Category Archives: Atmospheric

Mixed by Blick – All PFM Mix – Life After Good Looking

My first mix on the “Ear And Drum” and it’s from one of my favourite artists PFM, Iike to thank Woz for inviting me onto his site and for hosting my mixes. There are quiet a few artist from what people call ” The Golden Era Of Drum And Bass” who have left the scene Like Wax Doctor, Shogun/Artemis, Source Direct and Photek but thankfully PFM is still going and producing the same quality of music as he did back in the day. As the title suggests this is life after good looking.

All PFM Mix – Life After Goodlooking

01 – 00.00 – PFM – The Eleventh Hour
02 – 08.30 – PFM – Aspirations
03 – 16.14 – PFM – Runaway
04 – 23.34 – PFM – Language Of Love
05 – 29.40 – PFM – The Rough With The Smooth
06 – 36.08 – PFM & Tayla – Submarine Tune
07 – 42.45 – PFM – Cruising Detroit
08 – 51.22 – PFM – Without You
09 – 56.30 – PFM – Equilibrium
10 – 102.00 – Justice, Metro – Touch Feel (PFM Remix)
11 – 106.00 – PFM – Broken Tears
12 – 109.50 – PFM & Formula One – If You Were Mine
13 – 114.50 – PFM – For Caron (Are You Ready)
14 – 119.55 – PFM – Driftin On By
15 – 124.56 – PFM – Jones
16 – 131.10 – PFM – This Must Be Love
17 – 137.50 – PFM, Phat Playaz – Time Of Our Live
18 – 144.15 – PFM – By The Chapel (Shes Waiting There For Me)
19 – 149.18 – PFM – Check It Out

Ear & Drum: Session 241 – Far Out and Further

Swedish born Sebastian Ahrenberg AKA Seba has provided some of the juiciest D&B sounds since 96′ when he first debuted on Looking Good Records. Now running his own label, Secret Operations, Seba has crafted a rolling, bass heavy sound that has influenced the scene and made him one of D&B favourite artists.

One label that has taken the Seba sound and twisted it into its own unique form is Offworld Recordings, home of artists such as Nelver, Fishy and Airstrike. I’ve always thought that between Seba the artist and Offworld the label, there would be a killer mix. It turns out I was pretty spot on, this slaps. If I could hear it on a large system with a packed dance floor I’d die a happy man.

Far Out and Further – 1hr+ of Seba vs Offworld Recordings

Aleyum – Blow Hour (HumaNature Remix)
Seba & Digital – Love Story
Nelver – Our Time
Seba – Nobody Knows
Fishy & Freebird – Cause I Miss You
Seba & Manos – Evergreen
Intake – Closing
Seba – Nostalgia
Nuvertal – Faith
Seba & Paradox – Jupiterize
Kyhu – Time-Lapse
Seba feat. Jenna G – Sweet Magnolia
Shrust – Cocoon
Seba & Jnr Valo – Rotate
Airstrike & Biak – Karma
Seba & Robert Manos – Machine
Advisory – End Credits
Seba – Piemo for B
Airstrike – Radials

Ear & Drum: Session 238 – Heavy Atmosphere

This one says-what-it-does-on-the-tin with a mix of heavy atmospheric tracks and a few mellower numbers to ease you in at the beginning. It’s awesome to hear this sound coming back again with a distinct early Inperspective Records vibes, which is never a bad thing.

Kicking things off with the Voyager classic Aurora remixed by the man himself. Latyn’s two versions of Dust & Ages then bring the big Amen rinsers, backed up by the ever-green Alaska, Mikal and Echo 1 also bringing the heat. Omni Music feature heavily towards the end with tracks from Eschaton, Freeboard, Cryogenics and Abstract Drumz & Peeb.

Heavy Atmosphere – 1hr of Atmospheric Rinsers

Voyager – Aurora (Remix)
Carlito – About Your
Voyager – Aurora (Revisited)
Blade – Cosmic Bells
Latyn – Dust & Ages
Latyn – Dust & Ages (Silence Groove Remix)
Source K – Technique
Alaska – Azarca
Mikal – Space Age Dubbing
Echo 1- Shifting Sounds
Acid_Lab – Imagine the Future (Art Cuebik Remix)
Eschaton – Schrödinger (Woken Balance’s Cat Remix)
Freeboard feat. Máiuáde & Christina Formica) – Other Memories
Freeboard – Walk on Sand
Cryogenics – Cosmos
Abstract Drumz & Peeb – Dying in the Light (I Wannabe Remix)
Voyager – Aurora (Remix)

Ear & Drum: Session 230 – Doctor Who?: 3rd Regeneration

Take three of the Wax Doctor series moving into peak energy. Some of these are considered classics like Offshore Drift, Heat, Spectrum and Kid Caprice (Funk Mix), but there are still a few surprises in here with aliases like Clone Inc., Bounty Killaz and Fallen Angels making an appearance.

