Posted by: Derek

I was actually gonna post about a completely different artist, but then I saw Jay’s reference in his last to Aphrodite and couldn’t resist following up with some tunes from the man.

Gavin King, or Aphrodite as we know him, is one of the originators of the wobbly jungle sound, and if you’re a dnb fan and don’t know him…shame on you! Aphrodite provides some of those classic sounds and textures that practically define the Jungle subset of DnB, and if you wanna be really specific, Jump Up Jungle. But labels are nutting compared to tunes, and those we got for ya.

Here’s a rewind back to Aphrodite’s self-titled album, with some classic rollers from days gone by. While they do definitely sound old school, they haven’t lost their punch — turn it on, turn it up, and let it rumble!

King Of The Beats
This tune’s definitely got the edge on the sorta funk/halftime bit. Starts off slow and funky, and then kicks into high gear!

Rinsing Quince
A classic of the genre…total stoner beats.

Music’s Hypnotizing
Spacier and totally psychedelic. Pretty darn cool.

Cool Flight
This particular tune was never a single, but I’ve always loved it. That bassline just rolls on till tomorrow and don’ stop!

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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

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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.