the blog of makemassair

Fresh label and some fresh takes on the ever evolving dubstep scene.

Innasket – Static [audio]
Mighty fine darkness with huge rifting bass licks, amply backed up with rolling simply placed drumwork. Solid heavyweight killer. Only gripe I have is that it could develop and evolve more as a track, but in the mix shouldn’t be a problem.

Lewis Hunter – Cut from the wreckage [audio]
Sci-fi eeriness leads us into a big sub and sparse hihats. Sombre minimal and deep. The restrained beats and the sombre minimalistic approach of the supporting elements give this track a glitched sense of depth and space.

Yapsta – Zoompy Riddum [audio]
Skanking 2 step garage vibes with looping vox working. Bold bass means this is likely to be big on dancefloors.

Chas and Dave – Macked Out (It’s My Night To Fight Mix) [audio]
Big moody intro just itching to give up the broken beats, which when dropped do the wait justice. Grimey in texture with a King Crimson esque melodic kind of middle section. Makes sense to me at any rate.

Overall
4 unique and different tracks covering the large range that dubstep can cover make for a strong package. Get this.

Links
Frijsfo / Myspace / Purchase at Boomkat

Well well well. Fresh release from Paul Blackford and Smashback’s electro / UK bass label Bass Gun and up on production duties is Sol_Dat with a crew of remixers.

Sol_Dat – Speed Demon
Junglist electro with a kicking acid b-line With beats sounding like their from a drummer rather than a machine. The main drop takes it up a couple of notches and it powers it’s way out and about. Great stuff.

Sol_Dat – Speed Demon (DJ Cutlass Supreme Remix)
Jacking, stripped beats and a big rolling bassline gradually adding more electro elements. Krunky offerings with a head nodding melodic bassline. This track is just begging for a skanking filthy acapella.

Sol_Dat – Speed Demon (Mazzula Remix)
B-boy drums leading into a whobbed sub before the dark electro b-line comes rasping out. Great track this, with a fresh and peakfloor feel with the main section and breakdown. Consider me a fan of Mazzula.

Sol_Dat – Speed Demon (Teutonic Kaboom Remix)
Dark, glitched out fragile distortion encapsulates that bassline of the original with a fat wide extra bassline kicking it out on top. This remix has a feel of an old Jungle wobbler, or some breaky garage with that old skool 2nd bassline.

Links and audio samples
http://www.myspace.com/bassgunrecords
http://www.bassgun.co.uk/

WIDE records presents a lovely little package from the geezer known as Paul Blackford.

Goes something like this:

Paul Blackford – Outlaw [WIDE]

Outlaw sample
Tribal hits, fast and with bassed bounce. Electrotech with all the right elements. Tearing up a dancefloor near you.

Revenge Of The Bionic Bassline sample
Dancefloor electro perfection with that proper darker electro feel. Pacey infectious and with a kick to it. Banging shit.

Rockin In The Third Dimension sample
More of a stripped back take than the previous tracks, until that big round bass infects that big old space between your ears. Although simple, there is quite a chunk of heavy sub ebbing out on this track

The Bomb Squad sample
Starts off dark and clicking before launching into a 4am roller. That b-line is just damn fine. This track is just excellent electro. Proper pure electro. Jacking hits meld with synth stabs. A fucking great track.

The Groove sample
Bassline melody led with raved house hands in the air snippets sprinkled about the place. This track is likely to go off somewhat.

The Groove (Shinra Remix) sample
A lot more of that classic house rave sample going on in this reworking by Shinra (who’s becoming a fave of mine. Check out the new 1986 release on WIDE). This then is a different direction to the original, the melodies are of the kind that in the right hands would make for a haunting vibe on the dancefloor. More edits and glitches than Paul’s original. Another club weapon this.

The Groove (Vadz Remix) sample
Darker, faster and with a heavier pound on those hits. That sample is pitched down and fits with that fatter wide bass beautifully. Vadz odd quirkiness in his approach to production comes through with gusto. The original is a strong solid track and Vadz has made this remix clearly his own.

Overall
The whole package is just great. Spot on perfect electro. This is one of those rare releases that although new, has that feeling it’s an old classic and much loved underground gem. Like it’s always been in your record collection.

Full support from myself (DVNT) and MANTIS radio.

Links
www.wideadventure.com

Fresh 4 tracker EP on Armatura Records.

Andy B – Sonar sample
A swirling min ranged lead with doubled up beats powering into the solid, strictly dancefloor track. The breakdown is like a galloping  bloodthirsty horse.

Concrete DJz – Beyond Recognition sample
Sharp hi-hats ripple across the ebbing beat. A track that keeps on building and layering itself up. Chunky and hypnotic

Distek – Dingy Folk sample
Hard, compressed and direct. This is dark warehouse Techno… and I love it.

