Picks Of The Week (18.02.

Grüß Gott, griaß die, servus! Sure, everyone knows that Austria can bring forth some insane talents, we are all aware of the powerhouses Camo & Krooked and Mefjus, dancefloor connoisseurs Fourward and Disaszt, personal favourites Phonetic and Moekel, Neuro brain scramblers Screamarts and TR Tactics, or deep and dark maestros like Wingz and En:vy (not anymore, but you get me) after all. However, the Kaninchenbau goes much, much deeper than that. Allow me to demonstrate what I mean, by taking a look at two new talents from two corners of the country, Puzzle and Dub Ten.

1. Puzzle - Orchid / Hyacinth 💎 [Deep Within Recordings]

Recommended if you like: Misanthrop, Halogenix, Workforce

Wait, Puzzle, that name rings a bell, doesn't it? If you've been reading these for a while, and you've got an impeccable memory, it most certainly will.

For those like me with the less functional memories: Way back in early 2021, I was already puzzled about how insane his debut EP is! Since that, mister Jonas Feurle has truly lived up to his last name, firing off one incredible tune after the other, from non-dnb experimentations on his wonderful Diaries Of A Daydreamer EP to ridiculous DnB bangers like the colourful Yellow on In The Lab, which deservedly earned him his first free download chart numero uno, the versatile Venus EP on Stellar Audio, collaborative craziness with Sign, DANEY and Vortex, and an historic entry to the gallery of Sound Museum. Looking at this list, one could say that Puzzle has certainly already made an impact on the scene, but we are still far from removing the "underrated" label from his name in my opinion. I could've written something about any of these releases listed above, literally all of them are delightful, but since it was still too close to the previous review, I decided against it. Not only has enough time passed for me to re-up my strong recommendation once more, this new double single is also just so damn good that I can't help it, I just have to feature it. Emphasis on the gem part of the Hidden Gem Of The Week™️ title.

For this, Jonas has worked together with deep and dark veteran Division's very own label, Austria-based Deep Within Recordings! Yep, even the labels are Austrian today. As is basically tradition with these newcomer label introductions, Deep Within was founded in early 2020, showcasing their talented roster with a series of free downloads, before later also stepping into the world of paid releases. Not only did they quickly manage to attract a lot of talent in the dark and steppy corners of the genre, like Teej, Hexa, Mofes, Kidsonic and Sudley, they also delved deeper and deeper into the more vibey sounds, with stunning releases by En:vy, Wingz, Offline, DOt., Gestalt and VISLA. In addition to the incredible music, the label also sports an art direction for their covers that's honestly so perfectly moody and beautiful I kind of want to buy and put up some of these artworks as posters at home. No wonder they got nominated for Best Newcomer Label in 2022!

As much as they deserve this and any future nominations, it has to be said that our protagonist for this release, Puzzle, absolutely deserves one too. On the A-side, Orchid, Jonas once again only picks out the prettiest sounds to curate his incredibly colourful sonic bouquet for us. Like the olfactory sensation of the real-life equivalent of this analogy, the hand-picked synths majestically travel throughout the auditory space, drawing all attention and satisfying the senses. While the synths are absolutely the focus and main star here, Puzzle also rounds the selection off with some heartwarming bass, extra shaky (in a good way) drums and an atmosphere to die for.

That isn't the only fantastic floral arrangement Puzzle has got in his flower store for us though, we've still got the less commonly known counterpart, Hyacinth, to talk about! We enter this particular multi-layered experience with some more sublime synth melodies gently strumming along, while a vulnerable vocal airs its grievances in little bursts. Right when the deliciously dynamic drums announce that we're now diving into the drop, we're stopped in our tracks, before a burst of soft stabs restarts the engine and we're thrown on a river of deeply rumbling bass. All throughout the various stops and starts of the drop, the honestly excellent, detailed drums continously push you forward in a way that you never quite know what's gonna happen next, while still feeling natural, creating this really interesting flow.

Doesn't matter whether Puzzle embarks on an interstellar journey, or if he just wants to show us his favourite flowers, the end result is always stunning. Check this and all of his previous and future releases out, you won't regret it.

2. Dub Ten - LND / Ghetto 💎 [Empathy Audio]

Recommended if you like: Halogenix, En:vy, Visages

After taking a look at someone I've had on my radar for quite some time now, let's talk about someone I and probably most of you haven't even heard of before: Dub Ten! While I would definitely put the emphasis l on the hidden part of the Hidden Gem Of The Week™️ title this time around, this one absolutely deserves the gem part too.

So, who is this dubplate number 10 then? Based in Wörgl, Gabriel Kirchebner has been part of the local DnB community for ages. Perhaps most famously, he won the raffle for a ticket to the DC Breaks album tour in 2017. Okay, I'm sorry for this extremely random and entirely too specific detail, but that's literally all I could find out about the guy. I mean, yeah, he's also been around as a DJ, but there's really not a whole lot to tell you here. This is his very first release too!

Alright, okay (alright, okay), let's talk about the platform putting out his release then: Empathy Audio! From the western side of the country, Innsbruck, to be specific, Nico "Apollo" Hassler and George "Decaz" Haselwanter have recently started working together to bring great soulful and forward-thinking techy DnB to the masses. Since being founded in 2022, so less than a year into the operation, they have already put on various Empathy Audio label nights, showcased the likes of Resslek, Drum Dad & Bass Boy, Azura on their Empathy Sessions guest mix series, and put out releases by moab, Vortex and label founder Apollo himself. Pretty good for such a short timespan I'd say!

Wanna know what's somehow even better for an even shorter timespan? This Dub Ten debut one-two punch! In the public eye, at least. I'm pretty sure he's worked on these two beasts for quite some time before letting them out of their cage. For instance, the opener LND, with its frankly unfairly gorgeous synths, incredibly vibey vocal sample and smoothly rolling drums, is so damn lovely, I almost refuse to accept it's coming from such a new name! Seriously, the first time I experienced these sultry summertime synths seducing my ear canals, I had to immediately stop what I was doing and redirect all my energy to increasing my laptop's volume as high as possible. I can't stress enough just how satisfying they are.

As if that wasn't enough for a debut release, Gabriel threw in another Dub of his to complete the picture: Ghetto! As the name already kind of implies, this one is way grottier than its predecessor, showcasing the darker sides of his production. While I would love to just have twenty LND type vibes on here, it is also equally interesting to hear what he brings to the table in a completely different setting. Let me rephrase that. It's not "just" an interesting tune, it's a full-on no-prisoners-taking steppy banger of a tune! Groovy drums continously skipping along, well-designed bass womps with their own rhythmic agenda, all woven together so perfectly that you can't help but skank along. Or at least nod your head a little.

Two sides of the deep DnB coin, both infused with Dub Ten's personal style, resulting in two incredible vibes of their own. Not just insanely good for a debut release, this is outstanding in general.