It’s been a while since I’ve used the term ‘atmospheric’ to describe a set. But with Good Looking Records on the come-back trail and quite a few liquid producers exploring the atmospheric side of things for summer I thought the time was right. These are proper vibes, with that UK summer sound that always makes me smile.

Horizontal – 1hr+ of Atmospheric D&B

Technimatic – Sheltered Storm
Malaky – Express Your Self
Nuage – Fair Questions
Total Science Feat. Riya – Cold Blood
Hybrid Minds – Meant to Be
Command Strange & Malaky – Regrets
Stereotype – Elephant Shoes
ST Files & Response
Technimatic – Mirror Image
LTJ Bukem – Atlantis (Marky & S.P.Y Rework)
PFM – This Must Be Love
Tokyo Prose & Phil Tangent – Parity (Klute Remix)
Actraiser – Resurrection
MC Fats, HLZ & Chef – True Born Souljah
S.P.Y – What the Future Holds
SJ Marky & S.P.Y – Yellow Shoes (Calibre Remix)
soulTec – I Hear You Knocking
Nymfo – Suddenly
Command Strange & Intelligent Manners – Right Here, Right Now
Actraiser – Haunted Vessel

There is so much lush D&B about at the moment that I had to throw together a set of melodic and liquid tunes. Fokuz Recordings and Influenza Media have been smashing out high quality liquid for many a year, but seem to recently have stepped up to a new level of melody magic as has S.P.Y, DJ Clart and Intelligent Manners. Not to be out done Bungle, with his sublime track Aura, has come up with one of the tunes of the year for me so far.

Lots of people deride liquid for being too generic over the last few years, but I think this selection shows that as a genre it still has a lot kick left in the bass bins.

Beautiful Music – 1hr+ of D&B Lushness

Bungle – Aura
Frederic Robinson – Mood Swings
Pluton & Skyer – Cosmic Rain
Naibu – Fireflies (Light Mix)
Nu:Logic – Morning Light
S.P.Y – You
Seba Feat. Kirsty Hawkshaw – Nothing Can Relpace
Bachelors of Science Feat. Ben Soundscape & Kemo – Ainokea
Data – Vice
Intelligent Manners – Move Me
DJ Clart & Reza – The Chances (Vocal Version)
Intelligent Manners – Tonight feat. Command Strange
Phil Tangent – Restitution
Kelle – Eternia
S.P.Y – Future Tense feat. Jo-S
Rowpieces – Cosmic Junk
Shuwa – Inversion
Intelligent Manners & Command Strange – Do It All Night feat. Pouyah
Tokyo Prose – Raised by Wolves
Furney – Charlotte’s Song

It’s been a long time since I did a long mix and seeing as we in the Southern hemisphere are starting to heat up after a particularly cold winter, and those in the North are seeing the last of their warmer days I though it was about time to drop a mix of Summer tunes from this season. Now when I say Summer tunes I don’t mean Festival & Bass style stuff (not my style), I mean proper Summer rollers with a good vocal or two to sing a long to.

I have to mention some of the big albums of the (Northern) Summer. The very under-rated L.A.O.S released their debut which everyone must have been hanging on because they titled it Finally. Full of big sounding lush liquid tunes this is a belter and well worth the asking price. Next up is Atlantic Connection – Love Connection. I always love their albums as you can be guaranteed a diverse range of music brilliantly produced and with a Cali vibe to it. And last but not least Utah Jazz with his Groove Therapy LP which I have already banged on about on this blog. His Conrad Funk tune of this is my favourite track in this mix and has that amazing old Good Looking vibe with updated production quality meaning it hits even harder.

So set up your sun lounge, get the stereo in the garden and kick back with some rays and enjoy a rinse of a long Summer sumthing.

A Long Summer Sumthing – 1.5hrs of Summer Tunes from 2012

Random Movement – The Note From Next Door
LSB – All Of My Love (Technicolour & Komatic Remix)
BCee feat. Messy MC – Captured In Time VIP
Maduk feat. Veela – Ghost Assassin
Dynamic – Midnight Heat Thing
Atlantic Connection – Warm Regards
Phors – Shining Star
Dynamic – Modal Suite
Hybrid Minds – Leaving
Alix Perex – Contradictions
DRS featuring Lenzman & Jehst A – Holding On
LSB & Sian Sanderson – Overthinking
SpectraSoul feat. Tamara Blessa – Away With Me (Calibre Remix)
DJ Clart – The Grind
Culture Shock – Protection
Utah Jazz – Conrad Funk
Intelligent Manners – Acting, Thinking, Feeling
nClear – Only Way
Contract Killers – The Life Moments (Soundwall VIP)
Undersound & Missy May – Headfirst & Foolhardy
L.A.O.S – Hush Now
L.A.O.S – Break My Heart (LP Version)
Rudimental – Feel The Love (Fred V & Grafix Remix)
Silence Groove – Eat Me Softly
Dynamic – Blueberry Nights
The Burbs – Desire
Rowpieces – On My Mind
LSB – Some Disco

A mix of the new this time around. If you like your beats uplifting, but without the cheese this should fit the bill.

