Login

u/TELMxWILSON

r/Monstercat r/NeuroFunk r/realdubstep r/jungle r/electronicmusic r/drumandbass r/liquiddnb r/aves r/DnB r/EDM
Fresh music! New tunes from Alix Perez, Hedex, Mefjus, Teddy Killerz, Voltage, Keeno and more..! Reviews for two emotional underground gems from LoveTheEND & BRANY. [+weekly updated Spotify playlist] | New Music Monday! (Week 26)
▲ 14 r/NeuroFunk+6 crossposts

Fresh music! New tunes from Alix Perez, Hedex, Mefjus, Teddy Killerz, Voltage, Keeno and more..! Reviews for two emotional underground gems from LoveTheEND & BRANY. [+weekly updated Spotify playlist] | New Music Monday! (Week 26)

#Links & Playlists

Weekly updated Spotify Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass
Soundcloud Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Soundcloud
Youtube Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Youtube
Youtube Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass YT Music
Apple Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Apple Music
Retroactive Playlist H2L: Retroactive New DnB
Last Week's list https://redd.it/1ttr6vi
Follow us on Instagram Telm & Wilson, lefuniname, voynich
 

#Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

####1. LoveTheEND - Digital Crush 💎 [Sinful Maze]
Recommended if you like: Vici, A.way, The Caracal Project

Even though I have talked about more than 600 artists on here in our more than six years of doing this, there are still so many more names out there that deserve a spotlight or two - LoveTheEND being one of sadly too many. So let's use the opportunity this new Sinful Maze freebie presents and finally slay this particular iron dragon!

1.1. Julian The Iron Dragon (2017 - 2023)

The man behind this particular Hidden Gem Of The Week™️ is Julian Eisendrache, one of Toulouse's most prolific and, in my opinions underrated, artists in the bass music scene. As a german, can I just say how epic this name is? Eisendrache is literally "iron dragon", like that's so sick? Very jealous over here. Anyway.

At a time when joung Ju was mostly concerned with Minecraft et al., his uncle did the honourable thing and educated him in the fine arts of electronic music, via a customised CD full of Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy goodness. Eventually, he embarked on his very own DAW adventure (DAWventure?) and after trying out Eisendrache and E D I C I U S as names for this project of his, LoveTheEND finally emerged victorious in the end thing he loves so much, back in 2019. At the same time he was preparing his debut release, his succinctly titled 2020 Whispered Secrets, Only A Dead Woman Could Know LP, however, he also started working together with Tryst Temps, under their collaborative alias Deadboyz. The talent for titles seemed to carry over, considering delicious discographic gems like SOUNDS LIKE SH!T or HOLY FENTANYL. But aside from a bunch of live show appearances, that's kind of it for the deceased young'uns. Maybe they have just grown up. Anyway.

Following said long-titled, self-released, wonky wizardry featuring debut album, Julian would start spreading his iron wings and fly on over to imprints like Nü Kvlture, Project Underground, Incurzion and Off-License, with one Eisendrache Project (also known as EP) after the other. The real madness, however, was still ahead of us.

1.2. ENDless Fire (2023 - 2026)

Instead of bundling his many creations into multi-track projects like before, he started splitting them up into many, many more single projects, resulting in a truly overwhelming amount of releases in 2023. I do realise this is gonna devolve into name-spamming, but I want you to experience the same amount of "wait, another one?" that I went through when compiling this list. He appeared on Coliseum (3x), In The Lab (2x), Ignescent, Incurzion (2x), Off-License, French Plates, CLUSTER TRAXX, Nü Kvlture, Vahana, and Torsade - and he also released something himself. I think at the very least six of those were part of compilations. He truly was everywhere! Even in 2024, he not only made splashes on the underground techy label trifecta In The Lab, Stellar, and All172Things (RIP), he also returned to Incurzion and Coliseum and even brought a full-on EP to Vandal!

While last year was a little quieter than those turbulent times, the releases he did bring to the table, the Silver Lights, Songbird, and Moga EPs, were of such high quality it was clear he was still far from finished - despite the love for the concept. 'Silver Light' was even featured on UKF! Now, after debuting on there with the aforementioned Songbird EP, he once again returns to Sinful Maze for a rather delicious second helping, in the form of freebie Digital Crush. Let's talk about it then!

1.3. Digital Crush

Slowly but surely blossoming from mild butterflies to full-on infatuation, Digital Crush introduces us into its warm embrace of a world with heart-warming synth melodies and most wonderful, futuristic vocal eh's. As the bass approaches, however, things seem to take a turn for the chaotic and once the Judrache fades it all out for one last riff from an incredibly funky guitar, the stage is set for delightful destruction. Waves of distortion wash over your entire sensorial apparatus as this truly addictive french electro type melody keeps riffing on top of it all, before mechanical bass barks its doubts in response to the overwhelming positivity - but don't worry, Love wins in TheEND. Each little additional melody, the dreamy synthwave vibes and the wauwauwau in the breakdown, the variations in the second drop, it's all making me fall in love over and over again.

1.4. Conclusion

Dreamy, dazzling, destructive, D) all of the above. He crushed this - digitally.

####2. BRANY - River over my shoes [Selfreleased]
Recommended if you like: Koji Aiken, SIMONS, DIVICIOUX

Now onto a name I don't even remember following, but whose newest creation has delighted me in many ways nonetheless: BRANY! A bit of a re-discovery!

2.1. Airat Nurkaev

While this particular name is still quite a new one, self-described medieval folk hyperpop producer Airat Nurkaev has, of course, already been pursuing this music thing for quite a bit longer in other areas, under other names. In fact you might have already heard his creations in commercials for LEGO, Samsung, Paris Saint-Germain, or even Dixi, listened to his tunes on channels like 5 Minute Crafts, or consumed his instrumentals by listening to Russian artists like ATL, Thomas Mraz, Loqiemean, and Masha Hima. Okay, the last one is a little improbable if you're not Russian yourself, but still! Under the Mostapace moniker, he has also shared solo productions with the world, as early as 2015. Plus, he's part of ОММАЖ, a Tatar language synth pop band!

Wait, but what about the DnB, I hear you ask. We're getting to that now, you hear me respond! Since 2021, the Moscow-based artist has been dabbling in this little thing called drum & bass, with the launch of his new alias, BRANY. Along with it came his debut release 'No Wrong' and the first edition of the BRANYTAPE mix series - launched on the now-rebranded second channel of La Belle Musique. However, it would take until 2024 for a sequel on either of these to emerge, with BRANYTAPE II hitting the SoundCloud and YouTube waves alongside an avalanche of self-released singles. Around the time of BRANYTYPE III is where I came into the fold - 2025's 'Fix Me' was my introduction! So while we wait for BRANYTAPE IV, let's take a look at his newest creation, shall we?

2.2. River over my shoes

With himself on the wonderfully heartfelt vocals expressing his worries about the future and sharing his fear of loneliness on top of similarly emotive synth chords, River over my shoes opens up its heart to us right away. As Airat gets more and more into it, a 2-step rhythm pushes him further and further towards his pleading final verse line, before a rush of synth-powered dopamine starts rising up in our heads. Following a second of hesitant silence, an explosion of synthful melodicality overpowers our senses, with only the trio of "mh mh mhhh" vocalisations able to interrupt the storm of emotions. I'm starting to blush over here!

2.3. Conclusion

Emotional and lovely, yet powerful and abrasive. A combination I could go for BRANYtime!

 

#New Releases

###Dancefloor

###Liquid

###Deep / Tech / Minimal

###Neuro

###Jump Up

###Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

###General DnB / Mixed

u/TELMxWILSON — 7 days ago
▲ 65 r/NeuroFunk+6 crossposts

New Music! Fresh tunes from Simula, Culture Shock, DLR & T>I, Hoax, Basstripper, Current Value, Phace, Andy C and more..! Reviews for two exciting belgian talents! [+weekly updated Spotify playlist] | New Music Monday! (Week 25)

#Links & Playlists

Weekly updated Spotify Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass
Soundcloud Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Soundcloud
Youtube Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Youtube
Youtube Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass YT Music
Apple Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Apple Music
Retroactive Playlist H2L: Retroactive New DnB
Last Week's list https://redd.it/1u6ddyk
Follow us on Instagram Telm & Wilson, lefuniname, voynich
 

#Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

####1. Skamm - Don't Bother [Selfreleased]
Recommended if you like: Fox Stevenson, SØL, Kefrennn

There must be something in the water over in Belgium. Some sort of mind-enhancing chemical that explains all incredible melodic dancefloor artists emerging ever since Netsky first took hold in the scene.

There must surely also be something in the beer that ignites an undying love for the filthiest, squeakiest, laser-iest sounds imagineable.

Skamm is what happens when you somehow manage to chug both at the same time. Or first one and then the other. You'll see what I mean hopefully!

1.1. Fuzzy Lint (1999 - 2026)

At a mere 16 years of age, so back in 2015, Lint-uanian resident Jens Vermuyten already started exploring the wild world of music production. As Fuzzy, he experimented with one style after another, aiming to jump from one random genre to the other until a favourite emerges. His first impulse was to do dip his feet into Deep House, but through at least one of the following singles, 'I Miss You', the D and the B were also dabbled with, and just a year later in 2016, he had made up his mind. As Skamm, Jens would score alien invasions, monster attacks, and obliterative laser rays, in the most heinous of fashion - he decided to go with Jump Up. With more pure, concentrated Belgium in one second than even Belgian techno anthem 'Pump Up The Jam', he would start climbing up the charts higher and higher with each freely downloadable banger, with 2018 being his most prolific year in the catalogue.

Whether on his own or with the likes XAVR, Falco, Deploy, Erratik, Basstrong, Yngace, Klauw, and probably more rejected pokemon type names, whether in mere clips or on full free downloads - seeing his name meant quality was ahead. If you are into screechy jump up, that is. Outside of one-off outings on Spicy Beatz and Dubstomp 2 Bass, this is the formula that would pump up his follower count way past the 1k mark and slowly but surely open the door for bigger opportunities. While he would considerably slow down his truly mad pace in the early 2020s, he would still make his marks on DUBDROP, Exert, and Collapse, and deliver tunes en masse via his 100% and 200% SKAMM mixes.

