Thursday 30 December 2010

HEDMUK - Top 50 Of 2010


I know what you're thinking, we don't need another list of top releases for 2010. Certainly, as per normal, the usual lists and round-ups that splatter the blogosphere and music journals at this time of year have been coming thick and fast; there's Martin Clark's (AKA Blackdown) excellent end of year column for Pitchfork, Boomkat's 2010 charts (our favourite here was that of Elijah Butterz), FACT's numerous lists covering best mixes of the year to the best label, and a whole host of others. What lies below, in no particular order, are our own personal favourite tunes of the year in dubstep and grime:

Dubstep:

Silkie - City Limits Vol 1.2 - Bass Junkie [Deep Medi]
Kryptic Minds & Youngsta - Cold Blooded [Osiris Music UK]
Icicle - Minimal Dub [Shogun Audio]
Coki - Ransom [Soul Jazz]
Cyrus - Beatwise [Random Trio Productions]
Addison Groove - Footcrab [Swamp81]
Mala - Eyez [DMZ]
Redlight - MDMA [MTA]
Distance - No Warning [Chestplate]
SP:MC & Youngsta - Unidentified [Osiris Music UK]
Cymatic - Jungle Fever [Box Clever]
Guido - Mad Sax [Punch Drunk]
Emalkay - Crusader [Dub Police]
Skream - How Real (feat. Freckles) [Tempa]
Mr. Lager - Tell Me (feat. Alys Be) (Distance Remix) [Sub Freq]
Jakes - Time Ends [Tectonic]
Benga & Walsh - Bassface [Biscuit Factory]
Tunnidge - Fear [Chestplate]
The Others - Off The Wall [Dub Police]
Pinch - The Boxer [Tectonic]
Cluekid - The Sound [Aquatic Lab]
Jakes - Rhythm [HENCH]
Seven & Elvee - Moonshine [Wheel & Deal]
Dark Sky - Ghost Notes [Black Acre]

Grime:

S-X - Woooo Riddim [Stay Fresh]
Rude Kid - Electric [No Hats No Hoods]
Badness - Nightmare (feat. Skepta & Lil Nasty) (Mensah Remix)
Maxsta - East London Is Back [Uptown]
D Double E - Streetfighter Riddim [Dirtee Stank]
G. Tank - Global Warming [Underground]
Terror Danjah - Bipolar [Butterz]
Crazy Titch - Silencer Freestyle [Lock Down]
Newham Generals - I'm A General (feat. Esco) [Dirtee Stank]
Mz Bratt - Selecta [Soul 2 Streets]
Spooky - Spartan [No Hats No Hoods]
Swindle - Airmiles [Planet Mu]
Rossi B & Luca - E10 Riddim (feat. Killa P) [Planet Mu]
P Money - Slang Like This [Virgin UK]
Marger - See Me (feat. Rival) [Alien Musik / Free]
JME - Blam! [Boy Better Know]
Zdot - Green Glass [Catapult]
Ghetts - Artillery [360 Records]

...

Wednesday 29 December 2010

Subreachers - Ice Cast Mix


We first became aware of Subreachers through their remix of Killa and Instinct's Indica. Hailing from Belgium, the production duo make deep, dark, moody beats or, in there words, 'music for frozen souls'. With releases on Haunted Audio and Dubkraft Records, as well as a number of forthcomings, now is a good time to check their sound:

Ice Cast Mix Dec 10 by Subreachers

Tracklist:

Kiev - Breach [Dub]
12th Planet - Smokescreen (Jack Sparrow Remix) [Dub]
Killa & Instinct - Indica (Subreachers Remix) [Dub]
Lurka - Conscious [Dub]
Goli & Ashburner - Fields of Vibrations (Subreachers Remix) [Dub]
Subreachers - Void [Dub]
Coki - It [DMZ]
Subreachers - Left Hand Path [Dub]
Ben Verse - Venom [Dub]
Commodo - The Shock [Dub]
Requake - Origin Of Species [Dub]
Core - Suicide [Dub]
Lurka - Return [Dub]
Orphan 101 - Propa [Dub]
JazzyJazzy - Atlantis [Dub]
J:Kenzo - Against The Grain [Dub]
Dubwoofa - Night Sun [Dub]
Cessman - Zion Dreamz [Dub]
JazzyJazzy - Cold Harbour Lane [Dub]
Valor - Frank Jaeger [Dub]
Subreachers - Let Go (J:Kenzo's Digikal Love Refix) [Dub]
JazzyJazzy - Gimme Ya Wallet [Dub]
Subreachers - Let Go (Au Valour's Forgive & Forget Remix) [Dub]