The sound everyone goes to when they think of Wax Doctor is atmospheric or intelligent D&B. But as the second part of this mix proves, the man could flex a dark Amen belter when he had to, and they don’t come much harder than Logical Progression and his remix of Sounds of Life – Release the Bells.

Doctor Who? 3rd Generation – 1hr of 95-97 Wax Doctor

Wax Doctor – Offshore Drift
Wax Doctor – Finer Things
Wax Doctor – Kid Caprice (Funk Mix)
Wax Doctor – Atmospheric Funk
Clone Inc. – Mood Swing
Wax Doctor – Heat
Wax Doctor – Spectrum
St Germain – Alabama Blues (Wax Doctor Mix)
Dave Angel – This is Disco (Wax Doctor Mix)
Bounty Killaz – Silent Voices (Tango Mix)
Fallen Angels – Frequency (Tango Remix)
Wax Doctor – Logical Progression
Sounds of Life – Release the Bells (Wax Doctor Remix)

Ear & Drum: Session 229 – Killah Deep

Back to 160bpm, but with a D&B instead of a Jungle focus this time around. As previously mentioned, this speed is ideal for letting Amen breaks breath. But there are also a lot of artists now winding back the BPM clock for other breaks to give their D&B productions that extra bit of depth.

Acid_Lab & Coco Bryce are the first artists that spring to mind, but with more than half of the tracks in this mix being from Omni Music, who’s atmospheric sound lends itself perfectly to the slower tempos, Eshaton’s killah label is worth a special mention here too. They have an amazing pool of talented producers bringing a greater depth to tunes by pushing D&B’s original tempo.

You can find all of the Omni Music tunes in this mix (plus 100s more) over at https://omnimusic.bandcamp.com/

Killah Deep – 1hr of 160bpm D&B

The Vanguard Project & Jemima Reed – Stitches (Coco Bryce Remix)
Grey Code – Primrose
Coco Bryce – Dial M for Mayor
Clothcutter – You’ll Know Me
Cryogenics – Haunted
Acid_Lab – Conquest of Space
IMANU & The Caracal Project feat. Josh Pan – La Fournaise
Added – Before Your Eyes
Dan Guidance – Creating Waves
Conman, Evasion & Mod:Co – Lifestyle
Woken Balance – Atlas 6
Mineral – Separated Attitude
Antony G – Lockdown
Moakz – Distant Waters
Mineral – Old School 2022
Dust-e-1 – One on One
The Vanguard Project – Want U Back (Coco Bryce Remix)

Ear & Drum: Session 224 – Ruff with the Smooth

To many the Amen break is the defining beat of D&B and Jungle. And even though it is one of the original breaks to define the genre, it still persists today as a whole new generation bring Jungle back from it’s 90s slumber.

Those old enough to remember will recall the days when D&B sped up from 160bpm to its 172-76bpm limit it has today. One thing that got lost in this translation was the ability to let the Amen flex and breath, as those all important spaces between the breaks almost disappeared in the race to faster paced music.

For me, one of the best thing about the recent Jungle revival, has been the return of the 160bpm tunes that don’t rely on pace, but rather feel to provide the energy in the music. This is a collection of some the best new (and some old classic) 160bpm tunes that are driving a return of the Amen with serious flex and feel to to beat.

Ruff with the Smooth – 1hr+ of 160bpm Jungle and Atmospheric D&B

J Majik – Red Moon
Acid_Lab – Combination Dub (Tommy Badman Mix)
Dead Man’s Chest – Open Your Eyes
Digital – Down Under
Acid_Lab – Trip 2 Mars
Acid_Lab – Interstellar (Kodama Remix)
MJT – Panacea
Stunna – Last September
Carter – Twenty One Thoughts
Rainforest – Villalongin
Dilinja – The Angels Fell
Bug Kann & The Plastic Jam – Made in 2 Minutes (Origin Unknown Remix)
DJ Swift & DJ Zinc feat Steve B – It’s Time
Fracture – Chessington
David Holmes – Gone (PFM Remix)
Future Bound – Sorrow
Bjorn – Inside My Soul
Dust-e-1 – One on One
Source Direct – Black Rose

Ear & Drum Session: 215 – Atmospheric Rays

Atmospheric D&B continues to go from strength to strength this year with artists like Acid_Lab, Seba, FX909 and Cryogenics & Eschaton knocking it out of the park. The fact PFM is re-releasing a bunch of classics doesn’t hurt either which is why this mix reflects the best of old and new Atmos tunes.

