Picks Of The Week (23.05.20

1. IMANU - Bloom EP [VISION Recordings]

Recommended if you like: Buunshin, gyrofield, The Caracal Project

It's truly a great time for unique drum and bass. Just this month we had releases by The Caracal Project, gyrofield's debut EP on Overview and now IMANU's sophomore release on VISION. And I can confidently say that The Artist Formerly Known As Signal has outdone himself with this one. As his first single Bloom already suggested and the rest of the EP confirmed, IMANU has not dialed back on the weirdness at all. The main reason he switched names, besides wanting to stop the Signal toothpaste jokes, was that he wanted more freedom to release things outside the dnb spectrum. From the halftime-y title track Bloom to the more atmospheric, breakbeat-y Monchou to the 174 bpm techno bouncer Komm Vorbei, uhm i mean Come Forward, IMANU takes full advantage of this newly-gained freedom. But he still has great things in store for his dnb fans. Both Serpent and Memento build up amazingly strange atmospheres and feature absolutely ridiculous second drops. And Lucifer is just menacing. Pretty much required listening for dnb fans. One of his best EPs so far.

Also, shoutout to the IMANU discord, simply the best discord.

2. MUZZ - Nemesis [Monstercat]

Recommended if you like: Pendulum, Knife Party, Delta Heavy, Pendulum again

WARNING!

I'm sure there's quite a few people wishing for new output from our favorite dnb-group-turned-rock-band Pendulum. I am one of those people. Ever since their foray into the evil lands of EDM, I've hoped for a return. The new (non-remix) album is coming this year. Or so I've told myself for the last 4 years. Last friday Spotify decided to be extra cruel about it and put a new album by "Pendulum" in my Release Radar. Of course it wasn't what I hoped for, but a japanese band with the same name. Good one, Spotify.

Do you know what soothed the pain of my fanboi heart? MUZZ's new single: Nemesis. Everything from the epic intro to the computer generated voices to the sounds used in the drop(s) just screams Pendulum for me. And I love it. Back when it was played in the Rampage Weekend livestreams I actually thought it was a new single by them. However while the influences can definitely be felt, it still has MUZZ's clean production style written all over it. One thing's for sure, this won't be the last you hear from MUZZ this year: The Monstercat veteran, who earlier this year dropped the Y suffix so he wouldn't be confused with BBC's Muzzy in Gondoland, plans to release his debut album in a few months! And if this first single is any indication, this album will be absolutely huge. The dancefloor gods have certainly blessed us this year.

3. Neurofunk in General

One thing I've noticed in the last months is that there's consistently way more DnB releases at the end of the month compared to other weeks. Just in time for payday I guess. The subgenre that has felt this spike the most this week is Neurofunk.

Usually we get like two or three EPs max per week, but I could barely keep with this week. There's been Zardonic's The Become Remix Album, which features massive remixes by the likes of Merikan, Pythius, Sinister Souls and Shadow Sect. Russian producer duo Razlom embraced the payday timing with Money Money, their self-released collaboration with vocalist Julia Marks. While Mizo continues his hot streak with his Rockfall EP on Neuropunk, Bad District showed us some underground neurofunk sounds on Shell Shock Recordings with and Richter and Sam Foxx hold the flag up high for the american neurofunk scene on Play Me Too Records. What about Zombie Cats' two newest tunes, Snake Bite and Falcon with Heist, from two weeks ago? Those are now on Spotify too!

If you're not afraid to go outside the Spotify comfort zone, there's also been plenty of Beatport or Bandcamp exclusives this week. The biggest one being Audio's new single Elements, also known as the most ungoogleable track name ever. Russian twins Gancher & Ruin deliver another iteration in their Case File series showcasing their patented high-energy not-quite-crossbreed sound, while ChaseR channels his love for high-speed DnB on Pressure. And lastly, there's Nickbee and Hybris on remix duties for Volatile Cycle's The Beginning EP.

Exciting times!

4. Whycheck - Blade EP [Rebel Music]

Recommended if you like: Alix Perez, Monty, Fre4knc

Never thought I'd say that but sometimes Facebook has its advantages. Without it I definitely wouldn't have found this absolute Hidden Gem™ of a release. I was just scrolling past a self-promo thread on DnBTalk and saw someone promoting his new EP that had been released on Monday and I thought eh, I don't have anything to do anyway so might as well check it out. And man am I glad I clicked on it.

Whycheck's newest Blade EP is the release I am talking about. After having his first releases on the italian Dreamers Recordings in 2017 and cutting his teeth on Peer Pressure Records, he is now the newest signing of the london-based label Rebel Music. You might have heard from their Dub Wars series, which pits producers against eachother in a tournament style fashion, or from their impressive back catalogue in the deeper parts of the genre. Anyhow, they've snatched up another great signing with Whycheck. This is actually one of those rare EPs where I love every single tune. If you like the soulful, deep style of 1985 Music or Flexout Audio, you will probably like this EP too!

Runner-ups for this week's hidden gem:

Halftone - Spin Out / Empty Space (similar vibes as the Whycheck EP)
Dedman, Nomad, ADM - Reparations EP
Kawaii - Searching (for more happy vibes)
Moekel, Georg Neureiter - I Want You Back Again