Posted by: Derek

I always thought Norweigians were pleasant, mild mannered folk, but if you listen to the music of production duo Rawthang, they’re fulla some serious fuel too.

This is a DnB release I stubled upon years ago when it was first released on Orgone Records (a sublabel of previously covered DJ Dara’s Breakbeat Science powerhouse), and I haven’t been able to forget it since.

Both cuts are pretty driving, wih some searing production work.
Unity is 100 percent full on ravey, with a nu-Hoover inspired lead and some piano work that could find it’s way into a Happy Hardcore tune…minus the happy!
B-side Netrunner (my fave) is full on cyberpunk - deep wet-as-frack bass stabs, and skittter lines to make you feel like you’re INSIDE THE MACHINE…

Check em out:

Unity

Netrunner

Sadly, Rawthang have almost NO internet presence, but you can find their other releases listed on their discography. Some may have been vinyl-only, as I believe this one is too - so these are rare gems!

Posted by: Derek

After Matt’s recent post about Noisia - I couldn’t help but follow it up with another dnb monster that’s been eating up dancefloors and headphones for the past few years.

Pendulum are originally from Australia, where they were actually a rock band (called “Xygen”, go figure), but after discovering the wonders of the Drum n Bass genre they emigrated to the UK and have been slamming beats ever since. Though they’re known in most circles for their dance singles, they’ve also stayed true to their roots as a band by continuing to play live shows — in fact, they’ve even been featured at rock and metal festivals, playing live to 50k folks…

Their debut full length album “Hold Your Colour” came out in 2005, and is chock full of solid tunes. While in later albums they’ve explored other genres like dubstep (just as Noisia have), this album sticks to the skitter beats and rolling rhythms of dnb. Plenty of atmosphere, some serious variation between the different cuts (just contrast the ones here — crazy!), and you can even hear their rock roots come through in some of the tunes, such as the title track with its layered guitar textures…

check out these tunes:

Slam

Tarantula

Hold Your Colour

Still Grey

PLAY ALL

If you dig this, find the whole “Hold Your Colour” album on iTunes here!

Pendulum on MySpace

also see wikipedia for more on this album.

Posted by: Derek

DJ Dara (né Darragh Guilfoyle) should be a familiar name to anyone who’s been into DnB for a while. Originally from Ireland, he emigrated to New York just as the beats were starting to roll, and after making a name for himself in the emerging arena of jungle/drum’n'bass, he started one of the genre’s seminal labels and record shops — Breakbeat Science. Through the label and his own productions and DJ sets, he’s been a pioneer and essential element in the development of DnB as we know it today.

And holy carp, here’s a digitized version of an old mixtape of his from 1997! In some ways it’s crazy old school, but it really showcases Dara as a visionary as well, because it still sounds fresh and solid. And we got both sides of the tape here for ya!

So for those who enjoy a bit of roll n skitter…here we go:

DJ Dara - Beats 97 Side A (right click and Save As.. to download!)

DJ Dara - Beats 97 Side B (right click and Save As.. to download!)

Tracklist after the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Matt

The debut album from Dutch Drum n Bass trio NOISIA (VISION flipped vertically, if you can picture that) is a curious beast. Though known primarily for their slew of DnB 12″s, they branch out quite a bit into Electrohouse, Downtempo, and Dubstep on their long player. This type of spread is generally common among acts crafting an album for home listening, however what makes Split the Atom an interesting experience is that while the styles vary greatly, they didn’t adjust their toolset much (or at all), really.

The end result is an enjoyable listen, but also an interesting experiment in genre definition. Is it all Drum n Bass but at wildly varying tempos? Can we still call slow tracks Downtempo if they have dirty, crushing basslines? Is this visionary or lazy?

Soul Purge (feat Foreign Beggars)

Square Feet

Alpha Centauri

PLAY ALL

Would You Like To Know Moar?
Noisia on Myspace

Posted by: Jay

Happy Friday everyone!  We’ve got a super exciting guest for the podcast next week, so look out for that next Friday.  For now I’m stoked to share this classic mix that I’ve been grooving to ever since I got turned on to it down here a few months ago.

First a little know fact:  Did you know that when I first got into DJing I almost started by playing jungle and D&B?  It was late 90’s when that jungle sound was fresh and fantastic, before the hostile take over of the genera by the rabid hoard of glitchy argo-bass that has yet to release it’s cold, techy clutches.  I ended up picking trance though, and the rest is history.

What’s that all got to do with this set?  Well, “Brazil Rockwel” is a throwback to my favorite era of 170 BPM break beat dance music.  It’s chalk full, end to end, of that upbeat late 90’s jungle sound.  What’s more is this set is fully infused with Brazilian flare that really takes it over the top.  Not only does it capture a time, it captures a place.  I’ve not yet been to Brazil (even though it is soooo tantalizingly close to Bolivia) but once I get there I envision music just like this pulsing from every cafe, beach bar, corner store, radio, nigth club, and boom box all across the country.  Spontaneous dance parties, fiestas on the beach ’till the sun comes up, beautiful Brazilian woman kissing me for no other reason besides that what they do in Brazil… wait, am I still typing?

ANYWAY, ladies and gentlemen enjoy a little taste of Brazil with Pista!

Pista - “Brazil Rockwel” (right click and “Save as…” to download)

I know nothing else about this set.  Not the year, not where the guy (girl?) is from.  Not the tracks.  Nutin.  But I DO know it’s dope, so enjoy!