Om Unit to release debut album “Threads”on Civil Music

Threads is the debut album from London producer Om Unit, to be released on Civil Music in October 2013.

While this is a debut full length for Om Unit, real name Jim Coles, it is in fact the producer’s fourth studio album, following from work in the 2000s under the name 2tall. Having reset the clock on his artistic output in 2010, Coles has spent the past three years refining a unique sound as Om Unit via collaborations with Machinedrum on Planet Mu, releases on Goldie’s Metalheadz, dBridge’s Exit Records and Civil Music, his own Cosmic Bridge label and the short-lived Phillip D. Kick alias that fleshed out the links between Chicago’s footwork, jungle and slow/fast. The confluence of all this work takes full flight on Threads.

Artist Om Unit
Title Threads
Label Civil Music
Release Date 28-Oct-2013
Format 2×12” Vinyl/ CD / Digital
Cat: CIV059

Tracklist

1. Folding Shadows
2. The Silence (feat. Jinadu)
3. Healing Rain
4. Jus Sayin’ (feat. Gone The Hero)
5. Drift Interlude
6. Reverse Logic
7. Corridor 2013
8. Nagual
9. Patients (feat. MC Jabu)
10. Deep Sea Pyramid
11. Wall of Light
12. Jaguar
13. Wicker and Pearl
14. Governer’s Bay
15. The Road (feat. Charlie Dark

Across its fifteen tracks Threads articulates Om Unit’s musical journey from his beginnings to the present. It references his hip hop background, in the swung out, hypnotic headnod of ‘Wall of Light’ and the positive message of ‘Just Sayin’’, a collaboration with the mysterious Gone The Hero, (who will be stepping out of the shadows on Jneiro Jarel’s Label Who imprint in 2014,) and touches on the music that has impacted him in recent years such as dubstep, the bassweight of which anchors the album. Dubstep’s influence is most obvious in the eyes-down roller ‘Nagual’ and the deeply emotive ‘The Silence’ featuring vocalist Jinadu. There are also hints of slow-mo house’s chug, a sound Coles first experimented with upon taking the Om Unit name. It’s this slow groove that drives the spellbinding ‘Patients’ featuring Young Echo’s MC Jabu, who gives life to the beat with poetic raps, and it’s also central to the 2013 reworking of ‘The Corridor’, a track from the first Om Unit release. Here Coles slows the original’s key elements down even further while managing to keep all the slow moving, hypnotic magic of the original.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the album is grounded in Coles’ junglistic roots, a relationship that has driven much of his recent output and DJ work. Here it takes on its most refined form yet, equally apparent throughout but obviously manifested on the most dancefloor friendly tracks: ‘Jaguar’, ‘Wicker and Pearl’ and ‘Governer’s Bay’. These three tracks close the album but not before one more parting shot, the deeply meaningful ‘The Road’ featuring London’s urban poet, and legend, Charlie Dark.

http://www.omunit.com/

Skittles – In For Me(Video)+Remixes Preview

Manchester’s Estate Recordings have switched up the flip side again with their next release. Skittles – In For Me (the remixes)!!! Taken from his critically acclaimed album, POOR WITH £100 TRAINERS, released in 2012,
IN FOR ME follows the storm whipped up by Skittles’ collaboration with bad man of the moment DUB PHIZIX. METALHEADZ golden boy JUBEI has reworked the original into a dangerous DNB dance floor destroyer with “NUFF BASS ‘n ‘ARD DRUMS, ‘N A SICK GUITAR SAMPLE ‘n’ THAT!!!”
On the flip NEED FOR MIRRORS have gone in with a grimy drum driven fump festival of doom!!! Both of the tunes are, of course, heavily laden with SKITTLES trademark precision lyrics taking a bite out of the music industry! SHADOW!!!
Digital release includes the original version and another remix by Manchester’s Metrodome.

