New arrivals:

MATTA & DUBTEK / THE BASSIST & DROID SECTOR - Witchcraft / Jah Is Coming - 12" (Terminal Dusk) Four acts, two tracks, and another excellent 12" for Terminal Dusk. The great Matta (hint: remember this name and follow these guys very closely) collaborate with Dubtek for a low-flying, dark and insidious monster of a tune, while The Bassist & Droid Sector deliver something which starts out very dubby and evolves into a kind of Cardopusher-like wobblefest. All in all very heavy, very well produced and efficient. Recommended.

PANAGEA - Pangaea EP - 2x12" (Hessle Audio) Nice six-track EP / album of sort for Pangaea, who has been getting some exposure in the last year for his quite original mixture of sounds taken from classic dubstep, dubby techno and slightly jazzy feeling. While often filed alongside the likes of Scuba, 262 or Martyn, this guy has quite a personal touch, a bit less clubby, a bit more laid back, and with a wider spectrum (in my opinion). Relatively accessible but rewarding and well done.

MIZZ BEATS - My World / The Jester - 12" (Deep Medi Musik) Nice little pink and bubbly first solo 12" for Mizz Beats, following her split with Silkie released last year on Deep Medi as well. It's all quite dubstep-y, slightly wonky and female driven but considerably more joyful and simpler than, let's say, Ikonika. Quite nice, crispy, and party-compatible.

MARTYN - Hear Me / Seventy Four Remixes - 12" (3024) First remix 12" following Martyn's "Great Lengths" album, featuring remixes by Hyperdub's Zomby (pretty light, with a nice and typical melody, but less gritty than one could expect) and Delsin's Redshape (full on techno and quite pulsating). Nice reinterpretations of Martyn's material, leaving a bit the dubstep and two step of the original material.

SUB FOCUS - Could This Be Real (w/ Joker remix) - 12" (Ram Records) Quite the weird record, and not what one would necessarily expect here (but how could we pass on checking out a new Joker track?). The A side features the original version of this new single by Sub Focus off his new album: starting out in the worse way with rave piano and dance vocals, it all then evolves into a pretty poppy d'n'b track that benefits a bit from a big wobbly dubstep bass. The Joker remix is a bit more challenging and original, even though it features only a few of the crunchy melodies that we have learned to expect from him.

MRK1 / CYRUS - Last Drop / In The Background - 12" (Eight:Fx) Unsurprising but still nice split EP between Mark One and Cyrus, each presenting two new tracks relatively typical of his own genre. On the one side, Mark One's track are of the heavy wobble kind, efficient and catchy. The B side, by Cyrus, is as expected considerably drier, darker and more spaced out. While there might not be as much excitement here as one could have had for such a split 12" a couple of years ago, there's definitely some cool material here for people into these two musicians.

BROKEN NOTE / ZARDONIC - Venom / Fucking Up The Program - 12" (Mindsaw) Things speed up a lot with this Broken Note and Zardonic split 12" for the d'n'b label Zardonic. Gone is the dubstep, what we get here is some furious fast-paced classicaly structured drum'n'bass, all formated for the club. Dark, gritty and rocket-hard.

Back in stock:

BELIO #22 - Freak Show - Magazine (Belio) Come in, everybody, and stare at all the freaks gathered by Belio magazine for this new issue. May they be a two headed baby, a ape-man or a plain misfit, all of them are in the "Freak Show" issue of Belio. As usual, here are more than 100 page of top quality graphic design, with articles in english and spanish.

JEGA - Variance - 2xCD (Planet Mu) Almost ten years after his previous albums, Jega finally returns, and with nothing less than a double pack. Things are quite interesting here, as the first CD is mostly calm and relaxed, a sort of introvert and poetic soundtrack, while the second unleashes a lot more samples, rhythms and IDM trickery (to the point that one of the tracks sound more like Venetian Snares than Snares himself). Unsurprisingly for Jega, the whole thing is extremely well done, and could somewhat be seen as a snapshot of the various musical style this artist has touched, both on Skam and Planet Mu. Very nice and recommended.

CARDOPUSHER - Red Red Blood - 12" (Peace Off) Super kicking follow up by everybody favorite Venezuelan to his debut full length. "Red Red Blood" takes off basically where "Hippie Killers" had ended, and present two very strong breakcore / raggacore / pop mash up tracks which are sure to made everybody dance with a smile, and a darker, slower and heavier one which displays Cardopusher's interest in the current dubstep trend (even though he runs it through his breaks blender). A very strong 12" whose main appeal is Cardopusher's typcial mixture of syncopated breaks and accessible, human sounds. A nice one.

B-LAM - Mongrel - 12" (Ruff) The fourth installment of Peace Off's Ruff series is by far the slowest and the less breakcore minded. Sticking more closely than its predecessors to the rules of dubstep, B-Lam's debut is a very melodic, relatively lightweight but percussive record, which manages at the same time to be the calmest thing I have ever heard from Peace Off and one of my favorite. Not an all-out dancefloor attack, but a nice transitionnal two-tracker, well produced and welcome.

V/A - Thesis Vol.I - CD (Impulsive Art) With such a line-up, don't expect us to say anything bad about this second release on the Greek Impulsive Art label. Larvae, Mad EP, Spyweirdos, Andrey Kiritchenko and Keef Baker represent the label with new material on this excellent CD, which also gathers tracks by Mobthrow, Tapage, IP Neva and others. Somewhere between flowing electronica, ambient and a bit of downtempo beats, it's all good here, and we can only salute this excellent initiative. Very recommended.

ATMOGAT - Trigger Event - CD (Impulsive Art) After years of releasing on netlabels, the German Atmogat duo finally gets a proper CD release on the young but rising greek label Impulsive Art. Definitely something that should appeal to fans of the calmer side of Hymen (Gridlock anybody?), M-Tronic or Tympanik, this somber "Trigger Event" is a hi-fi mid-tempo electronica trip with strong melodies, some industrial beats and pretty nice synthetic ambiances. The CD also features remixes by Access To Arasaka and Nikka. A guaranteed hit for anybody into this kind of dark, semi-glitchy electronica.

Now available as digital download:

New arrivals:

GEMMY - Johnny 5 - 2x12" (Planet Mu) First release by Gemmy containing more than two tracks only, this "Johnny 5" finally allows us to get a good shot at what this Bristol-based musician is about. A bit wonky, a tad of IDM but both foots still in dubstep, this "Johnny 5" is bassy as it should be (meaning more than most wonky stuff out there), relatively clean and varied (from definitely electronica influenced to very dub). Compact, coherent and raising my interest in this young producer.

V/A - Crimson - 12" (Terminal Dusk) Back in stock! A hell of a kick off for Line47's new label, Terminal Dusk. "Crimson" is a tightly packed compilation featured 15 new tracks by such a good line-up that I'll just have to list all the names here: Enduser, Exillon, Doormouse, Emotional Joystick, Eight Frozen Modules, Duran Duran Duran, Soundmurderer, Line47, Shitmat, Not Breathing, Jonas the Plugexpert, Chevron, Wisp, Rusuden, Killa Cosby and Pale. From hard breakcore to mashup, from complex IDM to pounding beat, this CD is a collection of very well chosen tracks. Very recommended.

DONNY - Wonder For Reason / Sabotage - 12" (Prspct) First solo 12" by Donny on Prspct, a.k.a. to relatively new but now essentials actors of the dark d'n'b scene. The two tracks on this record are constantly on the border between straightforward d'n'b and hardcore, following a path that has obviously been opened and threaded before by The Outside Agency. Still, the whole thing is efficient and well done (if not on the repetitive side), and here might be a good pick for the times when your DJ Hidden and TOA records are getting a bit too much wear.

RESO - Temjin - 2x12" (Civil Music) Long awaited and excellent first EP for Reso, which, I really hope, paves the way for a first full length album. The five tracks of this double 12" range from the gritty, super heavy futuristic dubstep (think Broken Note, a tad softer and with almost no d'n'b elements) and the more Joker / Zomby-leaning 8 bit melodies. Brillant material by one of the great underrated names of dubstep. Very recommended.

INSTRAMENTAL / SKREAM - No Future (Skreamix) / Minimalistix - 12" (Nonplus) Skream-heavy record on Instramental's Nonplus label, with a rather repetitive but very heavy remix of an Instrumental original track by Skream on the A side (to be honest, one of the best Skream remix in a while) and a completely different, aptly titled and more techno leaning Skream track on the B side (something which could easily have been on Tectonic). A varied record in which the tracks were well selected, and therefore to be seen as a top Skream 12"

Back in stock:

THE MOUNT FUJI DOOMJAZZ CORPORATION - Doomjazz Future Corpses! - CD (Ad Noiseam) The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation is the new free-form, drone metal / jazz atler-ego of The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, the band formed by Jason Kohnen (aka Bong-Ra) and Giedon Kiers. A recording of the ensemble's best live session, "Doomjazz Future Corpses!" focuses on mesmerizing, doom-ridden drones and melodies, combined with the jazzy grooves and melodies of the cello and saxophones. An highly suffocating journey through the deep realms of murky drone jazz / metal, heavy and unfettered.

DJ SCOTCH EGG - Scotch Vader - 12" (Kriss) That's how I like my eggs. Here comes an insane and excellent new 12" by one of our favorite japanese crazies, in the form of a white 12" released on Bong-Ra's Kriss label. It starts with a (great) cover of the Star Wars's imperial theme played on the gameboy before moving on to a crazy noisy breakcore, and ends with remixes by Ove-Naxx and Bong-Ra. What else can you ask for? A deadly, not-to-be-missed record.

PHOTOPHOB - Still Warm - CD (Hive Records) Following a sci-fi minded, more industrial-sounding debut, Photophob's "Still Warm" is a clear turn towards IDM and broken electronic for this austrian project. Possibily influenced by early Warp releases, and ending up sounding quite close to Beefcake (no surprise here), Photophob manages to combine the fast, clear breaks and the pathos-ridden melodies and samples without sounding cheesy or boring, which makes of "Still Warm" a pretty solid and enjoyable album, however beaten the path might be. Nice, and recommended.

