Aquasky dropped 3 mixes for February this year the first 2 are Breaks mixes and this the third a Drum & Bass mix of bangers from 2016/2017 (check the tracklist). No secret squirrel in this mix, recorded the usual way… 2 technics turntables, 1 rane ttm56 mixer, 2 novation dicers, macbook pro, serato sl3 and 2 shure whitelabel needles. No pre-timing of tunes, all done live on the decks. Aquasky did this mix for Juston Alson aka Blacklist for a radio show he works on in Seattle called The Vortex and is on c89.5fm and 24/7 worldwide at www.c895.org.

Tracklist

1: DJ Rap ‘Set It Off’ – Propa Talent
2: Ed West & Inja ‘Jungle Every Day (FLeCK Remix)’ – Born On Road Records
3: L Plus ‘Avenger’ – Technique
4: Brazed ‘Dancing’ – Moshbit Records
5: Beat Assassins ‘To The Top’
6: Phantom Warrior & Soul Train ‘Blood’ – Liondub
7: Phantom Warrior & Soul Train ft. Navigator ‘Heavy Like Tank VIP’ – Liondub
8: Document One ‘7th Dimension’ – Technique
9: PhaseOne ‘Broken Chains (DC Breaks Remix)’ – Disciple
10: Space journey ‘Arcturi’ – Flex Records
11: TC ‘Have You (Sound Of Noise Remix)’ – Don’t Play
11: The Upbeats ‘Cauldron’ – Vision
12: Misanthrop & Stoner ‘Venere’ – Neodigital
13: The Burner Brothers & Liminal ‘The Good Life’ – Flex Records
14: Prestige ‘Stressed Out’ – Serial Killaz
15: Rico Tubbs & Ragga Twins (Genetix & Brent Aquasky Remix)’ – Passenger
16: Bachelors Of Science ft. Emcee Child ‘Backfoot Dub (Bladerunner Remix) – Code Recordings
17: Halflight ‘Breaking My Heart’ – UKF Music

Future Shock’s ‘Luminary’ LP is due out this May on the Physmatics label. A preview stream can be heard directly below. We also have the good fortune of being able to present you with a very fine interview with Future Shock. Scroll down to get the lowdown on this talented DnB artist 

Tell us a bit about yourself…

Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Rob aka Future Shock, representing Bounds Green. I’ve been making Drum & Bass for about five years now, and my debut album project, Luminary launches in May.

How did you get into music production? What were the initial steps?

Buying a really terrible Mac. In fact it was one of those old PPCs. We didn’t have a good relationship lol! I bought Logic and made a tune called Haunted Harbour, I think I still have it somewhere? It probably sounds hilarious! It finally ended up with about 112 tracks on there.

How would you describe your production style?

Dancefloor driven, with all d&b styles along for the ride. I love to add a cheeky little film sample or two now & then.

Was there a moment or a tune or a DJ set that made you decide you were going to produce?

It may have been the Bacteria remix (Ed Rush & Optical) or X Ray (Subfocus), but probably a lot of early to mid-noughties stuff. My initial production efforts around then didn’t kick start properly for various reasons and I started knuckling down afresh with Logic in about 2011.

As a producer, you keep an open mind and an open palette producing in various styles, who are your major influences in terms of music production?

The most well known, Pro producers really. It would be a mad list if I had to make one. You can find so many brilliant ideas all over d&b. From the obvious big guns to the silent assassins.

If you could work on a track with anyone from now or way back when, who would it be?

Probably rake in a nice bit of dollar with a Sigma colab…if they’re not available then, bit out of leftfield, but maybe State Of Mind or Current Value. More mainstream wise, maybe Loadstar or Inside Info, he’s killing it right now.

And if you could remix any tune of your choice, which one would you choose and why?

Strangled Duck by Red One. An unexpected suggestion I know! Underrated classic, Red One’s greatest ever tune. Give it a real driving techy update.

Could you offer a bit of advice for an up and coming producer?

