Category Archives: Hard D&B

2013, Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B, Minimal

Begin Again – Ear & Drum Session 90

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So I slammed this mix together real quick. One of those rapid fire, don’t think too hard about it mash ups that just worked. Except for the last track which I don’t think quite fits and I don’t really like that much. How did it even end up in my crate?

Anyway, other than that I’m really happy with the result. Fast and heavy with loads of energy – if your looking for a work out mix is a good one to load up on the MP3 player.

Begin Again – 1hr+ of Heavy Minimal D&B

Seathasky & Nelver – Contact
Dose – What Lies Within
House of Black Laterns – Truth & Loss (Fractures Astrophonica Remix)
Lenzman – Empty Promise
Defo – Culture
dBridge & Skeptikal – Move Way
Calibre – Start Again feat. Chimpo
Actraiser – Tomahawk
Paramount – Hustler
Caravar & Clock – Miskatonik
The Insiders – Meltdown feat. Ayah
Mineral – Living The Dream (ESC & Subsense Remix)
Paperclip – Double Domination
Soulware – Images (ISM Remix)
Actraiser – Take You There
Arp XP – My Place
Emufucka – Urza’s Rage
Soul Intent – Some With Me
Paperclip – Structure 15
Out of Fuel – Sneaky
Organikismness – Dark Times (ISM Remix)
Marcus Intalex
T-Power & John Rolodex – That Jungle Vibe feat. Khadija

2012, Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B

Burn It Down – Ear & Drum Session 82

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Those that follow the blog will know by now that big smashers aren’t really my cuppa. But once a year or so I do like to collect up the hard and the heavy tunes that do light my fire and mash them down. I big chunk of this mix is dedicated to S.P.Y’s new album What The Future Holds, which holds up very well considering it has come out on Hospital. Also featured are some classic big, bad producers from back in the day like Dom & Roland, Chris SU & Falcon and Black Sun Empire.

If you only download one heavy D&B mix by me this year. This is it. 😛

Burn It Down – 1hr of Hard Edged D&B

Dementia, Regula & Cain Mos – Imprint
Level 2 – Conquest VIP
S.P.Y – Analogue Dreams
S.P.Y – Hammer in My Heart
Black Sun Empire – Dawn of Dark Day (feat. Foreign Beggars)
Dom & Roland – Strobe
Rido feat. Thomas Oliver – Twisted VIP
S.P.Y – See the Light
Stray – Timbre VIP
Chris SU & Falkon – Studio 54
Telmo A – Between Two Worlds (Phil Tangent Remix)
MC Fats, HLZ & Chef – True Born Souljah
BC – Captured in Time (Chris SU Remix)
Cyantific – Walking Away
S.P.Y – Adrift

2012, Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B

Tough Break – Ear & Drum Session 71

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This is a quick mix of some recent tunes from the tougher edge of the D&B spectrum. We kick off with the epic Metalheadz 100th release Freedom by Goldie, roll into a classic remix of Klute’s We R the Ones by Ulterior Motive and finish up with the huge Muffler & Cat Knight collaboration Put Me Down. Special thanks to Fanu for the free track Desert Jubie for his generosity on The Take.

Tough Break – 1hr of Tough Beats

Goldie – Freedom
Fanu – Desert
Klute – We R The Ones (Ulterior Motive Remix)
Soul Culture – Stronger
Amit – Manic Miner
Commix – Tracking You
Enie & MC DRS – Obsession (Foreign Concept Remix)
Gridlock – Enemies of the State
Madcap – Our Love
Jubei – The Take
Die & Break – Grand Funk Hustle
Krusha – Need Your Loving
Break & Mikal – Just a Game
Muffler & Cat Knight – Put Me Down

Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B, Old Skool, Tech Step

Roll Playing – Ear & Drum Session 69

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Everyone loves a roller, and no era did rollers quite like the start of the millennium. Stakka, Ed Rush & Optical, Matrix, and J Majik were smashing out big funky b-lines with those rolling techy beats that sent the floor crazy. Metro Recordings were one of the BIG labels in the game at that time and to celebrate the re-releasing of their classic tunes onto digital I thought I’d put together a mix that, for me, summed up the times and that awesome rolling sound.

If you are looking for the Metro back catalog you’ll find it here – The Metro Collection.

Roll Playing – 1hr from the Golden Age of Rollers

Optical – The Shining
Klute – Unwind Yourself
Ed Rush & Optical – Fastlane
Stakka & Skynet – So Confused feat. K.Tee
Matrix & Danny J – Paradiso
Matrix & Danny J – Vertigo
Ed Rush & Optical – Reach Out
J Majik – Solarize (Optical Remix)
Ed Rush & Optical – Kerbcrawler
John B – Up All Night (Epic Remix)
High Contrast – Music Is Everything (Influx Datum Remix)
Matrix Vs. Goldtrix – It’s Love (Trippin’)
Pressure Rise – Focus
Hatrias vs J Majik – Spaced Invader

2012, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B

Fluctuations – Ear & Drum Session 67

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Coming in deep and hard on this mix of new tunes for 2012. Whilst not everyone has loved the minimal revolution, there is no doubt it’s influence has been felt across most genres and no more so than the harder end of D&B. Tracks like Dub Phizix & Skeptical – Marka have shown just how devastating the minimal sound can be when mixed in with some tough beats and a good vocal.