CARDOPUSHER - Red Red Blood - 12" (Peace Off) Super kicking follow up by everybody favorite Venezuelan to his debut full length. "Red Red Blood" takes off basically where "Hippie Killers" had ended, and present two very strong breakcore / raggacore / pop mash up tracks which are sure to made everybody dance with a smile, and a darker, slower and heavier one which displays Cardopusher's interest in the current dubstep trend (even though he runs it through his breaks blender). A very strong 12" whose main appeal is Cardopusher's typcial mixture of syncopated breaks and accessible, human sounds. A nice one.

V/A - Kamikaze Club 7 - 12" (Peace Off) Fresh blood on the dancefloor with the 7th invitation to the kamikaze Club, as only one act on this new Peace Off compilation had ever released anything in the past. Style-wise, one is in known waters here, even though this volume is uncommonly hard and noisy. The punkish spirit of Peace Off is still here, and there's enough energy here for any breakcore party, but we're clearly looking more in the hardcore direction than in the d'n'b one. Kamikaze for sure.

B-LAM - Mongrel - 12" (Ruff) The fourth installment of Peace Off's Ruff series is by far the slowest and the less breakcore minded. Sticking more closely than its predecessors to the rules of dubstep, B-Lam's debut is a very melodic, relatively lightweight but percussive record, which manages at the same time to be the calmest thing I have ever heard from Peace Off and one of my favorite. Not an all-out dancefloor attack, but a nice transitionnal two-tracker, well produced and welcome.

ATMOGAT - Trigger Event - CD (Impulsive Art) After years of releasing on netlabels, the German Atmogat duo finally gets a proper CD release on the young but rising greek label Impulsive Art. Definitely something that should appeal to fans of the calmer side of Hymen (Gridlock anybody?), M-Tronic or Tympanik, this somber "Trigger Event" is a hi-fi mid-tempo electronica trip with strong melodies, some industrial beats and pretty nice synthetic ambiances. The CD also features remixes by Access To Arasaka and Nikka. A guaranteed hit for anybody into this kind of dark, semi-glitchy electronica.

Now available as digital download:

New arrivals:

THE TEKNOIST t-shirts (Ad Noiseam) These t-shirt display blood splatter both on the front and the back. The front shows the motto "in doubt, shoot the brain", and the Teknoist's name on the back. Red ink on black fabric

BROKEN NOTE t-shirt (Ad Noiseam) These t-shirts show the Broken Note name and logo, centered on the front of the t-shirt. Black ink on white shirt or white ink on black shirts.

HELIXIR - Convultions / Let Me Drive Now - 12" (7even) Nice new two tracker from Helixir. Pretty much in the same dubstepy, two-steppy, Channel Reaction-influenced direction as his past output or, generally speaking, the rest of 7Even's roster, this one sees this french artist tighten up a bit his sound and deliver a pretty dry and percussive (by his standard) 12" which fits like a glove next to the current 2562, Martyn & co productions.

GHOSTTOWN - You Know - 12" (Senseless Records) Quite a change of direction for Senseless with this very welcome of the always underrated inprint run by Sarantis. While the past releases were of the über heavy wobbly kind, Ghosttown's début is a much more ragga-oriented sort of hybird between dancehall, heavy basses and lo-fi sounds. Very reminiscent of the whole Disrupt / Jahtari thing or, to a lesser extent, Mungo's Hifi, and features a very cool release by DZ. Not quite what we were used to from Senseless, but a solid record nonetheless.

16 BIT - Chainsaw Calligraphy Remixes part 1 - 12" (Boka Records) First of two remix records for 16 Bit's "Chainsaw Calligraphy", which originally appeared as a B side on their "In The Death Car" 12" (also on Boka). On this one, Jakes turns this otherwise pretty beaty and clear track into a mushy, gritty and heavy monster, keeping only a fraction of the original sounds intact. On the flip side, some guy call Propatingz about whom I don't know anything strays truer to the drive and efficiency of 16 Bit, and chops up the track anew into a quite catchy remix. A nice companion to an excellent track.

16 BIT - Chainsaw Calligraphy Remixes part 2 - 12" (Boka Records) The second volume of Boka's remix series for 16 Bit's "Chainsaw Calligraphy" heavy hitter is somewhat only half the real thing: while the A side delivers a pumping and really nice bassline remix by Kanji Kinetic, the B side presents the original version again. Mind you, the original record on which it appeared is now sold out, so here's your chance to get one of 16 Bit's best known track on wax. Not bad at all, but can we get this treatment with "In The Death Car" now? Pretty please.

NOMMO OGO - Across Time And Space - CD (Record Label Records) Three years after their second album on the late Isolate label, Alaska's Nommo Ogo trio comes back with a very interesting new full length album. Less dark and less straightforward electronic than their previous efforts, this acurately named new album is a lot more psychedelic-sounding, and features a wide variety of accoustic sounds, glitchs and noises besides the overall melodic and slowly moving spacial ambient that forms the core of the tracks. Quite meditative and hallucigenic, and pretty well done.

NOMMO OGO - Space Cross - 12" (Record Label Records) Esoteric and dark looking vinyl pendant to Nommo Ogo's "Across Space And Time", which sees pressed onto very heavy vinyl two long tracks from the album. Clearly not the kind of material that DJ are going to spin to make people dance around, but some very nice, semi Coil-esque material for night times or chill out moments.

DROP THE LIME - Set Me Free - 12" (Trouble & Bass) Well, no. While Drop The Lime had still put out some relatively nice material ever since he burned all bridges with his (considerably more interesting) breakcore past, this time he really comes up with a record that probably nobody needs. Pretty generic tech-house, completely bass-free (new memo: "bass" is not just a word, it's also a sound), featuring the kind of diva vocals you haven't heard since you decided not to listen to Panacea anymore. Bland, not particularely well done for the genre, I'd be hard pressed to figure out who could play this. All right, Reso had the good idea to basically discard everything on his remix, and will be thanked for it. Besides this, no much luck for me on this record.

SKREAM - Repercussions Of A Razorblade / A New Dawn - 12" (Swamp 81) Very dry and down tempo record for Skream on Loefah's Swamp 81 label. Both tracks are on the slow side and very skeletal, devoid of any voice, sample or major bass line unlike most of Skream's recent output. Overall quite dark, but pretty easy to spin as a beaty DJ tool. Definitely uncommon and unexpected from this producer, though.

EXCISION / DATSIK - Retreat / No Escape (Remixes) - 12" (Rottun Recordings) Another huge heavy hitter from the Rottun crew, with Excision remixing Datsik, and the other way around. There's no beating around the bush with such a record. we are here in presence of truely dark super wobbly material, which doesn't reinvent the wheel but is extremely efficient at throwing club goers onto the dancefloor for some mean-spirited action. While this might not be the kind of thing that really fits the current hipster side of dubstep (no wonky beat at all here), it all goes down really well and is here very recommended. No Escape.

Back in stock:

AD NOISEAM sweat shirt (Ad Noiseam) Heavy label sweat-shirts, with hood and zipper, bearing the Ad Noiseam logo in red ink on the front.

"ENJOY NOISE" t-shirt (Ad Noiseam) The classic "Enjoy Noise" Ad Noiseam t-shirt. Show your pride in white ink on black fabric.

"BELOW 100HZ" t-shirt (Ad Noiseam) New label shirts, displaying the label logo and the "The Devil Lies Below 100 Hz" slogan, on the front.

Ad Noiseam t-shirt (Ad Noiseam) Ad Noiseam label t-shirt, bearing the logo in red ink on dark blue fabric.

FALTY DL - Love Is A Liability - 2x12" (Planet Mu) Excellent second double pack for 2009 by Falty DL, on which this british musician leaves behind the straighest material from the previous "Bravery", and puts his IDM tricks to the service of a mixture of light dubstep and garage for an album which sounds loungy at time, but constantly opens to smart changes and charming melodies. A very strong release, something that needs to be listened to a lot, a very good cover artwork, and, in the end, a recommended album.

DOORMOUSE - Hard Drive Clearance Sale - 12" (Addict Records) Back in stock, Doormouse 2006's "clearance sale", featuring four tracks from the hay-day of this precursor and pillar of the american breakcore scene. Break, mashups, general absurdity, hardcore sensibility and more breaks, here's another unmissable record from an act that is already missed.

KING CANNIBAL - Let The Night Roar - CD (Ninja Tune) Finally there, here comes King Cannibal's first full length release. With this CD reprising the tracks from his previous three 12" on Ninja Tune and adding several new tracks, this UK producer will hopefully reach the non-vinyl buying audience. And we definitely hope so over here, as King Cannibal's infectious mixture of heavy handed drum'n'bass and bass-rich proto-dubstep is something to hear and to enjoy. Definitely one of the best signings on Ninja Tune for a long while, and a very recommended release.

SIMON SCOTT - Navigare - CD (Miasmah) First album by Simon Scott (yes, the drummer from Shoegazer veterans and essentials Slowdive) under his own name, and for the quality label Miasmah. It's all pretty dark and oppressive in the forest of blurry drones and pitched down beats that Simon Scott has built in this "Navigare", and while we might stil be far away from the bloody rituals of Sunn O))) & co, this album sails somewhere between the whole modern dark drones thing and some more uplifting remnants of shoegaze here and there. Deep, multilayered, well done: not only a must for fans of Slowdive and Miasmah (but that too).

THE TEKNOIST / DOLPHIN - The Glitch War Part 1 - 12" (Deathchant) Back in stock, a all destroying quality Deatchant release that gathers one track by each of these essential names of the current UK hardcore scene that are The Teknoist (who everybody on this site should know well by now) and Dolphin. The later kicks in with a very clear but extremely percussive and yes, slightly glitchy (as much as a Deathchant record can be) track. On the other side, The Teknoist's material is noisier, grittier and darker. An excellent record , back from the vault for everybody who missed it back in 2003.

ATMOGAT - Trigger Event - CD (Impulsive Art) After years of releasing on netlabels, the German Atmogat trio finally gets a proper CD release on the young but rising greek label Impulsive Art. Definitely something that should appeal to fans of the calmer side of Hymen (Gridlock anybody?), M-Tronic or Tympanik, this somber "Trigger Event" is a hi-fi mid-tempo electronica trip with strong melodies, some industrial beats and pretty nice synthetic ambiances. The CD also features remixes by Access To Arasaka and Nikka. A guaranteed hit for anybody into this kind of dark, semi-glitchy electronica.

