STHoldings Ltd

Instra:mental have completed their debut album and there’s no better home for it than their own firmly established label Nonplus+. Having made a name for themselves over the last few years as avant-garde, forward thinking producers who set trends instead of following, they lay down a full length album showcasing where their productions are at now rather than being a summary of where they’ve come from.

First off we get a taste of the album on the Resolution 653  sampler 12” (NONPLUS013) with electro x juke style tracks ‘Thomp’ and ‘When I Dip” which have both been savaging dance floors worldwide over the last few months in the sets of DJs such as Loefah, Addison Groove and Benji B amongst others.

NONPLUS013
Instra:mental
Resolution 653 LP Sampler
a) Thomp
aa) When I Dip

Released 21st March.

Instra:mental Resolution 653 LP Sampler ‘Thomp’ / ‘When I Dip’ [NONPLUS013] by stholdings

Moving on to the full LP we are treated to the complete gamut of Instra:mental’s ability. Tracks like ‘Aggro Acid’ and ‘Talkin Mono’ give us crude analogue acid modulation at its rawest that twists and gurgles across the sound spectrum with mesmeric manipulation, whilst others such as ‘Memory Implant’, ‘Waterfall’ and ‘Plok’ take us deep into synth arrangements that have become synonymous with their name.

Having worked predominantly at higher tempos and made a significant impact on the Drum and bass scene in 2008/9/10, most of this album is focused on the 120-140 bpm tempo and they have studied every avenue to seek out new and interesting possibilities for originality within a tempo range that has been so thoroughly exploited over the years. They take elements of eras gone by and revitalise them with the use of old skool equipment mixed with modern production techniques. As usual their impressive hoard of vintage hardware plays an integral part in their characteristic sound. Whether it be techno, dubstep, drum and bass or electro that they turn their hand to, their Instra:mental sound shines through and makes genre irrelevant.

NONPLUSCD003 / NONPLUSLP003
Instra:mental
Resolution 653
01. Sun Rec
02. User  *
03. 8  *
04. Waterfalls
05. Aggro Acid  *
06. Arc
07. Love Arp
08. Thomp
09. Talkin’ Mono  *
10. Rift Zone  *
11. Plok
12. Delta Zone (Advance)  *
13. Memory Implant

* = Tracks also featured on the 3×12″ Vinyl Version.
LP Version will come with a Download Card shrink wrapped inside the product entitling them to download all 13 tracks from the album on MP3.

Both formats released 11th April.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/InstraMental/169793058919

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Until now Duffstep has been hidden in the seedy undergrowth of London always disguised, clandestine, covert, forever plotting his imminent escape. This bid for freedom then is called ‘Getting to Sirius’. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, in Ancient Greek times Sirius was said to mark the beginning of summer, where women became aroused and men became weak. The gods screamed for glory and the crowd screamed one more.

Duffstep’s debut album ‘Getting to Sirius’ is a heady potion laced with influences of dub and down tempo beats, winding through layers of melody and synths whilst vocals soften the blow providing a nice, warm and fuzzy edge to the thick slabs of sonic concrete. Though you won’t have to wait before a nice big bass-line knocks you down on your arse again.

Duffstep

It’s a migration then from early morning blissful sweeps and sonic washes. It is the soul of rave, it is it’s long dead cousin come back to haunt it. It is the sound rave makes when it re-enters the earth’s atmosphere. It isn’t a simple re-working of what has been showcased in recent live outings, it is more contemplative; unlike his more recent outings it is less aimed at the dance-floor and is instead a more, down-tempo, relaxed affair.

Aside from travelling to Sirius on weekends, Duffstep can also be found sharing a stage with some of the biggest names in electronic music, Flying Lotus, Pinch, Martyn, Commix, Ramadanman, Pariah and Kode 9 to name a few. As well as teaming up alongside Rebel Overlay one of the VJ scenes brightest assets, Duffstep has begun touring a massive live show that is set to be unveiled from Timbuktu to Teignmouth.