This stripped back sound has played right into the hands of producers like Loxy, & Ink and Jubei who already had quite a deep and minimal sound. Plus, it has allowed a few of the more chilled out minimalists such as June Miller and Need for Mirrors to step up and have a go at producing some harder edged music.

As the boundaries begin to blur across the D&B genres it’s the music that profits as people focus less on what the music is called and concentrate more on what it sounds like. Which means 2012 is looking like being a sweet year for D&B.

Fluctuations – 1hr of Hard & Deep D&B

Dabs & Amoss – Still There
Phobia – Clean Break
Mr Foul – Land of Look Behind
War – Rafale
Dom & Roland – Enforced VIP
Skeptical – Cold One (Jubei Remix)
Need for Mirrors – Columbia
Jubei – The Path
Subwave – Wheel of Time
Sunchase & Nickbee – Dawn Time
Dub Phizix & Skeptical – Marka (feat. Strategy)
June Miller – Walls of Jericho
Krakota – Tunnel Vision
NC-17 & Time Reaper – Burial Ground

2010, Amen, Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B

Screwface – Ear & Drum Session 42

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Ruff and tuff D&B doesn’t hold a great deal of interest to me these days. Neuro has become very formulaic, new jump up isn’t a patch on the old jump up and skullstep is just, well skullstep (nuf said). However I do still manage to find the odd harder edged track which does appeal and in here are some of the best ones I could find for the final quarter of the year.

Nu:Tone and Logistics have combined their powers to create the fierce Nu:Logic sub-brand. Sundown is a proper amen boomer of the highest order and New Technique totally lives up to it’s name. Limewax is one of those guys you either love or hate, but for a skullstep-esq (is that a word?!?) producer he has some serious talent. B Key used to be one of my favourite producers, and his Guitar Track proves that he can still produce a smooth but tuff track when he puts his mind to it.

If you like your hard beats you’ll love this, but if you don’t I’d still recommend giving it a go as there is more to hard D&B then formula, skulls and air raid sirens and I think this mix proves that point.

Screwface – 1hr of tuff D&B from the end of 2010

Nu:Logic – Sundown
Limewax – One of Them
B Key – Guitar Track
Nu:Logic – New Technique
Subwave – Darkness Dub
Artificial Intelligence – Moment of Truth
Break & Silent Witness – Kontroller
Black Sun Empire – Deadhouse (feat. Jade)
Beta 2 – Release
Trei – Mindless
Audio – Genesis Device
Subwave – Road Rage
Theory – Jungle Soul
Gemini – Down
DJ Trace – Fantazia

Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B

Decadance 2000: Part 2 – Ear & Drum Session 35

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The second part of Decadance focuses on the big smashers of 2000. RAM, BC Records and Renegade Hardware totally killed it and built their reputations as the BIG labels of the scene. Moving Shadow as always chipped in with the mighty Dom & Roland and Technical Itch delivering some huge tunes like the Thunder Remix and Can’t Punish Me. Surprisingly Metalheadz went almost a whole year without a release.

As MC Justiyc says in his colab track with John B – Double J, “This one is strictly for the drum and bass heads.”

Decadance 2000: Part 2 – 1hr of BIG tunes from 2000

Roni Size & Reprazent – Dirty Beats
Dieselboy – The Descent
Dom & Roland – Imagination
Bad Company – Breath
Dom & Roland – Thunder (Remix)
Technical Itch – The Extraction
Dom & Roland – Can’t Punish Me
John B & MC Justiyc – Double J (Club Mix)
J. Majik – Love Is Not A Game (Dillinja Remix)
Future Cut – Horns 2000
Usual Suspects – Shrapnel (Stakka & Skynet Remix)
Usual Suspects – Syndrome
Dylan – Spasm
Aquasky – I Can’t Wait No More
Konflict – Messiah

2010, Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B

The Nothing – Ear & Drum Session 30

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Remember The Nothing from the Never Ending Story? A huge black mass of clouds that swept across the land and cleared all before it. Well this mix reminded me of this. I’m not normally a hard D&B kind of guy, but I do enjoy mixing the heavier stuff every now and then. Lately as a genre it has been on the improve, producers are dropping the over the top scull stepping for a more junglistic vibe and melody seems to be creeping back into the heavier beats.