https://www.facebook.com/liam.s.kelly.56

FabricLive 70: Friction

A drum & bass stalwart since the early 2000s, Friction has had an assured and steady rise to the loftier heights of the genre’s hierarchy and now unleashes FABRICLIVE 70. Born in Epsom, Surrey and raised in Brighton, Friction is a serious powerhouse who has maintained his staunch support for his genre through thick and thin. His tracks have been released through some of some of the most celebrated labels including Hospital, Metalheadz, Renegade Hardware and Trouble On Vinyl – which is where his very first track ‘Photon’ found a home. Rising up through the ranks due to both his dexterity as a selector and his deft touch in the studio, Friction found himself hanging out with influential figures like Shy FX and Mampi Swift, who took him under their wing and helped him to evolve into one of the scene’s most highly-regarded names. Now head of his own label, Shogun Audio, as well as holding down a residency on Radio 1 as the new voice of its d&b output, Friction’s versatility as a DJ has put him great demand from Tokyo to Los Angeles and beyond.

Now a regular at fabric for its seminal Friday night events, Friction approaches his mix in an understandably considered way. With vast experience on the world stage, ranging from large-scale festivals such as America’s Electric Daisy Carnival, to smaller, more intimate 300-capacity clubs, Friction has directed his FABRICLIVE 70 mix to the dedicated listeners. Though it still has a wider appeal, at the core of the inspiration behind this mix are ‘the heads’, those who carry the music in their hearts, the headstrong for whom Friday nights at fabric are an indelible part of their lifestyle, attending religiously week-in, week-out.
“It’s really kind of how I would play in London or in fact how I would play to a more knowledgeable drum & bass crowd. It’s for the people who are well into the music, with artists like Rockwell, Break, Mefjus and Lenzman, its very much my kind of drum & bass, my take on drum & bass. Hopefully it will be for those people who have been into the music for a long time and who are really deep into the scene. Ultimately I’ve just tried to make it roll…“Friction

Artist:Friction
Title:FABRICLIVE 70
Label:Fabric Records
Release:15.07.13
Cat.No.:fabric140
Pre-­‐order: http://bit.ly/ZRZ180

Tracklist
01. Optiv & BTK feat. Sam Wills – Understand VIP
02. DC Breaks – Swag
03. Enei & Emperor – Liberation
04. Joe Ford – Instrument / The Upbeats – One Step
05. InsideInfo & Mefjus – Mythos
06. Nymfo – Suddenly VIP
07. Badmarsh & Shri – Signs (Calibre Mix)
08. Technimatic – Bristol
09. Alix Perez feat. D.Ablo – Playing Games VIP
10. Villem & McLeod – Another Star
11. AI – You Can Dream
12. Total Science – Still Waiting
13. Technimatic – Sphere
14. Chords – Biting Point
15. Technimatic – Intersection
16. Alix Perez feat. Sam Wills – Annie’s Song (Original vs S.P.Y Mash-Up)
17. Dramatic – Keep Pushing Me
18. Kove – Searching
19. NZShapeshifter – Gravity (Lenzman Remix)
20. Break – Steam Train / Mefjus & Kasra – Cypher
21. Icicle feat. SP:MC – Dreadnaught VIP
22. Ulterior Motive & Judda – Timekeeper
23. Friction & K Tee – Jupiter (Mefjus Remix)
24. Icicle – Minimal Funk VIP
25. Rockwell – Detroit
26. Icicle – Anxious
27. Usual Suspects – Killa Bees (InsideInfo Remix)
28. Donny & Audio – Horribly Ribbed VIP
29. Ulterior Motive – Lost Contact
30. DJ Hazard – Time Tripping
31. Phace & Misanthrop – Desert Orgy VIP / Noisia – Diplodocus

Digital ‘Manik Mash EP’ (Mor’Manik)

Stephen Carr a.k.a. Digital is a well-respected and inspirational producer with a career spanning 18 years. April 2013 sees the launch of his new imprint Mor’Manik – a platform to unleash and explore the diverse and experimental parameters within his sound and production.

Kick starting things with the ‘Manik Mash EP’, this aptly named release is a blend of all things that Digital loves in electronic music. The A side ‘Break A Take’ delves straight into the realms of pure acid-house revival. On the flip ‘Mac Attack’ ignites hypnotic Detroit-esque funk and ‘Wasp Killer’ melts into futuristic tribal dub.