By then, he was prolific and prominent enough in the Belgian spheres, that he even landed on the radar of arguably the country's biggest promoter out there - Rampage! Together with fellow screech smiths VDV, Miscall, and Anticipate (two of which also released this week!), he would showcase his homeland's proudest achievements in sound engineering at both the Open Air and the nowadays rebranded Sportpaleis, while slowly but very surely opening his sound up to more and more selfwritten singer-songwriter elements mixed into the madness of it all.

While all of his self-released tracks past 2024 anthem 'Take Me Away' were starting to go into a more vulpous stephansonsian direction, it was his most recent single, 'Misery', that finally broke through to me even me - and I was immediately obsessed. Now that the entire project it is part of has been released into the world, let's take a deeper look at it!

1.2. Don't Bother EP

We open with the reason I have discovered this lad right here, Misery. Lovely, nostalgic melodies turn into bouncy, already quite distorted, cheeky synths and act as a bed for the Skamm of the earth to showcase his emotional vocal talents, expertly preparing us for a great time, despite the titular distress. Once we launch into the drop, we are treated to chonky synths, now fully distorted to bits, frolicking through a field of beautiful flowers and steppy rhythms - wait why is it looping and glitching out? Oh. Oh no. Oh yes? We abandon all hope entirely as Jens instead brings out only the filthiest of screeches and the slappiest of drums, having created a switch for the ages that couldn't be more perfect to whip your captive audience into a frenzy. I love love love this.

Enough of this silliness though, time for a smoke break - or Nicotine Intermission as fancier people than I would perhaps say. With our vocalist seemingly taking said addiction-powered mini vacation, the instrumental is free to roam the seas of electric surf guitars, high-energy melodies, and almost fake-outs without the need for any lyrical interludes. Speaking of, our protagonist is now back for some more introspective Stan SB type pondering, on Interlude (Fix Me). Instead of hitting us with switches or steppy synths, the glittery mood-setting intro leads to a world of gently bouncy 4x4 with a lovely little melody jumping up and down on top, and thus sets the record for the first-ever interlude with a drop!

Cutesy little melodies also open up our return to full-lengthiness, called Hold My Tongue. Going right back to where we started, we witness Jens sharing his self-destructive feelings with the world in most wonderful fashion, in an atmosphere that once again strikes the perfect balance between melancholic and uplifting. Once coming to the realisation that he should keep some of these thoughts to himself, the superdistorted melodic synth from the intro takes over and delivers another instantly iconic earworm of a melody. My favourite part has got to be when Jens briefly comes in once more to hoooold the horses for a second or two, before the composition springs back in action. So satisfying!

For closer I'll Be What Remains, Jens pops in one last tape for us to enjoy. Wrestling with wasted opportunities for growth and regret, Jens gives us another glimpse into his emotional state as guitars swell up and more and more melodies come to join the party. At the titular realisation, the instrumental throws us into a whirlwind of punchy-as-all-hell jump up drums, stupidly catchy, mentally and sonically overpowering synths, and a most delightful three-note break. I damn sure hope you remain, because I want more of this!

1.3. Conclusion

Insanely catchy, wonderfully vocalised, and packed with fun little details - I am a massive Skamm and Bass stan!

####2. Skybred - Never Coming Down [Dark Machine Recs]
Recommended if you like: Delta Heavy, Grafix, Idle Days

You thought I'd leave you with just one melodic Belgian talent to fall in love with?

2.1. Kevin Roelants (1994 - 2023)

While Leuvenian talent Kevin Roelants' current meteoric rise might seem to come out of nowhere, the passion for music behind the hype goes back quite a bit - even the name is older than you probably think! As early as 2014, Kevin was flexing the Skybred name in online spaces, but the only musical remnants from that time are placed on another profile: Kevin Roelants! That's right, under his actual name, Kevin would put his soothing vocals to use for covers of John Legend and originals in the realms of Rock, Pop, EDM, and anything else that could reasonably be called singer-songwriter, from 2015 all the way up to 2022.

Then, in 2023, Kevin used all of this built-up experience to reboot the Skybred name (I refuse to believe he didn't use it for 9 years but I can't prove it!) for an entirely different approach to music: DnB!

2.2. Skybred (2023 - 2026)

The first year of DnB existence already saw him tease future classics like 'Freefalling', whose early version was even featured in Project L festival's aftermovie, his bootleg of Major Lazer's 'Free', and a mysterious, not-yet-released 'Me, Myself & I' ID - which would become a bit of a pattern. With seemingly every new post, new IDs and dubs would be teased or showcased, with only some of them being slowly dripfed to us over the years. Where is whatever the hell this tune is, Kevin! Anyway. After this already rather tumultous first year, he started raking in bookings at nearly the same rate as he was firing off dubs, with almost the entirety of Belgium and one lucky crowd in The Netherlands being treated to the Skybred and circuses in 2024, before expanding into Germany and even more of Europe.

Now spurred on even further, Kevin kicked off a rather effective promotional machine made up of Double Drop Thursdays and asking old and backstage people if they like his techno tunes, which worked tremendously well, but that wasn't the only thing 2025 had to offer. Not only did he play in Prague, was invited onto Liquicity's Galaxy stage in the silent disco, and presented his dubs in the Nebula stage's very own USB roulette, he also released his very first original, 'Shut The Door', and bootlegged RIOT and Dizzee Rascal in most marvellous fashion. From here on out, his actual releases started rolling out, with none other than 'Freefalling' f i n a l l y seeing the light of day via Dark Machine, 'Navigate' following that up shortly after, and his and KNGHT's remix of Modest Intention dropping on Ridmic. Plus, there's this incredibly sick 'Sientelo' bootleg that I keep hearing!

So, as his career starts gaining an incredible amount of steam, let's take a look at his latest offering, Never Coming Down, on the ever-amazing Dark Machine!

2.3. Never Coming Down

After teasing the lead that will become stuck in your head sooner rather than later in the first couple of seconds, Never Coming Down opens up the floor to the impeccably picked vocal. As we start going off the grooooound, war drums emerge from the previously so soothing atmosphere and the aforementioned earworm starts getting closer and closer, before launching into perhaps one of the catchiest dancefloor beats in recent history. The lead now in full force, the drums punchier than Saitama's, the modern froggy growl whomps with just the right amount of gnarl - I just cannot help but love this. Special shout-out goes to the stutter vocal effects in the skybreakdown, before we go back to his skybread and butter in the second drop.

2.4. Conclusion

Front-to-back impeccable choices, all coming together for an absolute summer anthem rivaling even the most established of artists. Roelantastic!

 

#New Releases

###Dancefloor

###Liquid

###Deep / Tech / Minimal

###Neuro

###Jump Up

###Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

###General DnB / Mixed

u/TELMxWILSON — 14 days ago
▲ 66 r/NeuroFunk+6 crossposts

Fresh music! VISLA, homesick, Thys & Samurai Breaks, SMG, Lens, Lee Mvtthews, Rova and more..! Reviews for the selftitled Particle EP and a joyride of bass sounds from Ominous! [+weekly updated Spotify playlist] | New Music Monday! (Week 24)

#Links & Playlists

Weekly updated Spotify Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass
Soundcloud Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Soundcloud
Youtube Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Youtube
Youtube Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass YT Music
Apple Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Apple Music
Retroactive Playlist H2L: Retroactive New DnB
Last Week's list https://redd.it/1u05jty
Follow us on Instagram Telm & Wilson, lefuniname, voynich
 

#Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

####1. Particle - Particle [Particle]
Recommended if you like: Particle

Particle.

1.1. Without Riddim (1996-ish - 2018)

Okay, while I would love to make the whole review just say "Particle", I do want to write a bit of an article about the guy behind the big P. Thanks to Chase & Status' seminal long player More Than A Lot, Alex Smith was getting an education into all things drum & bass as early as year 7 - at age 12, for any non-UK readers here. This timeline does seem appropriate for someone growing up in West Sussex and thus oh-so-close to London, and the love only continued to grow and deepen the older he got. At about 17, he started going to his first 16+ raves in the big city, hitting up Playaz nights at fabric every last Friday of the month, with especially Hype and Hazard having made a big impact on the young lad at the time.

Eventually, he shortened his rave arrival and departure time considerably by simply moving to the capital, a place he also stuck around for uni times. At a random pre-drinks, his mate was showing him the cracked copy of Ableton he had downloaded on a whim, which they then proceeded to mess about on for a bit. Alex had already created mixes on Virtual DJ that he would bump on car rides, but this was something else entirely - he was hooked. And the mate? Abandoned music for the world of business transactions. Typical!

Driven by a love for drum & bass, but due to the genre's notorious difficulty unable to translate his ideas into actual tunes he was happy with, his 2016 instead saw him embark into the wild world of Breaks, Garage and Grime, as Arridim. When he wasn't presenting his work documenting the rise of Grime at the Menier Gallery, he made splashes at legendary venues like Fabric and XOYO, on Marcus Nasty's show on Rinse FM, and on his SoundCloud, where the likes of Hamdi were bigging him up in the comments. By 2018, he was not only a regular on 1Forty alongside Sammy Virji, he also made his debut on CRUCAST and even got signed to MB Artists!

A couple years into this whole production journey, the daunting difficulty of DnB slowly but surely lost its power over the talent, and he was finally ready to make his mark on the genre.

1.2. The Genuine Particle (2018 - 2026)

A random clip of one of these first DnB creations ended up finding its way to Sebastian Weingartshofer, both manager of this subreddit's most favourite drum & boyband and the under-slash-playground Skankandbass, for which he wanted to sign Alex's tunes. But a new name was needed. Something simple, from a dictionary, with none of that different spelling nonsense - Particle was born! With his debut double single 'Got You / Level 1', Alex tapped right into the Benny L driven zeitgeist of it all, quickly expanding onto the likes of Tyke's Holographic and Serial Killaz and turning heads of half the scene, including a certain Kasra. One fateful day, he hit him up for tunes to play out some time. He liked what Alex sent through so much he decided to offer him a spot on his Critical's newcomer EP series Binary! From zero to an integral part of the label he looked up his entire producer life, in not even a year.

