Drum & Bass

Crush On Hardcore: Sequel Of The V

Posted by PlasmaDancer on August 12, 2010
Posted in: Drum & Bass, Finnish, Releases, UK. 1 comment

This is a nice surprise – a compilation album (free, of course) from the COH crew that features a fair few Finnish tracks alongside some of the UK producers I look out for. Check out the tracklist below and you’ll see what a  good job has been done with rounding up tunes.

In the freeform section, we all know about Sunray, Aurinkoon etc, but Jnks’ Skywalker shows how much he’s coming along as a producer, and it’s always nice to hear a new track from Matt England. Other tracks mostly fit into the breakbeat hardcore category, and I must admit that I quite liked Fuck Me Egyptian Style, a nutty jungle/happy/hardcore mashup.

Get all eighteen tracks in one file via the COH site.

Tribal Connection vol.9 @Shibuya HOME, 19th June

Posted by PlasmaDancer on June 16, 2010
Posted in: Drum & Bass, Events, Japanese. Leave a Comment

Looks like I got the dates muddled up – this is the jungle event I was talking about a few days ago, so it doesn’t clash with Illegrrrls after all. It took some finding, but from what I can tell this is real old skool business with everything from 90s breakbeat hardcore to ragga jungle. There are only three DJs through the night, and one of them is YAHMAN – here’s a video of him playing in Nakameguro a couple of years ago. Terrible video quality, but two absolutely classic tunes from back in the day. I used to love the second track here, it’s the ’94 remix of Conquering Lion’s Code Red.

Chill Out Corner 4

Posted by PlasmaDancer on April 20, 2010
Posted in: Drum & Bass, UK. Leave a Comment

A quiet couple of days, so let’s have another break with some nice drum and bass. A couple of post-2000 tunes in this one, and some very deep tracks from the early days.

I don’t think I’ve ever posted the link, but I must have mentioned this before – it’s PFM’s The Western. I once put it at no.1 in my all-time Top Ten, and it might still be there…15 years of listening and I still love it.

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Tokyo Hardcore Construction vs Twist, 21st March

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 22, 2010
Posted in: Drum & Bass, Events, Japanese. Leave a Comment

THC vs Twist turned out to be a really good event, and I’ve just finished uploading some videos. Still need a bit more practice, and could definitely do with an extra memory card or two, but hopefully you can get a decent idea of the atmosphere this time.

The turnout was very good, and it was nice to hear a variety of different sets from the Twist crew. I tried to check out as many as I could in between the usuals from THC. As I arrived WILD PARTY was finishing off his hardcore set, and next up was Twist’s JaQwa. The opening track started with deep subs and ambient pads, and I couldn’t believe it when it turned out to be an ambient dnb track in the style of Horizons. Following that was a classic mashed up amen track, and I was in absolute heaven for 10 minutes or so (even if it was literally just me and VX Pasta dancing to the tunes). Sadly though, the set gradually became more and more ‘modern’, and the breakbeats and pads gave way to two-step drums and Pendulum style wobble basslines. Things changed up again with a long sequence of dubstep tunes that completely confused the crowd, nobody had a clue how they were supposed to dance to them. Full marks for variation, but if only things had kept going in the early style… The video above was taken just at the end of the second track of the set.

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Matt England – Promo / Classics Mix 2010

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 3, 2010
Posted in: Drum & Bass, Finnish, Mixes, UK. 3 comments

Matt England – Promo Mix 2010 by FINRG Recordings 

Here’s a very welcome promo mix from Matt England, with an atmosphere that anyone on TYFTH should enjoy. After Psiosis, the set has a less dark feel, but after Alek Szahala’s Lumi it definitely gets going again. I was pleasantly surprised by Lost Soul’s Beyond Salvation, and the sequence following that is really very nice. Listen out too for Evol Intent’s Middle of the Night, a very nice selection followed by Shunt.