Accompanying the debut LP will be 3 remix EP’s straddling the realms of dubstep, house and disco from an ever emerging pool of old and new guard. Remixes split across both digital and vinyl include re-tellings from FaltyDL, Elliphino and Young Montana? On the dub orientated EP with Mark E, Session Victim and Riley Reinhold, Loose fit, Social Monster and Duffstep’s Thursday night drag act alter-ego Duff Disco taking things to house and disco dancefloors. With original material, remix EPs, a debut album and an ever growing touring schedule, Duffstep is going to be hard to ignore in 2011.

DOT004
Duffstep
Getting To Sirius
UPC – 5055317210630

01. Free
02. My Kiss
03. Love The Freak
04. On & On
05. Tired
06. Your Touch
07. Backseat
08. Love
09. This Isn’t Just Duff, This Is Duffstep
10. Close Your Eyes
11. The Way It’s Got To Be
12. Happy Days

www.jointhedotsmusic.co.uk
www.electronicbeats.net/Music/Columns/ONES-TO-WATCH-Duffstep
www.facebook.com/duffstep
www.soundcloud.com/duffstep
www.myspace.com/duffstep

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Very soon after the release of “Shelf Life Vol. 2″, Calibre stated he would be releasing his long anticipated downtempo album, “Shine a Light”. We are excited to finally announce full details of the album which will be released on 12″ Vinyl / CD & Digital.

In his own words:

“I have spent over 10 years writing music, the majority of my work being drum and bass, so i wanted to write an album that wasn’t attached to a particular musical genre, to me it felt like feeling my way in the dark”.

“And that my friends is what interests me, a mystery re-ignited;
A different story to tell;
And it’s as simple as that;
No frills just some music that I liked.
I hope a few of you do also“.

SIGCD005 / SIGLP005
Dominick Martin
Shine A Light

To be released on 12″ Vinyl / CD & Digital on Monday 16th November.

01. The Truth (Ft. DRS)

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02. Change
03. The Marches
04. Last Kiss
05. Footprints
06. Beyond

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07. Something I Said
08. The Tide
09. Man On The Road

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10. Devise

Links:
www.myspace.com/sigrecs1
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calibre_(artist)
www.discogs.com/artist/Calibre

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Dom & Roland has been at the forefront of the Drum and Bass electronic music scene for over 15 years. Originally signed to No-U-Turn he moved to the scene leader Moving Shadow in 1995, he has released four critically acclaimed albums to date, over 100 singles, high profile electronic remixes as well as many collaborations with some of the scene’s most talented artists.

As one of the pioneers of the tech-step genre he is well known for his cinematic otherworldly soundscapes, It has often been suggested that he move into doing film soundtracks as his sound often conveys a strong visual element. Teamed with his sought after talent for producing dancefloor pounding rhythms, he has managed to stay at the pinnacle of the scene to this day.

In 2005 Dom started his own label Dom & Roland Productions releasing the creme de la creme of Drum and Bass collaborations, as well as being an outlet for his own work. An accomplished sound engineer, Dom is well known to have co-produced and mixed some of the classics of the drum and bass scene, including Subway with Ed Rush, Sonar with DJ Trace, appearing as guest producer alongside Optical on Grooveriders seminal Prototype Years album, as well as having enjoyed enormous success with many of his own tracks including the mighty Thunder, Imagination and Can’t Punish Me. The late John Peel a longtime fan, also approached Dom to commission a piece of work although sadly this dream was never realised.

Over the years Dom & Roland releases have been commissioned for several Playstation games and licensed to television in various countries including the BBC and Channel 4 in England. More recently Dom has continued his passion for pushing the boundaries of music technology, contributing from a producer’s standpoint, by being an advisor to various music software companies, including Native Instruments and Focusrite, taking studio tools to the next generation.

In his latest album No Strings Attached, in addition to his latest solo work, Dom has teamed up with the current crop of big name producers to release a 12 track album, featuring collaborations with Amon Tobin of Ninja records, the trendy Dutch super producers Noisia, Violence label owner Hive, Audio, and last but by no means least Rob Playford, Dom’s old label boss, now close friend, also known as the co-producer and engineer of Goldie’s legendary timeless album. Doms latest album is one of his finest works to date and is due for release in late November on all formats.

