December: 10 drum 'n' bass releases you need to hear this month

LSB 'Content' (Soul:r)

Luke Beavon is a 15-year d’n’b template to savour: he's gone from student DJ, struggling promoter and liquid-funk experimenter to a producer du jour heralded as an "impeccable" talent by Marcus Intalex. There's no overnight success, just the grit borne of love for straight 170bpm. This debut LP evokes the very best: the driving snares and aerial vocals of a Utah Jazz (‘Lydian’), the propulsive keys-and-vocals goosebumps of a Technimatic (‘The Optimist’) and the signature DRS-plus-tearjerker-chorus of ‘Missing You’. Best of all, though, are the fine-grained touches: the dusky trumpets in the deep, the subtle shades of different snare combos, the deliberate lack of syrupy pop sheen. It's a rich, rolling underground music box with treasures for all.

9/10