So many good tunes hitting in the later months of 2011 it feels like D&B is having a real resurgence ATM. Blue Motion are doing big things in the liquid and deeper realms, Calibre has come back with a vengeance not to mention a good crop of new producers such as Moleman, Getz and Need for Mirrors. The future is looking bright. A special mention to Dub FX – Flow (Ill Skills Remix) in this mix which would have to be one of the most infectious tunes of the years for me.

Looking Up – 1hr of upfront & uplifting D&B from 2011

Blue Motion – Everywhere I Go
Moleman – Silver (Anthony Ash Remix)
Tali vs Shimon – Into the Deep
Muffler – Can You Feel It
Cyantific & Wilkinson – Get Into It
Trei & L.A.O.S. – The Light
Mav – Grace Light
Dub FX – Flow (Ill Skills Remix)
Getz – Keep On Loving Me
Need For Mirrors – Lofar
Toal Science – No Justice (Jubei Remix)
Marco Del Horno feat. Emi Green – This Town Is Ours (S.P.Y Vocal Remix)
Blu Mar Ten – Sweet Little Supernova
Calibre – Touch Me
Bungle feat. Ayah Marar – The Siren

Liquid has been making a big comeback lately after a period of being noodly for want of a better word. But it seems the rolling b-lines that have been infecting a lot of D&B has crept into the liquid genre, and with some great results.

Intelligent Manners are on form of late ‘Come Show Me’ and ‘Black Tea’, Seba continues his complete ownership of D&B with Mr Downstairs and Legion’s ‘Both Sides’ is for me one of THE tracks of the year so far.

Good Noodle – 1hr of 2011 Liquid

Despot – Winteria (Flame Remix)
Intelligent Manners – Black Tea
Skyweep Feat. Sunset Cafe & Katie Epworth – Laight of Day (Mage Remix)
Intelligent Manners – Come Show Me
London Elektricity – The Plan That Cannot Fail
Seba & Method One – Mr Downstairs
DJ DNS – On in 2010
Mute & Mako – Astral Transmissions
Command Strange & Intelligent Manners – Talking About Love
Majestics – Don’t Lie
Subreachers – Elysian Fields
MJT & Wreckage Machinery – November
MJT & Wreckage Machinery – Colours (First Take Bonus Version)
Majestics – In My Heart (feat Flower)
Kevin Rudolph feat. Lil Wayne – I Made It (Rockwell Dub Remix)
Mutt vs Million Stylez – Miss Fatty Bootleg
Legion – Both Sides (feat. Adam Wright)

This year has been a good year for big vocal numbers with a smashing beat behind them. Hospital as always are leading the charge, but labels like Horizons, Esprit, Spearhead and Fokuz are also putting out some amazing dance floor drum & bass. Netsky is on fire right now and artists like S.P.Y., Lenzman and Bachelors of Science keep consistently banging out great vocal D&B.

Some people have been calling this sound ‘commercialised’, but to be honest I don’t hear it. It might be accessible and something your girlfriend might drag you onto the dance floor to jump around to. But when has that ever been a bad thing?

1hr of New Vocal D&B

Madmen & Poets – Leave It
Netsky – Your Way
Netsky – Mellow
Netsky – I Refuse (Shock One Remix)
Lenzman – Coincidence
Coldbreaker – Don’t Give Up
Robot Redford – Dying Star
Dephzac – We Are Together
Total Science & S.P.Y. Above the Clouds
Bacelors of Science – The Ice Dance (Lenzman Remix)
Netsky – Let’s Leave Tomorrow
Stunna – Back In Time
D Kay & Concept – For Love or Money
Blue Sonix – Luv Me (Logistics VIP)
Chew Lips – Karen (Netsky Remix)
Fat Freddy’s Drop – Cay S Crays (Artificial Intelligence Remix)
Netsky – Iron Heart
Netsky – Memory Lane