Mr Lager Ft Asher Dust - 4 Leaf Clover (Von D Remix) [Dub]
June Miller feat. Beer - Aged 23 [Dub]

Tuesday 28 December 2010

Free Download: Ghetts - Merry Christmas EP



As one of the most consistent names in the grime scene, Ghetts' releases are always worth getting hold of for a few listens through. This free Christmas offering is no different as the twelve track collection points toward another good year for Ghetto as his uniquely verbose flows and metaphor-thick lyricism continue to progress to take in a more reflective side to both his vocals and his beat selection. With the usual high-profile producers (including Maniac, Lewi White, Dot Rotten and Zdot) lending beats and names such as Wiley, Griminal and long-time collaborator Devlin appearing as features, this EP delivers.

Download: Ghetts - Merry Christmas EP

Tracklist:

1. Merry Christmas
2. Freestyle (feat. Stutta)
3. Flee (feat. Mercston)
4. What Happened
5. Closer
6. Rain (feat. Raws Artilla)
7. They Don't Know (feat. Devlin)
8. Strike Me Dead (feat. Griminal & Dot Rotten)
9. Red Stripe
10. Spun (feat. Wiley & Dot Rotten)
11. Platoon (Old Skool Ghetts)
12. Star / Outro

.Fukhed.

Monday 27 December 2010

Free Download: Skream - The Freeizm Album



After many pleas for a follow up to Freeizm 3, Skream gave in and presented the ultimate dubstep Christmas gift. Featuring a huge thirteen tracks ranging from old school favourites such as '10 Bit Dreamz' to tunes that have been doing the circuits this year like 'CTO', aswell as much sought-after dubplates like 'Lightning VIP'.

Skream also included this Christmas message with the .zip folder:

"
Merry Christmas…..

Massive shouts to everyone who's supported me this year in any way…..
This album is compiled of old stuff, lost dubs and some new stuff so I hope you enjoy!
Here’s to 2011!

Massive shouts to Mario Cvetic for the artwork!
BIG UP!
"

Download: Skream - The Freeizm Album

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. No Ready
3. Cold Outside
4. 10 Bit Dreamz
5. Minor
6. Back From The Zoo
7. Krazy Snares
8. Lightning VIP
9. Left The Room (feat. P Money)
10. Commercial Sellout
11. CTO
12. Skwelcha
13. Emotional Shizzle


.Preacha.

Friday 24 December 2010

Free Download: Zed Bias - Lost Dats Archive: Vol. 1



Manchester garage legend Zed Bias has further secured his legendary status this festive season by releasing a massive pack of twenty tracks worth of old school gold. Featuring original productions from the man himself as well as remixes of the likes of El-B's 'Serious' and 'Girls Like Us' by the B15 Project. With this collection being called 'Volume 1', it can only be hoped that there will be a lot more to come in the near future...


Download: Zed Bias - Lost Dats: Vol. 1


.Preacha.

Free Download: Addison Groove - Footcrab VIP


The Christmas presents keep coming, this time from Loefah's Swamp 81 imprint and in the form of one of the most hyped and sought-after tunes of the year: the juke-infused Footcrab VIP by Bristolian Headhunter's Addison Groove alias.


Download: Addison Groove - Footcrab VIP


.Fukhed.

Free Download: Truth - Perfect Combination



After a huge year for the trio from New Zealand, which included tours across the UK, Europe and the United States, and releases on the likes of Skream's Disfigured Dubz, Mala's Deep Medi Musik and their homeland label Aquatic Lab, Truth have given out 'Perfect Combination': a tune which aptly describes their approach to both production and DJing as it balances a mid-range melody with an all important bass-weight.


Download: Truth - Perfect Combination


.Fukhed.

Free Download: Skream - Gather Round



Following from his announcement of the planned release of one final 'Freeizm' EP, the ever-generous Skream has given away the melodic banger 'Gather Round' for free via Twitter. This follows his pledge to make the collection the largest free release he's put out to date and is set to include around '10/11 tracks'. With the chosen tunes coming out tomorrow, Skream tonight has asked for submissions for artwork.


Download: Skream - Gather Round


.Fukhed.

