dubstep, drum n bass….electronic music distribution
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A few S.T. Holdings associated artists have been giving lectures at this year’s Red Bull Music Academy held in London between 7th February – 12th March.
Lifted Music presents the first EP of its 2010 release campaign, The ‘Conquerors and Commoners’ EP. In a scene where EPs have become somewhat lost under the ideologies of albums, Spor has produced what can only be labelled as yet another benchmark within electronic music. Four unique, distinct tracks fill an EP crafted by one of 2009’s biggest artists, compiling an exotic, yet beautifully chaotic, display that shows why Spor is of the highest grade. Engineering like the scene has never heard before, arrangements that have never been attempted before, Lifted Music proudly presents the ‘Conquerors and Commoners’ EP.
LFTD009
Spor
Conquerors & Commoners EP
A) Kingdom – Already being labelled as the tune of 2010, Kingdom is the definition of Spor at his tearout best. Aggressive, destructive and slightly punk, LFTD009’s A-side is the main highlight in every respectable DJ’s set at the moment. An accelerated build up that amps like no other, the sheer velocity of the drop leaves riots on dancefloors worldwide. Drum and Bass at unimaginable heights, Spor present’s ‘Kingdom’
B) Overdue – Unlike the tracks namesake, ‘Overdue’ has been well worth the wait. Featuring a interesting sample for the spotters, Spor’s arrangements take to new heights with a track that features South African vocalist Tasha Baxter. Reminiscent of a rocky Moroccan landscape, intricate, graceful beats accompany a glistening guitar melody full of emotion. Baxter’s vocals add a sense of humbleness against Spor’s energetic drum patterns. ‘Overdue’ is the tune we all wish we wrote.
C) Kaori – Featuring arguably one of the biggest intro’s of all time, Kaori is Spor’s erratically well presented experiment. Based upon the influence of Japanese cinema, Spor takes his production to a new level with a vocal so euphoric and magical, it will have the whole dancefloor reaching to the skies. A tumbling, rolling drum track lays the foundations to a raw midrange – the trademark Spor sound. Finishing up with an organ arrangement, Kaori will be known as one of Spor’s finest moments.
D) Halogen – Reminiscent of ‘1up’ from Spor’s debut EP; The Supernova EP, ‘Halogen’ provides the more light hearted approach to the end of the double 12”. Furiously hyped like an overcooked pancake, Halogen resembles a biology experiment taught by the professor of all professors. Fast, high-octane, and with a melody that will leave you humming like a bumblebee for hours, Spor finishes his second EP with class.
They have reworked and remixed everybody from Cee Lo to Paolo Nutini to Temper Trap and even Tom Jones. Lots of people are whispering their names right now, here’s your chance to hear why…
Sometimes you can come across a musical project that encapsulates the fun we all have in our lives which then instantly becomes a soundtrack to get you through your daily grind, so welcome to the world of Boe Weaver, where 3D sunglasses are needed just to understand the madness of what is being concocted. As one review of Boe Weaver’s debut so rightly put it “If this LP was thirty-odd years old and the soundtrack to some exploito-hacker movie, then it would be changing hands for £200-plus. However, it’s a new release, which means you don’t have to pay through the nose to land a copy…’ You definitely should Because what Boe Weaver do is far out shit, basically. A lava lamp of sound exploding in your face. A cosmic rearrangement and prolonged derangement of the senses that is totally necessary in an era when 99% of music does anything but that. What happened to wanting to change the world through music? Start a revolution? Healing the karmic wounds of the universe? sick and the needy? It’s right here.
We could also maybe point to some disparate contemporary reference points too: Chrome Hoof, Oneida, The Horrors, Dungen, David Holmes, Cherrystones. That type of thing.
We have 200 limited pressing of the self-titled debut album from Boe Weaver is released on March 22nd on their own label, VU Records.
