Tag Archives: Ear & Drum Session

2015, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session, Minimal

Cuts Deep – Ear & Drum Session 109

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Stripped back drums and arcing sub-bass is the order of the day in this deep rolling set. Om Unit, Alix Perez and Fanu all bring their signature sounds and Calibre and Marcus Intalex help bring a more melodic take on what is one of modern D&B’s most popular sounds.

Cuts Deep – 1hr of Deep D&B

Om Unit – The Hand
Fracture x Chimpo – From Early
Ital Tek – Vector
Fanu – Dreamers’ Union
Alix Perez & Stray – Rip N Dip
Alix Perez – Understand
Hidden Turn – Dream of Tron
Fanu – Sleepwalking
Mark System – Optix
Loxy – Purity
Marcus Intalex – These Days
Skeptical – Square Breathing
House of Black Lanterns – Take Control
Thing – One Million
Om Unit – Grey Skies Over Chicargo
Ivy Lab & Hydro – Make It Clear (feat. Frank Carter III & Lucy Annika)
Calibre – Deep Orca
Skeptical – Offline
Digital & Spirit – Mosquito

2015, Amen, Chill Out, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Melodic, Old Skool

Signs of Intelligence – Ear & Drum Session 108

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Ah the 90s – electronic music’s golden era and definitely D&B’s original hey-day. Around ’96 D&B was everywhere and everyone wanted a piece, from movie soundtracks to TV advertising to mainstream music labels, they all wanted what D&B had. And what D&B had was some of the planet’s hottest production talent exploring electronic musics most diverse musical genre.

Photek was in his prime, dropping must have tune after must have tune. LTJ Bukem and his label, Good Looking, were killing it with an incredible artist roster including legends such as Blame and PFM. And Jonny L was on the verge of greatness and flexing some seriously beautiful music.

It was a gentler time, when D&B didn’t feel like it had to be dark or underground and it was an era I still love coming back to so I can lay down sets like this.

Signs of Intelligence – 1.5hrs of 90s Intelligent D&B

Photek – Into the 90s
Madalay – Flowers Bloom (Secret Lovers Mix)
Therapy – Loose (Photek Remix)
Fallen Angels – Frequency (Tango Remix)
Big Youth – Jim Screechy (Smith & Mighty Remix)
Everything But The Girl – Before Today (Adam F Remix)
Lil Louis & The Party – Clap Your Hands (PFM Remix)
Arkatuba – Josimar (Fila Brazillia Remix)
JMJ & Ritchie – Universal Horn
Jonny L – This Time (Cool Dub)
LTJ Bukem – Music
Sneaker Pimps – 6 Underground (In The Jungle Mix)
Everything But The Girl – Before Today (Dave Wallace Remix)
Photek – The Rain
Blame – Overhead Projections
PFM – One & Only
Everything But The Girl – Blame (Fabio Remix)
Neil Trix & Danny Mills – Pearls
PFM – Western (Words 2 B Heard Vocal Mix)
Jonny L – Nightlife
LTJ Bukem – Horizons
Eugenix – Sunshine

2015, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session

Unfathomable – Ear & Drum Session 107

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A spiritual successor to the Fathoms mix that I did last year, this is deeeeep. Simple beats looped to tick along while rolling bass carries you away. The simplicity of a lot of these tracks belay their complexity.

A big thanks has to got to Doc Scott and his 31 Records imprint for the Future Beats album which features heavily here. Plus Kid Drama, Sulex and Clarity all who I had never come across before but sure am glad I did.

Unfathomable – 1hr of Deep D&B

Ital Tek – Vector
Clarity – Surge
Kid Drama – Azure Pt.1
Kid Drama – Crimson (Don’t Look Down)
Marcus Intalex – These Days
nClear – If This Then That
Kiat – Feeder
DFRNT – Dark Blue
High COntrast – Racing Green (Modu’s Rework)
Seba – Inside Yourself
Skeptical – Imperial
Dub Motion – Azure
MAV – Skylines (Inertia Remix)
Moresounds – Rahstok
Bios Destruction – Crystal
Klute – you Won’t Like It
Atlantic COnnection – Geppetto feat. Tunde Olianiran
Clarity – Cyclone (with Indigo)
Skeptical – Offline
Sulex – Root
Calibre – The Wash

2015, Ear & Drum Session, Liquid D&B, Melodic

Twilight’s Song – Ear & Drum Session 106

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More of a vocal inspired than straight up D&B mix. Most of these are just great songs beautifully sung that happen to have a breakbeat behind them.

Calibre features heavily, as does Atlantic Connection, Intelligent Manners and Nelver. Plus a whole host of weird and wonderful who have been flying well below the radar.

If you are looking for something a little different, you have found it.