Thursday 23 December 2010

Killa & Instinct - YDK Podcast


Bristol-based production duo Killa and Instinct are the latest contributors to the You Dun Know podcast series. Showcasing their own impressive deep, dark production alongside dubs from the likes of Cyrus, Lurka, TMSV and Commodo. Enjoy:


Tracklist:

Catacombs-Exhale (Dub)
Lurka- Prophet VIP (Dub)
Subreachers – Lefthand Path (Dub)
Cyrus -Alone (Dub)
Thelem – Illusions (Dub)
Killa & Instinct – Indica (Dub)
Subreachers – Void (Dub)
Piro & Proxima – Global Enialation (Dub)
Seven & Elvee – Waves (Dub)
Icicle – Anything (Tempa)
Killa & Instinct – EMF (Pure Dubstep)
Killa & Instinct – From The Dust (Forthcoming Orientis Records)
Antics – Four faced Liar (Dub)
TMSV – Amnesia (Dub)
Crisp & Pressa – Atom (Dub)
Geeks & Antics – Governments (Dub)
Instinct – The Resistance (Forthcoming Orientis Records)
Commodo – Orthodox (Dub)
Coleco – Morbid Curiosity (Forthcoming Orientis Records)

For more from the pair, check out our exclusive interview and mix with Killa and Instinct here.

Tuesday 21 December 2010

Free Download: Royal-T - Dark Land

Allstar grime DJ collective the Pitch Controllers have given out a Christmas gift of typically bouncy, 8-bit infused instrumental grime from one of the producers of the moment Royal-T.






.Fukhed.

Featuring: Goli & Ashburner


Through their back-to-back sets all over the country, diverse productions and tireless work in pushing new artists with their label For The Win Records, Goli & Ashburner have steadily and quietly established themselves as the dubstep dons of the Midlands. We caught up with Goli to chat about his influences, views on the potential for crossover between dubstep and grime and what we can expect in the future from the duo and their label. Goli has also laid down an exclusive mix, with the usual spread of deep, weighty bits and straight-up bangers. 2011 is looking to be an exciting year for Goli & Ashburner and FTW.

Hedmuk: To introduce yourself to those who don't know: what's your name, where are you from and how would you describe the sound of the tunes you make?

Goli: Hi I am Oliver Gibbons (Goli) from Nottingham, but at University in Leeds. I would describe our sound as a tough mixture of grime and bass weight aimed predominantly at the dance floor.


H: When did you start making beats, and have you always produced as a duo or is this something that was adopted further down the line?

G: I started building beats about 9 months ago because Mike (Ashburner) and I had been DJing as a pair since last August, so it made sense to produce collaboratively.


H: What were your earliest influences that might have pushed you in the direction of making music? And do these things remain influential to you now?

G: I was first influenced to make music when I first got into drum & bass, this was around 2003. I was listening to people like Amit, DJ Ink and Kryptic Minds, all the darker side of drum and bass, from there I got into DJing and played around on ejay loads, but instead of learning music production and pursuing the DJing I started playing in a death metal band until I was 18, which lead me onto dubstep. All the old drum & bass, hardcore and death metal I used to listen to is a big influence on what I do now: the drops in dubstep are so similar to breakdowns in hardcore music and the intensity in the raves are similar too.

You're Not There by Goli & Ashburner

H: What, would you say, are the most prominent advantages or disadvantages to producing as a duo?

G: To be honest from my experience if you find someone you work well with, then there aren’t any disadvantages, because you are both on the same level with every tune so it is second nature to know whether the other one is going to enjoy the ideas you bring to the table. The only disadvantage we have is that I am in Leeds and Mike is in London so we don’t have a full time studio space, other than that its bless.

H: One thing that has always stood out to us here is your willingness to use grime vocals in your tunes, Ashburner's 'Next Hype Refix' being the most obvious example and your more recent use of up-and-comer Merky ACE's vocal: how do you select the vocal to use and how do you approach using these vocals to add an extra layer to your beats?

G: To be honest Mike is the one who deals with all the vocal work. He definitely has an uncanny knack at being able to make vocals sit well on tunes. We like to see the vocal work ‘we’ do as our niche in some ways; not many dubstep producers bridge the gap between grime and dubstep, and we are very heavily influenced by grime so it made sense to use grime vocals in our tunes. The selection process isn’t really something we think about, we get sent a lot of vocals so we just use what we are feeling and either fit the vocals over an existing tune or create a new one. Merky ACE definitely caught our attention; he is a very talented MC coming up the ranks so we have been doing a couple of tracks with him which we are really happy with.

H: Further to that, what's your view on the potential crossover between grime and dubstep?