His debut EP Empires and remixes for the likes of Sam Binga, Barrington Levy, and even Hybrid Minds were only just the very beginning though, the next couple of years saw him deliver instantly iconic bangers like 'Business Techno', 'Cult Process' or 'Fall 2 Fast', work with a whole cavalcade of underground talent like Enei, Jakes, Waeys, Klinical, Molecular, En:vy, and T>I, craft an entire EP with Sam Binga - all on either Critical or Drum&Bass Arena. After all of this single and EP success, both Kasra and Alex knew it was time to take things one step further: an album! Featuring vocalists like Javeon and Inja and producer friends En:vy and YAANO, this bundle of heavyweight joy by the name of Pyro landed on the digital shelves in early 2024, not long after Alex also made the move away from his home of London, down to the (surely) sunny beaches of Brighton.

Since then? He's been kinda everywhere! Not only has his sound expanded to include all sorts of different facets, he's also branched out into other imprints out there, from his various Duskee-featuring projects on Shogun to Deadbeats, UKF, Overview, and Simula's Dance Macabre, always continuing to evolve in incredibly interesting ways.

So let's check in and observe what shape Particle's waveforms are taking in 2026, by taking a look at his biggest body of work since Pyro, his self-released, self-titled mixtape EP Particle!

1.3. Particle

Despite explicitly being a mixtape that implicitly wouldn't need an introduction, Alex went above and beyond and gave us one anyway, with Intro featuring morning-loving, up-and-coming, experimental UK rapper LYAM. Dreamy atmospheres, drama-filled synths, and vocals that truly get you in the mood for whatever is about to follow - I wouldn't have minded a drop right there! But fret not, we've got Blade, the surprisingly frogger-free collaboration with Belgian soup enjoyer ATMOS, to give us some tastiness in that regard. After a brief current-weather-appropriate intro and a vocal sample that I simply cannot place, the two launch into a nerve-wrecking arrangement of an acid lead continuously approaching your position, weighty basses whose presence only grows to be more menacing with each second that passes, and glitched-out responses attempting to pull you out of this. Each change announced by a short extra acid-y snippet, the duo keeps switching things up with higher-pitched and more aggressive versions of the leads, unnerving door-opening growls, and slower but all the more sinister acid attacks.

Hot off celebrating 10 years of 'Touch', Catching Cairo joins in on the fun as well, on 18%. On top of a maximalistically minimal bed of hefty sub bass and snappy drums, Ms. Cairo shines as bright as ever, with one of her most soulful and R&B-inspired, but also most delicately considered performances yet - and plenty of lovely adlibs! The carefully crafted soundscapes, the on-point lyricism, the mind-spinning sensory sensation of the alarm heartbeat thingy, the crackling distortion peeking in, I just love it all! Seemingly even further into the backrooms, This World is just an outright evil tune all-around. From the get-go, you already know this can't be a happy one. Once it gets going with its subbass-heavy, snappy drums opening you might think you've survived the worst, but that's exactly when Alex pulls out the all-encompassing, tastily distorted, at the very least demonic whomps and throws you off your game entirely. That's at least what happened to me! On paper this one might be a simple one, but the care that went into each of the sounds, and the seismic size of it all just tickles me in all the right places.

Since we're already down in the abyss here, Alex invited none other than skantia to come along, on Torn. Wasting no time at all, the tense atmosphere dissolves almost immediately into a quartet of otherworldly whomps lobbed inside the satanic tennis court inside your ears fighting against a rough-bladed saw cutting through literal mind-matter itself, damaging your sanity with every movement. Absolute madness, in other words! Very much love all the variations to this set-up as well, with the bubbly response being my favourite bit. Rounding off this package of insanity is smooth roller I Can't Wait Forever managing to heal my oh-so-damaged soul with ease. Lovely vocals, bass that moves super satisfyingly, drums that roll out nicely, just great all-around. Plus, we get a bit of a callback to the intro with the high-pitched synths reveberating into the night in the second half!

1.4. Conclusion

Presenting: particularly phenomenal production. Par for the course for Particle.

####2. Ominous - Rewire EP 💎 [Phase Records DNB]
Recommended if you like: Koax, Xyde, Gifta

I know, spooky season is still quite a bit away, but I won't let my choices what to review be defined by man-made concepts like "seasons" and "reasonableness"! So let's talk about our Hidden Gem Of The Week™️, and let's get Ominous! OooOoo!

2.1. The Haunted Logitech TV (1989 - 2026)

Like the backstory of any good horror story antagonist, there isn't much information out there about Liam Gartland, the scary scotsman behind the spooky alias. From the manic scribbles I found in my local library's forbidden section, it seems that Liam has been haunting the local scene as LG as early as 2020, with him putting on the Ominous mask not long after. Gaining infamy by (blurrily) appearing on photographic imprints developed by Off-License, GZ, Rebel Music, and 4NC¥ //DarkMode, and being spotted alongside fellow otherworldly beings like Beskar and GEAR, the Edinburgh castle resident had soon become the obsession of travelling ghosthunter Ms. Zanot. Her first attempts to capture the spirit take us back to 2023, resulting in a powerful debut EP, but Liam broke free almost immediately. Hiding behind an avalanche of free downloads, he was eventually lured back out and into her Phase-r trap with a collaborative effort with the gifted hunter herself, becoming one of the greatest weapons in her sonic arsenal since.

Now, three years into this entanglement, the entity has launched a new attack, in the form of a three-track power punch called Rewire - so let's examine it!

2.2. Rewire EP

The experience opens with Down Like This showing off drowning vocals falling over each other until finally emerging to a clear as day ramble, launching into the main attraction of the show: Basses going on joyride of fucked-up-ness through the valleys of distortion and peaks of pure green man alien sounds, the intro's vocals swarming our brains in all sorts of chopped-up manners, and a little Halftime in the end, as a treat. As if reading my text right now, Liam tells me off on Please Don't Swear, before himself incinerating the F bomb to the sounds of heavyweight scatimal action. Pure distortion rolling over you, with a little bit of wicky-wicky-wa thrown in, intense machine gun fire, punchy drums all around - the good shit. Lastly, we've got Never whip-snapping us into shape with - shocker - quite a bit of distortion rattling us on a molecular level, arranged in a fonky little rhythm that even the titular vocal samples partake in. That staccato moment a little bit into the drop is just chef's kiss!

2.3. Conclusion

A package of heinously voluminous Ominous chunes that have edinburrowed themselves deep into both my brain and playlists.

 

#New Releases

###Dancefloor

###Liquid

###Deep / Tech / Minimal

###Neuro

###Jump Up

###Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

###General DnB / Mixed

u/TELMxWILSON — 21 days ago
▲ 73 r/NeuroFunk+6 crossposts

Fresh tunes! New music form Break, SOLAH, Dawnwall, DRS & Zar, Rueben, LSB, Freeks & Geeks, [IVY] and more..! Review for a menacing and relentless Neurofunk experience from Merikan [+weekly updated Spotify playlist] | New Music Monday! (Week 23)

#Links & Playlists

Weekly updated Spotify Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass
Soundcloud Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Soundcloud
Youtube Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Youtube
Youtube Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass YT Music
Apple Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Apple Music
Retroactive Playlist H2L: Retroactive New DnB
Last Week's list https://redd.it/1ttr6vi
Follow us on Instagram Telm & Wilson, lefuniname, voynich

 

#Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

####1. Merikan - Nightreign LP [Blackout Music]
Recommended if you like: Pythius, Audio, Gancher & Ruin

Wake up everybody, it's Neurofunk Christmas! Not only has Italian madmatto Merikan finally returned from his brief hiatus earlier this year, this week Guiliano also bears a gift of truly ludicrous proportions: his debut album!

Before we descend into the madness this most joyous gift of all will unleash upon you, however, let's paint the picture of how we got here.

1.1. Me No Speak Ameriguiliano (1990 - 2011)

The story behind this particular project goes back to the mid-to-late 2000s. A young Guiliano Gronholz just discovered the friendly neighbourhood Hardcore scene in his Neopolitanian home town of Pozzuoli, about to fall down a literally life-changing rabbit hole of musical discoveries. Hardcore lead to Metal lead to Electro lead to Psytrance - until he ended up in drum & bass territory. Technically, his first jungle break can be traced back to Slipknot's 'Eyeless', but once he knew what to look for, names like Noisia, Spor, and Phace started entering regular rotation.

The Merikan nickname - sometimes stylised as MerikaN or M***kan for some reason - appeared as early as 2009, with his very first tune, 'You are not alone' with fellow Guiliano Gipoint, having followed just a year later. 2011 would see the two G's collaborate some more, with 'Sewer Scum' and 'They Are Coming' on 4ngel, but what caught my eye was a certain ApeTouch name that kept cropping up. Not only did his mate Gipoint tag his upload of the gibbon graze's entry into Ln Ripley's 'Trap' remix competition with #merikan, further investigation showed Guiliano using the name on his socials as well - mysterious! Before anything more could become of this solo, collaborative or potentially even label venture of his, however, Guiliano enrolled in the legendary pointblank's music production and technology course, sharpening his skills and connecting with the likes of Disprove and Cruk.

1.2. Entering The NeurofunkGrid (2012 - 2018)

Ahead of the apocalypse, Guiliano would make some of his first big steps into the Neurofunk scene at large in 2012, with two Disprove collaborations making splashes on YouSoFat and Close2Death, a double single of his own on Suspect Device, and him taking the crown in a remix competition hosted by Rregula & Dementia - aka Zombie Cats - on Citrus. Now having survived the Mayan's attack on earth, he would start working with the likes of Neve and Cruk, debuting on imprints like Flexout and DSTRBD, and finishing up his first-ever EP, Metamorphosis. Plus, he participated in Need For Speed's Waves Sound Design competition!

