July: 9 drum 'n' bass releases you need to hear this month

Nu:Logic 'Somewhere Between The Light' (Hospital Records)

From the opening twinkles of the title track to the melodious jetstreams of ‘Driftwood’, via the gorgeous breaks of LBS collab ‘Sepia’ and the cut-up piano brilliance of Nextmen joint ‘Our Nights’, you know you’re in the safest possible hands here. The Gresham brothers, still the trustiest of Hospital’s label lieutenants in their solo Nu:tone and Logistics guises, release their second long-player of refined, creative, colourful dancefloor liquid, and it’s their best work yet. There are welcome, wonkier moments, with the fidgety ‘Sun Goes Down’ and ‘Strut’, a half-time growler shot through with soul, showing just how talented these two are – but there’s no doubt where they’re most gifted. Dive in.

8/10

Frankee 'Nobody Cares' (Ram)

Program protégé Frankee has already earned his spurs on the main Ram label, and now takes things up a notch with a debut LP. If you were in any doubt that Ram’s dancefloor sound can still tick all the boxes, pay attention: this is a starry-eyed liquid roller built from classic stepping jungle breaks but drenched in frightening luxury. The vocal syrup is infectious, the warping subs crackle gorgeously and the bassline arpeggios nod subtly to vintage days. A real pearler.

8/10

DJ Rap 'Detonate' (Propa Talent)

Drum ‘n’ bass’s very own Princess Leia returns, here, prepping for album number 10 and fresh from headlining a massive Fantazia jam in Bristol in April – and she’s still dropping zippy tech bangers like it’s nothing. ‘Detonate’ features pummelling breaks, squelching synth energy and enough Noisia-style zig-zagging fills to keep the rowdiest dancefloor busy, and would sit happily on Viper or amid Ram’s zingier output. After all these years, it’s astonishing to listen back to old Hysteria tape packs and hear the evergreen Rap going toe-to-toe with Andy, Randall and the original rave-era jungle dons. She really was, and is, a marvel.

7/10

Xorcore 'Killer Wave' EP (Xorcore Records)

Proudly spearheading what he terms the “resurrection” of the Tel Aviv d’n’b scene, Nur Nachman got picked up by Melbourne’s Beat Spectrum earlier this year, and now drops a five-tracker that shows exactly what he’s made of: tough, gritty breakbeats that are, variously, neurofunk-dark, jungly-crisp and experimental-wonky. Lead track ‘Sarcasm’ combines all of the above and then throws in some edgy bleepiness for good measure. If you needed a reminder that d’n’b is an unstoppable global reflex, check this out.

7/10

Ulterior Motive 'Step Change' (Metalheadz)

The most reliable duo in the game for impeccably produced industrial funk are back with their first original tracks on Headz in almost two years. ‘Step Change’ is a proper underground assault, its twisted-blood Reese bassline ripping through the heart of the track, wedded to jackhammer rolling drum punches and fearsomely compressed bass nodes. Yet despite the hard-knuckle aesthetic, the controlled ruggedness is astounding, managing to deliver a truckload of funk at every turn. Witness the last minute of the track when, minus that terrorising mid-range, the sheer naked power of the breaks and bass shines through.

9/10

Satl & Malaky feat Harland & Steo 'A Minute After Always' (Integral)

A debut EP on the excellent Integral for future liquid kingpins Satl and Malaky, who’ve been making waves ever since they first met in 2014. With this release, they position themselves but a whisker away from Technimatic and Dawn Wall territory: the title track is all-encompassing, swirling, enveloping liquid, its subterranean bassline jetstreams providing the perfect luxurious bed for Steo’s matchless, gossamer croonings. If you needed a new source of premium liquid gold, sign here.

8/10

Homemade Weapons & MC Fokus 'Chrysalis' (Dispatch)

Repping the increasingly gargantuan label at events across the globe, MC Fokus makes the jump to a debut artist EP – and if you could pick a deadly sonic DNA strain to pollinate with, it’d be Homemade Weapons and his masterfully minimal thuggishness. The title track is an onslaught of controlled eloquence: ten-tonne subs and ice cold snares revolve bruisingly in a dangerous staccato dance, the 85/170bpm detonations perfectly wired for Fokus and his predatory, menacing flow. Sharp darts, all day – and housed in an electrifying half-time soundscape.

8/10

Drumsound & Bassline Smith 'The Odyssey VIP' (Prototype Recordings)

The return of the mighty Prototype Recordings will be an education in itself for a generation of drum ’n’ bass youngsters possibly unaware of the label’s existence. Grooverider’s 1993 powerhouse set the tone for d’n’b to see itself as a potential world force – and 25 years later, things aren’t half bad. eh? DBS’s ‘Odyssey’ was a club-conquering banger when it was first released back in 2005, but one listen to this new version and you’ll never want to hear the original again. The production quality of impact dancefloor tunes has moved on infinitely in 13 years, never mind 25 – and that signature synth hook, now cut-up and grainier, sounds electric amid the battalions of extra basslines and gunning subs. This track has been doing the rounds exclusively for two years – trust Groove to be the one to unleash it.

7/10

Nymfo & Phase 'Bristol Bombay' EP (Dispatch)

Dutch producer Nymfo remains a firm Mixmag favourite – every release has us skanking – and here his team-up with Belgium’s Phase is a triumph of rolling dancefloor artistry. The soft-focus percussive tech of the title track is brilliantly different, while ‘Duvel’ takes it a shade darker, with spearing synths joining old-skool jungle breaks. But it’s final groove ‘Bulldog’ which nails it: a high-energy pulsing lick, where basslines corkscrew and nudge into each other ceaselessly. Clever, innovative tech that’s about far more that raw power.

8/10