Category Archives: Soulful

Ear & Drum: Sessions 245, 246 & 247 – New Year’s Special Selection

For a genre that is declared dead every couple of years, D&B is healthier than ever with a whole new generation discovering the 90s and the OGs still pushing limits of what music can do. To celebrate this, and the fact that 2023 is just around the corner, I’ve put together three mixes that sum up everything that I thought was great in D&B in 2022.

Mix one is dedicated to the Soulful side of things. DRS, LSB, Dogger & Mindstate, GLXY, Heron Flow, Calibre and many more made music this year that reached beyond the generic Liquid category and brought a soul and pathos to their music that is absolutely mesmerizing.

Soul Side ’22 – 1hr+ of Soulful D&B from 2022

DRS & Monroe – Kiss & Tell
LSB – Endless
Dogger & Mindstate feat. DRS – TMWFTE
Random Movement – How Many Ways
DuoScience – Edge
Issue Cross & Wilkinson – Used to This
Impartial – Flowstate
HEFT – Timeline
HEFT – Promise
LSB – Bell Tune
Muffler – Water Piano Ambient
GLXY – Dreamers
The Sauce – BST Vibes
A-Sides & MC Fats – Never Yesterday
Seba – Public Beauty
Intake – Closing
Dawn Wall – Judgement
Dawn Wall – Fears
DRS & Dogger feat. Mindstate – Wake You Up
Wilkinson & iiola – Close Your Eyes
Heron Flow – Serpentine
Dynamite MC feat. Bop x Subwave – Into
LSB – Renaissance Song
GLXY – New Day
DRS & Document One – Can’t Explain
Particle – Drivin’ Me Crazy
Alix Perez & Verbz – Stay the Same
Redeyes & Fox – Wait Ting
Bungle – Forms
Workforce – Forever
Lensman & Echo Brown – Nokia Days
Fox feat. Swing Ting – Day One (Lenzman Remix)
Alix Perez – Wairua
DRS & LSB – Sweet Love
High Contrast – Return of Forever (Came & Krooked & Mefjus Remix)
Dogger & Mindstate feat. Liam Bailey – Broken Home (Calibre Remix)

Mix two is all about the deep, the dark and the heavy. Blocks & Escher, T>I, Buunshin, Dub Phizix, Conrad Subs, NC-17, Acid_Lab and many more tore the absolute roof off this year with BIG tunes and even bigger basslines. Labels like Metalheadz and Critical Music continued to blazer a trail, but even better was all the smaller imprints that popped up and smacked it this year.

Dark Side ’22 – 1hr+ of Deep, Dark & Heavy D&B from 2022

Soul Intent – Infrared Shadow
Seba & Digital – Love Story
Seba & Oilskin – The Future
Latyn – Dust & Ages (Silence Groove Remix)
Mako – The Both of Us
Buunshin & Idle Days – I’m Okay
Voyager – Aurora (Remix)
Fishy & Freeboard – Cause I Miss You
NC-17 & Dunk – New Jack Hustler
Dub Phizix – Demon Seed
Calibre – Verstat
Slay feat. Chimpo & SL8R – Dis One
Heron Flow – Raging Sea
Foreign Concept – China Plate
Technimatic & Komatic – Make Me Feel
Heron Flow – Serpentine
Echo 1 – Shifting Sounds
Acid_Lab – Imagine the Future (Art Cubic Remix)
Beeson & Dynamite MC – ‘Til 4am
Advisory – End Credits
Grey Code – Illiad
Dub Phizix – Item
aBLe – Still There
Script – Set up the Set (DLR’s Clash VIP)
Conrad Subs – Temple
T>I – Outboard
Dub Phizix – Come On
NC-17 – State of Grace
Audioholic – Bottlerockets
Blocks & Escher – This One
FX909 – Now (Half Step Mix)
Emz & Sam Bingo – Don’t Stress
NC-17 – Ghost Song

Last, but no where near least is the 160bpm genre that took over in 2022. Slowing things down and bringing back that original rave sound was THE best musical surprise for me in ’22. Artists like J Majik, Chimpo and ASC have always been there, but it was Fracture who really brought the 160bpm sound alive with his incredible 0860 Mix Tape release. Capturing the 90s pirate radio vibe, this release proved you can look back and still keep a modern production ethic. And I only hope that this is the beginning of more music like this!