G: I personally think the crossover potential is huge, just look at Breakage's tune with Newham Generals 'Hard', it is a brilliant reworking of the original Breakage tune 'Together,’ and the vocals have made it an absolute anthem. To be honest I don’t think there is enough collaboration between the dubstep and grime world, a lot of the old grime producers are making UK funky instead of dubstep now, and the MCs are doing more and more tech house aiming for the charts or just working with the biggest artists in the scene. Thus making dubstep and grime collaborations few and far between.


H: You've been previewing a lot of new material lately and you don't appear to have been nailing yourselves to any one sound in particular: what can we expect from you production-wise in the near future?

G: As we are relatively new to the production world we have been playing around with where we want to take our sound and are really happy with what we have achieved so far. Through these experiments we have been making a lot deeper stuff, these tunes are going to be coming out under our new alias, so watch out for them. As for Goli & Ashburner it will be business as usual.

H: You also run one of the UK's best and most consistent new labels in the form of For The Win: what was it that made you want to start your own label?

G: Cheers for the props. We started the label because in Nottingham there were very few outlets for electronic music and we were hearing some really great stuff coming out of the city, so we decided to make a label and start releasing it.

H: How do you go about choosing which beats you want to release on the imprint, as the roster as it stands is a particularly diverse one?

G: We both take a very active role in searching for new music and if we hear something we instantly like we sign it. As we started without any prior knowledge of how to run a label we have made a few mistakes along the way, but now we are very proud of our roster and the beats we are promoting and releasing.



H: Do you find that your location in a city not necessarily strongly associated with dubstep has been a help or a hindrance to your work as both producer/DJs and label managers?

G: When we first started out, being situated in Nottingham was not perfect. Three years ago a lot of nights were bickering and it was very hard to get DJ bookings in the city if you didn’t know someone involved with the night. I mean we played our first five or six gigs outside of Nottingham before we actually got booked in Nottingham (laughs). Thanks to what we have achieved it has allowed us to represent Nottingham all over Europe and even the USA which we are really proud of. Label-wise it was good because we were one of the only dubstep labels not just in Nottingham, but in the whole of the Midlands so this allowed us a pretty free reign with signing beats off the local artists. Also now we have a night in the city and have become pretty established as part of the furniture in the Nottingham dubstep scene, it has made it a lot easier for us to comfortably grow the label and collaborate with different brands coming out of the city.

H: Do you consider most strongly as producers, DJs or label managers?

G: All three.

H: How do you balance these three commitments with each other: do certain aspects of your involvement in music occasionally have to take a back seat whilst you focus on another area, for instance?

G: It is a very difficult balancing act at times especially as I am in the third year of my degree, work part time and have a girlfriend, so from time to time things do get neglected; but I would say on the whole we both keep on top of things pretty well. To be honest I love what I do so I could never complain.

H: Finally, is there any news or projects in the pipeline that you want to put a word out about?

G: Got a few things: release-wise we have the ‘One’ EP 12” coming out on Loft Party Recordings very soon, also Kraken digital release of 'Gutter Riddem' / 'Badness'. FTW011, Magenta's Sphynx EP, is coming out early next year and will be available on Beatport, DJ Tunes, Junodownload etcetera. Then we have our own six track Goli & Ashburner EP coming out in a few months on For The Win, which is our first collaborative release on our own imprint. Then finally, we have started a new label which should be releasing some tunes off our alias soon. Also we are releasing a Free For The Win LP to say thank you for the support this year and that should be out in a week or so. And big up William, Subreachers, Benton, Killa & Instinct, Antics and all the For The Win crew.



Tracklist:

1. Killa & Instinct - Indica (Subreachers Remix) [Dub]
2. Core - Switchblade [Dub]
3. Shredexx - Silence [Forthcoming Subdepth]
4. Skream - Amity Step [Tempa]
5. Darqwan - Perplex [Dub]
6. Cyrus - Junk Yard [Get Darker]
7. Subreachers - Voids [Dub]
8. Radic & Saulya - Syndicate [Forthcoming For The Win]
9. Dom Hz - Two Minutes [Dub]
10. Commodo - The Shock [Dub]
11. F - Chillin' [7even]
12. Goli & Ashburner - Dubfare [Dub]
13. Dom - Suntime [Faisty Records]
14. Headhunter - Three Mad P's [Tempa]
15. Skream - Pick Up Ya Knees [Freeizm]
16. Subreachers - Voids (Killa & Instinct Remix) [Dub]
17. Gemmy & Djunya - Sour D [Dub]
18. Benton - The Demons Engineer [Dub]

.Fukhed.

