#8 Feat. Staff Picks in Bass / Club

A Break From The Psychic Torment encapsulates a lot about our collaborative, and somewhat contradictory, approach to making dance music together - its wonky sound design meets joyous hooks and grooves. Basically, we take the fun seriously, because creating art designed for cathartic release in such challenging times requires commitment to joy. Both Ooh Sorbet and Prego are designed for dark rooms and late nights, but began life in the bucolic woods behind Zos then-home in upstate New York, with us both rooting through the undergrowth and recording the sounds of stick hitting rock, or twig thwacking bottle, all of which became the percussive building blocks behind the tracks. Again, this was definitely a fun process - but more importantly, it gave these tracks a unique sonic identity. Sorbet works around an almost Todd Edwards style cut-up of a vocal, while Prego builds to a breakdown made from another field recording, this time from a park in Beijing. Panda Beef and Lets Giggle were both languishing on Zos hard drive, clearly sick ideas but just not quite gelling into cohesive tracks. Between marathon bouts of Alone and essential trips to the bakery in Woodstock for almond croissants, we reworked and fashioned them into something much closer to finished products. Mexican vocalist Sirius Soundz sent over some raw vocals, which we chopped up over the slightly Dembow-feeling beat of Panda; an extra layer of Dance Mania-style bleeps brought out the cheeky wink lurking above the bassline of Giggle; and a final session back in Bingas studio in Bristol locked everything in place. Distributed by Label Engine - www.label-engine.com

Sam Binga, Sister Zo

#14 Feat. Staff Picks in Breaks / Breakbeat / UK Bass

Sicilian producer HLRTY is a leading light of the new generation of Italian Club producers, alongside rapidly rising stars such as a COIDO, Ethik and Fabio FC (aka Was A Be). Combining elements of distorted Electro, Jersey Club and floor-shaking Techno, this new wave is making some of the most exciting dancefloor music around at the moment. GANZO itself is a slang term for a cool, shrewd and generally on-point person or thing - and coincidentally, this is maybe the first time someone Ive met at a show has sent me tracks and theyve instantly blown me away. All these tracks have been highlights in my set for the last year or so, and Im incredibly excited to help get them out into the world. VENALE has an infectious bounce, built around a single chopped-and-screwed vocal cut and the biggest kick since Timbaland brushed dirt off Jay Zs shoulder. This is Club music with a twist - its not trying to imitate the originators, but rather add a different - and complimentary - flavour to that incredibly inspiring soup. BITCH MODE is a perfect example of doing more with less - and as a result has been one of the peaks of my set for a hot minute. Sitting up around 150bpm and leaning fully into the redlining is headlining aesthetic, BITCH MODE is Charli XCX doing the Percolator in Palermo. On PCP. TALKINGSH#T brings luscious rave chords and Sheffield bleeps into the HLRTY-verse, with a more chopped-up beat adding heft doses of syncopation and funk. Not quite breaks, not quite club, but totally infectious. ANSIOGENO feels like Acid Rave and UK Funky had a child at 148bpm. Straight in from beat 1, the unique arrangement takes listeners and dancers alike on a journey through chunky intensity, culminating in a unique wobbling bassline guaranteed to fry brains and feet. OTRAVEZ feels like a Miami Bass track got lost somewhere in Southern Europe - heavy bass pressure meets twisted vocals and a sweaty electro bounce. Absolutely undeniable on a soundsystem! BITCH MODE is a perfect example of doing more with less - and as a result has been one of the peaks of my set for a hot minute. Sitting up around 150bpm and leaning fully into the redlining is headlining aesthetic, BITCH MODE is Charli XCX doing the Percolator in Palermo. On PCP. Distributed by Label Engine - www.label-engine.com