Vibez Side ’22 – 1hr+ of 160bpm Vibes from 2022

Grey Code – Primrose
Coco Bryce – Dial M for Mayor
Fracture – Telepathy
The Vanguard Project & Jemima Read – Stitches (Coco Bryce Remix)
J Majik – Hold You (Lemon D Remix)
Fracture feat. Eastman – 0860
Kid Chameleon – Open Soul
Chimpo – Rig Doctor
Cryogenics – Haunted
IMANU & The Caracal Project feat. Josh Pan – La Fournaise
Adred – Before Your Eyes
Fracture – From the Very Top
Conman, Evasion & Mod:co – Lifestyle
Kid Chameleon – Syrup
Moakz – Distant Waves
Antony G – Lockdown
ASC – Black Rain
Mineral – Old School 2022
Fracture – First Aid Kit
D’Cruze – Sublime State

No matter if you are staying home, hitting the parties or somewhere in between there should be a sound here for everyone. Thanks for all the support in 2022 and big ups to Blick and Will for joining the Ear & Drum and bringing even more great music to the people. Happy New Year everyone and may 2023 be bigger and better for y’all.

Ear & Drum: Session 242 – Travels

With summer coming in for the southern hemisphere the soulful side of D&B is again on the rise. Artists like Heron Flow, Dawn Wall and Lensman are shelling it to bits, while GLXY‘s new EP ‘By Design’ on Shogun Audio and Dogger & Mindstate‘s killer 12″ on 1985 show the true depth of the soulful sound.

Shout out to Soul Intent for the free tasteful relick of Bjork’s – Future Forever and Eschaton for passing on his new LP Aboslution from which I’ve slipped in Autumn Mist here. Much appreciated.

Travels – 1hr+ of Soulful D&B

Aleyum – Blue Hour (HumanNature Remix)
Subrix – Thoughts
Dogger & Mindstate & DRS – TMWFTE
Heron Flow – Do 2 U
Seathasky – Circles
Easy – After Dark
Blacklab – You Know
GLXY – Dreamers
Natural Forces – Divine
The Sauce – BST Vibes
Dawn Wall – Fears
Cause for Concern – Angels in the Sky
GLXY – New Day
LSB – Renaissance Song
Lensman & Redeyes – Wet Like Water
Eschaton – Autumn Mist
Bjork – Future Forever (Soul Intent Relick)
Kintsuku – Absent
Fishy – Solar Transit
London Elekticity – Something Rare
Deis feat Nu:Tune & Duskee – Can We Talk (Imo-Lu Remix)
Dogger & Mindstate & Liam Bailey – Broken Home (Calibre Remix)
Total Science – Gravy Girls (Calibre Remix)
Stay feat. Lensman & A Little Sound – Taste of Gold

Ear & Drum: Session 237 – Long Way Round

With summer well and truly keeping our northern hemisphere brothers and sisters hot and sweaty, I thought now is the perfect time to drop a mix of soulful summer sounds to help keep things chill.

LSB leads the charge with a swag of soulful tunes from his exceptional self titled LSB album on his Footnotes imprint. Alix Perez’s Wairua EP also features more of the tuneful but tuff signature 1985 sound. And Redeyes sees a solid return to form with his To the Falls EP, featuring some tasty collabs with Tokyo Prose and Fox.

Long Way Round – 1hr of Soulful Summer D&B

LSB – Endless
Mystic State – Dreamscapes
Motiv – Jupiter
MNML & Brainwork – Miracle
Mystic – Pieces of My Life
LSB – Find A Way
LSB – Bell Tune
Dogs – Unwritten
Freeboard & Toes – Water of Life
Fish & Peron – Ascending Reality
DRS feat. Need for Mirrors – Running Back
High Contrast – Exposé (AI Remix)
Bee – The Garden
Redeyes & Fox – Wait Ting
Alix Perez & Verbz – Stayed the Same
Mirrorman – Waiting For You
Audioholic – Bottlerockets
Alix Perez – Wairua
PFM – Broken Tears
Redeyes & Tokyo Prose – Yukon

Ear & Drum: Session 223 – 2021 Souled Out

2021 was the year of the vocal as far as Liquid and Soulful D&B was concerned. MCs like DRS, Fox and Cleveland Watkiss took full control, while the ever popular female vocalists like Emily Harkness, Lauren Archer and Jenna G kept the vibe sweet and soulful.

That being said some older heads like John B & Digital, Pola & Bryson and Calibre proved that you don’t need a vocal to nail that smooth, rolling vibe that only Liquid D&B can provide. All up 2021 was the year that the blues tinged soulful sound proved to be just as solid as some the harder genres out there.