CURRENT VALUE - Into The Light / Deep Digger - 12" (Soothsayer Recordings) Back in stock! New record by this well known Berlin-based drum'n'bass producer, this time on the US Soothsayer label. One side is pretty dancey, based on Current Value's typical hi-fi d'n'b sound, while the second side, a bit calmer, relies on effected vocals. Very well produced, here is a record which should not disappoint.

KRIPTIC MINDS - Code 46 / The Weeping - 12" (Disfigured Dubz) Very low flying, wobbly and massive new two trackers for Kryptic Minds (typo included), this time on Skream's young Disfigured Dubs imprint. The whole thing is defnitely classic dubstep, but stays on the downtempo side, has a lot more "step" than "dub" and fits its very dark and gory artwork. Very heavy and while not completely surprising, obviously efficient.

New arrivals:

BONG-RA - Grindkrusher - 12" (Ad Noiseam) Back in stock! "Grindkrusher" is Bong-Ra's homage to the grindcore metal of his youth, with a special focus to the early Earache roster. Huge guitar riffs and dark growls collide with his razor-sharp breaks and beats; Bong-Ra treats here grindcore as he did earlier with ragga, taking the dust off the genre, but keeping its essence alive. Bong-Ra has given birth to a memorable record that will stay as a classic. Four tracks and two remixes by Doormouse and Sickboy.

FALTY DL - Love Is A Liability - 2x12" (Planet Mu) Excellent second double pack for 2009 by Falty DL, on which this british musician leaves behind the straighest material from the previous "Bravery", and puts his IDM tricks to the service of a mixture of light dubstep and garage for an album which sounds loungy at time, but constantly opens to smart changes and charming melodies. A very strong release, something that needs to be listened to a lot, a very good cover artwork, and, in the end, a recommended album.

JOKER - City Hopper - 12" (Tectonic) Past his crunchy 8-bits and easy, metronomic rhythms, Joker's main quality is his ability to write long and catchy melodic lines. He does it masterfully on this new Tectonic 12", whose title track is an insidious dubstep take at some kind of old Vangelis or Goblin tune, as if written in 2009 on a vocoded gameboy. Very efficient, quite clever and putting its focus on a too often overshadowed aspect of this music. The B side, with a darker bassline and heavier beat, provide some respite from the playfulness of the main track, and rounds up nicely one of my favorite Joker releases so far.

DISTANCE / PINCH - Clockwork / One Blood, One Source (Distance Remix) - 12" (Tectonic) Two faced new single by Distance. "Clockwork" is a relatively classic tune for this producer: heavy, stomping, straightforward massive dubstep that doesn't reinvent the wheel but is guaranteed to work well when played loud enough. On the flipside, Distane remixes a vocal-based track by Pinch, providing it with a rougher edge, but ending up with something which which clearly a notch mellower than the regular Distance material.

PINCH FT. YOLANDA - Get Up - 12" (Tectonic) Vinyl pendant (or probably main version) of the "Get up" remix series, presenting on wax the original version of this very efficient and infectious vocal-based track by Pinch and Yolanda. The original version is presented on the A side, answered to with the Guido and RSD remixes on the B side. Pretty good semi-loungy, semi-r'n'b material, and, in my opinion, a really nice remix job from Guido.

SIMON SCOTT - Navigare - CD (Miasmah) First album by Simon Scott (yes, the drummer from Shoegazer veterans and essentials Slowdive) under his own name, and for the quality label Miasmah. It's all pretty dark and oppressive in the forest of blurry drones and pitched down beats that Simon Scott has built in this "Navigare", and while we might stil be far away from the bloody rituals of Sunn O))) & co, this album sails somewhere between the whole modern dark drones thing and some more uplifting remnants of shoegaze here and there. Deep, multilayered, well done: not only a must for fans of Slowdive and Miasmah (but that too).

MRK1 - I'll Kill You - 12" (Contagious Recordings) How one feels about this new 12" by Virus Syndicate's Mark One depends pretty much on what one thinks of dubstep at the moment. The man has been spitting out a healthy salvo of records on his Contagious inprint, all of them sticking to the accepted, classic formula of the genre: heavy basslines, mid-tempo, a few dub samples, and hard drums. It's all really well done and efficient but, on the other hand, not really bringing anything new to anybody who hasn't been stuck in a hole for the last couple of years. Therefore: a good record to bring dubstep accross, but nothing new under the sun for people who've been following either MRK1 or dubstep.

FALTY DL - Party - 12" (Ramp Recordings) With such a title, one could have expected quite the uptempo, beaty and booty shaking record from Falty DL. This seems to be true on the A side, with a title track that goes all out garage and doesn't feature too much trickery or glitches. The B side must be the after hour or the chill-out room, though, as it sounds a lot calmer, more relaxed and just prettier. A pretty varied record for Falty DL, and a solid Ramp again.

FALTY DL - To London - 12" (Ramp Recordings) Another killer title track from Falty DL, who keeps coming up with really nice material lately, in which he manages to deliver something along the line of this whole mid post-dubstep, dub-technu influenced material that has been popping out of London recently, but in a very playful and IDM-ish manner. The B side is nice as well, if more repetitive. Congratulations to this guy for a series of very nice releases.

ATMOGAT - Trigger Event - CD (Impulsive Art) After years of releasing on netlabels, the German Atmogat trio finally gets a proper CD release on the young but rising greek label Impulsive Art. Definitely something that should appeal to fans of the calmer side of Hymen (Gridlock anybody?), M-Tronic or Tympanik, this somber "Trigger Event" is a hi-fi mid-tempo electronica trip with strong melodies, some industrial beats and pretty nice synthetic ambiances. The CD also features remixes by Access To Arasaka and Nikka. A guaranteed hit for anybody into this kind of dark, semi-glitchy electronica.

RUSKO / L-WIZ - Girl From Codeine City / Acton Dread (Remixes) - 12" (Dub Thiefs) We all see what Dub Poilice did here with the name of their new sub-label, don't we? So, the first thieving 12" sees Rusko and L-Wiz remix each other, and end up turning both of their classic tracks into very dubby, ganja-friendly tunes. Heavy on the melodies and relatively slow paced, both sides might not be the most forward-thinking or heaviest dubstep around, but you know that all of your dreadlock-wearing friends will be into them.

PETER BRODERICK & MACHINEFABRIEK - Blank Grey Canvas Sky - 12" (Fang Bomb) Splendid new collaboration between the currently very prolific Peter Broderick (known mostly for his two albums on Type last year) and the equally zealous Machinefabriek. A lot easier on the ear than one could expect, this collaboration is a beautiful, melancholic and very aerial game of piano, glitches and drones, somewhere between Max Richter and Spyweirdos or the Alva Noto / Ryoji Ikeda collabs. Instrumental safe for one track, and all throughout pretty dark, here's a perfect winter album if you ask me.

PETER BRODERICK & MACHINEFABRIEK - Blank Grey Canvas Sky - CD (Fang Bomb) Splendid new collaboration between the currently very prolific Peter Broderick (known mostly for his two albums on Type last year) and the equally zealous Machinefabriek. A lot easier on the ear than one could expect, this collaboration is a beautiful, melancholic and very aerial game of piano, glitches and drones, somewhere between Max Richter and Spyweirdos or the Alva Noto / Ryoji Ikeda collabs. Instrumental safe for one track, and all throughout pretty dark, here's a perfect winter album if you ask me.

Back in stock:

MILANESE - Lockout - 2x12" (Planet Mu) A selection of tracks from the long awaited new full length by Milanese, this 2x12" shows that this british producer has chosen to keep the vocals and syncopated rhythms from his debut but tone down the noise level and dubstep structures, to come up with something which, while still dubstep at times, has a stronger weird, anthemic hip hop vibe. While it all stays quite dark and rusty, such a track as the ones with South Africa's Ben Sharpa or the Al Haca remix are somewhat less bombastic than Milanese's debut, but catchier and more detailled. I was expecting a lot and wasn't disappointed: recommended.

HECATE / LUSTMORD - Law Of The Battle Of Conquest - 12" (Hymen) 4 albums of the greatest dark ambient musician ever remixed into 4 tracks by the reigning queen of breakcore. Take Lustmord's deep atmospheres and add breaks, beats and vocals. A powerful, interesting meeting. Missing it is forbidden.

TREACHERY - s/t - 12" (Zhark International) A new "superband" made of Hecate, Abelcain and Slutmachine, Treachery allows these three dark souls to express their love for doom-ish metal and über dark atmospheres not only with electronic sounds, but also with guitars (played by Abelcain) and vocals (Hecate's). Extremely oppressive, black and "evil", the whole thing sounds at times close to Bong-Ra's White Darkness project, but with much faster riffs and rhythms, and therefore oscillating between doom and breakcore-leaning metal. No listening allowed without making the signs of the beast.

BROKEN NOTE / STARKEY - War In The Making / No Struggle - 12" (Ruff) Excellent 8th volume of Peace Off's Ruff series, this time bringing together the great Broken Note (with an excellent, hard, heavy and, yes, broken dubstep tune) on the A side and the no-less remarkable Starkey, with a harder and straighter than usual tune on the B side. Hard hitting, dry, and very heavy (most of all the Broken Note side), here's a Ruff piece of wax people shouldn't pass on.

ACCESS TO ARASAKA - Oppidan - CD (Spectraliquid / Tympanik Audio) Very rich and lush first album for the american newcomer Access to Arasaka, who unites Spectraliquid and Tympanik Audio for a collaborative release. Mostly active in the dark but clear waters of post-Gridlockian industrial electronica, this musician however dares to throw in a bit more breaks than usual, or underlines its bass from times to times, providing a more up-to-date sound to some of his tracks. The whole thing is well done, keeps mostly free of clichés, and is something that should be checked out. Let's see where this guy goes next.

CARDOPUSHER - Mutant Dubstep Vol.2 - CD (Spectraliquid) Excellent second volume for Spectraliquid already remarkable "Mutant Dubstep" series. The great Cardopusher is behind the wheel this time, offering three of his insidious, bassy and warm weird dubstep, before letting Innasekt and his Lo Dubs labelmate Pacheko gbring the remix treatment to his material. Just as "dubstep" as "mutant", very well done and definitely more interesting than a lot of dubstep out there. Strongly recommended.