HLRTY

#19 Feat. New Releases in Bass / Club

Sicilian producer HLRTY is a leading light of the new generation of Italian Club producers, alongside rapidly rising stars such as a COIDO, Ethik and Fabio FC (aka Was A Be). Combining elements of distorted Electro, Jersey Club and floor-shaking Techno, this new wave is making some of the most exciting dancefloor music around at the moment. GANZO itself is a slang term for a cool, shrewd and generally on-point person or thing - and coincidentally, this is maybe the first time someone Ive met at a show has sent me tracks and theyve instantly blown me away. All these tracks have been highlights in my set for the last year or so, and Im incredibly excited to help get them out into the world. VENALE has an infectious bounce, built around a single chopped-and-screwed vocal cut and the biggest kick since Timbaland brushed dirt off Jay Zs shoulder. This is Club music with a twist - its not trying to imitate the originators, but rather add a different - and complimentary - flavour to that incredibly inspiring soup. BITCH MODE is a perfect example of doing more with less - and as a result has been one of the peaks of my set for a hot minute. Sitting up around 150bpm and leaning fully into the redlining is headlining aesthetic, BITCH MODE is Charli XCX doing the Percolator in Palermo. On PCP. TALKINGSH#T brings luscious rave chords and Sheffield bleeps into the HLRTY-verse, with a more chopped-up beat adding heft doses of syncopation and funk. Not quite breaks, not quite club, but totally infectious. ANSIOGENO feels like Acid Rave and UK Funky had a child at 148bpm. Straight in from beat 1, the unique arrangement takes listeners and dancers alike on a journey through chunky intensity, culminating in a unique wobbling bassline guaranteed to fry brains and feet. OTRAVEZ feels like a Miami Bass track got lost somewhere in Southern Europe - heavy bass pressure meets twisted vocals and a sweaty electro bounce. Absolutely undeniable on a soundsystem! BITCH MODE is a perfect example of doing more with less - and as a result has been one of the peaks of my set for a hot minute. Sitting up around 150bpm and leaning fully into the redlining is headlining aesthetic, BITCH MODE is Charli XCX doing the Percolator in Palermo. On PCP. Distributed by Label Engine - www.label-engine.com

HLRTY

#60 Feat. Staff Picks in Breaks / Breakbeat / UK Bass

Having smashed stages worldwide wide via the all-conquering behemoth that is Godzilla Dub, Kents finest, Ash aka ZeroFG, explores an oft-overlooked but (for certain Pineapple lovers) absolutely foundational sub-genre of UK Bass… Breakstep. If tunes such as Zinc 138 Trek, Darqwan Said The Spider or Jameson Urban Hero still get you going behind the decks - and believe me, they still get people shocking out on the floor - this updated take on the oft-overlooked early-2000s genre is essential weaponry in your set. Elemental perfectly captures the feel of picking up a Runnin Records white label - crunchy breaks, a rolling bassline and infectious riffs. Hypnotic dancefloor pressure that 2004 Zinc would have been proud to crank out of the EMU. Dabber takes things that bit darker, with Oris Jay-style bleeps and a dark-garage set of bass warps perfectly crafted to that moody flex which has always been an integral part of UK dance music. Atonal 96 style atmospheres keep the adrenalin flowing for everyone involved… Heads down crew, your time. Wheels Of Steel closes things out in very cheeky fashion - a classic break, cut-up stabs and a sped-up rap vocal youve definitely heard before all sit over some proper bouncy sub-bass juice. Constantly evolving and looping atmospheres bring that essential smooth element to contrast perfectly with the roughness. Btw, in case youre wondering what on earth IS Breakstep? Well here goes… Emerging in the early 2000s, and perhaps peaking in terms of popularity with Zincs classic 138 Trek, Breakstep or Breakbeat Garage took elements from sounds such as Jungle, Garage, the emerging Grime scene, and the ruder end of Breakbeat to create a sound that was (in our humble opinion), an essential mix of rolling drums, bass pressure and UK attitude. For a while, these tunes were popping up in sets from range of DJs as diverse as Slimzee and J Da Flex, to Bugs In The Attic and Dubchild, but while a choice Bingo Beats 12 has always been a cheeky weapon for those that know, its not a sound thats really seen much of a critical re-evaluation - possibly because it was quickly swept away by the incoming dubstep / halftime innovations - although artists such as Slaughter Mob and Search & Destroy were a key part of that crossover, and created music that remains some of my favourite from that era. The Elemental EP started life as a collection of WIPs on ZeroFGs Instagram, and when I heard them, I had to instantly reach out to make sure I wasnt mishearing things, and this was in fact the work of someone who also appreciated this era of dance music. Weve since spent way too much time on WhatsApp comparing notes over rare Shimano 12s and DJ Hype remixes, but what is dance music for, if not encouraging nerds to flaunt their obsessions in a safe environment??? Distributed by Label Engine - www.label-engine.com

ZeroFG