As he was finishing up his courses up until 2015, things would quiet down a little bit on the Merikan front, with the only thing tiding us over and up into 2016 being a guest mix for UNIFIEDGEARS and bootlegs for Tantrum Desire and Audeka, but man did he ever come back with a vengeance afterwards! Not only did he unleash his biggest project yet, the Banality Of Evil EP on Close 2 Death, he also made his Blackout debut, with 'End Of Line', his first entry into the legendary Evolutions series. Now slowly but surely being supported by names like Joe Ford, June Miller, and Teddy Killerz, he kept the Evolution entries coming, delivered an absolutely lethal EP on PRSPCT, worked with Fragz on Algorhythm, IHR on Cause4Concern, and Mean Teeth on NeurofunkGrid, crafted a killer mix for Friction's show on BBC Radio 1, and, perhaps most importantly, became part of the MethLab family. At that point even inspirations like Noisia were made aware of the noisier and noisier Italiangry sounds produced by Guiliano!

This is where my fascination, bordering on obsession, with the madman began. His Compulsive Behaviour EP on C4C, with anthems like 'Altered States' and 'Reverse Coded' with IHR, his solo Blackout debut 'Scars / Converge', 'Vektor' on Korsakov - all of it I shared with my friends with glee! But there was more to be heard: More Evolutions outings, collaborations with The Clamps and Redpill on Kosenprod and Eatbrain respectively, his 'Skorpio' remix, and even some Italian Hip-Hop with Kaledo and Jel aka Maro3!

1.3. Peak, Hiatus, Return (2019 - 2026)

No wonder, then, that life-long dreams like playing at Let I Roll were just around the corner already. By 2019, he was rolling out angry anthem after angry anthem, with my personal favourites being his last Evolutions entry 'Absolute Zero', 'Blockade' with Qo and ComputerArtist on Hoofbeats, and 'Giant Growth' with IHR on, well, Let It Roll's label! All of that, plus remixes for the likes of fellow Italians Maztek & Aeph and fellow Metal enjoyer Pythius, and it only made sense that he would decisively win the Best Newcomer trophy at that year's Czech & Slovakian drum & bass awards!

What followed was on another level entirely though: The Witch Hunter EP. A collection of tunes so unavoidably large even 2020 me couldn't escape its spell, writing a couple paragraphs long love letter blurb on this very format. Oh how quaint those days seem nowadays! Surrounding this legendary release, we got things like his Remastered dub series on Bandcamp, a remix for Zardonic and some of his music appearing on the PS4 game Pacer, but things got notably quieter right after.

Almost three full years later, the first life sign finally came through: The incomparably massive 'Chimaera', on Pythius' album. Worth the wait for sure, but that made the craving only stronger! Luckily, Guiliano slowly started rolling out more tunes again, with his Divergence series entry 'Warhammer' on Eatbrain, remixes for Sinister Souls, Redpill, Donny & Katharsys, and Bonnot, a collaboration on Maztek's return single, and his debut on Evolution Chamber all tiding us over the past couple of years. What did we need tiding over for? Well, something even larger than even the Witch Hunter EP! Judging from the artworks, perhaps even a thematic continuation. That's right, an actual, full-length album!

So, let's sit down, have some neurofun in the sun, and finally talk about Nightreign.

1.4. Nightreign

Before we enter the world of Elden Ring inspired cinematic madness, the Gatekeeper tries to stop us with all their might by throwing a cacophony of harsh sounds at us without warning, inverting the usual slow build into energy for an actually unique intro experience. Once we get to the White Raven's territory though, we start to understand. Tensions rise to infinity, as the bass rumbling is joined by heavyweight metal guitars and singular, massive drum hits, attempting to prepare us for the chaos that's about to unfold. A thoroughly distorted, metalified bassline, a wonderfully weird lead melody introduced with an incredibly effective delay, before it all distintegrates into the ether, eventually leading into a Halftime cavalcade of fast-paced elements whirling all around us - Merikan is BACK!

Having reigned supreme over the Raven, we now happen upon the Snarling Wolf up on the mountain top. Drum fills lead us into a meandering of crunchy basses and punchy drums, before the creature takes aim at us and an epic battle ensues. Mean basslines chugging along below gutteral barks and growls, only to be interrupted by some intensely satisfying, deeply disturbing distortion fluttering right into my heart, before the intro's sonics come back to stand tall against this formidable foe, in an ever-evolving fight, making for an absolute banger of a tune. From the opening you can already tell that Nightreign, today's title track, will put all of its skill points into speed, and its consistently, relentlessly fast rolling drop not only does not disappoint in that regard, the wild assortment of sounds flying in and out of sight make for a wholly catchy composition, despite the, and I can't emphasise this enough, comparatively lower energy feel as we soak in the environment. The calm before the storm.

Next we've got Heimdallr's very own Gjallarhorn, the sound of which will herald the beginning of Ragnarok itself, and boy does it deliver on that imagery. 16th note machine gun fire stubbornly hammering into you, drums doing their very best to match the insanity, bass that flattens everything in its path, witches laughing at our fate peppered in every now and then - and a progression that does not let up even one iota. On the opposite of the fastness spectrum, we've got Cold Blooded taking us on a heavily syncopated, steppy joyride through gnarly bass movements and epic vocals that on other long players would probably be the energetic highlight, but almost feels soothing on this one. Shortly after, the long-heralded Ragnarok has arrived! On top of a bed of constantly crumbling, earthquakeian bass and consistently rolling drums with an extra punchy snare, Guiliano treats us to a masterful rhythmic weaving of synth sounds that sit somewhere between pure dread and a train's horn, all of which keeps evolving into harsher and harsher environments. It doesn't look good for us! Creepily looping, cut-off vocals and harsh 4x4 leads us right into exactly the right kind of apocalyptic, Halftime destruction, once again quite befitting the title.

We're taking a bit of a breather and witness Guiliano stepping out of his Neurofunk comfort zone, on Oxygen. As if combining all of his initial loves and influences, this one takes elements from Progressive Electro, Psytrance, Tearout Dubstep, and Metal, and presses it all into a high-energy bouncer of a tune that refuses a genre label - while still clearly a Merikan production! Now having clearly lost our mind, Decay spirals so hard into outright madness that its sheer velocity causes hurricanes of pure energy to spontaneously appear around it. I genuinely cannot get enough of this fast-paced circular motion that is being conjured up here, but its the other elements like the responses to the all-consuming pewpew's or the moody atmosphere surrounding it all that truly makes things come together here. What a banger.

Speaking of banger, next we've got Interlock with none other than Audio to talk about, and this one's a doozy. An in hindsight perhaps quite obvious combination of talents, these two fuse their strengths for catchy synth melodies that somehow also sound like the world is ending, outright mean lower-end madness and capturing the manic energy of pure delusion and insanity in sound form, and deliver exactly this here. Not far from the finishing line, we've now got the single that started this album journey, Reaper! An absolutely stunning intro that masterfully builds up vivid imagery of the devil itself, filling you with the deepest dread you have ever felt - but that's just the beginning. Once it all culminates, any remaining sanity is just fired off in barely controllable 16th note bursts here, to the point that even the drums lose their composure, turning into a breaky, frankly fucked-up yet perfectly fitting mess. Those first few moments of the drop, my god. We basically spend the rest of the track trying to process what just happened, but when the insanity inevitably returns, everything just unravels at the seams, including reality itself.

You know what comes at the end of a great game. A Boss Fight! Together with fellow hardcore-inspired twins Gancher & Ruin, which by the way is an absolute dream collaboration for me right there, we once again are treated to an intro setting up expectations of world-ending destruction, and of course, they are being met. A delayed drop introducing yet another stupendously catchy three-note melody is only a small part of the story though, we've also got incredibly intricate machinery firing on all cylinders, and kicks that not only give the whole construct a gallopping feel, but also ventures into Hardcore territory. I love it all so dearly. Lastly, Guiliano has invited none other than long-standing collabro Disprove into the mix, on one last Helium 3 mining mission. Together, they have crafted one of the heaviest, sharpest steppers imagineable, with each hit bashing out any remaining thoughts out of my skull, until only "dance, you fool" remains.

1.3. Conclusion

As expected, Guiliano has crafted an experience that actually delivers on the promises made by both my own sky-high expectations and its ridiculously grandiose track titles. Impeccable storytelling through uniquely menacing sound design and frankly epic vocal samples, a thoroughly relentless energy, and just the right amount of pure madness. A must-listen for anyone who so much as dabbles in Neurofunk. The Merikan dream.

 

#New Releases

###Dancefloor

###Liquid

###Deep / Tech / Minimal

###Neuro

###Jump Up

###Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

###General DnB / Mixed

u/TELMxWILSON — 28 days ago
▲ 65 r/NeuroFunk+7 crossposts

Fresh music! New tunes from Critical Music, Emily Makis & Amplify, Benny Page, Krakota, Delta Heavy, SOTA, The Sauce and more..! Reviews for a mastefuly crafted sonic journey and an energetic dancefloor banger! [+weekly updated Spotify playlist] | New Music Monday! (Week 22)

#Links & Playlists |:----------- |:-----| ||| |Weekly updated Spotify Playlist| H2L: New Drum & Bass | |Soundcloud Playlist|H2L: New Drum & Bass Soundcloud| |Youtube Playlist|H2L: New Drum & Bass Youtube| |Youtube Music Playlist | H2L: New Drum & Bass YT Music | |Apple Music Playlist | H2L: New Drum & Bass Apple Music | |Retroactive Playlist| H2L: Retroactive New DnB | |Last Week's list|https://redd.it/1tn7bi9| |Follow us on Instagram|Telm & Wilson, lefuniname, voynich|

 

#Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

1. AZO - Singularity 💎 [Voidcat Audio]

Recommended if you like: Caster, [BORDERS], V O E

I know, I know, I'm a week late with this. More often than you'd think, it takes my other team members' new releases research for me to complete my picture of what's out there in a given week, and this one was no different. However, for me to forgo the list-review continuum consistency like this, a releases has to truly wow me, preferrably in more ways than just one. Well, here we are! Let's talk about this week's Hidden Gem Of The Week™️.

1.1. AZOidcat

Due to this only being his second-ever release, with, for once, no previous alias to point to, I don't even have that much to say about our protagonist, Vancouver-based, Costa Rican film industry worker slash production talent Sebastian Monge. I could lead you through his IMDb page and talk about he worked as a Key Grip on various movies, did VFX for short film 'Fowl Fate', or even directed Pieces Of Us aka Memory Puzzle, but even though I find that sort of stuff incredibly fascinating and I could try to marry his background in filmmaking with the cinematic worlds his tracks build up so effectly, I do have to admit I am not a licensed officiary and should probably stick to the music to not lose you all.

