My imaginary female self has been foraging for the odd rock/folk/alternative berry, while masculine tribe leader me has been hunting a whole lot of meaty dnb/dub/electronica with a MASSIVE FUCKING SPEAR. Here you go tribespeople:
Berries first.
Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes
What's this? Guitars? Yeah, I found some unassuming and simple indie rock that didn't send me running for the hills. Catchy, muddy guitar riffs open a track that does exactly what it says on the tin. Although ironically the kind of guys who completely oppose surfer kids, this track really wouldn't seem out of place sound-tracking some American teen drama while the sun sets over the wash and some unrealistically-beautiful 'teenagers' (25, minimum) frolic hilariously about in celebration of the happy ending of a classically dramatic year. Oh, what? They're from Florida? Cue some strings in the closing minute to lather some thin layer of 'integrity'. Actually, I quite like it all.
JJ - Let Go
I think these guys also produce some hip-hop-infused electronica, but I'm happy with what's here. Dreamy vocals float over sparse, echoey pianos and guitars and retro synths. Think of tacky eighties-esque school disco slow dances. 'I like your sleeves, they're real big.'
Laura Gibson & Ethan Rose - Younger
If I'm entirely honest I'm not yet completely convinced by this track, but something about it intrigues me. Minimal and with very little direction or apparent structure, it's basically an odd scattering of soothing female vocal mumbles over ambient samples of rattling, jingling things. Having said that, whack some headphones on and those shimmering synth pads smothering the corners of your ears do seem to glue it all together pretty pleasantly.
But don't let those measly berries put you off. The lads are bringing in the prize kills.
Meaty, meaty meat.
Sorry, not much clever here, but BIG for sure.
Noisia - Deception
MEATY MEATY dnb! Noisia bring that persistently MASSIVE drop for this characteristically pounding new release. Although inevitably not a patch on last year's Stigma, it's still quite a banger. This is the kind of music that was made to scare grannies.
Johnny L - Evah
And then some more. This sounds like someone took a big spoonful of the late nineties and poured it into a modern-day dnb jelly-mould. Basically, it's plenty trancey, with tinny house hi-hats incorporated into its breakbeat, and beautifully cheesy trance pianos and blaring synth lines completing the distinct flavour.
AC Slater - Jack Got Jacked (Jack Beats Remix)
So why not something more housey? I've gone all club here, but it's a cheeky one. Saw-synths cue blistering wobble mania.
Rusko - Cockney Thug
Yeah, definitely nothing subtle about this one. What could make dub even more in-your-face? Oh, apparently Vinnie Jones samples and synth-horn. 'WAKE THE FUCK UP'.
Boxcutter - Glyphic
But who said dubstep can't be subtle? I finally found a dub producer and album I consistently enjoy, but then again it's probably cos it's a crossover, dub roots smeared with IDM elements. A lonesome producer of this kind of music out in his homeland of Northern Ireland, this man does for dubstep what Squarepusher and Aphex Twin did for jungle back in the nineties. A slowly dragged out introduction proves worth the wait as the sound-scape is stuffed full of choppy bass wobbles and echoey effects. Probably my favourite track here.
Martyn - All I Have Is Memories
Staggering but chilled breakbeat here, with all the snappiness of earlier garage, but the intelligence of more modern electronica. It's a comedown track, but with plenty of kick for that 'mummy, I don't want to go home' feeling preceding a groggy homecoming, also right at home on a night-time drive.
Here's some I made earlier. 2003 was a good year for dnb it would seem.
Twisted Individual - Bandwagon Blues
Clowny to the extreme, the wobbles on TI's cheeky response to criticisms of their 'singular' sound are over the top in exactly the right kinda way.
Fresh - Signal
Back to the time when breaks were even more aggressive, changing from bar to bar like some ultra-violent bruce lee fight scene. Tasty.