Keep projects simple, less is more and you get a bigger sound with less parts, just those parts you do pick have to sound proper clean and dynamic. Build a big sample library. Use a tuner on the master to match up keys of everything, drums, basses, synths and so on. I can’t live without a tuner now, even though the Logic one drives me nuts.

Where have you DJ’ed?

Up and down the country, the best gig I played was probably Ministry a few years back. I had a residency in East London and have run a few of my own nights. I play on www.ukbassradio.com two or three times a month.

Describe to us your approach to a DJ set, do you like to gently warm up the crowd or go for the bangers or is it more of a journey approach?

It all depends on the time and venue really, but always pretty fast paced. My radio shows are full throttle from the get-go, I only have 2 hours. Though I’m attempting a 10hr set on April 1st to mark 10 years playing UK Bass Radio, that’s gonna be a massive challenge.

Of all the tunes you’ve made, which is your favourite?

Well that’s a tough one ‘cos I don’t really like any of my own tunes (laughing) ah just you hear them so much you know…Dillinja apparently never liked his stuff back in the day….haha! ok, no seriously, well maybe my first Physmatics tune Our World as it was really wicked to get a tune signed to a label of this standard. Or Rolling For 2016 that Ray Keith was supporting and I got a lot of love for.

How did you link up with John, the founder of the label?

Soundcloud business. I sent him some tunes, he liked them and we had a long chat on the phone about music, Star Wars and conspiracy theories.

What are the vital elements to making a tune that come into play when you’re in the studio?

Catch a vibe and groove, there has to be proper groove you know that bounce, the rhythm. The track has to be making a statement and memorable in some way. Infuse your own consciousness into it.

So before we hit play on The Luminary LP forthcoming May on Physmatics, can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind it?

I figured it was a natural progression, I’d had a few EP’s out on Physmatics and I always write loads of tunes so it made sense to shoot for a bigger project, and it was all written out very fast, although the tweakage took some time.

Any final words and shout outs?

Cheers to John, and Dean (Dapz) the mastering maestro, to E Lizard Birth and the all-wise and mighty Physmatics family for the support.

Future Shock Interview & New LP On Physmatics

https://www.beatport.com/release/yeah%21-dats-a-savage-rump/1962333

Rit. is the new alias for breaks artist Zombie Robot. His new EP for  WoNKed Bass ‘Yeah! Thats a Savage Rump’ features 3 tracks of tough UK style Bass House that exhibit masterful production. ‘The Rump’ conflates elements of Speed Garage, Tech House and a touch of 90s Rave style breakbeat here and there. ‘Yeah Yeah’ gets even more 90s with lively breakbeat drops that switch to hard bouncing beats and stabs. ‘The Savage’ opens a bag of nails!!! The hardest and heaviest hitting of this trio, we’re edging into Techno realms here and loving it!!! This is a savage EP!!!!

Rit.- Yeah! Thats a Savage Rump EP

One of the newest Disco stars in town, Don Dayglow, joins so many others around the world by celebrating the life of, Joni Sledge, who sadly passed away not to long ago. It’s hard to mourn the death of someone, who, along with here sisters, brought so much joy and happiness to the lives of those who came in contact with the music they made. To pay tribute, Don has put together this super cool and respectful edit of of one of Sister Sledge‘s biggest hits ‘Lost In Music’, which seems like a pretty good thing to do right about now.

Download Don Dayglow’s edit here via Hypeddit.

While we’re on a Disco tip, Don has recently released his debut EP ‘Power’ that’s features 4 red hot tunes that celebrates a style of music that is once again taking it’s rightful place on the dance floors around the globe. Your gonna want to get down to these tunes no doubt, so make sure you’ve got them to hand and ready for when you wanna feel the groove.

Buy the ‘Power’ EP here from Juno.

Links for Don Dayglow :

Soundcloud / Facebook

After the trials and tribulations of building his new his house in Mexico, it’s fair to say that Sammy Senior has had his hands full over the last 3 years. It comes as good news to hear that it’s now complete for everyone involved. For Sammy, the stress is finally over and he can no get down to business proper by doing what he loves to do the most, making music. This is of course good news for us all, because who doesn’t want to hear new music from one of the top funksters on the planet?!