Outside of his Still Spinnin' EP earlier this year and the fun fact that he's apparently been working on this production thing for more than a decade now, however, I don't even have anything else to talk about on the music side either. Then perhaps I could tell you something about the label he's been working with, Voidcat Audio! Or Voidkat, if you were to run it throug their DnB name generator. Founded by Canadian DJ and producer MAU in 2026... oh goddamnit. We're too early for any backstory to have emerged on that front as well!

Alright then. Without further AZO, let's talk about Singularity!

1.2. Singularity

Ironically enough a two-parter, Singularity Pt. I starts this experience off by transporting us into a world of dreamy floatiness, with a delightfully tiny stream of water dribbling down our paradise house's pipes, but as the haunting vocals enter the game you begin to realise we've got a storm a-brewin'. Slowly but surely introduced in this dramatic setup but only fully unleashed in the following drop in air pressure, a supremely sparkly, preciously pretty 8th-note synth melody takes us on a joyride in the upper echelons, while dirtily distorted rhythmic basslines fight their own fight below. Seems like the machine takeover starts off quite nicely! Once we get the optimistic parts behind us, however, war drums and larger-than-life reese basses signal the change that's about to occur. Entirely new melodies, now twisted into unrecognisability, attempt to keep living as the supercharged basses crunch their way into the foreground and the drums go all-out. It's rare to see a progression this satisfying in a track!

The best part is, the progression isn't even done yet, technically. Pt. II keeps the apocalypse going by not even attempting to paint a happy picture in its opening. Melodies that will haunt you in your sleep, thoroughly distorted basses and brash, broken beats up the stakes another couple of notches, in anticipation of a true world-ender of a drop. Dramatic, Dune-esque melodies on top of a sandstorm of most hectic drums and all-encompassing reeses, battling it out against a response of relentlessly hammering synths and even wilder drums, each hit amplifying the energy piercing into your ears, before things become even more staccato and higher-pitched for the climax. One last time, we start up the machinery in the second half, with a delayed drop packed with analog, almost breakcore sounding beats, before switching right back to our scheduled carnage.

1.3. Conclusion

I'm sure the apocalypse will have plenty of downsides, but if this is what it sounds like then I welcome it with open arms. Humongous!

####2. Idle Days, Solid State - Heartbreak [Ridmic]
Recommended if you like: Voicians, Laminar, Jessee

After so much heaviness and drama, how about we take a look at two of modern day dancefloor's most underrated names out there? Let's talk about Idle Days and Solid State!

2.1. Idle Days

Researching Benjamin "Idle Days" Goossenaerts has been one of those rabbit holes that just never seemed to want to end. I already felt knowledgeable and like a real fan for having been there from the very first DnB tune the Belgian lad has put out a few years back, but the story went so much further back I'm afraid my previous superfan card has to be revoked. Born and raised in the Belgian kind of Essen, Benjamin has been putting the work in as a vocalist since at least 2010, when he first uploaded 'Crystal Tears' in memory of his late grandpa. Not much later, he not only started his own band Viva Revival, but also ventured into the wild world of vocal covers. Once the band life wrapped up about 10 years ago now, the covers started increasing in frequency, with especially 2020 seeing anyone from Ed Sheeran to John Legend being regoossified. He even did a little Christmas thing!

In 2021, it was finally time for the name I have come to love him under - Idle Days - to emerge, with more electronic inspired pop like 'Better Days', 'CHANGING REALITY' and 'Lying to me' seeing him belt out on future bass beats, melodic techno house vibes and more that my mostly dnb brain cannot put names to. Real goossenerds will know there was a big difference though: He wasn't just using his voice, he was actually producing these tracks as well! While still prolific as a vocalist, with us DnB people probably recognising him from Buunshin's 'I'm Okay', he got better and better at putting the beats together himself, and by 2023, he made the jump that would define the rest of his career - he released 'Over It', his first-ever DnB tune! On imprints like Martin Garrix' STMPD, NoCopyrightSounds and its off-shoot Arcade, Radar, Wobbles & Waffles, and most prominently, absrd, Benjamin has been jamming out one anthem for the ages after the other, while also becoming the voice of huge tunes of fellow Belgiants Used and Andromedik. Nowadays, you can catch him playing at places like Tomorrowland, Rampage's shows inside Sportpaleis and at Lommel's Kristal Park, and many more.

Speaking of Lommel...

2.2. Solid State

The second half of this tune's particular equation comes in the form of Sam Jensen, aka Solid State - and was born and raised in said Limburgian city! While in a way even newer to the scene than his compardre in misdaad here, Sam's history in music is also more expansive than you might expect. I don't have as many sources for this decade of his journey, but his antics as DJ Antum supposedly reach as far back as 2012! Jumping forward eleven years, Sam was in need of a new name for the production career he was about to launch, so the Mesopotamian goddess was ditched in favour of his most favourite way of storing files: Solid State was born. After his 2023 debut on DeVice, 'Take You Up', it would take him up to 2025 for new goodness to emerge, but my god, did it ever wash over us in that year. Not only did we see his official DeVice follow-up, we also got to enjoy his excellent High Tea debut 'Let You Go', his Riot debut with similarly underrated newcomer LICIA, several remixes of it, and one more Riot anthem to close it all off.

During all of this, he also won the Andromedik Invites DJ Contest to play at Antwerp Expo in front of me and a couple thousands others, won the Black Out TD contest, and topped this marathon of musical goodness off by running an actual one. After regularly smashing it up for the Lokale Helden nights in Lommel, he also started venturing outside his home town, with the most notable event so far having been his debut at Cologne's legendary Bootshaus, but there was still one ultimate dream left: Playing at Rampage Open Air. Guess where he was announced to play at this year?

So what have these two Belgian supertalents cooked up together then?

2.3. Heartbreak

An electric guitar softly raising the anticipation with constantly looping two-note playing, a faint 8th rhythm coming ever closer, and a bass laying down its notes all do their part in setting the tone for Heartbreak, the duo's first-ever outing on Liquicity-offshoot Ridmic. In this bubble of loveliness, Benjamin hey there delilah's into frame with a somber tone, as the rest of the arrangement is expanded to include gentle whomping and smoothly rolling drums. More and more our vocalist in charge gets into it and by the 45 seconds mark he truly starts owning his Taio Cruz inspired relationship behaviour in full-chested voice, while the beats make way for hype-inducing 4x4 claps, until it all comes to a head in the drop. Whompy whomps fighting it out against the already teased, brassy synth melody in most earwormy fashion, as a now thoroughly powerful 8th-note guitar strumming bassline, with Benjamin chiming in every now and then. Incredibly delightful as that already is, it's the things that follow this formula, like the full return of our microphone commandeur, the in my ways absolutely dreamy breakdown, and the short burst of 4x4 hype before the eventual return to syncopation in the second drop, that not only bring me endless joy, but show just how pro these two are.

2.4. Conclusion

A fantastical vocal performance, an incredibly catchy lead, a production that just hits all the right notes - an anthem through and through.

 

#New Releases ###Dancefloor

###Liquid

###Deep / Tech / Minimal

###Neuro

###Jump Up

###Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

###General DnB / Mixed

u/TELMxWILSON — 1 month ago
▲ 73 r/NeuroFunk+7 crossposts

Fresh music! New tunes from The Sauce, Enei, Annix & Mefjus, Rova, Serum, DJ Sofa and more..! Reviews for fresh deep sounds from BEXLO and a heavy 3 track EP from Xyde! [+weekly updated Spotify playlist] | New Music Monday! (Week 21)

#Links & Playlists

Weekly updated Spotify Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass
Soundcloud Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Soundcloud
Youtube Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Youtube
Youtube Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass YT Music
Apple Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Apple Music
Retroactive Playlist H2L: Retroactive New DnB
Last Week's list https://redd.it/1tgk9r1
Follow us on Instagram Telm & Wilson, lefuniname, voynich
 

#Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

#####1. BEXLO - Welcome 2 / Maharajah 💎 [SoundMuseum]
Recommended if you like: Aegis, YAANO, Rillium

In the truly infinite pool of talents this genre of ours has amassed in especially recent times, there's few lesser known names who excite me as much as Scottsman BEXLO. So let's take his newest two-tracker as an opportunity to spread the gospel about this particular Hidden Gem Of The Week™️ a bit!

1.1. Bexlo and behold (2020 - 2026)

As is practically guaranteed with every new name I cover on here, the musical story of Glasgow-getter and globe jet-setter Benedict Logie - hence BE(nedict) X LO(gie) - goes back quite a bit longer. While, if my own academic history is any indication, learning all about Dijkstra algorithms and Fourier transformations in his computer science studies, he was also sharpening his Logie-technical skills in something else entirely: music! Inspired by the likes of juuku, Droloe and Vincent, he unveiled his first-ever tune, the surprisingly well-supported, "trap-reimagining" journey 'Tell Me', in 2020, with more experimentations in other electronic avenues following over the next couple of years. Sometimes self-released and sometimes distributed via imprints like Suit Of Bullets, Tribal Trap, and Outplayed; sometimes flipping San Holo, Galantis, and that 'Running Up The Mountain' or whatever it was called and sometimes fully original; sometimes on his own and sometimes featuring fellow talent Akacia - but always worth a listen.

As he graduated with more A's than my battery cabinet, he not only ventured into both the working and the literal world, travelling the US, Australia, Korea and probably more, he also took a big step into something that had been sorely missing in his Benediscography: drum & bass! His multi-genre alias now renamed to TROUBLE CASTLE, the path was clear for a revolution in sound for the main alias, and after a bit of ID teasing in 2024 (many of which I still would love to see released into the wild!), it was finally, finally time for him to present us with his best work so far in 2025: his Isare EP on Skankandbass.

Not one to rush greatness, however, it would take until now for the next crumb of Bexloveliness to fall onto our tune hungry selves' plates.

One last addendum though: since quite recently he's also running a monthly radio show on none other than Kool FM! It's called Minimax, go check it out if you want more Bexlo goodness.