MOBTHROW - Mutant Dubstep Vol. 3 - CD (Spectraliquid) Third volume of Spectraliquid's Mutant Dubstep series, and the first to come from a newcomer artist (and a local at that, Mobthrow being one of the managers of this Athens-based label). This one goes all over the place but does it with style. If the opening track is a catchy mixture of jazz and downtempo, some of the following tracks are very hard broken dubstep, and we even find a pretty cover of Future Sound of London (sounding much better than the original, thank God) and an infectious, gritty Mad EP remix. Well done, and a debut by an act to watch.

EBOLA - Mutant Dubstep Vol. 1 - CD (Spectraliquid) Third release on Spectraliquid, and the first for this label's series of dubstep MCD. Ebola kicks off this "Mutant Dubstep", and delivers what I believe are the best two tracks I have heard from him in the genre: very bassy, wobbly, dark and with this touch of breakcore that makes the tracks stand out from regular dubstep. Speaking of breakcore, the icing on the cake comes in the form of remixes by Shitmat and Enduser (excellent one from Mr Standafar here), and make of this nice little CD something not to miss.

DJ FLOORCLEARER / EBOLA - Death Testicle - 12" (Proboscus) DYI first release for the new UK label Proboscus (somewhere in the whole Wrong Music galaxy), featuring hard staccato breakcore-by-the-book from DJ Floorclearer and Ebola (the UK one, not the one from the split CD with Iszoloscope). This is all super fast, hard, mashed and a lot darker than it wants to admit. Interestingly, this new salve of young UK breakcore starts sounding more and more like Praxis or Sprengstoff to my ears. Don't be fooled, this is hard and fast classic breakcore and raggacore, deadly in parties.

RAFAEL ANTON IRISARRI - Daydreaming - 12" (Miasmah) Back from the vault are a few copies of this otherwise sold out debut (and so far only) album by Seattle's Rafael Anton Irisarri, released in 2007 on Deaf Center's Miasmah label. A splendid but pitch black album based on long piano melodies, distant drones and even more distant glitches, "Daydreaming" is a particularely sad and introvert CD, which takes the most emotional and melancholic side of the other Miasmah releases, but expresses them in a very direct and stripped down way. Depressing, maybe, but splendid.

RAFAEL ANTON IRISARRI - Daydreaming - CD (Miasmah) Back from the vault are a few copies of this otherwise sold out debut (and so far only) album by Seattle's Rafael Anton Irisarri, released in 2007 on Deaf Center's Miasmah label. A splendid but pitch black album based on long piano melodies, distant drones and even more distant glitches, "Daydreaming" is a particularely sad and introvert CD, which takes the most emotional and melancholic side of the other Miasmah releases, but expresses them in a very direct and stripped down way. Depressing, maybe, but splendid.

NIVEAU ZERO - Rotor / Cause Of Death - 10" (Destpub) Another excellent two tracker 10" by Paris's Niveau Zero, who has quickly become quite a favorite over here at Ad Noiseam. His tracks combine very catchy and efficient dubstep with driving fast-paced drums, an acute sense for melodies and well found samples. Quite original and a lot less dub than most UK dubstep, this guy's material is dark, club-friendly but still detailled and varied. To sum up: very recommended.

NIVEAU ZERO - Evil League / Rising Fist - 10" (Destpub) Attention everbody: über-killer super recommended record ahead: Niveau Zero outdid himself here. "Evil League" is an excellent dubstep track kicking off with great indian string (Bollywood dubstep here we come), and "Rising Fist" answers with an anthemic extremely heavy number supported by distant shouted vocals. As expected from such a description, this is far from your usual middle of the road dubstep here, and is meant to be played over and over. Excellent.

S.Y.N.K.R.O. - Lost For Words - 12" (Smokin' Sessions) Very nice and cohesive new release by Synkro (the dubstep one, with the dots, not the breakcore one). Quite wobbly, but low-key and relatively calm and loungy, this new 12" finds a good balance between a very slight techno-leaning sound (think 7even & co) and more classical dubstep, resulting in three tracks which are definitely on the calm side but are still heavy enough to be mixed around.

CURRENT VALUE - Into The Light / Deep Digger - 12" (Soothsayer Recordings) Back in stock! New record by this well known Berlin-based drum'n'bass producer, this time on the US Soothsayer label. One side is pretty dancey, based on Current Value's typical hi-fi d'n'b sound, while the second side, a bit calmer, relies on effected vocals. Very well produced, here is a record which should not disappoint.

OYAARSS - A La Holeage - 12" (Abstractions) I guess the sun doesn't shine much in the latvian studio of the young Oyaars, for this debut 12" is not exactly your happy house dubstep. Very slow, extremely industrial sounding, featuring a few orchestral snippets and definitely not aiming at the dancefloor (unless as the opening band for some doom act), "A La Holeage" is among the grittiest and heaviest dubstep I have heard, to the point where this genre's name might not really apply anymore. On the B side, Cloaks, who are also not known for the cleanliness or speed of their material, deliver a slightly friendlier and more accessible remix, but the whole thing stays pitch black and very rigid. Well yes, I quite like this, and definitely recommend it.

MONO-AMINE - Like A Machine - CD (Vendetta Music) Mean, lean and hard second CD album for Den Haag's Mono-Amine, this time for the US label Vendetta Music. At the meeting point of old-school pummelling rhythmic noise, typically dutch hardcore sensibilities and drum'n'bass, "Like A Machine" is a bleak but heavy and scraping CD, which can one the one hand fit well together with some Hands or Ant Zen production, as well as with some producers of more broken material such as Edgey & co. Noisy, furious, but not too repetitive and quite imaginative. Something to check out.

New arrivals:

STARKEY - Ok Luv - 12" (Planet Mu) So, what has Starkey done here? The B-side of his new Planet Mu 12" is killer, most of all the instrumental version of the tricky, 8-bit-rich, playful title tune, definitely deserving all the praises that this producer is getting at the moment. I won't say that much about the A side, a vocal version whose omnipresent r'n'b singing ruins the whole thing for me. So just flip the record, that's where the goodness is at.

MALA / COOLY G - Hyperdub 5.5 - 12" (Hyperdub) Fifth volume of Hyperdub's fifth birthday series, and the first to focus more on contrast than on a coherence of style. Mala's track, while clearly not what you would call classic dubstep, is instrumental, relatively percussive by the current Hyperdub standard, and very much my thing, while Cooly G's keeps on her vocal ridden, r'n'b-influenced and stripped down material true to her debut 12". And still, I don't think that anybody following this genre can seriously pass on a Mala track at the moment, can he?

J:KENZO / L.D. - Conquerer / Derailment - 12" (2nd Drop) Interestingly, both side of this new 2nd Drop split 12" seem to be a take at how to integrate accoustic-sounding, almost ethno drumming into dubstep or whatever kind of bass music the UK scene is spitting out at the moment. Things stay relatively aerial and clear with J:Kenzo's side, but gets a lot heavier and somewhat ravier with the very nicely produced track by L.D. All in all, maybe a bit loungy on the A side, and quite driven on the B side, but sharing all throughout the same basic ideas and sonoroties. Nice one.

LOST - Ironhide / Slaughtered - 12" (Hench Recordings) Interesting first real release for Lost, which comes up here with an extremely contained, though bassy and wobbly kind of dubstep, in which all the sounds (bass and samples included) seem run through an extremely tight limiter. It's all quite dry, dynamic and metronomic, avoiding the usual mellow and blurry side of the genre. Other than that, the tracks are relatively classic, a bit dark, and rich in old Transformers sample. It all has a definitive dancefloor potential and is a bit different, let's see what comes next from Lost.

JOKER - Digidesign (Om Unit's Pop Lock Remix) - 12" (-) New version of Joker's highly infectious, post-Moroder, post-dubstep hit, originally released on Hyperdub and presented here on a collector-friendly, one-sided stamped white label. Doesn't look like much, but excellent material, and mandatory for everybody into this kind of 8-bit infused dubstep stuff (think Disrupt, Zomby & co).

V.I.V.E.K. - Kulture / Meditation Rock - 12" (Deep Medi Musik) Interested and varied second record for Vivek (about whom I know close to nothing), and his first on Mala's Deep Medi. Quite contained but heavy on the one side, more up-tempo and ravey on the other one, here comes a two tracker which is clearly in between the classic dancefloor and the dub-techno leaning direction of dubstep. As usual with Deep Medi, though, it all sounds quite fresh and is well done.

CURRENT VALUE - Into The Light / Deep Digger - 12" (Soothsayer Recordings) Back in stock! New record by this well known Berlin-based drum'n'bass producer, this time on the US Soothsayer label. One side is pretty dancey, based on Current Value's typical hi-fi d'n'b sound, while the second side, a bit calmer, relies on effected vocals. Very well produced, here is a record which should not disappoint.

SKREAM & CLUEKID / SILKIE - Sandsnake (Goth-Trad remix) / Cyber Dub - 12" (Disfigured Dubz) Not a compilation, but a lot of people involved on this sixth release of Skream's darker and somewhat less higher profile other label, Disfigured Dubs. It starts out with an excellent remix by Goth-Trad of a track originally written by Skream and Cluekid, venturing everywhere from wobbly dubstep to drum'n'bass and some IDM twists, for an A side that justifies the purchase of this record alone. The B side, a Skream remix of a Silkie track, is quite nice as well, if not a bit more classic (and Skream-esque). But yes, the A side is where it is at here.

RESO - Heavy Arms - 12" (Civil Music) I've had this record since its release in the summer of 2009, but somewhat never got around to stocking it long enough to offer copies of it here. Here it is, though, one of my very favorite dubstep release of 2009, an excellent two tracker in which Reso starts things in a very gritty, massive and noisy manner with a chainsaw-sounding A side, then incorporates some bubbly 8 bit and electro elements in the more balanced but equally solid and original B side. Hard, low-flying but fresh and unpretentious: very recommended.

MONO-AMINE - Like A Machine - CD (Vendetta Music) Mean, lean and hard second CD album for Den Haag's Mono-Amine, this time for the US label Vendetta Music. At the meeting point of old-school pummelling rhythmic noise, typically dutch hardcore sensibilities and drum'n'bass, "Like A Machine" is a bleak but heavy and scraping CD, which can one the one hand fit well together with some Hands or Ant Zen production, as well as with some producers of more broken material such as Edgey & co. Noisy, furious, but not too repetitive and quite imaginative. Something to check out.