Tadox – Dancing Queen sample
Saving the best for last. My pick of this mighty fine collection of tracks. Sounds like Hawtin’s Orange/Yellow track of the mid 90s. After having a course of anabolic steroids. Dark, heavy, jacking with awesome percussion and drum programming.

Well recommended if you likes you Techno full on. Concrete DJz recently featured on the MANTIS showcase (our 21st show) and provided a storming mix of hard and dark beats.

Links
www.myspace.com/armaturarecords
www.junodownload.com/labels/Armatura/releases/

Ion Driver is about to release a new EP and Lord, it’s a big deal. His showcase back on MANTIS 019 (click to check it out) caused a big stir in the Brap FM radio station’s chatroom, with heavy breaks loving diehards falling under his deep spell.

Coming out on the mighty Digital Distortions in mid September in all the usual music download sites. This then would be my review of said EP.

1. Ion Driver – Elemental
2. Ion Driver – BBRobot
3. Ion Driver – BBRobot (Sen?or Frio Remix)
4. Ion Driver – BBRobot (Odnu Remix)
5. Ion Driver – BBRobot (214 Remix)
6. Ion Driver – Sio

Elemental
Dubbed out electro scatters of sound with a gated stuttered vox rising in the lower levels. Glitches, edits and scratches and even rewinds perpetuate around the deep wall of aural delight. Just awesome.

BBRobot
More of those beautiful stuttered style vocal stabs with driving hi hats and bubbling bass. Come the drop and this track gets darker and falls through the floor with it’s depth. Brooding and ready to bite.

BBRobot (Señor Frio Remix)
Dark rumbling and woodblock hits capture the feel of the original but make it take on a fresh identity. Slick and waiting to slice your throat in a dark alley.

BBRobot (Odnu Remix)
Melody rich and uplifting even in parts yet still retaining the beauty of the original. A fresh name to these ears on the remix. But one I shall be looking out for in the future.

BBRobot (214 Remix)
A minimal element remix. Simpler with a nice electro style beat.

Sio
Downtempo and just a joy to listen to. Stunningly simple and heartfelt.

Dennis Bunton aka Ion Driver is carving out quite a niche for himself with his sculpturing of electronica. With his recent showcase on MANTIS attracting a plethora of fresh and even obsessive fans to his sounds, combined with his previous releases I’ve no doubt this boy is going to go far.

Fucking awesome.

Check him out at his myspace: myspace/iondriver.

Awesome news. MANTIS has been featured in the dance music magazine FREEZE. It’s based in Greece and as such it’s all greek to me. Funny that. Huge love goes out to Vasilis (who is an artist I’ve played on the show quite a number of times as Fabrics) for spreading the word and for providing a translation. Here’s what the guys at FREEZE magazine had to say about us:

DVNT presents for a while now the cream of the crop in electronic music through his MANTIS radio show on Brap FM, showcasing the modern urban culture. 2 hour length shows full of unreleased tracks, guest artists and many flavors: breaks, electro, techno, dubstep, idm, ebm, trip hop, you name it. For all us, too far away from Brighton, we can always download the shows from the MANTIS myspace. Download and listen carefully…

Thanks guy.

From Slovenia, LJ Benjamin Shock – Nebular Muzikk. Direct from Slovenia with 4 Funky techno and club techno tracks.

1. Funk the System
2. Higher Level of Mystery
3. Self Destructive
4. Tribal People

Benjamin Shock – Funk The System
Approachable chunky house with some tough 4/4 beats. The breakdowns play it pretty safe, but some acid and edits creep in after the final drop. Whilst it’s not something I’d buy I can see this doing well in the more commercial house scene over the summer.

Benjamin Shock – Higher Level of Mystery
Well produced housey techno. Apart from the UFO sample vox (doesn’t really fit the track imo) it has a really nice breakdown and build. Nothing too fancy or clever, just strong concise house with chunked up techno beats.

Benjamin Shock – Self Destruction
Jacking stuff. Big bassy drum kicks and a jacking, cutting rhythm underneath. This one is still a bit housey (just) but much further into techno for my personal tastes. Some wicked festival techno. All the right elements complete with some dark undertones make for a great track.

Benjamin Shock – Tribal People
Well the title give it away slightly. Tightly packed tribal beats, razor tipped hats and hypnotic rising bass. As with the previous tracks in this EP they aren’t going to win any innovation prizes but for 100% dancefloor accessibility they have it.

Overall
Self Destruction and Tribal People are winners for me. Whilst I can appreciate the production on the housey tracks they aren’t for me.

DVNT.x.

LINKS
http://www.r3tox.co.uk
http://www.trackitdown.net/artist/173830/benjamin-shock.html

New Mechanoise. Out on vinyl as of today at the usual places I do believe.