1.2. Welcome 2 / Maharajah

If you're at all into the finer arts of techy drum & bass, you might perhaps already know where I'm dragging you today: Into the SoundMuseum!

Benedict welcomes us to this exhibit par excellence with the opener of his two-fold piece, Welcome 2. Heartwrenching cries of sorrow set the tone that the titular robotic voice so coldly contrasts, before slowly but surely firing up the hypnotic machinery of rearranged humanoid sounds that will accompany us for a lot of this experience. Together with a concerningly irregular heartbeat bouncing below it all, the Gaudían mosaik of vocalisations forms a rhythm so confident in its groove that you can't help but let your body loose as well. Once locked into this main idea, however, Benedict pulls the rug out from underneath us, with a footwork-inspired juke switch-up whose final seconds are amplified by rather aggressive Reggae samples. Throughout this whole ordeal, we're treated to a variety of drums, with especially the outro cycling through a manifold of them.

On the second floor of our cultural excourse here, Maharajah opens up a world of vast emptiness, with auditory sand crackling in our collective ears while hauntingly beautiful howls of the humble Homo Erectus spread throughout the sheer endless void. Slowly but surely, gentle melodicality becomes part of the equation, but before we can get lost in that, an adversary force to the beauty approaches. Thoroughly distorted basslines hitting you with a single, bone-rattling burst of energy before sliding down into the dirt again, ice-cold vocal chops chained to a rhythm of pounding 4x4 kicks, syncopatedly steppy, finger-snapping drums - leaving you with both a sense of awe and quite a bit of sweat on your forehead.

1.3. Conclusion

Masterful vocal chop work, precisely tuned techiness, tightly controlled basslines - a truly BEXpLOsive combination.

####2. Xyde - Feral EP 💎 [Phase Records]
Recommended if you like: Justin Hawkes, InsideInfo, Belik

While new, or at least not yet featured, artists are always more prominently on my mind when choosing which release to cover on here, sometimes you just have to go back to someone we already covered, but still deserves way more attention. That someone? Xyde!

2.1. You can run, but you can't Xyde (2023 - 2026)

So what happened since the last time we talked about Vasco "Xyde" Savino back in 2023? Quite a bit, to be fair! Not only has he significantly shaped the scattimal sound of Gifta's consistently incredible Phase Records as one of the imprint's most prolific contributor, he has also been spotlighted on a certain green circled YouTube channel a bunch of times, worked with Albees, Leks, Gifta, and Vespera, betrayed his home label I mean made excursions to Benny L's TrES-2B, Crissy Criss' War On Silence, and Trex' Trust Audio, and got his creations reworked by the likes of Genic, Portrait, Vici. Now that I've got my conveniently all-encompassing, a tad too long-winded recap sentence out of the way, let's check out the three new ones the Italian maestro has Vas-cooked up!

2.2. Feral EP

Crackling, outright electrifying air, fizzling with anticipation. Ominous, Creeds tribute melodies reverberating throughout the room. Pure, concentrated rave energy coming ever closer. Massive bass stings upping the anticipatory drama levels to unbearable levels, as loops of heavily processed vocals bring their own rhythm to the game. Four hits of the snare, and we're off. If a tune was ever to be crowned "most fittingly titled", Feral would have a great case. Hectic drums, whose chaotic rhythm is further accentuated with piercing percussonary elements, a cracklingly distorted bassline creeping upwards, snares en masse, and even a think break whoop, all of it and so much more can be experienced in this EP opener. Not to mention the many following variations further into it all, with more pronounced start-stop type rhythms and many more heavy drum machinery. It gets me going so much I can barely formulate a sentence that isn't just listing things!

Now done with solo adventures here, Black Lungs sees Vasco bring in regular collaborator and fellow Italo PaCMan. Emerging from the sea of darkness, a place of scary voices creepily crawling underneath our skin, this feature guest waka-waka's into frame with a fine selection of bars, as a minimal arrangement slowly rises in intensity and anticipation below it all. In the blinky of an eye, we're already knee-deep into drop territory, where we're treated to all sorts of exyde-ing sonics. On top of a minimalistic but still ever-so-slightly vertically moving 8th note bassline, screeching sounds the likes you brain has never seen, heard or smelled will keep the ol' amygdala occupied, before PaCMan comes back in to pull us back to Earth. As if the virus-inspired crawler wasn't enough, Vasco switches gears entirely in the second half and instead delivers a full-on breakbeat tear-out with snares in the hundreds.

Why would you stop at just one feature guest, when you could have, and bear with me here, two! Together with MC SAS and that one teacher that occasionally does DnB stuff, also known as Gifta I think, Vasco ends this trilogy of tunes with Angles. A brief mood-setting intro behind us, we smoothly transition into a rolling beat that gives SAS space to deesclate the situation at hand with his soothing musings, but sadly, his efforts were in vain - the escalation still arrives. On the continuing stream of stylish drummery, the Vas and the Gab introduce a set of seriously skattimal growls and a short but sweet, outrageously fonky bassline riff, before our vocalist returns from his break to calculate the hypothenuse of the optimal angle to beat your ass from, while the rest of the team ups the fonkiness levels once more. It's not just all serious and bass-face though, cheeky hashtag-style bars referencing euclidean geometry icons and moments like the beat pausing for a second when SAS gently suggests his opponent stop what they're doing make this one an actual delight. Not to mention SAS' switch into a higher register later on and the elite karate movie knowledge on display in the second half!

2.3. Conclusion

Intricately techy drumwork with more snares than your local Thomann's, atmospheres that venture into advanced darkness, and pure skatimal energy - this EP is something else!

 

#New Releases

###Dancefloor

###Liquid

###Deep / Tech / Minimal

###Neuro

###Jump Up

###Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

###General DnB / Mixed

  • goddard. - day & night [UKF] | , [Bandcamp], [Spotify]
  • maurizm - Shutting Down [Selfreleased] | , [Spotify]
  • Sudley, REEBZ, Drawn Moon, Rido - Planetary Protocol EP [Let It Roll] | [Beatport]
  • Various Artists - Spotlight Series Vol. 9 LP [Serial Killaz] | [Beatport], [Spotify]
  • Various Artists - VARIOUS ARTISTS 2026 LP [The Elements Of Tech & Bass] | [Beatport]
u/TELMxWILSON — 1 month ago
▲ 70 r/liquiddnb+4 crossposts

Fresh music! New tunes from Keeno, Pirapus, ATMOS, The Upbeats, Dimension & Subsonic, Lenzman & Redeyes and more..! Reviews about newcomers from the worlds of cinematic techy and neuro [+weekly updated Spotify playlist] | New Music Monday! (Week 20)

#Links & Playlists
Weekly updated Spotify Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass
Soundcloud Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Soundcloud
Youtube Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Youtube
Youtube Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass YT Music
Apple Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Apple Music
Retroactive Playlist H2L: Retroactive New DnB
Last Week's list https://redd.it/1ta0xyg
Follow us on Instagram Telm & Wilson, lefuniname, voynich

 

#Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

####1. Alias - Equanimity [Selfreleased]
Recommended if you like: Lukher, Laetho, RageMode

Aaand we're back!

First order of business, let's talk about my newest favourite discovery, Alias! (What's next, an artist named ID?)

1.1. General Greaves (2023 - 2026)

Ethan Jorge David Greaves, the London-born amalgation of names behind this particular project, has been punching above his weight for quite some time now - and not just because he's also literally a boxer! During his time as a student of Liverpool's Hope University, so about 2023, Ethan has not only participated in various RumRiddimzRun yard parties at the port city's very own Meraki, but has also officially started his production career. Mostly distributed by himself, he started showing off his productionary prowess online with plenty of originals and the occasional bootleg of the likes of Crystal's 'The Days' and Soundgarden's 'Black Hole Sun'. With 2025's 'Let It Blow' releasing on Warlock, he finally made the jump into the wide world of labels, opening the door for other imprints like LOCU or DUNXX' very own Twin X Collective to get him on board. Going through all of these, but especially the latterest, it's actually mad how much talent there is to discover in all of platforms Ethan has appeared on so far.

But more on that at another point in time - what's the deal with this new one then?

1.2. Equanimity

With an ominous mix of middle eastern flutes, staggered vocal chops searching for their home, and straight-up haunting vocals, Ethan slowly but surely introduces us to the world of Equanimity, before ripping the curtain open to unveil a full-scale orchestra, featuring gorgeous strings, brass, and powerful vocals, supported in its holistic efforts by powerful reese basses underneath. As if that wasn't enough of a stress test for our evenness of mind, Mr. Alias then brings out an even more fully unleashed wave of bass that's first teased in perhaps mind-meltdown-mitigating combination with the orchestra, before being fully let loose in the drop. With more layers and heaps more distortion than ever, the bass turns into a leviathan of sound design ripping through any- and everything in its wake, only to be interrupted by the response melody sharply concentrated into piercing stabs.

1.3. Conclusion

Cinematic, haunting, all-out (Eth-)annihilatory - this one is incredible!

Other techy things from this week:

  • AUGVST, Indy Skies - Burn 💎
  • FLOONK - Be Alright
  • The Upbeats - Escape / Wubber Subber
  • Blacksite, Ethera - Bloodroot 💎

####2. Gravitape - Carnival 💎 [Gunsta Records]
Recommended if you like: Magnetude, Ekwols, Rusty K

Next up, a talent I have been meaning to talk about for quite some time now: Gravitape!

2.1. Be kind, rewind (2021 - 2026)

Saint Petersburg based talent Stepanov Egor Andreevich is one of the sickest new names in the Neurofunk realm. However, once again, I am a bit handicapped in my ability to properly research this fan favourite of mine, due to the language and platform barrier most of the info about this Russian artist is hidden behind. For instance, I know that the Gravitape project goes back to 2021, when it debuted on TriaMer with the wonderfully Memtrix-inspired 'Arcade'. However, that double single is attributed to a certain Anton Sumarakov, who I cannot find a single other thing about. Maybe that's a misattribution? Or the project has changed hands since then? Or it used to be a duo? Something with clones? Or perhaps he just changed his name? I could not tell you!