Back in stock:

S.Y.N.K.R.O. - Don't know - 12" (Smokin' Sessions) New 12" by S.y.n.k.r.o. (not to be mistaken for the industrial producer of the samename, without the dots), who delivers here a dubstep three tracker at the border of two steps and garage. Relatively up-lifting in its samples but with nice little basses and syncopated beats, this is a cool dancefloor tool, with all the metronomic drums and anthemic breaks a DJ could ask for.

CASPA & RUSKO - Louder VIP / Power Shower - 12" (Sub Soldiers) The pair is at it again. On the A side, Caspa shows up with a VIP version of his "Louder", a slow crawling, slightly anthemic dubstep number with traces of d'n'b beats in its first half. The flip-side is where it's at on this 12", though, with an excellent collaboration between this guy and Rusko. Wobbly but super gritty, massive and devastating, this B side deserves a lot of praise, and even more play. Recommended.

V/A - Safe Me Up! - 12" (Coin Operated) Super high energy and extremely dancefloor-friendly new four tracker from Coin Operated. The A side opens with an excellent bassline track by the late and missed Bracket (think of Kid606's latest album, but in a more compact way), followed by an equally flooring number by Rag & Bone's Warlock. The B side is a bit straighter and a bit more fidgety, with tracks by the newcomers Spaceface and K.Gol. All in all something to make people jump around, and this A side could get some serious play very quickly. Recommended.

New arrivals:

TREACHERY - s/t - 12" (Zhark International) A new "superband" made of Hecate, Abelcain and Slutmachine, Treachery allows these three dark souls to express their love for doom-ish metal and ? dark atmospheres not only with electronic sounds, but also with guitars (played by Abelcain) and vocals (Hecate's). Extremely oppressive, black and "evil", the whole thing sounds at times close to Bong-Ra's White Darkness project, but with much faster riffs and rhythms, and therefore oscillating between doom and breakcore-leaning metal. No listening allowed without making the signs of the beast.

V/A - Emerging Organisms vol.3 - 2xCD (Tympanik Audio) Third volume already for Tympanik Audio's double CD compilation series. The number of labels for industrial-ized electronica has dwindled dangerously in the last couples of year, meaning that the 29 tracks of this compilation can gather bands from more or less all the last of the mohicans: Tympanik of course, but also Hymen, Spectraliquid, or our own self of Ad Noiseam (with Raoul Sinier, Detritus and Keef Baker). In the end, the whole thing is a wild ride from post-EBM industrial to IDM-ishy waters, with its good and its less-good, but there are quite several pearls in here.

ESA - The Immaculate Manipulation - CD (Tympanik Audio) ESA's remix album is probably a good way to understand where this act comes from, what this musician listens to, and in which scene he is active. Very heavy on the dark rhythmic noise and EBM, one has to wait till the end of the disc to get lighter, more flowing (and somewhat more up to date sound), from the hands of the likes of Access To Arasaka or Marching Dynamics. All in all, people who follow this industrial, post-EBM noisy scene should be very happy with this remix album, which stays true to what ESA has been doing in the past, while widening a bit the spectrum

OPPOSITE EXHALE - Nothing Lasts - CD (Tympanik Audio) Quite an uncommonly calm release for Tympanik: the debut album by the dutch solo act Opposite Exhale kicks off as a very dark and synthetic orchestral one, heavy on the violins, epic moments and martial drums. Past a point, though, the album starts integrating rhythmic noise beats, and gets a much grittier, almost dancefloor-friendly vibe. It all stays resolutely dark and electronic all throughout, and feels a bit like the debut it is, but let's see where this musician does next time around

Back in stock:

AEROSOL - Airborne - CD (n5md) Almost a decade after his first record on Active Suspension and his participation to the Limp album on Morr, Denmark's Aerosol finally gets the chance from N5md to have a full length album of its own. Shoegazing but rather extrovert, delicate but clear in its intent and means, Aerosol fits very well with the kind of slick electronica-supported post-rock that N5md is championning: melodic, nostalgic, slightly glitchy but accessible. It's all well done, clearly reminds of what Morr or CCO used to be about, and works well on rainy morning train rides.

END - The Dangerous Class - CD (Hymen) It will have taken 5 years for Charlies Peirce to come up with a follow up to his "Sounds Of Disaster". Half a decade and a couple of remix CD later, End's still as fun and tasty as ever, though. "The Dangerous Class" takes things where they had been left with the few original tracks on "The Sick Generation", and confirms End's love for Ennio Morricone, old 50's surf songs, breaks and general fun. Very anthemic, retro, good spirited and sounding somewhat like a meeting of Snog and a ADD-less Jason Forrest, this all comes out as a strong and quite explosive album.

ABELCAIN - Pantheon Of Fiends - 2x12" (Zhark International) Here comes the (very) long awaited first full length by Abelcain, which meets all the expectations that one might have had. Dark, broken, fast and not so noisy breakcore with deep basses, very well produced hi-fi sounds. Embracing a retro horror film aesthetics, Abelcain unleashes here 9 very good tracks that should not only appeal to Dracula, but also to anybody into really solid breakcore. Strongly recommended.

HECATE - Seven Veils Of Silence - 12" + 7" (Zhark International) Vinyl version of the CD of the same name. 7 tracks spread on a 12" and a 7". "Seven veils of silence" is by far Hecate's most interesting and best produced album, showcasing a strong progress in her compositions skills. Now that there is a way version, even the purist can't say no. And the artwork looks very nice, spread out on a big 12" sleeve. Recommended.

ACRNYM - Bone Structure - 12" (Death$ucker) Released at the same time as Acrnym's full length CD "Flowers", "Bone Structure" is this musician's first 12", gathering 5 tracks (none of which are on the CD) in which he leaves the IDM-ish breakcore behind and puts a bit more funk in his breakcore. In the end, it might be a bit less clean, but "Bone Structure" gains in booty-appeal what it looses in intellectual structures. A strong record, enjoyable by both DJ and fans. Recommended.

KING CANNIBAL - Let The Night Roar - CD (Ninja Tune) Finally there, here comes King Cannibal's first full length release. With this CD reprising the tracks from his previous three 12" on Ninja Tune and adding several new tracks, this UK producer will hopefully reach the non-vinyl buying audience. And we definitely hope so over here, as King Cannibal's infectious mixture of heavy handed drum'n'bass and bass-rich proto-dubstep is something to hear and to enjoy. Definitely one of the best signings on Ninja Tune for a long while, and a very recommended release.

BAR 9 - In Da Mix - 2xCD (Audio Freaks) Following a salvo of 12" singles, Bar 9 finally gives birth to something for the CD crowd. The baby is a two headed monster, with one disc being a heavy and energetic dubstep DJ mix (with plenty of his own stuff, but also tracks by TRG, Kromestar and the like) and the other containing 14 tracks from past record, appearing for the first time on silicon. Let it be said that Bar 9 is obviously not in it for the subtlety and finesse, but that he delivers again and again ? massive dubstep hitters, full of square wave forms and dancefloor appeal, probably among the hardest you can get in this genre without including breaks and noise. So, CD people, you really have no excuse not to check this guy out anymore.

CASPA & RUSKO - Louder VIP / Power Shower - 12" (Sub Soldiers) The pair is at it again. On the A side, Caspa shows up with a VIP version of his "Louder", a slow crawling, slightly anthemic dubstep number with traces of d'n'b beats in its first half. The flip-side is where it's at on this 12", though, with an excellent collaboration between this guy and Rusko. Wobbly but super gritty, massive and devastating, this B side deserves a lot of praise, and even more play. Recommended.

Now available as digital download:

New arrivals:

FANNY / SHATTERBREAK - Split - 12" (No Room For Talent) Back in stock! A highly toxic record pressed onto toxic green transparent vinyl. On the first side, Fanny presents a new track (distorted, broken and very Fanny-like) and a remix of Cdatakill's "Murders" while, on the other, Shatterbreaks speeds things up and invite everybody on the dancefloor with a new track and a remix of one by Xanopticon. Gritty, energetic and clearly taylored for the dancefloor, here's another delivery from one of the few remaining american labels for breakcore.

DOORMOUSE - Hard Drive Clearance Sale - 12" (Addict Records) Back in stock, Doormouse 2006's "clearance sale", featuring four tracks from the hay-day of this precursor and pillar of the american breakcore scene. Break, mashups, general absurdity, hardcore sensibility and more breaks, here's another unmissable record from an act that is already missed.

PINCH FT. YOLANDA - Get Up - CD (Tectonic) A very surprising format for this new single by Pinch, coming in the form of a nice priced short CD rather than on vinyl. One of these remixes (by RSD) had already been featured on the "Tectonic Plates 2" compilation, but we get the whole thing now, starting with the original version of this soft dubstep-meets-soulish-hip-hop, the instrumental one, and remixes by JAck Sparrow, Guido, LV and the aforementionned RSD one. Aet another direction for Pinch, let's see if he goes further with this sound.

HYETAL - Neon Speech / Gold Or Soul - 12" (Soul Motive) Pretty nice new release by Hyetal, this time for the always high-quality Soul Motive label (and therefore coming with one of their beautiful sleeves). The two tracks on this record are of the rather flowing dubstep kind, with a little bit of wonky effects on the drums, and some long, charming melodies. There's still a tiny little bit of wobble in the background, but this is definitely a dubstep records made more for calmer moments. Nice one.

DUSK + BLACKDOWN VS. GRIEVOUS ANGEL - Margins Music: Redux - CD (Keysound Recordings) A reinterpretation by Grievous Angel of the 2008's excellent "Margin Music" CD by Dusk and Blackdown, this "redux" version presents the album in a slightly more electronic glitchy way, restructured and reinterpretated. The tracks tend to follow relatively closely the dubstepy ethno feeling of the original, but are enriched with a new, updated instrumentation. I was very impressed by the original, and really quite like this sequel as well, for it stays truthful to the urban, yet very oriental influenced tracks by Dusk + Blackdown. Recommended.

