July: 6 bass & club releases you need to hear this month

Ikonika 'Distractions' (Hyperdub)

Hyperdub mainstay Ikonika returns to the scene with her first LP in four years. It’s a dazzling array of grime, r’n’b and hip hop influenced beats, but with the artist putting her own distinctive spin on the tropes she’s working with. ‘Manual Decapitation’ orbits around the listener, propelled by wubby drops and crackling snares, while ‘Not Actual Gameplay’ beeps and whizzes along for a nice respite. ‘Hazefield’, featuring Night Slugs affiliate Sweyn J and fellow Hyperdub artist Jessy Lanza, has wispy vocals floating over spacey pads. It’s not an exaggeration to call each song exquisite; Ikonika is someone who absolutely is aware of the full spectrum of her influences and takes each sound to its fullest potential. ‘Distractions’ is modern club music that acknowledges its history while still moving it forward, courtesy of one of the best in the game.

9/10

Noctilucents 'Do Without You (Pitch’s long mix) (Tobago Tracks)

Watford-based label a Tobago Tracks have tapped Singaporean artist Noctilucents for their latest release. The poet and producer brings a welcome lightness to the catalogue, which is best exemplified by the record’s A-side. ‘Do Without You’ (Pitch’s long mix) bumps along at a januty pace thanks to its mix of sweet synths and mallet percussion. The sampled vocals, from an upcoming anime adaptation of Tomihiko Morimi’s novel The Tatami Galaxy, provide further warmth.

8/10

Umfang 'Symbolic Use Of Light' (Technicolour)

Ninja Tune’s sublabel Technicolour has been putting out some fire recently, with some of its notable releases including Chicago house artist Hieroglyphic Being’s strong album ‘The Disco’s Of Imhotep’ and Mixmag favourite Peggy Gou’s ‘Seek For Maktoop’ EP. Up next on its roster is Discwoman co-founder Umfang. With previous releases on labels such as 1080p and Allergy Season, the New York-via-Kansas producer’s brand of minimal, ambient techno has been seeping into clubs from Berlin to Boston.

‘Symbolic Use Of Light’ is a truly special record, and one that moves across moods and themes with a swiftness that feels natural. Album opener ‘Full 1’ is oriented around a synth motif that’s just a little bit fuzzy, almost space-like, in the vein of Suzanne Ciani. Three songs later, ‘Where Is She’ is an exercise in restraint, with the kind of pumping kicks that keep you on your feet in a warehouse at 6am. Umfang’s work makes masterful use of space (fitting, as the name is German for “circumference”) and weight; although she’s said the record wasn’t made with an album in mind, each song and each movement is completely realised in its fullness or lack thereof.

9/10

Murlo 'Club Coil' (Mixpak)

Brighton-based producer Murlo is one of the most recognised names in bass music today, renowned for both his trademark elastic synth melodies and his room-shaking, genre-spanning DJ sets. He now makes his return to Brooklyn imprint Mixpak with a third EP that features both sultry r’n’b cuts and inventive takes on UK bass. While 2015’s ‘Odyssey’ could be considered a morning record thanks to its upbeat and urgent sound, ‘Club Coil’ opts instead for maximalist takes on the low-end which feel more suited to the late evening.

Dublin-born vocalist and longtime collaborator Gemma Dunleavy appears on two of the album’s most compelling cuts: ‘I Need’ bubbles along, while ‘AFK’ pairs ambient bass tones with vulnerable lyrics. “Remind me what it’s like to be touched, remind me what it’s like to be enough,” sings Dunleavy, bringing a moment of lonely reflection to the club. It’s not all gloom, though. ‘Moss’ glistens with anticipative energy, its synths racing, and closer ‘Tired Of You’ is a percussive workout that pairs deep distortion with crisp snares. Ultimately, what really sets Murlo apart from other producers is his embrace of versatility. No one else in the game right now combines the timbre of sounds that he does, and it really pays off.

9/10

Larry B '5 Sad Songs' (Moodiie Inc.)

A staple at London nights such as Body Party and PDA, DJ and producer Larry B released ‘5 Sad Songs’ back in March, an EP of five extremely deep cuts “from the room in Elephant & Castle.” Frankly, the record was slept on – it’s some of the best slow-moving, bedroom-recorded music we’ve heard in a long time. Larry B’s voice is immediately evocative, and likely to strike a chord within even the most reluctant of listeners.

One of the things this column strives to do is redefine the boundaries of the club, and with ‘5 Sad Songs’, Larry B demonstrates its power as a place in your mind, too; alone in your room, or maybe with someone else, you can dance and muse over the state of things. Opener ‘Over N Over’ pulses moodily over a backing track of rolling hi-hats and snares, with Larry contemplating connection in the midst of monotony. ‘Hit It Right’ is stripped-down and devastating, with gentle percussion and synth tones over reverberating vocals. This is one for those humid summer nights – indulging in your sadness has never felt so good.

8/10

Chino Amobi 'Paradiso' (NON Worldwide / UNO NYC)

On his debut album, producer and NON co-founder Chino Amobi has created an epic, 20-track account of the “post-American wasteland”. The LP is a collaborative effort as well, with Amobi working with a number of fellow club innovators including Elysia Crampton, Nkisi, Rabit and Embaci. Like his album ‘Airport Music For Black Folk’, which was released last year, ‘Paradiso’ finds Amobi working within the realm of blown-out and noisy textures. Combining spoken word with a plethora of foreboding sounds, from techno to metal to musique concrete, the outcome is immersive and visceral.

Described as a “utopian land via LP”, Amobi and his NON collaborators seek to highlight sounds of artists in the African diaspora, with the album moving comprehensively from moment to moment and underscoring a myriad of themes. ‘Blackout’ features a jagged synth line, horns and spoken word over a pumping house beat, while ‘Nkisi’ echoes icy, bell-like tones against deep strings. ‘Polizei’ is a barrage of distorted noise, twisting around the listener like a tornado, while spoken word intones ominously during ‘Kollaps’ until the song gives way to a disorienting hip hop beat and yelled vocals. The scope of this project is massive, and Amobi fully demonstrates his ability to make a cohesive narrative out of many sonic structures.

9/10