January: 10 dubstep & grime releases you need to hear this month

Kahn & Neek 'Fabriclive 90' (fabric)

Bristol’s Kahn & Neek are a credit to their art. Operating within predominantly grime and dub circles apart from when they’re focusing on collaborative project Young Echo, they match musical know-how and staunch DJ presence with a respect for original tools of the trade: vinyl, turntables, dubplates. This release might have come at a time of turmoil for Fabric but, if any mix could reinstill some hope, it’s this one. Deftly mapped out but delivered in ruthless style, Kahn & Neek hurtle through a series of one-away dubs and forthcoming material in a mix that feels every bit a statement. Their mixing style pays homage to their love of sound-system music but is also defined by personal ties to their home city of Bristol. Good friends Boofy, Gemmy and Hi5Ghost all feature, as do members of Young Echo.Highlights include their remix of Spyro’s grime anthem ‘Topper Top’ and newcomer Jook’s ‘Juice’, but the real winners here are undoubtedly Kahn & Neek. They’re building quite a legacy.

9/10

Trends & Boylan 'Norman Bates' (Oil Gang)

We’re big fans of Trends and Boylan’s individual takes on instrumental grime, but together they produce music befitting of the apocalypse. ‘Norman Bates’, probably their darkest record to date, has already been doing damage for the best part of a year. From the rasping opening bars, it’s obvious that it’s been built for impact, but it’s the missile-like, low-end stabs – each of which seems to come with its own shockwave – that really hammer home. Hear it on a system and your life will never be the same again.

9/10

Otik 'Acne Downs' EP (Durkle Disco)

London producer Otik has been earmarked for his future-facing, 130bpm beats for a while, and here he debuts proper for Bristol’s Durkle Disco label. ‘Acne Downs’ sees him reference classic system sounds, with the booming title track a real head-turner in particular. Caski steps up on remix duties, turning in a wonky, 2-step edit that packs plenty of its own heat, while on the B-side, Otik flexes his percussive muscles on the rolling ‘Big Bad Wolf’, which is punctuated by grizzly, day-dot grime vocals.

7/10

DJ Cable feat GHSTLY XXVII 'Ride To This' (Triangulum)

DJ Cable has been prolific with his Triangulum imprint this year, releasing records from the likes of Darkness, Habitat, Neffa-T, Sware and rising MC GHSTLY XXVII (previously Ghostly), who returns here on the punchy ‘Ride To This’. Although it feels like it’s been aimed at the radio more than the club, there’s a sense of cinema to Cable’s production work, the instrumental a mesh of booming, trappy 808 beats, trademark snare rolls and freeze-dried melodies. GHSTLY XXVII catches a vibe, too, strapping pertinent lyrics about grind and hustle with a sense of purpose.

7/10

Ironsoul 'Carbon/Banter' (Soul Music)

A pair of stone-cold belters from the masterful Ironsoul (also Kromestar), one of grime’s most low-key, genius producers for years now. A-side ‘Carbon’ samples crunchy low-end and purple-y bass sounds that’d usually be enough to steal the show, but it’s a pair of hyper-emotional male and female vocal samples that really put it over the top, exchanging blows over layers and layers of intricate, sugary melodies. On the flip, ‘Banter’ strips everything back, spares us the emotional baggage and instead delivers a looping 8-bar smash that, in parts, feels reminiscent of early Wiley beats.

8/10

Lemzly Dale & Gundam 'Questions/Mercy' (Pearly Whites)

Bristol’s Lemzly Dale, joint label head of Sector 7 Sounds alongside Bandulu’s Boofy, launched his Pearly Whites imprint with a free comp earlier in the year. This time, he’s back to debut proper on a super-limited 10”. The A-side comes courtesy of grime refix king Gundam, who takes aim at 50 Cent and Nate Dogg’s ’21 Questions’ by chopping and screwing at will, while Lemzly turns up the romance meter on his sickly-sweet ‘Mercy’ flip. Grab one quick – they’ll fly.

8/10

C-Side 'Early Days Dub' (Green King Cuts)

Bristol-based producer C-Side turns in the debut release on new start-up label, Green King Cuts, a stomping dub cut in keeping with the output of labels such as Satta Don Dada’s Foundation Channel. ‘Early Days Dub’ might chug along rather than charge, but the dub horns, hazy sax, classic vocal sampling and solid bass palette give it plenty of ammo for the club. On the flip, Cessman ups the ante on his reverb-heavy remix to sign off on a solid, if a little overly nostalgic 12”.

7/10

Sware 'Enemy' EP (Mode Digital)

Sware recently won the fourth instalment of rising grime producer battle Beat Boss, and with his stock already high, his new EP for Mode FM’s label arm feels all the more noteworthy. The wonky programming on ‘Enemy’ is reminiscent of Champion in places and listens well, while on ‘Second’, he samples a more sombre, early Skream-like steppy lean. ‘Carlink’ takes things a little too dark with excessive claps that go off like a rogue pneumatic drill, clouding out some of the better work going on underneath. Final track ‘Shredda’ brings it back around, though, with killer, heavyset low-end.

7/10

JLSXND7RS 'S.N.M' (Lowriders Recordings)

Dutch producer JLSXNDRS specialises in the darkest of grime beats, and ’S.N.M’ is certainly no exception. It’s his first for Lowriders and lead track, ‘Swift’, also sees off-beat flow champ Nico Lindsay lace firecracker vocals over a demonic, hollowed-out instrumental; each and every bang lands with its own sense of impending, nightmarish doom. On the flip, it’s left to Trends to bludgeon with his own lethal brand of pummelling beats and searing claps.

8/10

Sepia 'Ancient Tribes' EP (Transient Audio)

Dubstep protege Sepia has enjoyed a busy year and signs off with a new EP for lTransient Audio here. ‘Vacant’ details a tribal drumbeat intro that soon comes to life with warming, subby bass tones, while the titl track carries its own enchanting charm, matched by deepest, darkest sub. ‘Consequence’ draws the record to a close with more booming sub, only this time offset by fluttery string melodies, showcasing his ability to balance rough with smooth.

8/10