KOWTON - Stasis / Countryman - 12" (Keysound Recordings) Pretty nice new signing on Dusk & Blackdown's Keysound label, this debut by Kowton offers two long dub techno tracks that have the good idea of not falling into the current, Berlin-lead minimal trend, but instead of integrating some little samples and snippets that add an interestic melodic side and depth. Straight, bassy and surprisingly techno for Keysound, but well realized.

THE TEKNOIST / DOLPHIN - The Glitch War Part 1 - 12" (Deathchant) Back in stock, a all destroying quality Deatchant release that gathers one track by each of these essential names of the current UK hardcore scene that are The Teknoist (who everybody on this site should know well by now) and Dolphin. The later kicks in with a very clear but extremely percussive and yes, slightly glitchy (as much as a Deathchant record can be) track. On the other side, The Teknoist's material is noisier, grittier and darker. An excellent record , back from the vault for everybody who missed it back in 2003.

THE TEKNOIST - Poissoned 2003 - 12" (Deathchant) Second Teknoist record on Hellfish's Deatchant, this time from 2008 (whatever its title says). Quite straighter than the usual output by The Teknoist, more hardcore, heavier and less drum'n'bass, but still featuring all the details and careful arrangements which makes of The Teknoist's output such a particular thing in this scene: this is extremely hard, very efficient, but still melodic, varied and subtle. A very recommended record for everybody who wants to set a club on fire.

V/A - Thesis Vol.I - CD (Impulsive Art) With such a line-up, don't expect us to say anything bad about this second release on the Greek Impulsive Art label. Larvae, Mad EP, Spyweirdos, Andrey Kiritchenko and Keef Baker represent the label with new material on this excellent CD, which also gathers tracks by Mobthrow, Tapage, IP Neva and others. Somewhere between flowing electronica, ambient and a bit of downtempo beats, it's all good here, and we can only salute this excellent initiative. Very recommended.

THE TEKNOIST & SCHEME BOY - The Clone Wars - 12" (Anticlone) Weird story with this record, as it presents two excellent tracks co-written by The Teknoist and his regular collaborator Scheme Boy, but does it in a slightly wrong way. The sound is good, and the mixture of breakcore hardcore these two guys came up with meet with the high expectations one could have, but one track was cut wrong, and is missing its very end. It's a bit weird, but the record was distributed this way and never repressed. Still, one track is intact and the other one has only an outro missing, and, to make up for this, we're offering this record at a "nice", reduced price. So Teknoist fans beware, this one shouldn't be passed on.

Back in stock:

THE MOUNT FUJI DOOMJAZZ CORPORATION - Doomjazz Future Corpses! - CD (Ad Noiseam) The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation is the new free-form, drone metal / jazz atler-ego of The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, the band formed by Jason Kohnen (aka Bong-Ra) and Giedon Kiers. A recording of the ensemble's best live session, "Doomjazz Future Corpses!" focuses on mesmerizing, doom-ridden drones and melodies, combined with the jazzy grooves and melodies of the cello and saxophones. An highly suffocating journey through the deep realms of murky drone jazz / metal, heavy and unfettered.

BONG-RA - Full Metal Racket - CD (Ad Noiseam) Featuring all the tracks from the "Grindkrusher" and "Sick Sick Sick" records, re-recorded and remastered, "Full Metal Racket" is Bong-Ra's unmatchable homage to his grindcore and hardcore heroes. A fast, high-energy album of twisted breaks, breaks and merciless riffs, it finally presents the 10 gems of these two records to all fans of this superlative-heavy, towering producer. Zombie-claws lacerated subwoofers ahead.

DEV/NULL - Lazer Thrash - CD (Cock Rock Disco) Finally. After having been announced a million times, Dev/Null's first full length album is out. Following his records on Sprengstoff and Tigerbeat6's Violent Turd, a lot of remixes, compilation appearances and excellent shows, this much underrated american breakcore musician unleahses his beats over 12 new tracks which fit somewhere between Duran Duran Duran's energy and dancefloor appeal and Jason Forrest's fun and tongue-in-cheek sampling. A great "party" album, well produced, efficient, and not to be missed by anybody interested in breakcore.

PROTECH / ANTICHRISTUS - Cuts (Mark Tailor Remix) / Fine Art Of Murder - 12" (Independenza) A rarity back in stock, with this first appearance of Peter Kurten's Antichristus combo on Independenza. This project delivers here a rock solid, classic but efficient dark drum'n'bass track which combines distortion and (towards its end) humor. On the other side, Protech comes us with another enjoyable hard d'n'b track, of the kind that sends crowds jumping around in Eastern Europe. A well done DJ tool.

SPYWEIRDOS - Loftcase - 12" (Creative Space) Coming out almost at the same time as his "Wetsound Orchestra" double CD, "Loftcase ep" is another great release for the remarkable newcomer that is Spyweirdos. While his album was a marvel of clicks, cuts and atmospheres, the four tracks of "Loftcase" have gained his thickness and weight. Very reminiscent of Gridlock at time, intelligently produced and always beautiful, this 12" showcases Spyweirdos's talent with somewhat more accessible and direct material. Congratulations.

WHITE DARKNESS - Nothing - CD (Roadburn Records) Widening even more the spectrum of his releases and projects, Bong-Ra present here his debut album under the White Darkness moniker. More metal than ever before, everybody's favorite multi-instrumentalist goes back to his doom-metal roots, and join forces on the way with Hecate, who dispatches her slow, demonic screaming on a few tracks. Definitely more metal than electronic, still quite varied, slow, dense, heavy and dark, "Nothing" doesn't sound one bit like a side offshout project, and I know of many doom metal bands who wish they could sound as good. Very far from the dancefloor, but very recommended.

HECQ - Steeltongued - 2xCD (Hymen) Even though it might follow the same formula as "0000" (a double CD featuring an album and a profusion of remixes), Hecq's sixth album is a huge leap forward for this german producer. Gaining from his experience as a sound designer and leaving behind both the ?-clinical glitch and the Lustmord-ian low soundscapes, "Steeltongued" manages to gain both in complexity and in emotion. Add to this 12 great remixes (including three by Ad Noiseam favorites Spyweirdos, Mothboy and Raoul Sinier), and you get an extremely recommended album that might stay as Hecq's true coming of age. Congratulations.

ENDUSER - Form Without Function - CD (Hymen) A hard one from Enduser. On this new album, Lynn Standafer puts the beats and the noise on the foreground, letting his mixture of drum'n'bass and breakcore lean more towards the breaks than the bass. Kicking in very hard from the first track, "Forms without function" also contains a couple of tracks with vocals, as well as the participation of such artists as DJ Hidden, Submerged and Somatic Responses. A heavy, (of course) very well produced dancefloor-oriented album by one of the most essential and talented producer of the moment. Mandatory.

AMBOSS - Prosperity Slave - 12" (No Room For Talent) Another floor-packer, subwoofer-grinder 12" from Amboss. Following shortly his record for Praxis's Sub/version label, this "Prosperity Slave" is a bit more broken and violent, and a bit less drum'n'bass, for a result just as deadly. There has really been quite a lot of progress for this german producer in the recent time, which is demonstrated again on this very nice looking orange marble picture disc. Not only a collector, but a record that DJ shouldn't miss.

CARDOPUSHER - Red Red Blood - 12" (Peace Off) Super kicking follow up by everybody favorite Venezuelan to his debut full length. "Red Red Blood" takes off basically where "Hippie Killers" had ended, and present two very strong breakcore / raggacore / pop mash up tracks which are sure to made everybody dance with a smile, and a darker, slower and heavier one which displays Cardopusher's interest in the current dubstep trend (even though he runs it through his breaks blender). A very strong 12" whose main appeal is Cardopusher's typcial mixture of syncopated breaks and accessible, human sounds. A nice one.

BROKEN NOTE - Dubversion / Mortal Bass - 12" (Ruff) While Peace Off's Ruff sublabel has been thought of as a dubstep one, it's interstingly only with its sixth release that we're offered something which could generally have come out of a british dubstep label. I have no idea who Broken Note is, but one thing is for sure: this heavy, dim-lit dubstep served with some moderate breaks and vocal snippets would find its spot very easily in playlists of many dark-ish dubstep DJ everywhere. A very good one.

DROP THE LIME / BLACK HAM - Ruff 01 - 12" (Ruff) First release on Ruff, a new sublabel of Peace Off dedicated to grime. It all starts with a bang, this 12" presenting new material by Drop The Lime and Black Hamm, aka Rotator. Moving away from breakcore, both acts offer something which is still not your usual grime (understand "another Dizzee Rascal" copy). The tracks (all instrumental) are quite fast and digital, with very hard beats from Black Hamm, and a nice dub sound from Drop The Lime. The whole thing is well produced, should easy find a splot in DJ playlist, and is a nice start for this new sublabel.

V/A - Rules of Anger - 12" (Ruff) The ruff boys speed things up with this third volume in the youngest of Peace Off's sublabels. While the two previous Ruff records were strict dubstep, this one sees Black Ham (aka Rotator), Cardopusher, DJ Floorclearer and Krumble let out all the breakcore root. While there is still a few dub and slow-ish elements here and there, this "Rules of Anger" fits somewhere between the usual, hard and fast Peace Off output and the previous Ruff material.

PAUL BLACKOUT - Simulated Demons / Psychic Experiment - 12" (Hardline Rekordingz) And he's at it again: here comes a new amen-rich, hard hitting and relentless record from Paul Blackout. While there a bit less hardcore and metal elements (but somebody who samples Metallica's "One" can't go wrong) than before, this 12" still has all the pounding and clubby elements of Paul Blackout's discography, and benefits from a clearer cut and altogetther better production.

ROTATOR / CARDOPUSHER - Jump Da Fuck Up / Fighters Unite - 10" (Brothers In Blood) First release on Brothers In Blood, a new Peace Off sublabel which will be, I believe, dedicated to split 10". The format might not be usual, but the two actos of this first volume are: Rotator blasts everything in sight with his usual Godzilla-heavy beats and infectious samples, while Cardopusher, this time on a breakcore day, drops the amen at the speed of light and mixes it with some latin grooves. Success and satisfaction guaranteed.