Cat no: VULPCD001
Format: CD
Artist: Boe Weaver
Title: Boe Weaver
Label: VU Records
No Barcode.
01: Deadpan
02: Ghouls
03: Mysterious Island
04: Let It Die
05: Monster Maker
06: Jelly Bean
07: Manhunt Part2
08: The Electric Man
09: I Think You Should Leave
Exciting new Bristol based underground label If Symptoms Persist have had an official video made for the track ‘Running Away’ by Wedge Ft. Shadz which featured on ISP001.
The video was made in affiliation with Converse who have recently set up a Converse Music website.
Coming soon on the label (ISP003) is a Wedge & Aesoteric EP entitled ‘A Night on the Wonk’ featuring 3 tracks including a remix from Bristol’s hot property Gemmy.
Following closely in the footsteps of ‘DEEP MEDi Releases Vol. 1’, DEEP MEDi are delighted to announce the release of their second instalment in this retrospective series. Volume 2 picks up where Volume 1 finished at the tale end of 2007 and delivers Quest and Silkie’s first releases on the label alongside fellow Antisocial entertainment member Kromestar, DEEP MEDi regular and Japan’s finest Goth-Trad, new boy Tunnidge and label owner and scene leader Mala (Digital Mystikz/DMZ).
Beginning with a nod to the underlying roots of the label’s foundations with two super-deep meditational cuts from Kromestar, Volume 2 tracks the early beginnings of Silkie and Quest’s now infamous smooth, bumpin’ gangster boogie vibes before Tunnidge takes us back to some pure sub frequencies and Goth-Trad delivers his trademark drum programming and unrivalled intensity. Mala rounds things up and once again reminds us of the heavy influence that sound system culture has on his and indeed the label’s ethos. It’s another essential document of dubstep’s history as DEEP MEDi Musik continues its perpetual march forward.
MEDICD003
Releases Volume 2
01. Kromestar – Marz Attak
02. Kromestar – Rainy Dayz
03. Quest – The Sea Front
04. Quest – Deep Inside
05. Silkie – Hooby
06. Silkie – I Sed
07. Tunnidge – Geddeon
08. Tunnidge – Face Melt
09. Goth-Trad – Law
10. Goth-Trad – The Clown
11. Mala – Miracles
12. Mala – New Life (Baby Paris)
August 2009 was the launch of Ingredients Records and after a blistering start, they returned in 2010 with Sato’s “Turning Point” RECIPE004 which has been supported by DJ Hype, Break, Total Science & SPY.
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Sato
March sees the debut of up and coming hotly tipped producer Mode for RECIPE005. His electronica vibe is certainly something fresh for the label and his debut “Stats” has been getting love from the likes of Instra:mental, Flight, dBridge, Spectrasoul & Survival.
Expect release date of the 22nd March along with the brand spanking new sleeve design.
RECIPE005
Mode
a) Stats
aa) Riley
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Following this is RECIPE006, from Renegade Hardware legend Phobia, his head nodder “Clean Break” has been getting good support from Teebee, Kasra, Phobia, Jubei & the flip “Voyager” which is a more grimey affair!
Phobia
New signings Skeptical & Mode will follow throughout the summer, as Ingredients beds-in the new talent alongside a few household names. Don’t forget, each vinyl copy comes with a free recipe card from the producer!
First up, released on CD & 3×12″ Vinyl on 22nd March 2010 is the highly anticipated second LP from dub-tech pioneer Scuba.
Information and hype is starting to flood the net about this LP right now, and we’re sure it’s going to be a very successful release…
CRITCD04 / CRITLP04
Sabre
A Wandering Journal
(Drum & Bass)
Released on 2xCD and 3×12″ Vinyl on 29th March 2010 is a debut LP from London based prolific producer Sabre.
The 2xCD version is an essential purchase, containing full gapless audio of Sabre’s musical journal with the Club mixes on CD2.
