May: 10 drum 'n' bass releases you need to hear this month

Goldie vs Ulterior Motive feat Natalie Williams 'I Adore You' (Metalheadz)

Five years ago, Goldie roared back to the summit and claimed our Tune Of The Month accolade with ‘Freedom’. Now he’s at it again – but this is even better. A timeless roller built around one of the finest d’n’b vocals of all time, we can’t see how any single can top this in 2017. What a track. What a boss. And what on earth will we do until the LP drops?

10/10

Various 'Intrigue 14: The Anniversary Collection' (Intrigue Music)

Forged in the fires of liquid-funk’s golden age, Bristol club night Intrigue has been a haven for the soulful and deep since 2003 (our visit to its Calibre special in February brought home why it’s still one of the best nights in the country). Its sister label celebrates 14 years in the game with serious style: Calibre mixing Random Movement on stargazing voyage ‘Dreaming’, Randall joining Ben Soundscape for the bouncy, moody ‘Nightfall’ and a Break exclusive with the deep-end funk of ‘Restored’, plus RoyGreen and Protone, Raw Q and label honchos The Insiders all dropping gems. The breadth and depth of Bristol’s thriving d’n’b scene has to be seen to be believed – there’s no better place to start than here.

8/10

Dope Skillz 'The Fold' (ElevateAudio)

Friction’s Elevate vehicle has proved a useful outlet for his bashier leanings, but it’s not quite caught alight as yet – so why not douse it in the potent kerosene of the beloved DJ Zinc’s return to 170bpm? Pow! Bagging Zinc’s Dope Skillz alias on wax once more is a serious coup, and his track ‘The Fold’ leads a huge ‘Quadrant’ EP that also features Original Sin and Friction himself (though it’s funny how strange it now feels to hear the great man pushing a moody dancefloor vibe). ‘The Fold’ is an intriguing mix of sizzling bassline goodness with a surprisingly robo-tech tinge, even if those jaunty phasing synths carry the refined whiff of Zinc’s hybrid house voyage.

7/10

Metrik 'We Got It' (Spy remix) (Hospital)

It’s rather nice when a remix seeks to absolutely detonate the original – and in leaving the glacial intro to this keys-and-vocals tearjerker almost intact, Spy ensures his rework feels doubly vicious when a waspish synth tendril fizzes into the frame and turns it into a Break-esque rolling crunch-up. With a drop that hits so hard, torched with electric mid-range venom, Rothwell’s heartstopping vocals take on a vengeful emo sheen, a world away from the wistful atmosphere of the original. Fine work from two top-notch studio ninjas.

8/10

Danny Wheeler 'Spread Your Wings' EP (W10 Records)

West London’s original soldier digs deep into his soul collection to whip up the most unashamedly funk-strutting liquid EP we’ve heard in years. ‘Singing My Love’ delivers a kitchen sink of diva strings, parping brass and good-time vocal silk, while the title track deploys Bee Gees-style guitar and shimmering violins before fluttering breaks roll off towards the sunset.

7/10

Telekom 'Bulletproof' (Biological Beats)

Nu Breed mic lieutenant and original hype merchant Fatman D’s Biological Beats imprint has been quietly doing the damage for a decade, and we’re loving this from label footsoldier Telekom. Wonky, stop-start robo-tech from a jump-up rather than industrial angle, it’ll have you skanking, screwfacing and smiling in equal measure – and the production is deliciously tight. Bouncy, taut, gristle-filled fun from a crew who are fully deserving of props.

7/10

Malaky 'See Through' (Fokuz)

Rotterdam’s finest have been showcasing Malaky since 2013, and we’re loving the young producer’s ‘See Through’ EP – its title track offers a twinkling yet gritty soul voyage that reminds us of Lenzman’s hypnotic dark-light brilliance. Faintly warping bass electrics arrow underneath in polished style, while a soft-focus weave shimmers away above, its scattered, fidgeting keys dotting around soothing vocal echoes. Simple, and beautiful, rolling silk.

7/10

InsideInfo feat Fable 'Glimpse' (Viper Recordings)

Peak-time floor-smasher business here from Paul InsideInfo – and with a serious groundswell of kudos behind it, too. First debuting on Viper back in 2008, the producer’s self-titled debut LP is an uptempo corker of melodic dancefloor tech, and this second single features not only Paul Hartnoll collaborator Fable but a remix from the great man himself. ‘Glimpse’ finds a minute-long yearning vocal of ridiculous quality suddenly sluiced and serrated by full-throttle synth howitzers and breakneck rattling snares. The same melody resurfaces unscathed after the madness, with an undeniably epic, stadium-bass feel, before it all rattles off hardstyle once more.

8/10

MachineCode 'DoubleGate' (Locked Concept)

We featured the excellent Australian producer Lockjaw’s intelligent dancefloor tech last year. Now, his Locked Concept label has put out an absolute corker of an EP, with MachineCode, DR and Lockjaw verging from snaking experimental tech to bonkers instrumental electronica. There’s a cinematic, surrealist feel to the release, with lead cut ‘DoubleGate’ really catching the ear: it’s a slice of high-octane, high-grade sci-fi tech funk that slowly and claustrophobically fills up with a murderous array of synth electrodes. Just be careful in there.

9/10

Dimension 'Generator' (Self-released)

It’s fair to say Dimension’s meteoric success definitely got real last year, after we all lost it to thrillingly diverse pogo-skanker ‘UK’ (a Skrillex VIP has also appeared since then, and Andy C used ‘In Bleach’ to open the very first party of his XOYO residency). That’s a tough act to follow, which is probably why ‘Generator’ doesn’t try and go one better, but instead shows us the depth and deluxe quality of the London-based artist’s production game. A Chords-style haunting roller steeped in wall-of-sound electro vibes, fans of Sub Focus will go crazy for the rich, bass-humming artistry on show. Another impressive outing.

8/10

Ewen Cook is Mixmag's Drum 'N' Bass Editor, follow him on Twitter