back in the days when he was producing harsh noise-influenced hip-hop and breaks on the Sonic Terror imprint. Today his music retains the hip-hop and glitch influences along with a new dub and heavy bass streak.

His recent remixes for Gobs The Zombie, Guttstar, Dmn Days are sure to raise his profile and jettison him into the stratosphere. I'm told he's currently working on a collaborative EP with Seattle producer Thrills (of Sub Philo Music/Thrills & Tony Rocky Horror fame) with a new EP out on Seclusiasis called 'Live N Die 4 The Street Bass', coming in September.

Kotj Radio Episode 4: Dev79 by Kickoutthejam on Mixcloud

Tracklist:

01. BD1982 - Trails (Gunhead Remix)
02. Siyoung - Kill Whitey
03. Scratcha DVA - New World Order
04. Dev79 - Live N Die 4 The Street Bass (Harlsedon Riddim)
05. Kanji Kinetic - Thrill Seeka
06. Guttstar - Bomb Blast (Dev79 Remix)
07. Chelley - Text Message (SonicC Remix)
08. CRST - The Bells (Girl Unit Remix)
09. Hybu - How To Look Primative
10. Skinny Friedman - Hundred Dollar Salad (Sammy Bananas Remix)
11. The Constellations - Setback (Starkey Remix)
12. Shawty Lo - Say Yeah
13. Starkey - Death Beams
14. Om Unit - Searching (EAN Remix)
15. +Verb - Puddleglum
16. DJ Prime Cuts - Rubber Banned
17. NastyNasty - Dead Star
18. Max Echo - Noshy Riddim
19. Dev79 - In Grain We Trust (Thrills & Tony Rocky Horror Remix)
20. Kaiser - Tasty Lazers (Dev79 & Thrills Remix)
21. Supra1 - Still Believe (Royce Rolls Edit)
22. Kastle - I Know

http://www.myspace.com/dev79
http://www.seclusiasis.com/
http://www.slitjockey.com/

Download: KOTJ Radio Episode 4: Dev79

New Kanji Kinetic EP 'Thrill Seeka'

Kanji Kinetic has released an EP on Chrissy Murderbot's label Sleazetone. The release promises to be the biggest for the label so far, with remixes coming from Krazy Fiesta (of Trunkfunk/Turboweekend fame) and upcoming bass or, to coin a wanky term, "post-garage" superstar Kingdom (Night Slugs, Fool’s Gold, Mad Decent, Acéphale).

Here's what Sleazetone had to say about it:

"We here at Sleazetone are really hyped about this one—an EP from one of the biggest names in forward-thinking bass music right now, Kanji Kinetic. He's released work on labels like Rag & Bone, Trouble & Bass, Senseless, Tigerbeat6, and Coin Op, to name a few. Now he’s bringing a new take on his distinctive Bassline/Dubstep/Funky/Rave fusion to Sleazetone.

'Thrill Seeka' is a huge party tune on a UK Funky tip with some cheeky samples to keep things lively. 'Griefer' is classic Kanji—punishing bassline house with really crisp percussion and genius drum edits, while 'Scatter' is mind-melting Dubstep drumwork mayhem. Completely next level ish, FOR SERIOUS."

Kanji Kinetic - "Thrill Seeka" EP by sleazetone

If you're happy and you know it, shake that ass!

DZ has a new EP out today on Badman Press chock full of remixes of his latest single 'Shake That Ass'. Having been a constant supply of the heaviest, most jarring basslines known to dub, DZ has been obliterating dubstep nights the world over.

This release basically bridges the gap between dubstep, funky and bassline with it's wobbly mid-range basslines and funkadelic handclaps designed to make every middle class white kid in the world scream "shake ya bootay!" at unsuspecting passers-by. As a middle-class white kid myself, let me tell you this is great news!

The gloriously reworked versions come from Badmen extraordinaires Genetic Krew, M6, Doug Surreal, Thrills & Tony Rocky Horror and NONEWYORK. And the best part is: the whole thing is absolutely free! Grab you copy HERE.

Download: DZ - Shake That Ass (J Stack Remix)

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.

Benga - Baltimore Clap [Video]

Ital Tek's second LP out on Planet Mu

Drawing from the IDM end of the dubstep/bass spectrum, Brighton's own Ital Tek returns with his second full length album on Planet Mu. The new LP 'Midnight Colour' sees a slower BPM of just 130 and a more upbeat mood.

The album still retains the dark synths and basic rhythms whilst exploring gentler synth sounds with more bass. There's even some 2-tech-step-whatever on 'Strangelove'. The final track on the album is 'Restless Tundra' which features vocals from Anneka, a rising star in the electronica scene having recorded some amazing tracks with Starkey earlier this year for his second LP.

Download: Ital Tek - Babel

New Caspa mix on Dub Police

Dub Police head honcho Greg McCann aka Caspa has released a new mix on his own label today called 'My Style' as part of their new mix series. As well as the CD a DVD will be available with exclusive material from Dub Police artists.

The mix features a range of artists from well-known faces to relative unknowns with tracks old and new, including Joy Orbison's amazing debut 'Hyph Mngo' and Caspa's remix of 'I Remember' by Deadmau5.

01. The Others – Gravity – Dub Police *
02. Deadmau5 – I Remember (Caspa Remix)
03. Subscape – Nothings Wrong – Dub Police
04. Emalkay – Crusader – Dub Police Dubplate *
05. Skream – Clap Your Hands – Tempa *
06. Caspa & Subscape – Geordie Racer – Sub Soldiers *
07. Doctor P – Bad Man Sound – Dub Police *
08. Trolley Snatcha – Pass Me By – Dub Police Dubplate *
09. The Others – Get Outta Here – Dub Police Dubplate *
10. KGB – Ghetto Blasta – Caspa Special – Dubplate *
11. Caspa – Terminator (Trolley Snatcha Remix) – Sub Soldiers
12. Subscape – Screw Up – Dub Police Dubplate *
13. Distinction – So Sick – Dub Police Dubplate *
14. Matty G – My 808’s – Dub Police *
15. Joker – Tron – Kapsize *
16. Emalkay – When I Look At You – Caspa Special – Dub Police *
17. D1 – Bleeps To Broadway – Dub Police Dubplate *
18. Subscape – Think About You – Dub Police Dubplate *
19. Benga – Man On A Mission – Tempa
20. Caspa – Back For The First Time – Sub Soldiers *
21. Subscape – Just becoz – Dub Police Dubplate *
22. The Others – Vertigo 909 – Dub Police Dubplate *
23. Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo – Hot Flush*

You can grab the download from Beatport. Do it!

Second Dubbel Dutch EP out now on Palms Out!

Following on from last year's Trollsta EP, the long-awaited second EP from Texan producer Dubbel Dutch has finally hit shops. It's attracted a lot of attention in recent months from DJs and bloggers alike. It's a three track EP, with the title track 'Throwback' garnering the most interest.
Incorporating elements of Funky and garage with bassline and house, Dubbel Dutch takes UK music and adds his own unique twist. 'Throwback' stands out with a heavy B'more drum beat and glitchy vocals setting it apart from the majority of the releases at the moment.

The second track 'Deep Underground' starts off as a traditional Funky track before bringing elements of electro and some ravey synths to beef things up. The final track, 'Fool In You' is a dubstep affair with a slight lean towards the junglism a la Burial.

You can stream the entire EP at Palms Out.

Pick up the limited edition 12″ from Redeye records.
Or download it at Beatport, iTunes, Juno and Turntable Lab.

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