December: 10 dubstep & grime release you need to hear this month

Mumdance & Logos 'Different Circles Mix CD' (Different Circles)

Mumdance & Logos’ Different Circles label was established to release music that challenged, rather than adhered to, existing musical structures. On their debut mix CD – with a tracklist boasting all Different Circles material, including forthcoming music from the likes of Fis, Airhead, Inkke and more – they take that mission statement one stage further, pushing elements of weightless, drone, club and grime in a multitude of new directions. From Boylan’s electrified devil mix of Logos’ ‘Glass’ (released on Different Circles in 2015) to Airhead stunner ‘Kazzt’, the only parallels the majority of tracks share is that each of them feels mind-blowing in their own right. Also mixed as though tracing steps through the label’s DNA, it makes for a fascinating, intricately mapped-out listen, punctuated by standout material right across all 50 minutes – check out Yamaneko’s ‘Shadow Temple Early’ and Sharp Veins’ closer, ‘Already Bones’, in particular.

9/10

Dark0 'Luka' (XL Recordings)

Dark0 might have been dormant for the best part of a year, but his debut EP for XL, ‘Oceana’, is some of the best new music we’ve written about this year. Our tip is the glistening, orchestral euphoria of ‘Luka’, which captures his ability to make music that carries such vast emotional and physical weight feel so visceral. Totally fit for the club but loaded with vulnerability and longing, amplified by haunted, gothic-era vocal shrills and melodies we’ll never escape from, it’s left us hanging on since the first listen.

10/10

Jammz 'Warrior' EP (I Am Grime)

Jammz has established himself as one of the UK’s leading young grime MCs over the last year, but here he shows a new side to his make-up. ‘Warrior’ addresses the political situation in the UK, navigating through the post-Brexit, pre-Trump landscape with plenty of bite as fiery opener ‘Right Now’, in which he takes shots at the government, testifies. All self-produced (aside from Iron Soul’s superb flip on ‘What’s Man Saying’ featuring P Money), tracks such as ‘Danger’ are sculpted around the trappier, 808 grime beats emcees like Footsie eat for breakfast, and Jammz attacks them with similar velocity. Our tip is the title track, which is a lesson in quick-witted lyricism and flow, but the whole EP proves Jammz is as switched on as they come.

8/10

RDG & Gaze ill 'Keepin’ It Real' EP (Cueline Records)

Here’s an impressive quartet of booming dub heaters from RDG & Gaze ill for the first release on new label Cueline. The two producers collide on brutal, super-sharp opener ‘Keepin’ It Real’ and storming, hyper-minimal dub techno workout ‘The Zone’. On the flip, RDG presents a nightmarish, dystopian backdrop on the clattering, industrial ‘Shapeshift’, before Gaze signs off with relentless, heavyset wobble on the slightly divisive ‘Combo’.

7/10

Tremble 'Too Much Terror/Bwoy' (TRUSIK)

Killer 12” from elusive producer Tremble for label-on-the-up, Trusik, here. A-side ’Too Much Terror’ is pure sound-system pressure, bubbling along with deepest, darkest dub-techno flows, super-hefty low-end and nifty tribal drums giving it plenty of layers. B-side ‘Bwoy’ feels far more immediate at 130bpm, as hard drums and searing bass pressure take things that little bit further.

7/10

Impey 'Midnight In Little Havana' EP (Astral Black)

We’ve been waiting on Impey’s new EP for a good few months, but ‘Midnight In Little Havana’ feels well worth it. From the 80s-style swing of the opening title track onwards there are more than a few surprises, but make no mistake – Impey’s music is built to shell, as booming, UK funky stomper ‘Pep Talk’ and standout track ‘Bleepz’ testify. That said, the near-horizontal lean on ‘Inner’, offset by some gorgeous, looping vocals, is a welcome nod to away-from-the-club styles and helps showcase a defter side to his work. Impey might be unpredictable but on this form, he’s arguably one of the best there is.

9/10

Various 'BOXED003' (Boxed)

The third Boxed plate might just be the best of the lot so far. From the heavyset emotion of Mr Mitch’s mournful opener ‘Friend Of Mine’, a track that sparkles in chiptune sorrow, to the pure power of As If Kid’s ‘Mashman Riddim Pt 2’, a tune that’s ready to turn raves inside out, this 12” proves how diverse the Boxed sound now is. JT The Goon’s long sought-after dub ‘Flux Capacitor’ feels like the icing on the cake – an intense, euphoric four-and-a-half minutes of rising sino-melodies and growling pressure – before Sir Pixalot’s thumping ‘All In One’ VIP delivers the final blow.

8/10

CLU 'Mood' EP (Gobstopper Records)

Irish duo CLU were formed in 2011 by Sean Cooley and visual artist Kevin Freeney, and now debut on Gobstopper with the latest in a long line of boundary-pushing EPs. ‘Mood’ deals in the relationship between the club and visual art, referencing elements of hip hop and grime beatmaking, (listen out for the hollowed-out eski flutes on ‘Trance Lament’) within a framework rich in bubbling textures and melody. Our tip is hushed, banger-on-the-sly ‘Okami’, which hides plenty of 808 pressure inside complex layers of melody and Yung Lean-esque vocals, but all four tracks are superb.

8/10

Youngstar 'Bongo' (Remixes) (White Peach Records)

Youngstar’s all-time grime classic ‘Bongo’ gets the reboot treatment from some of the UK’s deadliest soundboys. With the original beat also included on the 12”, Hi5Ghost opts to chop and screw with killer, razor-sharp claps, while Kahn & Neek flip that classic pulse bass on its head, introducing their own charging dub lean and murky, dread-like sounds. Impey, meanwhile, chooses to take a dizzying route through his barnstorming, gunshot-laden club workout.

8/10

Antwon Adell 'The Upside Down/Subfunk Hill' (Pear Drops)

Bristol’s Antown Adell turns in two funk-laced belters here. Distorted opener ‘The Upside Down’ is reminiscent of his work for his own Dream Journey label but still packs a fresh punch, while ‘Subfunk Hill’ deals in Swindle-esque keys and pure 16-bit nostalgia. It might have all been done before, but Adell does classic Bristol sounds better than most.

7/10