‘Dissociate’ is Kontext’s debut LP and, unsurprisingly, makes for an Immersive listening experience – from the delicate shimmering of Rhodes-led intro track ‘Impossible Being’ to the analogue garage-tech of ‘Ocean In The Bathroom’, via the Y3K found-sound dub of ‘On The Bottom Of The Glass’ and industrial electronica of ‘Bilinguism’. This is an album that deserves and requires repeat listening, promising its audience greater rewards the deeper they dig.
Released on 3×12″ Vinyl on 29th March 2010 this is a Vinyl only LP.
HENCHLP001
HENCH Mixtape Vol.1
Mixed By Jakes
(Dubstep)
32 track Mix CD compiled by label boss Jakes released on 1xCD on 5th April 2010.
Featuring some of the finest cuts currently available and forthcoming on the HENCH label. There will also be 4 sampler 2 track 12″s released around the same time as the CD featuring some of the biggest tracks on the scene right now.
Established in early 2009 by dBridge and Instra:mental, the Autonomic Podcast series hastily captured an audience of over 50,000 listeners each month. Whilst showcasing a wealth of new and exiting music without a channel for release, they decided that the Autonomic brand should move onto bigger things and create a label and regular club night.
Having secured a quarterly night at Fabric in London, and also mixing the Fabric Live 50–dBridge & Instra:mental presents Autonomic CD, the record label was the next logical step in order to create a home for the style of music that they believe has many more avenues to explore. First up for release are two collaborative tracks:
a) dBridge / Instra:mental / Skream – Acacia Avenue
Gaining momentum week in week out on the club circuit, what at first seemed to be quite a barren track has grown into a little monster. The intro draws you in with an unexpected switch into emotive b-line stabs, but it’s the subtle drop of the heavyweight 808 sub layered with the Pro 1 and Moog arps riff that send the dance floors silly. No crash bang wallop of drums here, just a simple riff timed and executed for maximum effect.
aa) dBridge & Instra:mental – Detroid
Traveling down a moodier path than the flipside, Detroid is an Interesting fusion of influences that create something very distinctive. Taut atmospheres and whispering sound effects fabricate a background for the loosely hanging percussion groove and murmuring bass undertone. This track is riddled with trademark production styles from both dBridge and Instra:mental, put them together in the same pot and they mix smoothly into a remarkable piece of music.
NOMIC001 is due to be released in April/May 2010 on Vinyl / Digital.
Voodoo music is the new label from Offkey. In the last year Raiden has increasingly begun to explore his love for tribal & percussive based drum n bass and after a recent trip to Latin America the concept for Voodoo Music was born.
In preparation for Voodoo music this year Raiden & Khanage have been busy been creating music that has gathered ‘every set’ support and rewinds from Alix Perez, Loxy, Doc Scott, dBridge, C4C, Rockwell, Icicle, Ink & Bailey amongst others. The tracks have become anthems for the new emerging sound and its followers. Thinking with a mind toward the future we have been keeping our eyes and ears on a few emerging artists that we can develop on a long term basis- Morphy and Khanage to name a few.
Voodoo Music will also feature contributions and collaborations with Rockwell, Loxy, June Miller amongst others, each release will come with its own identity and we will be working closely with the artists to make sure their work is represented in the truest sense.
We are able to work with like minded artists within drum n bass as our work has been received very well by peers and in turn these artists are writing music specifically to fit the sound and concept of Voodoo Music.
The debut release for the label is the long in demand tracks from Raiden entitled ‘Baptism Of Fire’ b/w ‘Danzon’. Baptism Of Fire is a brooding track that thrives on holding a sense of cold tension whilst ‘Danzon’ is a latin inspired skank out that doesn’t go down the trad-latin formula but instead concentrates highly on the complex rhythms of Cuba.
The second 12″ will be another instalment from Raiden & Khanage’s ongoing collaboration with ‘Amnesia Haze’ & ‘8798′, two tracks that ignited the initial spark for the Voodoo Music project during a very late in the studio between the pair.