DRPLP002CD
Dom & Roland
No Strings Attached (CD Format)

01. Mind Feeders
02. Tajitsu (Featuring Noisia)
03. Sylo (Featuring Amon Tobin)
04. Ice Age
05. Mammoth Hunt
06. Jungle Beast
07. 1134 (Featuring Hive)
08. Alternate Worlds (Featuring Rob Playford)
09. Hypnosis
10. Odd Job
11. Peace Keeper (Featuring Audio)
12. Jedi

DRPLP002T
Dom & Roland
No Strings Attached (4×12″ Vinyl Version)

a) Mindfeeders
b) Mammoth Hunt
c) Alternate Worlds (Featuring Rob Playford)
d) 1134 (Featuring Hive)
e) Tajitsu (Featuring Noisia)
f) Oddjob
g) Jungle Beast
h) Peacekeeper (Featuring Audio)

DRPLP002S
Dom & Roland
No Strings Attached Sampler

a) Sylo (Featuring Amon Tobin)
aa) Jedi

With the album release now imminent Dom has started a busy schedule touring the Uk and Europe until Christmas before doing Russia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and America early next year.

* Roland is not a person. Roland is the digital sampler made by Roland that Dom used to compose with! *

Media Reactions:

DJ Magazine: “Intros so futuristic and sci-fi George Lucas would cream himself if he heard them…”
ATM Mag: “Dom & Roland is both a production pioneer and legend in drum & bass…”
XLR8R: “One of the finest talents the genre had ever seen…”
Knowledge: “Dom has had a hand in some of the most influential drum & bass anthems of all time…”

Links:

www.domandroland.com
www.myspace.com/domdrp
www.myspace.com/domandrolandproductions

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Elemental’s imminent debut LP “Messages from the Void” is a collection of work from the last four years, spanning a range of styles, made using a combination of new and old technologies, including Elemental’s beloved modular synthesizer. He is proud to be able to present it to the world – a favour returned for all of the amazing music that has touched him throughout his years as a music listener and raver.

Elemental’s fresh take on the dubstep sound has got both scene stalwarts and eclectic tastemakers singing his praises. Blending components of acid house, Detroit techno, ‘golden age’ drum & bass, vintage dubwise and African rhythm, his sound is rich in texture and musical heritage, yet remains eminently danceable.

(photo by Georgina Cook)

The North London based producer – Adam Wilson to his friends – started dabbling with production in 1994 with a Roland D5 and Atari ST while he was still at school. Soon after he invested in an Akai S2000 sampler, bought a PC, and the rest, as they say, is history. In the nineties he predominantly focused on making drum and bass and experimental electronica, eventually putting out his first drum and bass release as a white label off his own back.

A few years later, together with schoolmate Dario Swade, they formed the breakbeat garage duo Elemental & 3D, releasing on their own label Runtime Records in 2002. A couple of years later after some time abroad, Elemental caught the likes of Search & Destroy on Rinse FM and instantly found the sound he had been looking for: dark, heavy, syncopated beats and bass.

(photo by Georgina Cook)

Since 2004, Elemental has been focused on bringing his newly developed sound to the masses. Combining dubbed out dirty bass lines with hypnotising rhythms, he has released on labels such as Destructive, Hotflush, Pitch Black, Halo Beats, and his own imprint Runtime, with his seminal track “Soulfire” one of the highlights on Tayo’s Fabriclive mix CD. He was officially the first person to do a live dubstep performance, mixing up and dubbing components of his productions using Ableton Live to rapturous audiences across the world: no set is ever the same twice.

RUNTIMECD001
Elemental
Message From The Void
CD-1
01. Triple 116
02. DeepChord

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03. Magic Harp
04. Metal Funk
05. Talk
06. Spring Dub (Ring 2009)
07. Waterworks

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08. Brain drops
09. Speak Dub
10. T-Bar
CD-2 (Previously released material)
11. Attack
12. The Voice
13. Kaotic
14. Ska Train
15. Sirens (Elemental’s 07 Refix)
16. Blob
17. Zimbal Dub
18. Boxed In
19. Piston
20. Muff Beater
21. Strange Brew

The 3×12″ Vinyl version will feature an exclusive Album track “Undulating Elf”.

The 2xCD / 3×12″ Vinyl / Digital release will all be released on November 16th.

Links:
www.myspace.com/adamelemental
www.youtube.com/user/ElementalBeatsUK
rocketsciencemedia.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/messages-from-the-void-elemental-runtime-album/
www.georginacook.com

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