So let's stick to what I can tell you then. After this first outing, the project took a bit of a hiatus, until finally reemerging in 2024, with a whole slew of releases on the ever-underrated High Resistance. Whether on his own or in collaboration with Rieger and Perimetre, whether on compilations like chapter two of the Nemesis saga or on solo releases - if you saw the name Gravitape, you knew you were in for a banger and some more. As a successful student of the Neuropunk Academy, he got closer to the attached umbrella of labels, i.e. Paperclip's Paperfunk (more like Gravit-ape-rfunk) and Tamrecords successor Neuropunk, laid down some smashers on various Neurobunker streams, and appeared on more and more lineups, but that's not even all! Labels like Gunsta and most recently TRCD's VTO Records sought to feature the gravitational ape and his now more and more cinematic, Magnetude-influenced productions, with the crowning jewel so far having been the In There EP from earlier this month. I was actually quite sad when I didn't have the capacity to feature him then, but luckily, the man kept the bangers flowing and brought us yet another reason to talk about him - Carnival on Gunsta Records!

2.2. Carnival

Drumroll please! With a captivating arrangement of marching drums, aggressively staccato violins, and incredibly effective vocalisation, this one opens the exhibitionary doors in an even more dramatic fashion than Zendaya's and Pattinson's latest flick. Kids screaming, crowd noises, a ghost train passing through, spaghetti western guitars tingling in the air - and a fast-approaching bassline making a dnbeeline towards us. A swift roar of the lion later, and we're thrown into the mix of catchy horror melodies and rather large lower end movements rhythmically chained to the melody that is the drop. This formula transcends these initial contraints quickly with a back and forth between short-breathed high-register vocals and its accompanying melody underneath, before returning to the safe haven of chaos and demolition.

2.3. Conclusion

A delightfully whimsical symphony of serious destruction. Can never get enough of this sort of melodic Neurofunk, so more please!

Other neuro from this week:

  • TANTRON, Wiguez, Moneo - ICARUS (<3)
  • Mandidextrous, Tanukichi - Tunnel Vision (Zombie Cats & Nemean Remix)
  • Prolix, PENGSHUi - Deep In The Grave
  • Nemean - The Torrent (Redpill Remix)
  • JIROBASS - Shogi Shogi / Se mettre d'accord

&nbsp;

#New Releases

###Dancefloor

###Liquid

###Deep / Tech / Minimal

###Neuro

###Jump Up

###Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

###General DnB / Mixed

u/TELMxWILSON — 2 months ago
▲ 54 r/liquiddnb+5 crossposts

#Links & Playlists
Weekly updated Spotify Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass
Soundcloud Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Soundcloud
Youtube Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Youtube
Youtube Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass YT Music
Apple Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Apple Music
Retroactive Playlist H2L: Retroactive New DnB
Last Week's list https://redd.it/mfmxcb
Follow us on Instagram Telm & Wilson, lefuniname, voynich

&nbsp;

#Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

####1. [BORDERS] - A Remedy For My Sorrow LP [Pilot.]
Recommended if you like: Puzzle, SIMONS, Howlan

Every two years, like clockwork, Jaimey Borgers aka [BORDERS] comes along and puts out a release so fresh, so unique and so banging, that I can't help but feature him on here once more. First it was his phenomenal debut EP Phenomena on ProgRAM (RIP) in 2022, then it was his ground-breaking Grounded EP with Austrian maestro Puzzle in 2024, and now we're back at it again, for his depression-curing debut album, A Remedy For My Sorrow, on none other than UKF's Pilot. I'm so excited about this one!

1.1. Catchup (2024-2026)

So what did we miss since the last time then? Compared to his usual prolificacy, not a whole lot! We saw him debut on Elevate alongside Émilie Rachel, we saw him and Fryware remix Wiguez on NoCopyrightSounds, and partake in Vici's album on Neksus - that's kind of it! The whole time, however, he was toiling away on this long-player of his own. If my mind does not betray me, rumblings on the street about it went back as far as 2024! Lucky for us, Jaimey managed to keep his spirits alive in the face of the many storms and turbulences that can plague a project as big as this, and has now finally pushed the project over the finish line.

1.2. A Remedy For My Sorrow

In lieu of further lore, let's just dive into Lore, the opener of this epic. Built like a theatrical production, with bassy strings and mournful trumpets being joined by further and further layers of orchestral arrangements, this introduction into the world of A Remedy For My Sorrow immediately transports you to places you wouldn't expect from a DnB album. Eventually, of course, synths start approaching from a considerable distance, as tick-tick-ticking noises attempt to prepare us for the explosion that's about to go off. The teased melody now blown up into a menacing beast of mythological proportions, it bellows out its thunderous roar on all sorts of fast-paced drum action. At points you might think the whimsical melody and trumpetry will come to rescue you from this goliath, but it was merely playing with you, making you think you're safe before hunting you down once more.

Left Shattered by this encounter, the drama is once again unfolded by a set of wonderful violins - and Jaimey himself! That's right, meneer Borgers himself has grabbed the microphone on this one, in most lovely fashion. Instead of the high octane action of the opener, we are instead dipping our toes into Halftime, with synths wobbling up and down in intensity on a set of slow, breaky drums. As the synth gets drowned out in water, we switch into a snippy 170s drum pattern that strings build their dramatic foundation on, before Jaimey returns to the scene, a new-found anger having displaced his initial sorrow. With two widened-up synth hits, we are shaken wide awake, before a full-on drum & bass drop, complete with all sorts of cronchy basses peeking through it all, pulls the rug out from underneath us.

Heavily glitchy and distorted, a less enthused voice shares what must have been Jaimey's mantra during the roughest days of this long journey, on Anywhere But Nowhere. As soon as said title is first uttered, we take it back to some lovely string action, but once the manic mantra comes back with anxiety-inducing drums in tow, you know what's about to happen. Melodic yet thoroughly distorted synth stabs that are so large they can barely contain themselves - a [BORDERS] speciality - dancing on top of drums as chaotic as our protagonist's inner turmoil, taking on forms and dancing with each other in more ways than just one. Meager melodies fighting against the now overpowering synths, stabs that become, for lack of a better word, whompier in nature, and more and more piercing rhythms. Luckily we got that sweet, sweet string outro to soothe us after all this!

Against All Odds, Jaimey persevered through it all. No doubt in part thanks to the support of his friends and creative companions like Jonas Puzzle Feuerle - who is joining him here for a Grounded reunion! As Jonas delivers yet another one of his gorgeous vocal performances, the guitar makes way for strings trying their best to push the duo over the edge. Despite their best efforts, however, they persist, with Jonas' high notes leading us to a world full of supremely catchy synth melodies battling it out against dramatically rising tensions. Twisting, turning, and wringing every last bit of energy and melodicality out of it, until the duo rises from the ashes once more, sporting an entirely new sound, driven by uniquely bubbly synths and breaky drums. Such a journey.

Since we're talking about journeys and friends, why not continue on with Surge, featuring fellow Dutchie and Love For Low Frequencies prodigy TER3NCE! Before I can even finish writing that sentence, the ominous intro has already given way to a relentless barrage of high-pitched staccato hits. From high to low to medium, its pitch gets weirder and weirder, eventually even building whole new melodies through its cut-off rhythm, before we take a break again. The backwards sound effects, a bit of a meandering lead melody, and clappy claps might seem harmless enough at first though, but then Jaimey gets his hands on the formula and pushes the melody to its larger-than-life limits - and all of that is just a transition to another variation on the first drop with longer, even more distorted hits piercing your skull. Plus, we get another long, excellent string outro!

Sporting not just one, but multiple layers of Jaimey on vocals, is one of the many Allures of this next one. Once thoroughly mesmerised by the main man's wonderful performance, we are thrown into a whirlwind of piercing, stupendously hefty synth stabs, massive waves of distortion and clappy snares, with so much dissonance going on your face can't help but contort. Of course, Jaimey doesn't leave it at that, letting the distortion play a much bigger role later on, and eventually even introducing a stuttery 4x4 into the formula to hammer things home even further.

With a loud, clear and long-lasting oomph, Remnant opens the doors to something else entirely. Is that melodic techno that I'm hearing? With a little bit of acid thrown in for good measure? Hell yeah! Side note, but I wonder if the title refers to this being a callback to his older alias, way back when.

Before we let things wander off too far into non-DnB territory though, let's bring it back to the 170s, with the help of a couple friends. Right away, Bedrog with Russian vunderkínd coil circuit soothes us by way of its intro's glittery glimmer of hope, while preparing everything for the imminent assault of creativity. Colourful little guy synths dance their imaginary fire, accentuated by thoroughly distorted bass attacks striking only at very specific times, diverting your attention away from the daily struggles, if only for a moment. As time goes on, the colour might fade away, but in its place we're treated to the bass going haywire on us, guaranteeing a face workout.

To bring us to our most introspective moments, Two Voices, Jaimey enlisted the help of Canadian power couple Tyr Kohout and flowanastasia. In a fluttering, glitched-out atmosphere, a sole piano tries its best to stay afloat, but soon enough, a bed of strings starts to overtake it all. flowanastia, thematically amplified by the war drums also joining the mix, starts laying out the skirmish she's finding herself in - one brewing within her own head. One vulnerable and self-reflective, one whisper-y and doubt-sowing, her voice goes back and forth, until all sound design hell breaks loose. This indescribably cool, floating yet heavily vibrating synth fights against a cavalcade of intricately crafted details, on swinging beat that I just can't get enough of. A stop-start-stop-start rhythm brings us back into the realm of vocals, but the synth won't fully let Anastasia have the stage just yet, growling deeply in ways that tickles my brain just right every time. After cooling down into piano land once more, we build up ourselves one last time, where we are confronted with a relentlessly stabby rhythm, before the wobbly synth rescues us from our despair. Just so cool.

From one Canadian group to another, What I've Lost sees Jaimey reach out to Arcturians and Defunk joint Formulus for another sound design safari. Heavily processed guitars floating in and out of our periphery as Alicia's excellent vocals fill out the remaining space, but once we reach the emotional climax of her performance, stretched synths start garbling and worbling all over the place, while staying controlled enough that a most lovely melody emerges from it. This Formulus formula is of course thrown through various variations, but that's not all we are able to witness here. After a breakdown full of strings both staccato and legato, absolutely gorgeous scenery and another homerun of a vocal performance, we are launched into a thoroughly satisfying 8th note chopped variant of the previously so lethargic synth. Make sure to stick around for the end to see just how far it can stretch after all this exercising!