Twilight’s Song – 1hr of Vocal D&B

Nelver – Impressions
Spenda C vs Alison Wonderland – I Want You (Spenda C Remix)
Atlantic Connection – Without You feat. Rose Hart
Intelligent Manners – Numb
SpectraSoul feat. Terri Walker – Light In The Dark (Etherwood Remix)
Alix Perez feat. Peven Everette & SpectraSoul – Forsaken (Calibre Remix)
Mobility – Fully Interlocking
Al Pack – Come Correct (Kalum Remix)
DFRNT – Dark Blue (Stunna Remix)
Intelligent Manners – Everyday Is The Same
Furney – Missing Her Missing Me
Nelver & Steeotype – Spring Inspiration
Artificial Intelligence & dBridge – Better Days
Will Miles – Moon Rising
Hydro, Frank Carter III & Ivy Lab – Make It Clear
Atlantic Connection feat. Tunde Olaniran – Geppetto
Calibre – The Wash
BCee – Typical Description (Calibre Remix)

2015, Ambient, Chill Out, Deep D&B, Down Low Session

Call the Ambience 7: Deep Sleep Therapy – Ear & Drum Session 105

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Perfect for the weekend, this mix of the chilled out and laid back will make surfing the couch a dream. I’m not even sure if a lot of these tracks can be classified as D&B. But they all share a wonderful ambient style and certainly blend together beautifully.

Slide on your headphones, close your eyes and drift off into deep sleep therapy territory.

Call the Ambience 7: Deep Sleep Therapy – 1hr of Ambient D&B

Cern – Don’t Leave Me
MAV – Time & Space (LM1 Remix)
José Raúl – Cala Den Serra
Seba – Painted Sky (DFRNT Remix)
Implex & Julia Marks – 1000 Years (Pryzma Remix)
Afterlife – A Little Bit of Love
Mobility – Sunrays Through Rain
DFRNT – Dark Blue
Atlantic Connection – Sirens Song
Krone – Microcosmos
Andre Donaldz – Soft Landing
Andrew Cash – The Sound of Eternity
DFRNT – Everything
Bite My A – A Lonley Place
MAV – A Journey Through Skylines (But Sweet Dreams) (Microspacefunk Bop Remix)
Thriftworks – Pad FUKKK
Twicey – J6
Mistabishi – The Howling Void Where Your Soul Should Be

2015, Ear & Drum Session, Liquid D&B, Melodic

Liquid(n)ation – Ear & Drum Session 104

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Liquid [lik-wid]
adjective
1. having the consistency of a liquid.
2. (of a sound) clear, pure, and flowing; harmonious.
noun
1. A subgenre of drum and bass. While it uses similar basslines and bar layouts to other styles, it contains fewer bar-oriented samples and more instrumental layers (both synthesized and natural), harmonies, melodies and ambiance, producing a sentimental atmosphere directed at home listeners as well as nightclub and rave audiences. Music genres such as jazz, soul and sometimes blues have a pivotal influence on liquid funk.

Liquid(n)ation – 1hr+ of Liquid D&B
Calibre – Make Me Feel Alright
T Base – Digital Future
Silence Groove – Bass Police
Karma – Silhouettes
Billion feat. Maxine Ashley – Special (Nu:Tone Remix)
S.P.Y – Perth Sunset
CLS – Baltic Air
Nelver – Nightwalker VIP
Will Miles – Dream to Be
Unreal – Just One Night
Intelligent Manners – Everyday is the Same
dRamatic – Diamond in the Rough
Nelver – Black & White
Nelver & Camargo – Aurora
Calibre – Sagan
Soul Cube & Rowpieces – Wake Up
PLK – Her Side
Nelver – Nibiru
Cern – Those Left Behind feat. Hydro
Semi Sense – Fast Days
Silence Groove – Northern Groove
Neo – All the Love (Chris SU Remix)
Mindstorm – Think of the Future
ActRaiser – Full Moon
Nelver – Shadows
Parhelia – The End of the Introduction
Avizura – Blue Sky

2015, Amen, Ear & Drum Session

Drum Struck – Ear & Drum Session 103

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Percussive Drum & Bass has come a long way since the pots and pans style abstraction pioneered by the likes of Polar, Paradox and Equinox. These days some serious polish is going into the production plus the addition of some groove that makes it, dare I say it, almost danceable.

For me OM Unit is blazing this trail and his Inversion LP on Metalheadz was one of THE albums of the year across any genre. But there are many others following hot on his heels including some giant names such as Calibre, S.P.Y and Marcus Intalex all pushing their sound into territories unknown.

This mix may not be for all tastes, but if you are up for some challenging listening then dive right in.