Digital’s 18 years of production consists of four LPs and countless EPs on his own label Function Records, co-owned imprint Phantom Audio and some of the finest DNB labels: Metalheadz, Exit, Timeless, 31 Records, C.I.A, Photek Productions, Innerground, Commercial Suicide and Reinforced Records. His debut release ‘Touch Me’ on Timeless in 1995 was followed up by 12” ‘Niagra/Down Under’ on Metalheadz, but it was his third release ‘Spacefunk’ that really set the marker for Digital. Such a unique track in its time, it was so well received the re-released 12” featured remixes from Goldie, Photek and Doc Scott.

Release date: 1st April 2013
Format: 12” Vinyl / Digital
Cat No: MMANIK001

‘Manik Mash EP’ Tracklisting:
1. Break A Take
2. Mac Attack
3. Wasp Killer

http://www.facebook.com/steve.digital

Calculon – “Feel” EP on Loose Squares!(Stream)

Here’s another EP of footwork/jungle/bass music/whatever you call it from Loose Squares—this one is a punishing four-tracker from San Diego’s Calculon.

Mostly known for his Drum & Bass releases on labels like Rubik and Sublife, this EP sees him teaming up with friends Austin Speed (Sublife), Sinistarr(Metalheadz / Hit & Hope / Loose Squares), and Pawn(Smog / Levitated) for four tracks of scorching footwork-jungle fusion. This one is already getting rinsed by Om Unit and others–You must hear this!

ARTIST: Calculon
TITLE: “Feel” EP
FORMAT: Digital EP
LABEL: Loose Squares
CATALOG #: LOOSE L709
RELEASE DATE: Jan 28, 2013
TRACKLIST:
1. “Back The Fuck Up”
2. “I Need You”
3. “Bloodfight”
4. “Crush”

 

 

http://www.loosesquares.com/

 

King Fantastic- “Death Of Summer” EP + Free MP3

KING FANTASTIC ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF THEIR EP “DEATH OF SUMMER” RELEASED TODAY

THE FOLLOW UP TO THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED DEBUT LP
“FINGER SNAPS AND GUN CLAPS”
“Eclectic and menacing, the group’s big beat vitriol was born in Venice Beach and Playa del Rey in 2010, perhaps a surprise to those used to name checking Compton, Oakland and Long Beach in their hip-hop history discussions. But if the tracks from their 2010 debut, “Finger Snaps and Gun Claps,” or their forthcoming EP, “Death of Summer,” tell us anything, it’s that King Fantastic proudly represents its ZIP Code.”
-The Los Angeles Times
..
“We want to bring Dope back to hip hop” -Troublemaker quoted in Thrasher

King Fantastic is not your ordinary musical duo from LA, but then again nothing is ordinary about their music. We’re living in an era where hip-hop progressively feasts itself upon electronic beats and King Fantastic delves head first into both arenas. Given the diverse upbringings of both producer and internationally known DJ, Troublemaker and Rapper/lyricist Killer Reese One (who is one half of LA underground rap duo Bleu Collar) one would safely say that it’s karma how they united. And the musical climate seems fit to release their new EP “Death of Summer” on August 30th 2011.

Death Of Summer EP Track Listing:

Locals Only
?Cual es mi Nombre, Nina? (Daddy Baby)
Break His Motherfucking Back
Locals Only (Knight Riderz Remix)

Download Locals Only

“Death of Summer” follows the duo’s groundbreaking and critically acclaimed 2010 debut LP “Finger Snaps and Gun Claps “ which spawned the wildly scandalous- “Why? Where? What?” video that is nearing 1 million plays on vimeo

http://vimeo.com/14307779

With that release, the duo achieved global digital underground success in both the electronic and hip hop cultures. While they made news headlines in the likes of The Los Angeles Times, they also found themselves booked on electronic savvy festivals such as Audiotistic and producing remixes from a diverse group of artists including Linkin Park, The Glitch Mob, The Bird and The Bee and Bassnectar.

King Fantastic’s music is nostalgic for the level of skill, originality and authenticity of the underground LA hip hop culture of the late 90s. The freestyle independence from Emcees and musical styles of that era coupled with today’s progressive bass driven dubstep and Drum and Bass scenes gave birth to “Westcoastsynthesizerbeach bumgangstermusic” a term tagged by King Fantastic.