Souled Out – 2hrs of the best Liquid & Soulful D&B from 2021

Mitekiss, Milo Merah & RWST – City Angels
DRS feat. Mindstate – Never Made It
John B & Digital – Time Goes By
Invadhertz, Felix Raymon & Jamal Dilmen
Alix Perez & Liam Bailey – Moving On (Break Remix)
KSR – Life, Money
Alix Perez feat. Even Everett & Spectrasoul – Forsaken (Calibre Remix)
Command Strange & MC Fava – Never Let Go
GLXY – Sweet Lows (feat. Rhi)
Seba – Sweet Magnolia (feat Jenna G)
London Elektricity – The Plan That Cannot Fail (10YR Rework)
Chimpo – Keep U Round (feat. Salo)
Seba & Emily Harkness – True
LSB & DRS – Umbrellas (GLXY Remix)
Mitekiss – Rain (Falling Down)
Inja – Smile More
Unknown Artist – Sweetest Taboo
Satl – Beautiful Struggle (feat. DRS)
Duoscience – Praise
Lally & Aailyah Esprit – Hustling’
LSB & DRS – Stop the World (Lenzman Remix)
DRS & Need for Mirrors – Running Back
Macca, Loz Contreras & Critical Event – Snow
LSB & DRS – Rise & Fall (Tokyo Prose Remix)
Technimatic & Riya – When the Dawn Breaks
Pola & Bryson & Solch – Neverend
Pola & Bryson – Under (feat. Lauren Archer)
Fox – Paper Weights (feat DRS & Calibre)
Mineral – Silent Promises
Lady Blackbird – Collage (Calibre Remix)
Operator Unknown & Leo Wood – Who
Inja – Pressure (feat. Cleveland Watkiss)

Ear & Drum Session: 216 – Outer Soul

Reaching back to August for this soulful mix of D&B. This style is really kicking off and the quality of the beats and vocals is only getting better and better.

Artists like Inja with their Smile & Wave LP are forging a style of D&B that not only sounds amazing, but tackles deeper issues than just getting busted up on the weekend and coming down. Tracks like Inja’s Pressure are still sing-a-long good times, but the subject matter of solo parenting are deep and really get you thinking.

Shouts out the one like Seba feat Jenna G too for their stunning tune Sweet Magnolia, which is definitely in my top 5 tracks for 2021, as is Lally & Aaliyah Esprit – Hustlin’. This is just beautiful music than makes my soul soar. Even those these tunes aren’t the absolute latest drops, there is plenty in here to get you singing, smiling and thinking all at the same time.

Outer Soul – 1hr of Soulful D&B

Satl – Never Far
Styke – Apollo
BCee – A Little Too Much
Science of Man – Never Without
Seba feat Jenna G – Sweet Magnolia
Sustance feat. Ruby Letitia – Rumours
Satl feat. DRS – Beautiful Struggle
Lally & Aaliyah Esprit – Hustlin’
Inja – Stranger
Unglued feat. Singing Fats – Sardinian Sunrise
Macca, Liz Contreras & Critical Event – Snow
Acid_Lab – Rainy Fridays
DJ SS & Azpect – Feeling Blessed (Soul Savage & Rosa G Mix)
Solsan & Bazil MC – Follow
Conspiracy – Metamorphosis
Satl – Give Up
Fox feat. DRS & Calibre – Paper Weights
Inja feat Cleveland Watkiss – Pressure
Satl & Tokyo Prose – Hazards

Ear & Drum Session: 211 – Often Mist

Back again on the soulful D&B tip once again. It’s starting to look like this is becoming a movement within a movement, with liquid splitting out into dance floor movers and the more chilled, soulful sound.

A lot of the artists pushing this sound seem to be relatively new and coming through on labels such as Celsius, Fokuz and Spearhead. That being said, there are always some reliable regulars like FX909, GLXY and Pola & Bryson who also regularly touch on the soulful side.

An excited and extra big shout goes out to Voyager who has returned to his D&B roots and blessed us with some recent out put that is just as solid as his original releases from back in the day.

Often Mist – 1hr of Soulful D&B

Neuron – Sound of Water
Setting Sun – Walk:r
John B & Digital – Time Goes by
FX909 – Fly Away
Inadhertz, Felix Raymon & Jamal Dilmen – Too Much
Alpha Rhythm – Subarctic Signal VIP
GLXY – Sweet Lows (feat. Rhi)
Chimpo – Keep U Round (feat. Salo)
Voltage & Bulgarian Goddess – Endless Dreaming (Voltage VIP)
Submorphics – Let it Shine (feat. Satl & Veda Black)
Walk:r feat. Riya – Paragon
Lally & Aaliyah Esprit – Hustlin’
Macca, Liz Contreras & Critical Event – Snow
Citra – Snow
Akuratyde – Evergreen
Pola & Bryson – Under (feat. Lauren Archer)
Fox & Satl – Sunshine Blues (feat. KSR)
Voyager – Kokoro