Now on the finishing line, Lumen once again presents us with a rather ominous atmosphere to begin this last sprint with. Through a thick fog of orchestral arrangement wizardry, a melody slowly but very surely emerges, pulling even the drums under its uniquely rhythmic spell, until the machinery kickstarts its process of clattering and droning away. Seriously, the twists and turns this specific synth melody pattern undergoes, while keeping the absolutely haywire drums chained to itself and the steady bass massages your most inner core, are just fantastic all around. The strings attempt to subdue the machinery a little bit, and even manage to keep it under wraps as they present their melodic strength, but through phase-shifting auditory trickery the synth no-clips right back into action, stronger than ever before, accompanied by a now fully unleashed drumwork. Shout-out to the mindfuck that is the outro here.

Lastly, Eternity manages to untangle said what-the-fuckiness into a gorgeous intro of wind chimes and melodies that become so big they force me to invoke the imagery of synthwave to accurately describe them. That's not even all though, it swells up so much, it reaches outright heavenly status - before it is supercharged to the point of a goosebump guarantee. Hectic drums and bass firing with all of its might try to keep up, but the melody just keeps steamrolling it all, even transforming into this fluttery version of itself that I can't get enough of. One last time, the strings pull this piece of melodicality into their warm coccoon, breaking free larger, heavier, and glitcher than ever before in an act of musical chrysalis unlike any other. Jaimey allows us one last chance at calming down, with the return of the wind chimes, while still keeping us a little on edge with the piercing surring of analog artifact mosquitos.

1.3. Conclusion

A breathtaking symphony perfectly balancing the weight of the world's sorrows against its endlessly refreshing beauty and tackling themes of growth, mental health and perseverance along the way. Stunning!

&nbsp;

#New Releases

###Dancefloor

###Liquid

###Deep / Tech / Minimal

###Neuro

###Jump Up

###Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

###General DnB / Mixed

u/TELMxWILSON — 2 months ago
▲ 89 r/liquiddnb+6 crossposts

Hey Immortalz!

Behind Let It Roll is a small crew of people who are passionate about drum & bass and building a community – and tonight we’d love to hang out with you!

Join our AMA and ask us anything about the upcoming Let It Roll Festival (or whatever you’re curious about). We’ll be answering your questions from 5pm to 8pm (CEST).

Who will answer your questions?
Anet – content & social media
Petr – content manager
Mína – project manager
Fanda – graphic designer
Dozi – booking manager
Vojta – head of production
Jan - art director

Come hang out, grab a beer, ask away and let’s chat 🖤

https://preview.redd.it/d87gincz5byg1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cad98392f79a8d76ed535ee1ccad5546258ca910

UPDATE 18:24 GMT+1

Cheers guys! 🍻

https://preview.redd.it/1t193loltcyg1.png?width=4032&format=png&auto=webp&s=643d7c941de5bc605ca76500a5d414ffeb5c5fcd

reddit.com
u/LetItRollFestival — 2 months ago
▲ 41 r/liquiddnb+5 crossposts

#Links & Playlists
Weekly updated Spotify Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass
Soundcloud Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Soundcloud
Youtube Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Youtube
Youtube Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass YT Music
Apple Music Playlist H2L: New Drum & Bass Apple Music
Retroactive Playlist H2L: Retroactive New DnB
Last Week's list https://redd.it/1sqmga2
Follow us on Instagram Telm & Wilson, lefuniname, voynich

&nbsp;

#Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

####1. Basotdel - Timeless EP 💎 [Evolution Chamber]
Recommended if you like: Psynchro, IRONTYPE, Osprey

You know damn well I can't resist a good Hidden Gem Of The Week™️, especially if it's coming out on none other than Evolution Chamber - so let's (basot)delve right into it!

1.1. Russian Bass Mafia (2019 - 2026)

I have to admit, these Moscovian Mafiosos were hard enough to research that most of the info I have been able to retrieve about them comes from Evolution Chamber's own promo sendout text, so don't expect any revolutionary revelations today! Originally from Buguruslan, a town in the Western Orenburg Oblast acting as the administrative centre of the Buguruslansky District (which should surely be enough info to help you locate it on a map), Vitaly Voevutskii and Bogdan Krysyuk quickly bonded over their shared love for electronic music, back in 2019. This sheer shared drive 'n' passion not only lead them to organise their very own raves in their home town, eventually it even drove them towards things and ideas so big even Buguruslan couldn't hold them anymore - so they moved to Moscow!

While at first exploring the world of bass house, with debut release 'Shawty' landing on Crane Bunch in 2023, it only took them attending one singular World Of Drum & Bass event to convert them over to the dark side, with their first flex in the jungle realm arriving shortly after in 2024, via OUTLAW. Since then, their unique production pushed them towards all sorts of imprint like Ozriderz, Neuropunk, High Resistance, Gunsta - and Evolution Chamber. After debuting on said multi-national conglomerate of bass on the fourth installment of its excellent Transmissions series, they now return to the scene of crime, with four whole new smashers. So let's check them out!

1.2. Timeless EP

We enter the world of Frank Herbert's Dune 'n' Bass, on opener Arrakis. Together with fellow Moscow-based producer Nikita NTechnique Suclyaev, the duo embarks on a journey through ominous strings that make up a thick, middle eastern atmosphere. Once the thumpers are set in place, however, things swiftly escalate into a swinging rhythm of otherworldly wyvernal shrieks and snippy drums that's bound to crunch up a listener's face with ease. With a melody loop as relentlessly marching forward as time's arrow itself, Time Of The Machine effortlessly leads us into the imminent doom. Larger-than-life reese basses, contrasted with low-end-heavy, uniquely rhythmic techy stabs pointing ever so slightly upwards, later joined by waves of filthy layers of vibration on top - the time of the machine has come indeed.

Machines wouldn't fall for such obvious traps as The Singing Of Sirens either, but, well, us humans still very much do. Heavenly voices cutting through the auditory fog of various sea birds on this our voyage hypnotise us to come closer and closer until we're about to slide into their arms, but, well, things don't go as planned. Even in the intro you can already feel the monster's chilling growls, but that won't prepare you for the amount of violent chaos you are about to witness. Distorted bass hits piercing through every piece of your historically accurate armour, fast-paced drums whirling you around faster than even the harshest of storms, all of it perfectly working together to destroy you and your mighty crew. When they thought all was lost, however, Russian trio Psynchro comes to the rescue, helping our basot-beloved duo escape and Return home. Burdened by the losses they experienced, with their deceased crew's voices still haunting their very existence, they make their way through a massacre of brain-scratching triplets and singular cow bells, a combination that only grows in intensity until each hit is so super-charged and over-the-top futuristic and the drumset becomes so hectic it turns into a maelstrom of madness that you can't help but surrender.

1.3. Conclusion

Dramatically grandiose, but also ferociously filthy. Basotdelicious!

####2. merph - Swell, Haman 💎 [Neuropunk]
Recommended if you like: LYLY, Maysev, OBSES

Since I'm on such a geographically themed run lately, how about we take on another fresh Russian artist causing a ruckus or two? That's right, another Hidden Gem Of The Week™️!

2.1. merph

I have another confession to make. I know even less about Ivan Nikolaevich Zakharov, the Russian man behind the merph moniker. No SoundCloud, just a still quite young project page on both Tele- and Insta-gram, and any attempts to research the name just leads me to pages with too much Russian to reasonably translate and read through. All I could tell you is that Ivan has created the project just last year, debuted on Belarusian imprint lparallels, and has collaborated a bunch with a certain Yana Haze and Ivan ART.

Wait a minute.

Only when finishing up that paragraph just now did I realise the similarities of the first names of his supposed collaborator and the man, the merph, the legend himself. Since his social media profile picture, which is the artwork of 'Project 1', his first-ever tune as merph, contained three people, I at first figured it's a common enough name over there and I'm looking at two people who are simply both called Ivan. But I was so desperate for any info I could write about, I tried figuring out Ivan ART's real name. It was Ivan Zakharov - the very same Ivan. Jackpot!

This discovery lead me down the path of another Telegram channel, the one Ivan had created for said previous project, where I discovered that he's been going at it since about 2017. Tons of remixes and bootlegs from Michael Jackson and t.A.T.u. to internationally lesser known names in a style I'd describe as bouncy electronic dance music weren't the only thing he was dabbling in though, he also created all sorts of DnB mashups from 2024 on, indicating where this production journey would take him later on. Through said channel, I even found out about his TRANAVI sideproject that he worked on in the early 2020s! I was ecstatic!

Usually I would just compile all this info and rattle them off chronologically in a bit of a jokey manner, but I was so close to just giving up and leaving it at the first paragraph this time, that I thought I'd share my research journey in full with you today. I bet the language and VK account barrier prevented me from finding out even more, for others perhaps quite obvious pieces of information, but I'm happy with what I've found and will leave it at that for now. So, what about the music then?

2.2. Swell, Haman

We start our journey into this two-track world with Swell. As we emerge from the bottom of the ocean, we become witnesses to an impossibly futuristic city glistening in the otherworldly sunlight, but before we can bask in this glory any further, we realise we are under attack. Back and forth, our viciously wobbly basslines are fighting against outright mean ones, until stab attacks break up the flow into a singular vision of sickness. Of course, Ivan doesn't leave it at that, the basslines becomes even more ridiculous in the second half, rounding this opener off nicely. On the flipside Haman, we once again step out of the sea of the wonderfully rainy, lo-fi atmosphere into a world of pure beauty and destruction. Its intro melody now out in full force, our ears are fully encompassed by the gorgeous synths, while techy, breaky drums get you swaying back and forth in no time at all.

2.3. Conclusion

Wonderful, melancholic, nostalgic, techy - all the good stuff!

&nbsp;

#New Releases

###Dancefloor

###Liquid

###Deep / Tech / Minimal

###Neuro

###Jump Up

###Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

###General DnB / Mixed

u/TELMxWILSON — 2 months ago