On the one hand, Troublemaker’s influences range from hip hop to drum & bass, dubstep and electronic music – and when he first saw Killer Reese One perform at the Roxy he knew he was the man to rap over his beats. In a recent LA Times feature, Killer Reese One takes note “I’m not a bluesey rapper, my beats have to come a lot harder. Troublemaker’s beats are super bass-heavy and gangster without even a word recorded on it.”

And while Troublemaker was honing his skills as an engineer and producer, Killer Reese One’s former life plays a huge part in his creative process as a rapper. Raised in both Venice Beach and Compton – KRO’s childhood was as diverse as any artist’s palate. His raps are reality and he certainly has an interesting well of experiences to pull from which makes him both a great entertainer and prolific lyricist. Growing up the pair also listened to everyone from Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, NIN, Mo’Wax, Megadeth, Metalheadz, Slayer, NWA ,The Clash and A Tribe called Quest. However they both cite Ice-T and DJ Quik as main players, both who have a heavy dose of synth music in their tracks.

What to expect to hear on Death of Summer? According to Troublemaker,”When we set out to work on this new project, we did not have any particular direction in mind, although we were both in a dark place as humans. As a result, the music is much darker and harder than anything on our previous album, and Reese’s lyrics are a continuation of that.” He adds, “While our album is minimal in production and has a variety of styles, this EP is super full and is serious bass music.” In a recent interview with Acclaim magazine, What would you like people to come away with after listening to the new EP?: KRO responds “Euphoric fear.”

for more info check http://thekingfantastic.com/

Riya – Seems Like/The Cycle (prod.by Skream) on Autonomic (NOMIC002) (preview)

Forthcoming on the Autonomic label.
Released by: Autonomic
Release/catalogue number: NOMIC002
Distribution:Stholdings

A: Riya- Seems Like


AA: Riya – The Cycle

More Beautiful Vocals from Riya
ASC – The Touch (Vaccine remix feat. Riya)

RIYA [aka Laura Pacheco] – Songwriter, Vocalist, Lyricist

Autonomic::Metalheadz::Soul:r::Shogun::Exit::Digital Soundboy::CIA:: Critical Music

Ever since the age of 7, Laura Pacheco aka “Riya” has been involved in music, working as a session singer, in choirs, gospel choirs, and playing various instruments.

In 2004 she moved to London and this is where things really took off for her.
Between 2004 – 2008, Riya featured on a number of various drum and bass tracks under her real name “Laura Pacheco”, collaborating with artists such as Klute, State of Mind, Bungle, and Total Science. However, in 2009, Laura decided to change her name to Riya to reflect the change in her writing, and artistry.

Her first release under the Riya name was S.P.Y ft. Riya – “Rebirth” – Soul:r, shortly followed by the massive “Testimony” [Total Science & S.P.Y] which was supported by Bailey on BBC 1Xtra, every week, for 6 months solid!

In the past year, Riya has gone from strength to strength, being named as “the best vocalist in dnb right now” by Mixmag, and featured in their “Hi my name is” interview section.

She has released a string of well-loved songs, including “Seems Like” [produced by dBridge] which featured on the Autonomic Fabric CD and the massive “Open Page” on Metalheadz which is arguably one of Riya’s best tracks to date.

“Open Page” has had over 250,000 views on youtube, and was named “Single of the Month” in Mixmag/ IDJ, was BBC 1Xtra playlisted, and was supported by every DJ in the scene.

“Redlines”, a more soulful venture with Total Science, has also received much support from BBC radio DJs such as Annie Mac, Fabio, Bailey, and Mistajam, and has featured on Ministry of Sound CDs alongside DJ sets of many.

So what does the next 12 months hold for Riya? She is currently writing an album for the Autonomic label which will feature some of her favourite genres of music, alongside collaborating with artists in other genres, working on hiphop/soul, and learning piano and production.

Riya will also be performing more live both in the UK and abroad, and perhaps doing a few DJ sets. Riya is also a vocal coach, and any prospective students looking for lessons should message her direct.

http://myspace.com/riyamusicpage