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

T_A_M 'In Tandem' (Apothecary Compositions)

T_A_M’s had quite a start to 2016, but the work he’s most proud of is documented across ‘In Tandem’, a debut album that’s taken nearly two years to put together. Although not specifically grime – in fact, the majority of tracks on the LP are completely unclassifiable – there are references across the album, particularly on tracks such as the gorgeous lullaby, ‘Trooner’. Echoes of Yamaneko on the floaty, aqua-themed ‘Summ Kiirk’ are clear, too, but this is an album that T_A_M has obviously poured a lot into. It’s certainly complex and, in places, deeply emotional – see both ‘Snow In August’ and the beautiful, ‘My Family’ – but as a whole, ‘In Tandem’ smacks of an artist completely at one with his own ideas, thoughts and musical processes. We’re very impressed.

8/10

DJ Q 'Sonic' (Local Action)

2016-Bit

‘Sonic’ has been popping up in various Q and Local Action sets over the last few months, but the track amounts to a lot more than just sampling classic Megadrive fodder. Brilliantly simple, its skippy flow, furthered by the bonkers Sonic The Hedgehog effects that’ll have you chasing imaginary gold rings , gives it a playful quality – but it still feels firmly rooted in grime’s spectrum. An excursion from his usual output, ‘Sonic’ will undoubtedly go down as one of the year’s memorable slices of club grime. Tip!

8/10

Various 'Amy Becker RMX EP' (Self-Released)

Amy Becker enlists four of the best on this specially commissioned remix EP that follows on from her 2015 debut compilation ‘TRX’. Boxed co-head Logos is first up on his junglist flip of iconic UK Funky anthem ‘De Siegalizer’, while emerging grime crew YGG go every type of ham on a killer vocal remix of Sir Spyro’s monstrous ‘Side By Side’. Scratcha DVA is the third name in the mix, twisting Kamixlo’s destructive ‘Mata Lo’ in all sorts of different directions, before Track & Field producer Deamonds rounds things off by turning in a deadly, bubbling edit of DJ Haus’ ‘Hot In Dis MF’. Proper.

8/10

Deadcrow 'Night Wonder EP' (Terrorhythm)

Very much in the Silk Road Assassins-meets-MssingNo mould, Deadcrow makes his debut for Terrorhythm with four complex, iced-out tracks. From the spacey dystopia of heady opener ‘Last Kiss’ to the trappy club lean of ‘Krai’, Deadcrow exhibits all the hallmarks of a producer with a clear and futuristic vision, although on ‘IDK’ the warm, fuzzy synth palette lends itself more to Bristol’s classic purple sound. Final track ‘Wifi’, though, reverts to form as its cosmic, dwindling melodies glide and float in-and-out of focus to draw things to a fitting close.

8/10

Malleus & Saule 'Bad Kids EP' (Gourmet Beats)

Joe Nice’s label continues to roll out the goods, with Malleus and Saule joining forces here on their maverick EP ‘Bad Kids’. The opening title track marries a proper dubsteppa riddim with classic hip hop references in a bold, quirky meeting of sound palettes, while Saule’s ‘Kalakuta’ works deepest, darkest sub pressure with classic jazz instrumentation and skippy tribal drum patterns. Final track ‘Parce Qu’ll Est Mort’, meanwhile, sees Malleus take control to turn in a complex, sample-heavy and, at times, unnervingly deconstructed club record. Not what you’d expect, but it’s certainly pushing boundaries.

8/10

Headland & Sepia 'Local/Amber' (Well Rounded)

Headland and rising talent Sepia share a split 12” for Well Rounded here. And it’s rather good, too: Headland’s ‘Local’, a dark and eerie wander through the club loaded with sub and crackly, industrial textures, is a monster, while Sepia comes through on the flip with the whimsical calm of ‘Amber’, although its offset by some heavy, rolling bass pressure that still tugs at the darkness.

7/10

Lemzly Dale 'No Long Talk' (Sector 7 Sounds)

Lemzly Dale, like the label he co-runs alongside Boofy, is an unassuming character – but boy, do his tunes bang. ‘No Long Talk’ is only the imprint’s fourth release in a little under three years and Lemzly’s mix, a thumping square wave workout originally created as a war dub back in 2013, is backed up by a killer, end-of-the-world refix from Bristol’s dubplate kings Kahn & Neek. A scorcher of a 12”.

9/10

Chad Dudz 'System/Seriously F**ked' (Foundation Audio)

Two hefty club weapons from Chad Dubz, who returns to Foundation Audio with plenty of swagger. Opener ‘System’ is pure, looming bass weight that boasts enough robust, charging flow to tear any system to shreds. Elsewhere, flip side ‘Seriously F**ked’ is equally brash, although it also packs some surprisingly grime-titled bass sounds and scurrying, off-kilter patterns. No frills, hard as nails and limited to 100 copies.

7/10

Various 'Boxed 002' (Boxed)

Boxed picks up from where its inaugral release left off with four new screamers. ‘002’ sees Logos bless the A-side with ‘Marked 4 Death Gun Man’, its searing gunshot loop interspersed with screams and shattered glass, while Iglew turns in the arresting ‘Lullaby’, a track more likely to give you nightmares than usher you to sleep (not that we’re complaining). Spooky & Edgem producer Boylan then team up on the piercing, dread-inducing ‘Peckham To Hackney’ before Jawside washes away some of the debris with the mystical ‘Blurred Rain’.

8/10

Feverkin 'From Your Window EP' (White Peach Records)

White Peach put out records at a rate of knots, but there’s always something that catches our attention. Feverkin’s ‘From Your Window’ is the latest, a beautiful record that looks at dubstep through an ambient, blissed-out lens. The hushed, beatless notes of heartfelt opener ‘I Seek You In The Sky’ set an emotional tone right from the start, before ‘Still Can’t Fall’ ushers in staggered blows of sub, rainfall and a near-hypnotic vocal, courtesy of Nori. The title track works a similar formula, too, with Nori’s voice once again dominating Feverkin’s dreamscape-like sound design, before the hopeful, uptempo ‘Dream Journal’ finds itself at odds with the quiet melancholy of final track ‘Overthought’. A gorgeous, emotional 12”.

9/10