Monday 20 December 2010

Tunnidge - Cool'eh Mag Podcast 011



The latest podcast for Cool'eh Mag sees Tunnidge take a slightly different approach to laying down a studio mix, as he instead uses it to explore his influences from the late '80s/early '90s rave and jungle scenes. The significance of such music to some of the biggest names in Bass Music, from Mala to Kode9, is no secret and Tunnidge shows in this mix that he is no exception. With a tracklist full of classics that speak for themselves, this mix comes highly recommended.

Download: Tunnidge - Cool'eh Mag Podcast 011

Tracklist:

Altern8 - Passion Devotion
808 State - Pacific 202
A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray
Rhythm Is Rhythm - Nude Photo
Liquid - Sweet Harmony
Manix - Feel Real Good
Bizzare Inc - Playing With Knives
Jonny L - Hurt You So
Urban Shakedown - Some Justice
Criminal Minds - Baptised By Dub
Krome & Time - This Sound Is For The Underground
Omni Trio - Renegade Snares
Bodysnatchers - Just For You London
Conquering Lion - Code Red

Free Download: Stelf - Shake My Head



Stelf is one of a small number of young grime MCs who have spent 2010 steadily developing profiles for themselves. With a focus on a dedication to the grime scene which has been a popular topic for 2010, and a main feature of much of the output from other up-and-coming MCs such as Maxsta and Rival as well as more established artists like Ghetts and Lethal Bizzle. This, his first mixtape, provides a snapshot of the work Stelf has been putting in over the year and features beats from the likes of Wiley, Dot Rotten, Bless Beats and Zdot.

Download: Stelf - Shake My Head

Tracklist:

1. Shake My Head (Prod. By Wiley)
2. Welcome (Prod. By Bless Beats)
3. Hungrey (feat. Lil Nasty & Shrimpoz) (Prod. By Zdot)
4. Make My Doe (Prod. By Dot Rotten)
5. Check This (Prod. By Warnz)
6. Art Of Grime (feat. S-H & Shrimpoz) (Prod. By Bless Beats)
7. Takeover (feat. Maxsta, Shizz & Shrimpoz)
8. No Chorus (feat. S-H) (Prod. By Zdot)
9. I Grime (Prod. By Hazzy)
10. See You Go (Prod. By Skanka)
11. 1Xtra: Cameo Set (feat. Maxsta & Axeman) [Bonus]
12. HS Anthem (feat. Delirious, Kage, Jokez, Lexi & Lyttle Lyttz) [Bonus]

.Fukhed.

Sunday 19 December 2010

Free Download: Niki & The Dove - Mother Protect (Phaeleh's Ravebomb Mix)



Taking the euphoric vocals from Niki & The Dove's original simmering piece of Scandinavian pop and weaving them over climbing synth-lines and driving breakbeats, Phaeleh creates his 'Ravebomb Mix'. Coming on like a more contemplative version of Skream's 'Burning Up' or Rusko's 'Four Seasons Of Rave', Malin Dahlström's vocal tone donates a hands-in-the-air anthem feel rather than that of a tear-out breaks banger.

Download: Niki & The Dove - Mother Protect (Phaeleh's Ravebomb Mix)

.Fukhed.

Tuesday 14 December 2010

Free Download: DJ Spooky - Spartan (Terror Danjah Remix) / DJ Spooky - Spartan (D.O.K Remix)



With a fresh take on the idea of producing multiple vocals of one beat, DJ Spooky's huge 'Spartan' has attracted the attention of a number of remixes. With rumours of a forthcoming EP featuring some of the reworkings of the original instrumental Butterz and Harddrive have once more released free tunes, this time from Terror Danjah and his long time protege D.O.K. With two of the grime scene's longest standing, yet hugely underrated, producers putting new life into the tune, quality is almost a guarantee.



.Fukhed.

Friday 10 December 2010

Free Download: Crazy Titch - Singalong (Benton Remix)



Through his unique approach to producing aggressive jump-up dubstep tunes whilst retaining a noticeable degree of control, Benton has been on a fast rise this year with his tune's getting battered by the likes of legendary up-tempo selectors N-Type and Chef. And despite still being locked up, Crazy Titch has launched something of a comeback this year with the release of the hugely anticipated 'Crazy Times 2' mixtape, and having his 'Silencer Freestyle' featured on the groundbreaking 'This is UK Grime' compilation.

This remix, then, is the perfect blend of instrumental and vocal as Crazy T's characteristic hyped delivery and bars are backed by a simple combination of big oscillating basslines and a hard-hitting snare.

Download: Crazy Titch - Singalong (Benton Remix)

.Fukhed.
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