SUB SCAPE - Wrong Number - 12" (Dub Police) Two very distinct tracks on Sub Scape's second record for Dub Police. While the title track is a clubby number with vocal snippets and strong high speed garage undertones, the B side, "Nothing Wrongs" sees this producer goes back to what he does best: massive, wobbly and quite aggressive dark dubstep with a huge dancefloor appeal (i.e. pretty much in the vein of his debut). The whole plate is balanced, but this is really this B side that does it for me here.

ZOMBY - One Foot Ahead Of The Other - 2x12" (Ramp Recordings) Remarkable second album for Zomby, coming back to Ramp Recordings after his infedilities with Hyperdub. The nine tracks of this double 12" are clearer than ever, and manage to combine playful (and omnipresent) chiptune sounds with dubstep structures and some slight techno beats towards the end of the album. Not hard at all, but far from being one-sided or shallow, "One Foot Ahead Of The Other" is accurately named, as it takes a lot of elements from the current post-dubstep evolution but manages to come out with something very coherent. Recommended.

PASSENGER OF SHIT - Dingo Donga Up Ya Bunga - 12" (Hong Kong Violence) More subtlety and finesse from Passenger of Shit and Honk Kong Violence, taking the form of 8 short, fast, absolutely exxagerated and scatological tracks of super distorted breakcore, gabber beats and pitched up samples. It's all pretty silly and under produced, but all the twitching kids will rave like crazy to this. Your grandmother will love this.

THROTTLER / PETER KURTEN - The Soil / Insane - 12" (Manticore Recordings) Nice and energetic split between Greece's Throttler and Peter Kurken, a member of Antichristus. On the A side, Throttler delivers a pumped up, banging dark dum'n'bass number, while Peter Kurken's B side is more on the dry hardcore side, Quite a straight to the point record, without many nods to other styles but with a solid production and quite a pounding sound.

SUBJEX - Supersonic Mezze - CD (In Vitro) Very playful, detailled and uplifting first (and so far only) CD by France's Subjex, released back in 2005 but ever since relatively hard to find. There's a clear early Warp era, Squarepusher / Aphex Twin influence in the tracks produced by this manager of In Vitro, but the whole thing has both a harder and a funnier edge, ending in something which has both a feet in breakcore parties and one in brainy but fun IDM. Pretty cool.

THE OUTSIDE AGENCY - Return To The Point Of No Return - 12" (Symp.tom) Third 12" for The Outside Agency in 2009. In contrast with the "Surreal / Chaos Theory" one, this one is actually a "return" of sort, to straighter less d'n'b-meets-hardcore kind of tracks. Featuring an uncommon level of distortion on the one side, and some delicious acid elements on the other, it is a pure (and great) Outside Agency record, but clearly more something for the gabber heads than for the ones of you who follow DJ Hidden and Eye-D's adventures in the mixture of straight kick drums and essential breaks. But hey, that's still TOA, so go and bounce around.

BLACK SUN EMPIRE & EYE-D - Milkshake / Brainfreeze - 12" (Black Sun Empire) Cream of the crop: Black Sun Empire and Eye-D (who, remember, is DJ Hidden's coperpetrator in The Outside Agency) pair up for two very heavy d'n'b tracks. The sound is very clear but massive, some melodies keep the whole thing balanced, and this is straight excellent crispy dark d'n'b that should make a killing on the dancefloor. Classic but deadly.

New arrivals:

SOMATIC RESPONSES - Zombie Apocalypse - 12" (Thac0 Records) What a release! For their come back to wax, Somatic Responses get the luxurious Thac0 treatment, which mean a full artwork sleeve (and believe me, the gory zombie madness of this cover is worth getting the record even if you don't have a turntable) and five new tracks pressed onto translucent green vinyl. Music-wise, the Healy brothers are all over the place here, starting with some hardcore and going till slower, heavier, "Reformation"-like tracks, with a bit more industrial beats in between. A definitive must-have items for fans of Somatic Responses or well produced breakcore vinyl. Very recommended.

THE OUTSIDE AGENCY - The Quadrilogy EP - 12" (NGM Records) Excellent new Outside Agency four tracker on NGM, featuring three new tracks by the ever talented and well humored DJ Hidden and Eye-D and a remix they did of a track by Producer Snafu. This time around, TOA come with relatively straight-laced material, but, as usual, manages to infuse their hardcore with enough melodies, breaks and samples to stay well ahead of their game. A truely excellent TOA record, and something which I wholeheartedly recommend, for it again shows how this kind of music should be written.

PRODUCER SNAFU - The Brown Cloud - 12" (NGM Records) Début five track 12" by Producer Snafu, and a second release for Holland's NGM. This american producer kicks by re-using the remix he had done for Bong-Ra for some label called Ad Noiseam, then, while keeping things breakcore, mean and shattered, delivers a rather diverse 12". Hard and club-oriented, not taking itself too seriously (without falling into absurdity) and even containing a calm and melodic IDM tune, this EP is obviously the fruit of years of production from mister Snafu. Not bad, and completely deserving of its pressing on wax.

2562 - Unbalance - 3x12" (Tectonic) About a year after the extremely remarked and potentially successful "Aerial", Holland's best known dubstep export comes back with another full length album. Where "Aerial" was a surprise, being more of a dub techno affair than really a dubstep one, "Unbalance" is a confirmation of this direction, and an stylistic improvement. People who have followed 2562 will not be surprised anymore by what Dave Huismans is doing, but still impressed by the elegance and fluidity with which he combines dusty dub techno with cleaner sounds and much heavier basses. Obviously one of the albums of the year for the genre.

2562 - Unbalance - CD (Tectonic) About a year after the extremely remarked and potentially successful "Aerial", Holland's best known dubstep export comes back with another full length album. Where "Aerial" was a surprise, being more of a dub techno affair than really a dubstep one, "Unbalance" is a confirmation of this direction, and an stylistic improvement. People who have followed 2562 will not be surprised anymore by what Dave Huismans is doing, but still impressed by the elegance and fluidity with which he combines dusty dub techno with cleaner sounds and much heavier basses. Obviously one of the albums of the year for the genre.

RAFAEL ANTON IRISARRI - Daydreaming - 12" (Miasmah) Back from the vault are a few copies of this otherwise sold out debut (and so far only) album by Seattle's Rafael Anton Irisarri, released in 2007 on Deaf Center's Miasmah label. A splendid but pitch black album based on long piano melodies, distant drones and even more distant glitches, "Daydreaming" is a particularely sad and introvert CD, which takes the most emotional and melancholic side of the other Miasmah releases, but expresses them in a very direct and stripped down way. Depressing, maybe, but splendid.

STARKEY / PACHEKO / DNAE BEATS - Street Bass Anthems Vol. 4 - 12" (Seclusiasis) New floor-packing, ass-shaking bass compilation from Starkey and Dev79's Seclusiasis inprint. It opens with a very strong track by Pacheko remixed by 6blocc, quite dubstepy, bassy yet fluid, then followed by an equally efficient Dnae Beats tracks, with a slightly more electro feeling. The B side is entirely in the hands of Starkey, who kicks in with a bubblegum-female-vocals track and it's slightly more sane instrumental version. Want or need some hip-hop and US feeling in your dubstep set? Look no further.

Back in stock:

XANOPTICON - Alembic - 12" (Thac0 Records) While there are a lot fewer breakcore records coming from the USA than from Europe, the american production have to envy to the european ones, as demonstrated by this splendid remix 12" by Xanopticon. A translucent red vinyl coming in a very nice (if not goulish) full color cover, "Alembic" contains four very strong remix of Abelcain tracks, by none other than DJ Hidden, Abelcain, Duran Duran Duran and Atomhead (aka Undacova). As one can expect, this is quality material, and should be enjoyed as such. Recommended.

V/A - State Of Mind - 12" (Mindtrick) Nice debut for this young dutch label, who presents a pretty energetic and coherent d'n'b / jungle 12". On the one side, Aaron Spectre and FFF deliver two very efficient dancefloor-filler (ravey as ever for FFF) that will get everybody on the dancefloor. On the B side, things get a bit faster and more broken with Enk and Atiq, but the focus isn't lost. In the end, a solid four tracker drum'n'bass'breaks 12" which delivers everything one could expect from it.

THE EERIER CHILD - A Blade In The Dark - 12" (Mindtrick) Very nice third release on the dutch label Mindtrick, and the first for The Eerier Child. A very melodic, at time almost industrial-ish blend of dubstep, "A Blade In The Dark" distantiates itself quite clearly from most UK dubstep in the way the drums and long melodies are handled, but should have to answer to no-one bass-wise. Hard to describe, somewhere between dubstep and "something else", it fits somewhere in the shelves close to Cakebuilder's "Feeding The Worms" and is something I would quite strongly recommend.

V/A - Who Broke My Beats? - 12" (Mindtrick) Following the nice "State of Mind", Holland's Mindtrick label comes back with another compilation, and ask this time who broke that beat. The culprits seem to be long time Bong-Ra collaborator Deformer, Mindtrick regular Atiq, and three new acts about whom I don't know much. Ranging from banging breakcore, a little tad of d'n'b, some hip hop and a really good 8-bit based track, here is a very well balanced and well produced compilation which quite stands out. Recommended.

FLYING LOTUS & DECLAIME - Whole Wide World - 12" (Ramp Recordings) New five track EP by Flying Lotus, arguably the most talked about hip hop producer of the moment, this time pairing up with Declaime for a release on the usually more dubstep-minded Ramp. Up to par with his recent "Los Angeles" album as far as electronic trickery and the care of details go, this EP however has a more direct and vocal-oriented approach. Declaime's flow fits well with Flying Lotus's uncommon beats, and while it might remind of Mf Doom at times, it all ends up being very coherent. The current legions of Flying Lotus fans should approve.

THE OUTSIDE AGENCY - Surreal / Chaos Theory - 12" (Genosha One Seven Five) To kick off Genosha One Seven Five, a sublabel of Genosha Recordings focused on everything at the meeting point of d'n'b and hardcore, DJ Hidden and Eye-D present a high quality, loud and pummeling new two tracker by the always jaw dropping The Outside Agency. Things are pretty dark this time around, and the legions of twitching dancers will be in for a pretty deep trip with this one. Still, the production is absolutely flawless, the sounds and ideas are fresh; The Outside Agency demonstrates yet again that you can listen to hardcore without insulting your brain.