Whilst the celebrations continue at Sammy’s new pad, we’ve got his latest musical offering to share with you which comes in the form of his new and free 4 track EP ‘1UP’. There’s no gimmicks with this EP, no donations, no fan-gates, just proper party tunes you can download with ease and you’re gonna want to do that because the 4 tracks are all absolutely massive!

All the styles you hear in a Sammy Senior set are represented on the EP. First off you get his trademark Ghetto Funk sound smothered all over ‘Bring It Back’, while ‘Shake’ offers up some dirty Disco. A heavy helping of Trap is up next with ‘Wiggle’ and his D n B monster ‘Helicopter’ completes what his a hard hitting, no nonsense selection of music. The only thing that’s left to say is, where’s the invites for the house warming Sammy?

Download all the tracks here from Soundcloud.

Links for Sammy Senior :

Soundcloud / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter

After our anticipation was pushed to breaking point, it’s finally here. Pieces of this album have been circulating for a while now, chalking up support from the likes of Radio 1’s Friction, DC Breaks, Tantrum Desire, Crissy Criss, Drumsound & Bassline Smith and a whole host of other heavy hitters. And you wouldn’t really expect anything less, given this artist’s pedigree. He’s been in the game since the late nineties, chalking up some hugely successful releases on some of the biggest labels in drum’n’bass. As a DJ, he’s a regular fixture at huge shows in his native Slovakia and beyond. And, since signing exclusively to Technique in 2011, his position as one of the scene’s top tier producers, able to flex engineering skill and musicianship in equal measure. So strap in. It’s L Plus’s debut LP and it’s a monster.

The title track, "Hideout", lays out the blueprint. Never quite predictable, the tune takes us on a quirky journey through unexpected chord patterns and structural experimentation, and that’s just in the intro. Make no mistake, though, L Plus hasn’t compromised on sheer rave-hyping ability either, the huge build-up is definitely warranted by the weight and power of the drop. And that trend continues. You’ll probably already be familiar with cuts like "Creature Must Die" and "Avenger", which strike that perfect balance between individuality and dancefloor energy.

And that’s just the start of what the album has to offer. Take the warm nostalgia of "Battleground" for example. There’s real depth of emotion in the classic-synth melodies, delivered in a way you won’t have heard before. Then there’s "Make You Feel", a twisted and techy journey through rhythm programming, and the half-speed madness of Get Ugly. The one constant feature is that all of these tunes, however expressive or resistant to pigeon-holing, are built to make ravers move.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Technique Recordings album without some heavyweight collaborations. The mighty John B passes through on "Original 80’s", to push some synth-pop and electro flavours to the limit. "Muffler" joins in on the uncategorisable orchestra-meets-filth of "Cinematic". Drumsound & Bassline Smith add their spin to the melody and griminess collision of "Jetpack". Plus the rock-solid mic man Coppa graces "Lock to the Greatest" with his presence to add a whole new facet to the sound.

You’d better believe this just scratches the surface. We all know L Plus’s productions have layers to uncover, so this album is going to bear repeated listening as well as heavy rotation in raves and across airwaves. When that’s true of every single track on an LP, you know we’ve got something special on our hands. The anticipation was justified. Check it.

Buy the EP HERE

Listen on SPOTIFY

// L PLUS //

Like - https://www.facebook.com/lplus

Follow - https://twitter.com/LPLUS1

Listen - https://soundcloud.com/lplus

// TECHNIQUE RECORDINGS //

Like - https://www.facebook.com/techniquerecordings

Follow - http://www.twitter.com/TechniqueRec

Listen - https://soundcloud.com/techniquerecordings

With his recent Ghetto Funk mix Raj Marathe gets back to his roots with an upfront Breaks & Bass mix for the masses. With a direct FREE download from Soundcloud this one should hit your playing device very soon, Breaks & Bass at it’s best !

Dealo Brown hits the pages of Breakzlinkz again with a solid mix of Bass & Breaks. This mix was cooked up specially for the Crooked Audio Show on the award winning NSB Radio. An interesting mix with a nice selection of tunes from artists of the Bass & Breaks scene, some deep down and dirty Breaks in this one.