The Nothing – 1hr of heavy rain

Ash – Bashment
Nolige – Leave Me
Clive Concept – Out of Control
Breakage – Temper
Mindscape & Munk – Into the Night
Bachelors of Science – Warehouse DayZ
Dub Tao 0 East of Underground (Bungle Remix)
Muffler – Dirrrty
Jubei – Alignment
Antibreak – From the Wreckage
Breakage – Foundation
Maldini & Sylo – Oceanic
Engage – Helium
Royalston – The Test
AK1200 – Juniors Tune (Digital Remix)
Raiden – Aquarius

All Artist Mix, Amen, Cross Genre, Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B, Tech Step

Bring The Noize – Ear & Drum Session 28

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Elementz of Noize are one of those under-rated outfits that slips under the radar mainly due to the fact that they were good at just about every genre they tried there hand at. Alan Clark & Justin Maughan started out making Intelligent drops like the amazing ‘Astral’ and ‘Yes’ in 1995. But as things started turning to the dark side they released a load of classic Tech Step barn stormers on SOUR Recordings. Tunes like ‘Communicate With The World’, ‘Talking Mad Shit’ and thier biggest hit ‘Hit Tha Deck’ were monster Tech Steppers that threw out the subtlety of Ed Rush and replaced it with bitchslapping beats and cavernous b-lines to make dancefloor damage.

After the Tech Step sound died out they moved to Emotiv and had a few releases on Fuze Recordings. Their new sound was still Tech based but had a more stipped back Stepper rhythm. Then in 2002 they returned to their melodic roots with the killer 12″ of ‘Clock/Guided by Lights’, showing that a tune could be musical and still hard as nails. Although they haven’t released much since this time, their legacy is still one of a back catalogue very few misses and a shed load of hits.

Bring The Noize – 1.5hrs of Elementz of Noize

Elementz Of Noize – Yes
Elementz Of Noize – Astral
Elementz Of Noize – Trrriple
Elementz Of Noize – Stick Up
Elementz Of Noize – Neon (Ray Keith Remix)
Elementz Of Noize – Flexiwidatek
Elementz Of Noize – Science
Micro-Burst – Punkmutha
Shapeshifter – Communicate With The World
Shapeshifter – Mass Hysteria
Elementz Of Noize – Hit Tha Deck
Shapeshifter – Talking Mad Shit
Ray Keith – D4 Toxic Waste (Elementz Of Noize Remix)
Elementz Of Noize – Cold Light of Day
Elementz Of Noize – Guided By Lights
Elementz Of Noize – Clock

Hard D&B, Requested Archive, Tech Step

Blazed – Phuture Frequency 32

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This one is for Darklin who reminded me that this mix even existed and to Robotone for once again filling the holes in my archiving system.

This was a radio set I did in September 2005. Loads of classic Audio Blueprint, RAM, Liftin’ Spirit, Underfire and Skynet Tracks from those masters of hard techie funk Stakka, Skynet, Kraken, K-Tee, Spy, Profound Noise, plus a whole heap of others.

It’s all class, no arse!

Blazed – 2hrs of Audio Bluepint / Underfire / Skynet Recs

Stakka & K-Tee – Hear Say (RAMM 015)
Stakka & K-Tee – After Hours (ADMM 008)
Stakka & K-Tee – Bad Influence (ADMM 009)
Stakka & K-Tee – Living for the Night (ADMM 008)
Stakka & K-Tee – Rugged and Raw (ADMM 008)
Skynet – MK Ultra (ABPR 002)
Skynet – Hal (ABPR 004)
Kraken – Warped (UDFR 011)
Friction & Skinny – Depth Charge (UDFR013)
Stakka & Skynet – Logistics (ABPR 002)
Kraken – Meatball (UDFR013)
Profound Noise – Luminous (UDFR0LP 002)
Spy – Z-Plane (UDFR013)
Profound Noise – Dropzone (UDFR013)
Kraken – Analogue Spikes (UDFR0LP 002)
Kraken – Side Effects (UDFR0LP 002)
Hard Evidence – Mind Field (UDFR0LP 002)
Profound Noise – Nu Level (UDFR0LP 002)
Stakka & K-Tee – Synthesis (UDFR0LP 002)
Stakka & K-Tee – Synthesis RMX (UDFR014)
Stakka & Skynet (Feat. Skinny) – Straight Jacket (UDFR0LP 003)
Stakka & Skynet (Feat. Kemal & Rob Data) – Biosphere (UDFR0LP 003)
Stakka & Skynet – Clockwork (UDFR0LP 003)
Stakka & Skynet (Feat. DJ Friction) – Altitude (UDFR0LP 003)
Stakka & Skynet (Feat. DJ K-Tee) – So Confused (UDFR0LP 003)
Gridlock – The Search (ABPR 018)
Skynet – Insomnia (SKY 001)
Stakka – Strange Daze (ZEROG 002)