Drum Struck – 1hr of Percussive D&B

OM Unit – Parallel
S.P.Y – Twilight Zone
Calibre – Eschaton feat. MC DRS
Nebula – Blackout
Digital, Spirit & Response – Different Style
Dub Phizix – Bounce
Liz-E – Need You
S.P.Y – Lost Orbit
Ulterior Motive – Inta-National
Marcus Intalex – These Days
Mefjus- Continuous
Ulterior Motive – Stay
ArQer & Realtime – Derpetroid
OM Unit – Touching Down
The Invaders – Burning Book
Vromm – F Plex
Goldie – My Little India
Icicle & Mefjus – Isolation
S.P.Y – Frozen

2015, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session

The Depths – Ear & Drum Session 102

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Strap on the tanks and come for a dive into the deeper side of D&B with me. We’ve got some Drumfunk, Minimal, Half-Beat, Dub and a little bit of Liquid to smooth it all out – oh and a some quality grime-style lyrics courtesy of Kool Keith, Fixate and Skittles.

Tune in, turn up (the bass) and chill out as we plumb the depths.

The Depths – 1.5hrs of Deep Drum & Bass

Rainforest – Dopamine Paradise
Snug – Ascension
Skyweep – Wisdom Goddess
Earl Grey – Bob Dub
Calculon & Austin Speed – Get Murked (Deft Remix)
OM Unit – the War
Nu:Tone – Metaphor 6000 (Feat. Kool Kieth)
Machine Code – Requiem (Huron Remix)
Mobility – Fully Interlocking (Feat. Dana)
Bungle – Lights
Mauoq – Dream On (Stunna Kingston Dream Dub Remix)
Abiotic & Wallwerk – Polar Lights
Chimpo – Haymaker
Chimpo – Bun it (Feat Fixate)
Icicle – Problem (Feat. Skittles)
Thriftworks – Pad FUKKK
Goldie – My Little India
OM UNit – The Crossing
Airstrike & Blak – Karma (Mercury Remix)
Blu Mar Ten – Thin Air (Kid Drama Remix)
Skyweep – Everytime (Feat. Natalie Williams)
PLK – Her Side
Synkro – Transient
Dexta & Mauoq – Time Patrol
Vromm – Fields of Vengence

2014, Amen, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Melodic

Change of Atmosphere – Ear & Drum Session 101

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Back in 1996 LTJ Bukem was king. His brand of atmospheric (some called it Intelligent) D&B was uplifting dance floors everywhere and his Logical Progression LP was on rotation in almost every pub, cafe and bar. The combination of rapid fire syncopated beats couples with melody and atmospheric pads was pure magic.

Fast forward to 2014 and the atmospheric sound is starting to have a resurgence. I’m not sure it’s a deliberate movement the way it was in 96′, as I’m not finding EPs or LPs dedicated to it, but single tracks are popping up everywhere in amongst the amen heavy drumfunk and melodic liquid on labels like Celsius, Subtle Audio and Offworld Recordings.

I’ve spent most of the year keeping a folder aside just for these types of tracks. Knowing that eventually I’ll have enough to throw down a decent set of uplifting beats and swelling rhythms. And that time is now.

Change of Atmosphere – 1hr+ of Atmospheric D&B

Nebula – Encounter (VIP)
Actraiser – Strange New World
S.P.Y & Total Science – Double Trouble
Will Miles – Falling
Tim Cant – Fusion Chillout
Calibre & Marcus Intalex Feat. Fox – Something Heavy
Tremah – Trouble Shooter
Dave Webber – Drifter
Enjoy – Safe for a Mistake
Parhelia – Moon Machine
Roygreen & Protone Feat. Monologue & Lameduza – Through The Alps (Survival Remix)
Airstrike & Blak – Karma
L-Side – Tomorrow Never Dies
Anile – Voidrants
Anile – To Live Without
Eveson – Tempest
Tim Cant – Ultra Generic
Blade – Universal Rhythm
Furney – Tear in the Rain
Jam Theives – Distant Lover

2014, Ear & Drum Session

One Hundred – Ear & Drum Session 100

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I started this blog almost 6 years to the day as a way of getting my love of Drum & Bass music out to the world. Since then I’ve uploaded 99 exclusive Ear & Drum mixes and countless archives of older mixes that pre-dated this blog. I don’t do it for money and have kept advertising away. Having never produced, I figured the best I could do was promote other peoples music I love through my mixes. The reason I do this is for the love of a music that over the past 20 years has given me so much pleasure that I feel I owe it something. I have to give something back to all those producers who toil away in their studios, making next to no money and awesome music.

In the last six years The Ear & Drum has had over 75,000 views and over 22,000 mixes downloaded. The most popular being the very first mix I posted featuring PFM which has had just over 700 downloads. This is my 100th mix for the Ear & Drum and as a way of doing something special I put together 100 of my favourite tunes from the past two years. It’s over five hours long. It will take you ages to download. But I can guarantee you it’ll be worth it.