Tracklist

01. Lord Olaf – Racer X (Tony Quattro Remix)
02. Dealo Brown – NASTY (original Mix)
03. Dash Groove – What It Do
04. Jamie XX – Gosh (Left/Right Remix)
05. Rae Shremmurd – Black Beatles (Kieth Mackenzie & Fixx Remix)
06. Alex FakeFox – Innocent Whore
07. Adam F – Circles (Nixon VS TobyOne Remix)
08. Perfect Combo – Take You Higher
09. Infected Mushroom – I Wish (Fractal Remix)
10. Merlyn – Wegue Wegue (Krafty Kuts Rmix)
11. Adam Freeland – We Want Your Soul
12. Dread MC – Stright Up (Mafia Kiss Remix)
13. Soul Circuit – SmokeFunkSmack
14. Radiohead – Codex (Left/Right Remix)
15. D’silva – Reste Raxon Remix

Entering the world of Funky Breaks with that individual type of bassline better known as the invented genre of Ghetto Funk, Raj Marathe breaks his norm of just mixing up high tempo beats and basslines and hits the right notes with an awesome mix of mid tempo funk recorded in one take.

Making it’s first appearance on Soundcloud with a direct FREE download is Beating The Crates a show hosted by Morphosis who is part of the UK funksters Hong Kong Ping Pong (HKPP). This mix was broadcasted LIVE on NSB Radio on the 27th of February and has a super upfront play of Extra Medium’s forthcoming Scour Records Artist EP ‘Size Matters’.

Tracklist

01 Dubmatix ft Gappy Ranks – Roll Dem
02 Mister T. – The Soul Man
03 Illbilly Hitec ft Kinetical – Rude Boy Talk (album mix)
04 Jon Kennedy – Ha! (Rogan Remix)
05 Ak Sediki – Whiskey Soda
06 Wsahl – Boom
07 Taco – Puttin’ On The Ritz 2017 (Taco Swings with Fred Astaire)
08 Diazpora – 27-28-29
09 Mako & The Hawk – Strut Your Stuff (feat Chima Anya)
10 K+Lab ft Mustafa Akbar & Melodownz – Pull Up
11 Damon Rush – Freak Flowz (Wsahl Dope Hip Hop mix)
12 Stickybuds & K+Lab – Clap Ya Hands Now ft KWADI (Original Mix)
13 Extra Medium – Beatnik Boogie
14 Phibes – Raw 2 The Floor
15 Speaker Louis – Bassline Squad
16 Tack – Don’t Touch (feat Mr Custom & Cyrille Brotto)
17 Mondo Exotica – Pussy Caravan (Morlack remix)
18 Beat Le Juice – The Boom The Bang
19 The Vaude Villainz – Voodoo
20 Phibes – Came To Get Down
21 DIS – What Do You Want
22 Discobeta – Chinese Robots (original mix)
23 Slynk & WBBL – Get Busy
24 Mister T – The Gospel Way
25 Extra Medium – I Can’t Stop
26 Mondo Exotica – Make Them Dance (Kalletti Klub remix)
27 WBBL x Howla – Jumper
28 Grant Phabo presents Racecar – The Wheelie Champion Sound
29 The Vaude Villainz – Evil
30 Taisun – Senorita Remix (Perfect Driver Music)
31 Extra Medium – Size Matters
32 Marten Hørger X Neon Steve – Neon Steve – You Don’t
33 Mister T – Funk Ground
34 Funk Bank – Glitch Bitch
35 Extra Medium – Stop The Moon
36 Groovy Joy & Sebastian Roser – Fe Fo Fu
37 Poirier – Pale Mal (Murder He Wrote remix)
38 Stanton Warriors X Hybrid Theory – Under The Lights
39 Extra Medium – Troublesome
40 DNKZ – Da Phunk Bass
41 Leon – Sexy Toy
42 Stanton Warriors – Walking
43 Thomas Vent – Listen To Your Heart