CLOAKS - Versus Grain - CD (3BY3) First full length album by Cloaks, following (and containing) two two trackers also released on their own 3b3 label. While these guys have been catalogued dusbtep, people here might recognize them as a predominantly industrial and noise act. If the tempo and beats can remind of some Vex'd material (without the bombastic elements), "Versus Grain" is a very gritty and scraping affair, and something where the distortion level is always high. It's still quite slow, people will headbang more than dance to this material, and it might very well be something useful to bridge the industrial / rhythmic noise freaks and the dubstep fans.

Now available as digital download:

New arrivals:

IKONIKA - Smuck - 12" (Planet Mu) Ikonika's third release, and her first for Planet Mu, takes basically the same ingredients as the previous ones for Hyperdub (a relatively up tempo combination of dubstep and 8bit tones), cleans it up a bit, and is this time around a bit more playful and joyful. Not as gritty as some Hyperdub material, not as pop as some of the most recent Planet Mu release, a catchy little thing that goes well with the Zeitgeist and the rest of Ikonika's output.

DARKSTAR - Aidy's Girl Is A Computer - 12" (Hyperdub) This new two tracker by Darkstar could somewhat be used to explain what Hyperdub seems to be about at the moment. Both sides are bassy and full of chip tones, one is rather dubstep with a slightly pop, catchy feeling, while the other goes towards house. The whole thing sounds very reduced, gritty and retro, and still contained and definitely on to the current hype. Well done, but highly zeitgeisty.

QUARTA330 / L.V. - Hyperdub 5.3 - 12" (Hyperdub) Third volume of Hyperdub's fifth anniversary series, this time with the label regular Quarta330 and LV. Quarta delivers the goods again, with his ultra-reduced noisy beats, 8 bit sounds and chipmunk funkiness. As usual, very surprising at first, but growing on its listener pretty fast. LV's vocal based track is a lot poppier and closer to Hyperdub's current evolution. Another nice record to celebrate a label which has become essential.

PORT-ROYAL - Dying In Time - CD (n5md) An interesting release for N5md for, as far as I can hear, the italian band Port-Royal are a rock band gone electronic, and not the other way around (the usual path taken by acts on Mike Cadoo's label). Extremely lush, drenched in echo and reverb, the instrumental tracks of "Dying In Time" are of the semi-native, nostalgic kind and get their originality from the prominant old-school (almost new-wave / synth pop) use of electronic beats and bits, which can get quite heavy handed at some point. An unexpected combination of thick shoegazing and early 90's electronics.

AEROSOL - Airborne - CD (n5md) Almost a decade after his first record on Active Suspension and his participation to the Limp album on Morr, Denmark's Aerosol finally gets the chance from N5md to have a full length album of its own. Shoegazing but rather extrovert, delicate but clear in its intent and means, Aerosol fits very well with the kind of slick electronica-supported post-rock that N5md is championning: melodic, nostalgic, slightly glitchy but accessible. It's all well done, clearly reminds of what Morr or CCO used to be about, and works well on rainy morning train rides.

KING CANNIBAL - Let The Night Roar - CD (Ninja Tune) Finally there, here comes King Cannibal's first full length release. With this CD reprising the tracks from his previous three 12" on Ninja Tune and adding several new tracks, this UK producer will hopefully reach the non-vinyl buying audience. And we definitely hope so over here, as King Cannibal's infectious mixture of heavy handed drum'n'bass and bass-rich proto-dubstep is something to hear and to enjoy. Definitely one of the best signings on Ninja Tune for a long while, and a very recommended release.

SP:MC - Taiko Dub / Bad Dreams - 12" (Tempa) I really liked SP:MC's previous record on Tempa last year, and well, this one is a repeat experience. This british producer, without being totally outside the boundaries of classic dubstep, comes up with such a clean sound and an acute beat that his combination of old downtempo elements sounds natural in his dubstep. One side is pretty much a club mammoth, while the other is a much lighter (in sound, not in mood) home listening one. Excellent material from what might be my favorite signing on Tempa.

SILKIE - City Limits vol. 1 - 3x12" (Deep Medi Musik) Interesting and charming full length album for London's Silkie (and the first release on this format by Mala's Deep Medi label). Dubstep in its sonorities, slightly techno leaning (think Scuba & co) in its drums, electronica in its atmospheres and a little bit jazzy from times to times, this album ends up sounding surprisingly seductive and melodic. Going beyond what one could have expected from a dubstep artist, varied and nicely flowing, this "City Limits" sound like an area best thread by fans of precise, well done and still fresh IDM-ish sounds. Nice one.

EXCISION & THE SUBDIVISION - Hypothermic - 12" (Paradise Lost) The Subdivision's previous record, already on the goth-named Paradise Lost label was already of the relatively dark and slowish kind. Things get a bit heavier and harder this time around though, as he pairs up with Canada's Excision for a really nice three tracker (one of the tracks being a remix by somebody else we quite like around here, Komonazmuk). More dubstep in their structures than the usual Excision output, but very dynamic, clean sounding and catchy, the whole thing also sounds better cut that your average dubstep 12", and is all throughout a very strong piece of wax.

DJ HIDDEN / I:GOR - The Memento Mori EP - 2x12" (Sustained Records) The third release on UK's Sustained Record is another heavyweight: DJ Hidden and I:Gor share the state for two tracks each. DJ Hidden opens the ball with the excellent "Earth Cry" track, which is guaranteed to fill up every dancefloor in any condition and at any time (this track is worth purchasing the record alone), and keeps the bar very high with "Ten Direction Ambush"). I:Gor, then, is having a rather d'nb day as well, even though he can't help but including some breakcore and hardcore elements into his two very percussive tracks. Another very recommended record from a label having so far a flawless catalog.

V/A - Kod.Ex - 2xCD (Kod.ex / Brume Records) Nice intiative from Kod.Ex, a french collective all about industrial music and shows, who have gathered here new material from 26 of their friends and acquaintances. The french scene gets the lion share, of course, with acts such as Mlada Fronta (presenting a track from an allegedly forthcoming album), Tzolkin / Flint Glass, Dither or the whole Noxious Art fest. Ad Noiseam is represented with new tracks by Cdatakill and Detritus, and we also get some treats from the likes of Imminent, Roger Rotor or Empusae, among others. All in all a fine, varied and charming double CD of industrial tunes, and a solid compilation.

OYAARSS - A La Holeage - 12" (Abstractions) I guess the sun doesn't shine much in the latvian studio of the young Oyaars, for this debut 12" is not exactly your happy house dubstep. Very slow, extremely industrial sounding, featuring a few orchestral snippets and definitely not aiming at the dancefloor (unless as the opening band for some doom act), "A La Holeage" is among the grittiest and heaviest dubstep I have heard, to the point where this genre's name might not really apply anymore. On the B side, Cloaks, who are also not known for the cleanliness or speed of their material, deliver a slightly friendlier and more accessible remix, but the whole thing stays pitch black and very rigid. Well yes, I quite like this, and definitely recommend it.

CLOUDS - Spat - 12" (Channel Zero) Very well done first release on Clouds's own label, Channel Zero. Taking a very dub atmospheres and some good beats from dubstep, and mixing it with a little bit of this whole current wonky beat trend, Clouds come up here with a very nicely flowing, slightly smokey and at the same time up-to-date record. I'd have to congratulate these guys for coming up with something which is timewise right on the money and at the same time very musical and pleasant to listen to.

Back in stock:

EXCISION - Wasted - 12" (Rag & Bone) Excellent new two-tracker by Excision, cheating on his Rottun Records label for this 12" on Rag & Bone. Massive, mid-tempo and evil, this "Wasted" is 100% broken and mean-spirited dubstep for everybody who like their sets dark and oppressive. If names such as Broken Note, King Cannibal or Innasekt ring a bell for you, I'd strongly recommend you to check this new Excision record.

KING CANNIBAL - Virgo / Murder Us - 12" (Ninja Tune) King Cannibal had made a splash with his very hard début 12" on Ninja Tune, which was, as far as I know, the hardest dubstep to be released on such a high profile label, this following 12" sees this producer moves away from the noise and huge beats, and clothe himself as a producer for the french hip-hop vocals of Face A Face and the berlin local heroes of Jahcoozi. Both tracks are still heavy (but clear), very electro-minded, and quite infectious. And while it doesn't really sound like anything King Cannibal had done so far, it's quite a success, and something which Kevin Martins might want to study.

FLYING LOTUS & DECLAIME - Whole Wide World - 12" (Ramp Recordings) New five track EP by Flying Lotus, arguably the most talked about hip hop producer of the moment, this time pairing up with Declaime for a release on the usually more dubstep-minded Ramp. Up to par with his recent "Los Angeles" album as far as electronic trickery and the care of details go, this EP however has a more direct and vocal-oriented approach. Declaime's flow fits well with Flying Lotus's uncommon beats, and while it might remind of Mf Doom at times, it all ends up being very coherent. The current legions of Flying Lotus fans should approve.

I:GOR - Obak / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - 12" (Sustained Records) Very rough and hard dark drum'n'bass record from I:Gor on the young (but already rising) british label Sustained. Very different from the all out hardcore of his release for Strike, I:Gor delivers here a plate of relatively classic d'n'b structures served with very percussive, dark and gritty sounds. It is all very well done and I could bet that this is going to be a very successful record.

THE TEKNOIST / THROTTLER - Theres Nothing Here For You / I Don't Dance - 12" (Sustained Records) Banging first release on Sustained Records. The Teknoist shatters all ears and genres on the A side with his perfect mixture of broken d'n'b and hardcore (as always, at the same time very aggressive and detailled) while Greece's Throttler matches up with a dark and gritty hard d'n'b number on the B side. A hell of a way to state Sustained's intent.

THE OUTSIDE AGENCY - Surreal / Chaos Theory - 12" (Genosha One Seven Five) To kick off Genosha One Seven Five, a sublabel of Genosha Recordings focused on everything at the meeting point of d'n'b and hardcore, DJ Hidden and Eye-D present a high quality, loud and pummeling new two tracker by the always jaw dropping The Outside Agency. Things are pretty dark this time around, and the legions of twitching dancers will be in for a pretty deep trip with this one. Still, the production is absolutely flawless, the sounds and ideas are fresh; The Outside Agency demonstrates yet again that you can listen to hardcore without insulting your brain.

Now available as digital download: