Garage | 2Step | UK Funky | Bassline 56 Items

Neck-breaking swing and deep moody pads from Nayba.

Tom Frankel and Dayne Harper, founders of the record label Council Work and purveyors of British underground dance sounds, make their debut as duo Frankel & Harper on Time Is Now's white label series. They serve up five killer cuts of explorative bass-driven production.

The EP opens with "Track & Trace", a smooth but high intensity roller that never gives you a breather from the heavy sub bass. The breaks that hit after the drop push the momentum for the rest of the record. "Ultraheat" features clever chopped up vocals and bubbling effects that create a skippy, upbeat shine to a forward beat that would be at home in the dark of the club.

More clubwise production on "Every Grain of Sand", where echoed samples give a cavernous space to the track which is filled by shimmering arps and the low-end rumble of bass, real late night business that rolls into "Heinous Fly Trap's classic heads-down garage sound. Shuffling house energy meets two-step on "Magnolia", bringing the party energy for the record closer.

Highly anticipated would be an understatement - so influential are his releases to date, it's difficult to believe he's never released a full length project. The name of the mixtape may already be familiar - an evolution from 2019's acclaimed "Slipping" EP and also the name of a Joy Orbison curated radio station ("Still Slipping: Los Santos") within Grand Theft Auto's immersive world - but in terms of scope and ambition, "still slipping vol.1" is without doubt O'Grady's boldest and most expansive project yet.

First coming to prominence in 2009 with his debut single “Hyph Mngo” - a track that became a bonafide phenomenon and changed the dance music underground forever - the London musician, DJ and producer is undoubtedly one of the most renowned, respected and influential electronic artists of his generation. Whether through his own game-changing releases such as “Ellipsis”, “GR Etiquette”, “Big Room Tech House DJ Tool-TIP!” or the “Slipping” EP, collaborations with the likes of Mansur Brown, Overmono and cutting edge Japanese clothing label Cav Empt, a run of genre-defining releases on his Hinge Finger label, a BBC Radio 1 residency and live appearances that span the most credible underground nights to festival headline slots around the world, the name Joy Orbison has been a constant byword for understated, uncompromising quality. "still slipping vol.1" is the next evolution in his journey. Fans of Joy Orbison's DJ sets and radio shows will already be aware of his diverse tastes and inspirations, represented here through a roll call of delicately curated, mainly UK, collaborators that include Herron, James Massiah, Bathe, Lea Sen, Goya Gumbani and Tyson. Just as important are the voices Joy Orbison's family - mum, dad, sister Sarah, uncle Frankie, uncle Keith (recently departed), auntie Helen and cousins Lola, Mia and Leighann, who was the first person to introduce O’Grady to drum and bass and garage as a kid and stars on the mixtape’s cover art. They appear throughout the record via a series of voice notes, his only contact with his family during this year of worldwide lockdown and an intimate, vicarious glimpse into the personal world of an artist who has generally side-stepped the public gaze. The result is Joy Orbison's best music to date and a powerful distillation of his musical career so far. Recorded in his Walworth Window studio in south east London, this is serious, future-facing sound system music cut through with a sense of warmth and playfulness much needed for these times. In O'Grady's own words, "I made a point of making it feel really human. I wanted it to be quite light hearted and humorous so that the weirder bits of the record didn't seem too wanky or self-indulgent. In my head it’s a soul record but I'm not sure that's how people will hear it”

Schon seit seinen Teenager-Jahren gehört Peter O’Grady, alias Joy Orbison, zu den treibenden Kräften der elektronischen Musik-Szene, der er immer wieder mit seinen Veröffentlichungen neue Wege aufzeigen konnte. Nun erscheint endlich sein erstes Mixtape „still slipping vol. 1“, das beweist, dass er auch in 2021 nichts an Relevanz oder Aktualität verloren hat.

„Heiß erwartet“, trifft es hier wohl, wenn man sich vor Augen ruft, dass Orbison bisher noch kein Album oder mehr als eine EP in seiner Karriere veröffentlicht hat. Der Titel erinnert dabei an die gefeierte 2019er EP „Slipping“ sowie an seinen kuratierten Radio-Kanal „Still Slipping: Los Santos“ in der Grand Theft Auto-Gaming-Welt – gleichzeitig ist dieses 14-Songs umfassende Mixtape die wohl ambitionierteste Veröffentlichung Orbisons bisher und ein Meilenstein in seiner Karriere. 2009 begann diese mit der Debüt-Single „Hype Mngo“, mit der der Londoner Musiker, DJ und Produzent hohe Wellen im Dance Music Underground erzeugte. Es folgten weitere Singles, EPs, Kollaborationen mit Acts wie Mansur Brown oder Overmono, eine BBC One Residency, DJ-Sets und Live-Auftritte in Clubs und bei Festivals auf der ganzen Welt. „still slipping vol.1“ zeugt wie gewohnt von den mannigfaltigen Einflüssen und Strömungen, von denen sich Joy Orbison treiben lässt und rollt den Teppich aus für Kollaborationen mit Acts wie Herron, James Massiah, Bathe, Lea Sen, Goya Gumbani und Tyson. Daneben bietet es einen intimen Einblick auch in die persönliche Welt des Künstlers während den vergangenen Lockdown-Monaten, beinhaltet das Mixtape doch auch einige persönliche Voice Messages seiner Mutter, seines Vaters, der Schwester und Cousinen.

Discover the essential high tempo Singeli Sound that currently echoes throughout Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. This accompanying release to the mini-documentary on the scene from NTS, focuses on two of the central studios in the scene and their singular takes on Singeli; with Pamoja, helmed by Duke, and the inimitable DJ Sisso

Having previously graced the label with Ifsdigi002 and as part of the Ifsdigiv001 record which landed earlier this year, Kodama marks his return to Infernal Sounds with a 4 track solo EP on their main catalogue. As to be expected from the producer he showcases his musical and melodic prowess throughout, touching on darker tones whilst displaying the lighter, nibble notes we've all come to expect to hear from him.

'Gekko' opens up the EP, beautifully constructing a kaleidoscope of emotion and spanning textures, whilst 'Fijit' hits a little differently, layering daunting droplets of reverb, revealing a sinister underbelly to the overall vibe.

The B-side opener, 'Sneakers' leads with drawing melodies, before breaking into a bass-infused medley. 'Wiretap' finishes the EP with accurate precision, again providing an example of Kodama's use of melodic structures, whilst drawing you down a spectrum of sound and feeling.

It's one of those EP's which isn't particularly packed with out-right bangers for the dancefloor, but more of a display of the newer 140 sound, and a selection of tunes which cohesively gel into a neat little package. For the DJ's who love to build, these are dying to be part of your collection and are perfect to get the crowd on the correct vibe.

How many forms can a drum break take across the course of one EP? Needing little introduction are TIN mainstays Frankel & Harper who, with the help of Bakey, help us get to an answer. Buffalo Skank EP is a celebration of breakbeat. Whilst proving the duo's prowess in rhythmic variety, there is an emphasis on fun as they form complex drum patterns only for them to be chopped and screwed into myriad formations. At times, an Amen break is accompanied by blissed-out atmospherics borrowed from old school dnb ("Buffalo Skank"). At others, an unapologetic rhythm drives forward as if crushing anything in its way ("Oblivion"). On "Taz &" ricocheting snares evoke the music of junglist Sully before Bakey strips them entirely in favour of a more minimal sound.

Dominus joins the Time Is Now family with 4 weighty bass driven cuts, backed with a Dayne Harper remix. TIP!!

A sacred grove is a place in a forest thought to hold spiritual powers. Throughout history, these sites have been places of worship and ritual. Since the rave boom of 89’ - a new generation has found an alliance with nature steeped in hedonistic abandonment. So it is a befitting alias for the Malmö-based producer Teodor to use in order to serve us these spiritual excursions into ‘open air’ territory. While he has previously donned this mantle to provide atmospheric lo-fi techno on the Japanese label City-2 St. Giga (then as a duo with his friend DJ Natto) - here he hits closer to the deep house palette of his 2017 album ‘Neo Geo’ under the alias Fyodor The DJ. For the 8th instalment on blundar, the artist has worked closely with the label in picking out the right tracks from his vast archives. While the tempo sometimes staggers well towards BPM levels of hardcore techno, the touch remains gentle and soft. This genre-defying characteristic owes a lot to video game music, and especially Japanese games, where Teo finds a lot of his inspiration. The first track bathes us in tropical field recordings before tripping off into a relentless tribal groove - countered by meandering new age flutes. A2 is a fluid and complex piece, vibrating with a warm tenderness all the while maintaining a minimal progressive path. A3 deals in crunchy breakbeats and layers upon layers. On the second side, B1 builds through a hazy fog of tape hiss, pierced by the bouncing thud of sped-up bongos and an arpeggio that escalate it all into transcendental euphoria. B2 goes ‘off the grid’ for a heady trek of slippery beats that spill out into small flecks of breaks, all the while gleaming through the doorway to a sombre ambient jazz score. Closing off this 12” is a chilling high-speed chase through a neon-flashing night, propelled by a numbingly hard hitting drum machine sequence. The artwork for Blundar8 is as always photographed by mutantexture. The photos - which were taken during a hot summer by the Western Harbour of Malmö - were picked out by Teo as this is a place of great significance for him. A place for the daydreams of sun-dazed ravers

Very hot UK club action. TIP!

"Two Shell, the enigmatic London based duo exploring techno pop, release the cult hyper banger ‘home’ previously only available on the instantly sold-out white-label 12”. In 2021 the duo were featured in DJ mixes from electronic royalty, plays from Ben UFO, Four Tet, Jamie XX’s BBC Radio 1 essential mix. Home, uses earworm vocal chops, twitchy drums & heavy subbass for the dance. "

Label cover. Vinyl is close to NM.

Welcome to ‘Hardcore Heaven III’, the third in Scuba's series of classic hardcore-inflected vinyl EPs further develops the themes, from acid house to jungle, established on the first two installments.Hardcore Heaven III ups the tempo from the first two EPs, with a focus on early Jungle on ‘Truth’ and ‘Give Up Everything’. Meanwhile, ‘Riding Hi’ and ‘Pocket Rocket’ add a 4/4 kick and samples possibly best described as… borderline?Scuba has also announced D:U:LIVE, a series of live shows inspired by his acclaimed ‘Digital Underground’ mixtape and ‘Hardcore Heaven’ vinyl EPs from last year.

Irlam's infamous upstarts DJ Absolutely Shit are at it again with four more tracks to rattle yer spines and rupture yer spleens. Utilizing the classic approach of sourcing a sick sample, adding a rugged breakbeat, then tweaking out the buzz for maximum enjoyment, the pair deliver an explosive EP of global hypercoloured mayhem that burns hotter than an oz of 'Ells Angels sputnik.

'Bridge To Your Heart' grabs Sade by the hand, shoves two purple doves down her throat and queue-jumps to the front of Bowlers for an endorphin-rushing hardcore workout full of modern beat engineering and sample manipulation.

Switching approach, 'Bolivia' shuns the dreamy feminism for an altogether more masculine affair - roping in the Wu for an argy-bargy, elbows-out speaker shaker full of hi-definition laser stabs and destructive, land mine subs.

Hitting the accelerator, 'Rocking You Eternally' traverses the jungle boarders in a blacked out Nova, Ab Shit's flair and panache at drum programming and contemporary production chops beautifully on show throughout this big system roller with a carp-hunting vocal hook.

'Gong' closes off proceedings, merging moods inna more seductive flavour. E-soaked pianos and a gentle throb coaxing us to that end-of-night climax that'll have us humming the piano line all the way down the M65 home.

No jokes cru, this is some of the best tackle to emerge outta the DJ Absolutely Shit studio to date. One of two, vinyl-only EPs and ahead of their debut album that follows on C90 tape.

Boing boing boing, boing boing boing, boing boing!!

Ruby My Dear returns to Analogical Force. Toulouse - Madrid connection in full effect. Universally acknowledged by pretty much everyone on the scene, no words would be needed to explain this work. Another Broken Beat-fest, with intricate structures and all manner of mentalisms, but also melody and atmosphere. It seems that RMD has once again unleashed a five-track EP varied, spannered and original enough to merit him the adulation he is set to enjoy.

Toby Ross joins the Shall Not Fade family with this heavy weight EP 'Foundation'.

Four tracks of esoteric and spatial electronica are served up on Quartz’s debut release for R&S Records.

Via releases for Metalheadz, Rupture London and System Music, amongst others, the ascending producer from Cardiff has impressed with his unique take on drum & bass, and more recently via grime influenced dubstep.

A thrilling hybrid of sounds and rhythms are pulled together on the ‘Deity Spear’ release as Quartz deploys angular breakbeats, gargantuan bass tones, convoluted rhythms, and panoramic sound design across four mesmerising tracks.

The opening track ‘Lilac Cobwebs’ is a reference and homage to his deceased mother, featuring a snippet of one of her last voice notes to him, and a reference to a colour he fondly remembers of her.

A spellbinding and dense release from one of the UK’s most audacious producers.

Finding a rich seam in stark minimalism, soundsystem pressure and fractalised rhythm, Cassius Select is at the vanguard of contemporary broken beats and punishing low end.

This new Select transmission comes correct on Bruk, prodding at the same bold dance futurism already laid down by Siete Catorce and FFT, whilst sounding nothing like either of them. 'Dread Percent's swelling pads and dislocated MC shards are a foil for the ruff angles of 'Fish Tek'. 'Mess Mutual' teases and stalks at a lower tempo and then twists up another set of bars over a bed of alien drone, laying the groundwork for the massive, grime-licked hooks of 'Shake Like Me'.

Hinting at the anthemic while remaining steadfastly cool and deadly, Cassius Select's mutant brand of club has the space and versatility to slip between scenes, doing damage wherever it lands.

close to NM

Record is close to VG+

Record is close to NM.

Vinyl close to VG and cover to VG+

close to NM

Fatima's debut album is called ‘Asiatisch’, and as the track titles suggest, the record provides a simulated road trip through an imagined China. Musically, the album is an homage to that quietly influential sub-strain of grime, often loosely termed 'sinogrime' due to its preoccupation with Asian motifs and melodies, pioneered by the likes of Wiley and Jammer at the beginning of the 2000s in East London.

'Asiatisch' is a provocation which asks more questions than it answers. The title is the German word for Asian. Unlike its title, however, the music on 'Asiatisch' revolves around the fantasies of East Asia as refracted through pulpy Western pop culture, in particular Hollywood, literary fiction, music, cartoons and advertising. Fatima asks what is meant by the term 'Asian' in a digital age of viral interchange and the hi-speed trading of cultural bytes; the concept of 'shanzhai' proves pivotal, a term whose meaning stems from a wild, out of control zone of banditry, but which has come to be used to refer to the Chinese counterfeiting of Western brands and goods.

While a number of producers have made takes on 'sinogrime' over the last few years, 'Asiatisch' is really the first record that attempts to articulate this weird complex of sonic interchanges between the West and China.

Label cover.

Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs

Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs

Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs

Label cover.

dBridge & Forest Drive West, doing what they do, together

Still in shrink but opened, with hype sticker and Price tag. Numbered Limited edition. Vinyl is close to NM.

Avalon Emerson & the Charm is an evolution. Created during an extended break from the hectic blur of her life as a touring DJ, the album is a personal statement of intent from an artist who’s long looked beyond the club for inspiration. It’s also the first time that Emerson has put herself, her emotions and, most notably, her voice fully into the spotlight.

Having spent her entire career working more or less alone, Emerson purposely sought out a small cast of like-minded artists to help bring the album to life. A Chief among them was UK avant-pop savant Bullion, who executive produced the record and, most importantly, shares both Emerson’s predilection for shimmering pop melodies and her boundary- less approach to music-making.

Working together, they cracked open her head and heart alike, creating a space where she could intimately reflect on the people and places she’s loved and left behind.

Two years since his Going For It EP, Livity Sound is pleased to welcome back Sydney’s DJ Plead for a second round of versatile, psychedelic club variations. Since debuting around 2018 Plead has forged a distinctive sound which focuses on inventive use of percussion and elegant melodic hooks that draw lines between global dance music cultures without adhering to any fixed formula.

From the carnival futurism of lead track ‘Come Quick’ to the infectious reggaeton lilt and understated trance synths of ‘El Es’, Plead presents a sound as playful as it is serious, predominantly exploring the 100 bpm tempo range. Shaped out by acutely angled rhythms, shifting time signatures and bold licks, Quick EP further establishes him as a vital, individual talent with the kind of flexible club tracks that bend between scenes and inject vibrant energy into the dance. Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground electronic music.

close to NM

Only record 1, record 2 and cover are missing!

Label cover.

Keeping things fresh, we celebrate the Medellín - Bristol connection with none other than Verraco. Sonic pipelines have been running with full force between our two cities for some time, and Breathe... Godspeed embodies a shared obsession for shaping futures and dancefloors through evocative club acrobatics.
Exploring the intersection between sacred and the erotic, this four-track EP is propelled by visceral sound design, dipping into a variety of styles and paces.
Verraco constructs groove like no other: while covering mind-altering Techno to gut-punch bass music, he takes sheer dancefloor euphoria up to dizzying heights with a unique radiance.

Bwoy, it’s dark in here. New name, who dis? Austrian genre bender Toupaz, fka Awo Ojiji, delivers 4 polyrhythmic steppers with blissful moments nested around a threatening aura. Is it half-speed, is it double? Is it both? Either way, there’s loads going on. Strictly limited to 100 copies!

South London’s James Massiah returns to Jon Rust’s Levels imprint with the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2019 underground hit ‘Natural Born Killers’ EP. The six-track EP ‘True Romance’ is the artist / poet / DJ / producer's richest work to date, autobiographically charting the peaks and troughs of 21st century love, life and relationships. Massiah’s rap leanings ride over his signature neon productions, taking in an arc of influences including dancehall, dub, acid house, grime and left field pop. Gritty and shimmering in equal measure, this is essential for devotees of the Dean Blunt, Lord Tusk axis, or anyone switched on to the stream of rap bubbling up from the UK right now. Heavy rotations from Benji B, Jamz Supernova, Shy One & Scratcha DVA. A vital release for 2024.

Jlin’s third album ‘Akoma’ s features guest appearances from Björk, Philip Glass and Kronos Quartet.

Jlin’s detailed and meticulous exploration of rhythm’s inner and outer reaches has made her one of the most distinctive and recognisable voices within both the electronic and classical music worlds. Her compositions are consistently appealing and have an accessibility to them, yet often defy expectations. She exists within her own locus solus - no matter the collaborator, no matter where sounds ultimately lead her. Whatever the situation – from composing the Pulitzer Prize shortlisted ‘Perspective’ for Third Coast Percussion, to ‘Godmother’ her AI-powered collaboration with Holly Herndon, Jlin always expresses her outlook to the fullest. Her new album ‘Akoma’ sets a new benchmark in her personal road map, not only since the album features guest appearances from Björk, Philip Glass and Kronos Quartet but for her continued sonic persistence and resistance. Jlin does what Jlin does and it’s beloved across genres, across scenes and across generations. ‘Akoma’ is a new entry point into her sound and a new approach for both those who have been following diligently and those who are just now entering her world.

So how did she get here? Here’s a rundown for those looking for the facts. She was both a math nerd and a steel factory worker. She got inspired by Footwork and started making tracks with mentorship assistance from RP Boo and DJ Rashad, but her music was far from typical for footwork from the get-go. In 2011, she released her first track ‘Erotic Heat’ on the Planet Mu anthology ‘Bangs & Works Vol.2.’ Fashion designer Rick Owens heard it and invited her to soundtrack his Paris Fashion Week show. Already before an EP or an album Jlin was in new cutting-edge territory. And it hasn’t stopped since. Everyday Jlin wakes up early and clocks into her home studio working hard on new music. Her discipline and craft-like approach means that those who would try to copy her sound simply can’t get to the level she is at. Since ‘Erotic Heat’ she has released two bold albums, 2015’s ‘Dark Energy’ and 2017’s ‘Black Origami.’ She has also released her soundtrack to Company Wayne McGregor’s dance piece ‘Autobiography’ (2018) and most recently (2023) the mini-album ‘Perspective.’ She’s remixed µ-Ziq, Factory Floor, Ben Frost, Max Richter, Björk, Martin Gore and others. She’s collaborated with Holly Herndon and the late Sophie. She’s worked with visual artists Kevin Beasley and Nick Cave. She composed a string quartet for Kronos Quartet and performed with them live in a tribute to Philip Glass. She also recently completed a tribute to Sun Ra with Kronos. ‘Perspective’, her very well received percussion work for Third Coast Percussion has further opened doors for her in classical music. She’s even thinking of one day writing an opera. She had a residency at MassMoca Museum earlier this year (2023). She’s performed live at Pitchfork Festival, Unsound Festival and too many others to mention. She’s also worked with Indian dancers, Company Wayne McGregor and renowned choreographer/MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham. There’s more but you get the picture - she’s working in contexts and in ways that few of her peers are able to.

‘Akoma’ is the next step - all these paths have led to this. We encourage you to tune in.

It is with honour & pleasure that we present to you the return of one of the finest in game! Active since god-knows-when, and equally known as artist, label owner, event promoter and all-round champion of all that’s right and proper, Semtek has cast a long shadow in the electronic underground over the past two decades. Ever the mercurial savant, Benji distils a wide range of influences that have shaped his various endeavours on his first 12” for us: from the darkside revivalism of DJ Persuasion through to the raw productions of L.M.Y.E, and even down to his earliest productions on DBA. Rad-sem1 is two tracks of ice-cold club cuts that capture the chilly futurism of second wave Detroit Techno, the sparser fringes of UKG and the abyssal soundscapes of late 90s DnB. But as is characteristic of Semtek’s output, always far greater than the sum of its parts.

Nicknamed “The Sleeping Giant” by B.B. King, Lowell Fulson is one of the finest bluesmen to ever come out of Oklahoma. Tramp, his second effort from legendary blues label Kent Records, sees Fulson at his honey-toned best. The opener and title track “Tramp” is arguably Fulson’s most popular song - a funk blues cut which initially peaked at number five on Billboard’s R&B Charts before becoming a minor hit for Otis Redding and Carla Thomas (who would take it to number two on that very same chart) just a single month later. Across twelve tracks, Fulson’s playing is constantly funky, constantly bluesy, and constantly amazing. Don’t miss a single moment - reissued on limited edition monophonic vinyl, this record sounds simply fantastic.