It’s highly recommended, and online now at the FINRG SoundCloud. Here’s the tracklist:

1. Matt England – Psiosis
2. Lost Soul – Love Can Destroy
3. Asa & S1 – Cured
4. Matt England – Underground
5. Alek Szahala – Lumi
6. Matt England – Consciousness
7. Lost Soul – Beyond Salvation
8. Alek Szahala – Maruuk
9. Matt England – Decelerate
10. The Qemists – Stompbox (Spor Remix)
11. Evol Intent – Middle of the Night
12. Ephexis – Shunt
13. Alek Szahala – From Flesh to Machines

Back again / Chill Out Corner 3

Posted by PlasmaDancer on March 3, 2010
Posted in: Drum & Bass. 4 comments

TYFTH has been in stasis for a couple of weeks, but we’re back in business now. I’ll try to catch up on a few of the things I’ve missed lately with posts today and tomorrow, because on Friday I’m running away to Hong Kong for a few days.

Just to get things going (and to get me used to writing again), here’s a quick Chill Out Corner.

First track is an anthem, make no mistake – LTJ Bukem’s Horizons. Just listening to it again now, and can’t believe how fresh it still sounds after 15 years.

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January Top Ten

Posted by PlasmaDancer on January 27, 2010
Posted in: Drum & Bass, Finnish, Japanese, Mixes, Top Tens, UK. 14 comments

The first Top Ten for quite a while, but first here’s an amazing tune I completely forgot about until a couple of days ago. This week I’ve been listening to a very nice mix of Photek’s mid-90s dark, minimal tunes, and UFO is right in the middle of the set. It has some of the best use of voice samples I’ve ever heard, taking lines from the audio recording of the UFO sighting at Rendlesham Forest in the UK (here’s the second half of the recording that Photek sampled). Whether it’s a hoax or not (!) there are about a million sample-worthy lines, and Photek used them perfectly. With his trademark drums, amazing sub bass and weird sounds, it’s a special tune, no mistake.

Anyway, back to freeform:

  1. Nomic – Muuttolintu
  2. Alek Szahala – Lagash
  3. Nomic – Walking in the Air
  4. Alek Szahala -Astraia
  5. Substanced – Crank Cleopatra
  6. Guld – Hannya X (Proteus “Kampai Forever” remix)
  7. Betwixt & Between – Nemesis
  8. Poly Calamity – Unam Sanctam
  9. Nightforce – Symphony for the Devil (The Virus Escaped)
  10. Hase – Disintegration

Ellis Dee @Dreamscape 15/16, 1994

Posted by PlasmaDancer on January 13, 2010
Posted in: Drum & Bass, Events, Mixes, UK. Leave a Comment

I can’t resist posting this one – a 10-minute clip of a very heavy jungle set from Ellis Dee, playing at one of the UK’s 90s mega-raves, Dreamscape. I wasn’t there (I was only 13 at the time!), but managed to get hold of a recording of this set (as well as a few others) from a friend, and listened to them for the next ten years or so…It’s sets like these that made me think about one day mixing tunes myself, so hearing them again for the first time in years has genuinely made my week.

Have a listen…get past the MCs and there are some great tunes in this first 10 minutes.

DJ Rx feat. Jolea – My Serenity, free release (and sample pack)

Posted by PlasmaDancer on January 2, 2010
Posted in: Drum & Bass, Finnish, Releases, UK. 2 comments

Most people will have heard DJ Rx’s My Serenity on the FINRG player (plus the Finnish remixes), but now it’s finally on free release. Even if (like me) you’re not the biggest fan of modern drum and bass, this track has a lot going for it, with some beautiful melodies and the kind of top quality production that’s becoming Rx’s trademark. Download the mp3 or wav file from the FINRG SoundCloud, as well as the remixes from JNKS, Horzi, Sam One, and Nu-Energy’s Synthwulf and ENDEMIC.

Rx has also announced that the My Serenity remix pack will be downloadable, but the link is out of action at the moment. I know for a fact that a few people are waiting to have a try at their own version, so I’ll let you know as soon as it recovers. edit: The remix pack is online now, and can be downloaded here.