Told through narrative interludes and a musical score capturing windows in our tale; ‘A Wandering Journal’ is a voyage through experimental electronica; the debut long player from London-based producer, Sabre, and the first solo artist album on Critical Music.
Hailing from north London, 27 year old DJ turned Producer ‘Sabre’ has slowly been risen through the ranks of the global electronic music fraternity, securing as he goes a reputation as a twisted yet soulful thinker, bringing a grittier sound to the deeper spectrum of the drum and bass scene and experimental electronica.
After having spent his earliest years in the Seychelles, Sabre moved to the UK in 1989. Reaching his early teens, he found a passion for Hip-Hop and turntablism, and equipped himself as a bedroom DJ. The subsequent vinyl addiction was cemented by the arrival of the Jungle Era, and overwhelmed by the richness of the music, Sabre started to purchase the occasional release eventually switching focus away from Hip-Hop entirely in the late 90’s with the arrival of more futuristic, industrial sounding drum and bass, from artists like Future Forces, Photek, Teebee and DJ Trace.
After stints on pirate radio stations such as Rude FM a course in music technology followed and armed the young DJ with a firm grasp of studio technique; the first releases came in 2002 under the guise of the collaborative ‘Intimidation Collective’ project, a two man, self- driven enterprise selling white label music from car boots straight to the shops. The profile was growing at grass roots level in the underground, and now approaching 2004, small and mid sized labels started picking up on the ‘techy/soulful’ mix of dance floor drum and bass being produced by the newcomer. The first throws at starting a brand within music came the year after with the launch of London Zu, the now retired drum and bass club night formerly held at Londons’ La Scala venue.
“Still perhaps the most exciting era of my life, around 2002-2004 when I started to first find support in this music, mingle with people who had been my heroes for years, finally knowing that I had a niche and a following, which is all I really wanted.”
In the years since those first opportunities, Sabre’s grown to emerge as a global DJ with residencies across Europe, and secured releases and remix work for labels including Metalheadz, Renegade Hardware, Critical and Shogun Audio. Spanning many styles, this initially dance floor-orientated catalog has since evolved itself towards a more minimal and experimental outlook, resulting in 2007 with a commission from Capitol films to contribute toward the film score for the Tony Kaye feature ‘Black Water Transit’. The view looking to the future is spread across the musical and multimedia spectrum.
“Writing ‘A Wandering Journal’ has been liberating beyond expression. It’s a project I’ve had developed and hibernating for so long that looking back, I know that if it’d been left any longer it wouldn’t have been realised to its true potential. All the unwritten details of the concept and the loose narrative would have faded in my mind. Creating it when I did, whilst the concept was still strong in my mind, and my musical output was amongst the most free-spirited of my career was perfect timing. And it’s spurned me on to be even more ambitious with what I create in the future. I have to approach a new frontier now that this album is complete, and the current multimedia landscape is the perfect playground in which to elaborate on what I stand for creatively.”
CRITCD04 / CRITLP04
Sabre
A Wandering Journal
CD1:
1. Day One
2. The Intrepid
3. Quarters feat. Noisia & Icicle
4. Day Four
5. A Wandering Journal
6. Escapade
7. Follow Polaris
8. Day Eight
9. Peril
10. Ash
11. Marvel
12. Levelling Out Pt. 1 feat. Maxwell Golden
13. Have It Your Way feat. Alix Perez
14. Day Fourteen
15. Havens Verge
CD2:
1. Peril (Club mix)
2. Marvel (Club mix)
3. Quarters feat. Noisia & Icicle (Club mix)
4. The Intrepid (Club mix)
5. Javelin feat. Alix Perez
6. A Wandering Journal (Rockwell Club mix)
7. Curious
8. Levelling Out Pt. 2
9. Follow Polaris (Club mix)
10. Have It Your Way feat. Alix Perez (Club mix)
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