Atmospheric Rays – 1hr of Atmospheric D&B

FX909 – Awake
Acid_Lab – Paint Yourself
PFM – Driftin On By
Instruction Set – Forge La Funk (Ben Kai Remix)
PFM – For Caron (Are You Ready)
Seba feat. Jenna G – Sweet Magnolia
Madcap – Fall Down
PFM – This Must Be Love
Cryogenics – Earth-80
PFM – Living Without You
Forum – You Took It All
Akuratyde – Evergreen
Cryogenics & Eschaton – Blue Horizon
Lil’ Louis & The Party – Clap Your Hands (PFM Remix)
FX909 – Proud & Strong
Random Movement – Sleazy Bitch (Ivy Lab Remix)
Cryogenics – Cosmos
PFM – Aspirations

Ear & Drum Session: 214 – PFM x 4Hero

Recently PFM and 4Hero have remastered versions of some of their classic tunes that defined an era. PFM in the form of a bunch of singles and 4Hero with the re-release of their seminal LPs 2 Pages and Jacob’s Optical Stairway.

So what happens when you take two of D&B’s greatest acts and blend them together? Great things, that’s what!

PFM x 4Hero – 1.5hrs of 90s atmospheric masterpieces

PFM – For All of Us
4Hero – Universal Love (Single Version)
4Hero – Universal Love (Internal Affairs Mix)
Jacob’s Optical Stairway – Majestic 12
Jacob’s Optical Stairway – Fragments of a Lost Language
PFM – Is the Only and the One (Unreleased Original Full Length Version)
Jacob’s Optical Stairway – The Naphosisous Wars
4Hero – One Final Hour
Jacob’s Optical Stairway – Solar Feelings
JMJ & Ritchie – Free La Funk (PFM Remix)
4Hero – Evacuation Plan
PFM – Bonus Track
PFM – Wash Over Me (Original Instrumental Version)
Jacob’s Optical Stairway – Jacob’s Optical Illusion
David Holmes – Gone (PFM Remix)
Force of Nature – Cool Spot (PFM Remix)
PFM – Dreams (Club Mix)

EAR & DRUM SESSION: 209 – Atmospheric Layers

Atmospheric D&B has come roaring back with some of the scenes finest going back to their roots and producing some absolutely beautiful Intelligent style D&B. ASC, Equinox, Voyager, Seba and even PFM have been elevating the sound to new levels.

Not to be left out, newer heads such as Jrumhand, Earl Grey and even Metalheadz wunderkind Kid Drama are keeping up, bringing their own take to the classic Amen driven sound.

Atmospheric Layers – 1.5hrs of Atmospheric D&B

ASC – Tradewinds
Equinox – From Above
Response – Betrayal
Nebula – Calm Breeze
Earl Grey – Mime Jar Lens
Nelver – Oceans of Rain
Voyager – Aurora
DRS, Dynamite MC & Unglued – Brothers
Kid Drama – Diazdaze
Seba – Nostalgia
Villem & Alpha Rhythm – The Maker
Jrumhand – Intuition
Bop – Memories
J Majik – Serenity
Equinox – Barcelona
Patience – Near Earth Orbit
Mineral – Silent Promises
Earl Grey – Levitate VIP
PFM – Aspirations

Ear & Drum Session: 191 – Bring the Drums

With Jungle being a hot property in D&B again, it’s easy to forget that Atmospheric D&B has been flying the Amen flag this whole time. With producers like Seba’s Secret Operations label and Eshaton’s Omni Music keeping the sound alive, Atmospheric D&B is better than ever. So much so we’re starting to see older producers like J Majik and ASC who moved away from the sound returning to their roots.

Backed up by established producers such as Bop, Duoscience and Greekboy the sound of rinsing Amens, lush pads and melodies and deep sub-bass is one that never seems to get tired.

Bring the Drums – 1hr of Atmospheric D&B

Blade – Unreleased
Anile – Earth & Mars
Seba – Nostalgia
Jrumhand – Intuition
ASC – Clear Skies
Rainforest – Villalongin
Bop – Memories
Seba – This is Our House
Circa96 – Cave Dweller
J Majik – Serenity
ASC – Moment of Truth
Eschaton & Future Engineers – Ascension
AwakenFM – Atlantis
Antony G – Getting Lost in Prague
Focus 2 – Nova Era (Alex DB Nu Old Skool Age Version)
Duoscience – Good to Be With (Recap)
Greekboy & Okee – Lands of the Unknown