Neue Grafik – Verdana EP | Forthcoming Slime Recordings

In a few days another Parisian will emerge from the Slime arena; this time it’s Neue Grafik with his captivating debut, the Verdana EP.

Swarming pads and warm undulating bass offset against staccato beats and choral stabs all work to bring out the epic in ‘Verdana’. Then, ‘Bauhaus’ goes off-key, experimenting with pitched voices that shape bizzare melodies backed up by loosely structured 808 drums and old school bass sounds.

Bag this one over on Juno from the 28th.

Pále – Catacombs EP | Forthcoming Fat! Recordings

Manchester boy Pále has been on a steady climb with the Fat! outfit since early 2011. At only 18 years old, his sound has already reached a maturity that many producers twice his age could never hope to match.

Despondent pads open up the title track, with incidental kicks that quickly multiply building an energetic rhythm. Ghost like chords play off distant vocals as we rush towards a heady crescendo. ‘Oak Music’ maintains the same liquescent pace with beautiful organic percussion and ornate arpeggiated melodies, whispering vocals and celestial pads giving the track a feeling of infinite depth. ‘Orchidea’ ties everything up with a languid vocal loop carrying unconcerned piano melodies over the enduring drum track.

Available from Fat! Records 22nd October

Purity Ring – Shrines

Despite a distinct lack of guitars and long hair, Purity Ring are being touted for one of the best new bands this year. If anybody caught on to ‘Lofticries’ and ‘Obedear’ in April they will have just a small idea of what to expect from this long awaited debut album. Fans of SBTRKT and Jakwob will love this for the musical synth driven beats, fans of Little Dragon for the beautifully shaded vocals which take us on a thought provoking journey through euphoric electro vibes. Definitely worth copping when it drops on the 24th.

Preview the rest of the tracks over at npr. Pre-order on iTunes here. Facebook here.

Transmit Sessions Volume VIII | Peaman & Hicha

Coming from the musical melting pot that is the city of Bristol our first B2B on the Transmit Sessions is mixed by Peaman & Hicha – producers from the Subslags camp.

Over the course of 30 minutes homage is paid to the roots of Dubstep as well as stepping into new bass music territory. We are introduced to the sounds that bring their diverse styles together, featuring Mala, Clouds, Lorca & Throwing Snow.

They also took time out to tell us all about the Bristol music scene, The Subslags music collective and their plans for future world domination.

Give us some insight into the names you have chosen for yourselves – How did they come about?

Hicha: It sounded nice and i saw it on the back of a rice box it’s actually true.

Pea: I’m mixed race and my brother and sisters all have light skin so when i was born my mum thought i looked like a little indian man so she nicknamed me Mr. Patel which then got shortened to Mr. P, then P man etc.

You come under the Subslags collective. Tell us about them, who are they and what do they represent?

Pea: Subslags is fundamentally a group of people I grew up making bass music with who are still working together today. It’s made up of various DJ’s Producers and MC’s currently working in Bristol and London. Hicha joined later and brought a new dynamic to the group in terms of his more experimental sound.

Peaman comes from a Grime and Dubstep template, Hicha with a more experimental and ambient soundscape. How did you two end up working and mixing together? Do you have any projects planned for the future?

Pea: We knew each other through the group and decided to collaborate. We have a few tracks in the making and are in the process of setting up a small Vinyl based label here in Bristol called Obsidian records. watch this space!

Bristol obviously has a rich musical heritage with artists like Pinch and Phaeleh and more recently Kahn making big waves in the wider scene. Nowadays it seems everyone in Bristol is DJ’ing or producing on some level. With such a busy scene does it become harder to make an impression? What are the pro’s and cons?

Hicha: I don’t know if its a harder scene to make an impression in as I don’t have any experience of other scenes, however it is very busy and exciting to be part of and living in this city has a huge influence on my music. Its quite a small city so I think its easy to meet people its also a very diverse city, musically and culturally. I feel theres no real formula and this allows me to do what I want to do, I don’t feel restricted and I can just do my own thing and still get recognition for it.

Pea: I’ve been raised in the Bristol music scene and draw a heavy influence from the city’s cultural history and it’s significance in the emergence of ‘bass music’ culture which is now a global phenomenon. Smith & Mighty and Massive attack paved the way for all the guys my generation now look up to including Peverelist, Guido, and all the people at the frontline of Bristols sound system movement. With so many influential people making moves it’s no wonder there are so many youngers stepping up and trying to blow the clubs up with their own sound. I just reckon its a great thing to be a part of aside from all the competition.

What’s your game plan for a debut release? We know a lot of artists are deciding to release their own material. Are you eyeing up labels or do you think independent is best?

Currently our only plans for a release will be through our label Obsidian but we are both aspiring to release all over the city. The independent record label is something we are both passionate about so it only seems right that we run our own. There’s a number of seriously under rated artists making brilliant stuff in Bristol and beyond, who we feel deserve a platform on which they can stand to help them reach a wider audience.

Finally, what’s the largest animal you could collectively throw over a crossbar?

Probably a German Shepard.

They Always Come Back – Submerse | Apollo Records

A couple of years ago Submerse was based in Leeds putting out strictly 4×4 and 2step tunes. This recent EP is part of a promising new phase for this young producer who now resides in his adopted spiritual homeland of Japan.

Starting with ‘8-bit Romance’ the tone is set for synthesised percussion, glitched synths and smudged out 8 bit chirps. From there we break into the Juke vibes of ‘They Always Come Back’ which features trademark processed vocals over a futuristic drum track with the occasional suggestion of an amens shuffle. This vibe continues in the same vein on ‘Give It Up’. The head nodding vibe of the opener is what we are left with on the final track ‘Cluster’ – a marvellously ambient piece of trip hop.

Available now on Juno – Look out for the Tears EP as well, currently only available on vinyl but well worth the pennies. Enjoy.

Falty DL – Atlantis EP

Mr DL is has never been one for conforming to genre-specifics. This new EP out on Ninja Tune explores yet more uncharted territory, shifting gears through BPMs and styles and touching upon all kinds of vibes. You can stream the full EP on Juno Plus. Get the vinyl here at boomkat. Check out the incredible title track below.