MECHANOISE | MECH20232

A   Afghan Headspin – Msg (Eskmo Remix)
AA Critical – Infoline

Afghan Headspin – Msg (Eskmo Remix)
Trademark rasping bass licks your cranium. Eskmo can do no wrong. Whether it’s solo productions, breakbeat, his new dubstep or remixing the Afghan Headspin boys. Samples here come from Jeff Wayne’s excellent War of the Worlds. This is big speaker flexing business. Some slick edits on the vox just prior to the rather large breakdown and drop. Large drop. The emerging Neurobreaks sound is really igniting my fire. I’ve been after breaks like this ever since this kinda sound came through in the Drum & Bass scene. Sure fire winner.

Critical – Infoline
Fairly standard breakbeat in the first section leads into a filtered breakdown From there we’re off into a head bouncing, skanking, bass rolling dancefloor friendly track. Nothing particularly innovative or groundbreaking, but it’s a very solid roller of a tune that I’m sure we’ll see a lot of action on the breaks scenes dancefloor up and down the lands.

Overall
All about the Eskmo remix. The boy is top of the game in breaks. Production is through the roof, his skill over bass is just mesmerising.

LINKS
http://www.myspace.com/mechanoise
http://www.myspace.com/afghanheadspin
http://www.myspace.com/prognosisnegative

PURCHASE
http://www.juno.co.uk/ppps/products/317228-01.htm
http://www.chemical-records.co.uk/sc/servlet/Info?Track=MECH2032

Another stormer from the Subgrade camp. Each and every release is gold and this is no different.

Kodek – To Make A Score
An excellent breakbeat with its feet clearly dangling over the side into electro. If you like Skeetaz, SOTEG, and Andy Page then you’ll relish this. Big bass with just the right amount of glitchy edits. You’ll find no nasty samples of over used and frankly dull funk sounds so rife in a lot of breakbeat that you’ve heard a million times before. This is breakbeat as I love it and it should be. Broken beats, spinkled liberally with a topping of machine funk.

Kodek – I Know You Know
This is drums, drums being hit. Lord, the bass drop 1 and a half minutes air could stun a horse. Dangerously funky stuff. Add to that a progressive, padded construct to control the chunky broken drums and it’s a winner. Swirling synth stabs of sound support the frankly huge build in this track. When she finally drops, phroar, the bassline is back and with vengeance. Flitered glitchy darkfloor action.

Kodek – I Fuck You
Big rolling bass flickers between channels, ghetto jacked 2 step bass that competes with Si Begg on darkfloor wonkability. That ain’t a real word, but fuck you. That massive bass just infects your head and your booty shaking ass. Massive dancefloor appeal this. I can’t wait to see the skank dance people are going to pull out of the bag for this. And that final section is glitched out heaven.

Kodek – Do You
Sounds like the drummer is sitting next to you. Filtered bass stabs fly all over the massive breakbeat. For extras, we have electro vox and keyed synth work. A winning combination in my ears. There’s even a massive festival friendly melody in the middle section

Overall
All 4 tracks are strong. Each has a slightly different direction, but all rock it. Once again Subgrade has delivered a great package. Whilst Subgrade might be regarded as an Electro label, with this release they’ll find a lot of fans in the more traditional breakbeat scene. Buy this now. Breakbeat as you, me and every other fucker loves.

Links
Subgrade Records
Subgrade Records Myspace

Click here to buy these tracks on
Addictech or Release Records or Juno

The latest release on Maschinen Musik come courtesy of Solar Chrome with a remix by Boris Divider on the flip. (Maschinen Musik’s label boss did the 8th MANTIS showcase late last year. Click here for details)

Maschinen Musik 09 | released June 2008 (digital release)

Tracks
A – Solar Chrome – Network City
B – Solar Chrome – Network City (Boris Divider Remix)

Solar Chrome – Network City
Atmospheric introductions, and a jacking electro beat. Swirling synth stabs and pads. This is proper electro and it’s damn tasty stuff. Distorted vox add to the driving menace. Halfway through and this track’s big bassline rolls into town. Pretty much perfect electro. Gonna be in my record box for some time.

Solar Chrome – Network City (Boris Divider Remix)
Seconds in and Boris Divider’s remix takes the original down a darker and harder tip. The vox are more prominent and menacing. Reminds me of Ion Driver’s style of padded and strong beats. This is machine music. Kraftwerk is clearly a strong influence for Boris Divider. This track is stripped down yet still big. Dark hypnotic shit. And I likes it.

Overall
One damn solid piece of proper electro backed up with a darker minimally packaged remix from Boris Divider. A strong release that proves electro is still strong.

Info
Side A and B written and produced by Nino Farra©
Side B remixed by Simon Boris Divider

Additional engineering by A. Kauffelt @ SchnittStelle, Frankfurt
Mastering and cut by A. Kauffelt @ SchnittStelle, Frankfurt

Cover artwork by Harald Finster – www.HFinster.de
Further details: Maschinen Musik