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported, and who still supports, the Ear & Drum and Drum & Bass music. I read every comment and every time someone thanks me for a mix I feel like it’s been worth it. An extra big thanks to ChaNinja, William, Jonathan (How about that gig in Berlin next year?), CyKosis, DNR, Paige, Stelf and Jedi John (Glad you’re mixing again mate.) who have regularly commented and supported me down the years. And an even bigger thanks to Raps, Mike, Cob and the Peligra Kru who showed me just what a powerful medium the net can be for spreading the gospel and getting mixes out there.

Here’s to mix number 100 and hopefully another 100 more to come. 🙂

One Hundred – 5hrs+ of Amazing Music

Sub Focus – Twilight
Bungle – Aura
Furney – Charlotte’s Song
Sub Focus – Turn It Around Feat. Kele
Artificial Intelligence – War Horse Feat. MC DRS
Lenzman – Empty Promise
Lenzman – Empty Promise (Jubei Remix)
Mistabishi – Dark Pools
Rental – Paper Shuffler
Technimatic – Sheltered Storm
Nudge – Fair Question
Never – White Clouds
Total Science – See Your Face Feat. Riya
Fred V & Grafix – Clouds Cross Skies
Hybrid Minds – Meant To Be
Seba – Shades of Me & You
Seba – Never Let You Go (Blu Mar Ten Remix)
Bipolar – State of Play
Lenzman – My Tearz Feat. Steo
S.P.Y Feat. Total Science – Cold Harsh Air
Level 2 – Conquest VIP
Amoss – Bumbaclart
Technimatic – Intersection
Sunchase – Next Rhythm (Engage Remix)
Vadav – Karma
Rawtekk – Snowflakes (Ambient Version)
Karma – Lil Ghetto Boy (Alexus Remix)
Bachelors of Science – Beats Still Own the Rhythm
dBridge & Skeptical – Move Way
Facing Jinx – Time
Greyscale – Impossible Dream
Naibu – Fireflies (Light Mix)
Seba – Under the Sun
S.P.Y – You
dRamatic – Straight Talking
Nu:Logic – Morning Light
Nitri Feat. Grimm & Level 2 – Secrets
Command Strange & Malaky – Regrets
ST Files & Response – Nailbomb
Contra – Espanola
Technimatic – Mirror Image
Pharrell Williams – Happy (Makoto 170 Edit)
Sprinter – Suffocate
DuoScience – Neglect
Amit & Rani – I’ll Cut You Down
Hybris – Losing It
BCee – Think Twice
LTJ Bukem – Atlantis (Marky & S.P.Y Rework)
Seba Feat. Kirsty Hawkshaw – Nothing Can Replace
Break – Who We Are
The INsiders – Meltdown
PFM – This Must Be Love
Bachelors of Science Feat. Ben Soundscape & Kemo – Ainokea
Data – Vice
Nitri & Level 2 Feat. Grimm – Lies (Calibre Remix)
Nitri & Level 2 Feat. Grimm – Lies
Total Science Feat. Grimm – Another Time
Intelligent Manners – Move Me
Klute – Turnaround
Shrust – Cocoon
Seba – Can’t Describe
Mineral – Living the Dream (ESC & Subsense Remix)
Telmo A – Between Two Worlds (Phil Tangent Remix)
Actraiser – Future Encounters
Enei Feat. Eastcolours – 2012
Airstrike Feat. Allison Grey – Frozen
dBridge – Death of a Drum Machine
SJ Clart & Reza – The Chances (Vocal Version)
Keeno – As One
Paramount & Patricia Edwards – Angels
Breach – Jack (Calibre Remix)
Etherwood – Unfolding
Alix Perez Feat. Sam Wills – Annie’s Song
Sub Focus Feat. Alpines – Tidal Wave
Phil Tangent – Restitution
DLR & Script – Bue Room
HLZ, DJ Chef & MC Fats – Souljah (HLZ Remix)
Stray – LA Zoom
Tokyo Prose & Phil Tangent – Parity (Klute Remix)
Vilem & McLeod – Another Star
LTJ Bukem – Music (Technicolour Remix)
Nookie – The Eclipse (Furney Remix)
BCee – The Falls
SJ Marky & S.P.Y – Yellow Shoes (Calibre Remix)
Hybrid Minds – Why (Fourward Remix)
S.P.Y Feat. Jo-S – Future Tense
soulTec – I Hear You Knocking
Bcee – Captured In Time (Chris SU Remix)
CLS – One Month
Cyantific – Walking Away
High Contrast – Twilight’s Last Gleaming VIP
Lenzman – Broken Dreams (Makoto Remix)
Rowpieces – Cosmic Funk
Shuwa – Inversion
Alex Reece – It’s Alright
Frederic Robinson Feat. Stray – Bloom
Marcus Intalex – Riots
Om Unit – Grey Skies Over Chicago
Paperclip – Structure 15
Seba – Balance of Power