November: 9 dubstep & grime releases you need to hear this month

Distance 'Dynamis' (Tectonic)

Distance’s third LP (and his first for Tectonic) is arguably the best of his career so far. Inspired by a move away from his favoured 140bpm template, ‘Dynamis’ feels in tune with the work pioneered by US beatmaker overlords such as Clams Casino and Metro Boomin’, as well as flashes of those operating in more exploratory spaces (see Arca, Rabit) – but it’s also delivered with a distinctly UK accent. From the shadowy chills of rolling trap opener, ‘Instruction To Survive’, to the stripped-back, dread-like grime flavours on ‘Badman’ feat Killa P, it feels like ‘Distance’ is uncovering new ground with every track. The frenetic and sample-heavy production on ‘Collide’ is another standout, as are the horror-score melodies and thugged-out sub on the eerie ‘Unite’, but there are also surprise club abstractions in ‘Fiya’ and ‘Paradigm’. It’s as far removed from his Chestplate material as you can get, but on this evidence, that’s no bad thing.

8/10

Sir Spyro, Lady Chann, Teddy Bruckshot and Killa P 'Toppa Top' (Deep Medi)

‘Toppa Top’ has been turning raves upside down for months, so to see it get a release on Deep Medi feels more than deserved. Pure system-destroyer material, it sees Sir Spyro (who’s probably enjoying the best spell of his production career at the moment) throw out dread-filled bass cannons like depth chargers. He leaves enough space around each for killer, stinging verses from Lady Chann and virtuoso newcomer, Teddy Bruckshot, to do the real damage.

10/10

Spooky 'Discharge EP' (Mean Streets)

Pure savagery from lethal duo Spooky and Trends here, who join forces across three barnstorming tracks. Collaborative opener ‘GRIME’, a sprawling, contorted mass of disjointed bass sounds, razor claps and low-end rumbles, is as rude as it is tough, but the title track goes even harder. Although the bass cannons land like some sort of aerial bombardment, there are brief flashes of melody – albeit punctuated by gun-cocking FX – that offer some respite. To sign off, Trends turns in his own growling, nightmarish take on ‘Discharge’, too.

7/10

Swindle 'Funk & Grime EP' (Butterz)

The second release in the new EP project ‘A Trilogy In Funk’, ‘Funk & Grime’ sees Swindle return to his London roots following the release of ‘Connecta’, an EP steeped in the musical heritage of Brazil. Although a product of grime, Swindle’s one-of-a-kind maverick approach to making it (as well as working live instrumentation into his productions) is again at the fore here, with vocal cuts featuring Ghetts and D Double E forming the backbone. ‘Lemon Trees’, a beat defined by its rebooted soul hook, sees D Double ride a sparse, analogue beat, subtly underpinned by bass guitar licks and dizzying funk samples, while ‘Works Haffi Run’ featuring Ghetts is far grittier and almost reminiscent of Swindle’s early work for Planet Mu. To finish off, Flava D turns in a lethal club flip of album track, ‘Mad Ting’, featuring JME.

8/10

Sukh Knight 'Crystal Skull EP' (Stripes Records)

Sukh Knight continues a stellar run of releases with a new EP for Stripes that feels as if it were made for tearing up the club. ‘Cop Killaz 2’ opens with crushing 808 beats and bhangra-style vocal samples, while the title track feels super-bright, as icy melody shards filter off in all sorts of directions. Sukh then joins forces with fellow Stripes signee Mystry on the squelchy, dubstep pressure of ‘Venom’ before taking things way back on ‘Criminals’.

7/10

Strict Face 'Rain Cuts EP' (Blacklink Sound)

Australian producer Strict Face turned in a remix for the debut Blacklink Sound record last year, and returns here with his most expansive record to date. At six tracks, ‘Rain Cuts’ explores the chirpy and tropical utopian climes that his music seems to harmonise with, as luscious, beatless opener ‘Rainfall’ testifies. There are flashes of Murlo on the Eastern-flavoured ‘Promise’, while ‘White Rovers’ – a coveted Strict Face track for years now – also finds itself a fitting home on the EP. ‘The Calm’, a shimmering, ambient interlude, seems to serve as a divider, with final tracks ‘Honour Avenue’ and ‘Think It Thru’ instead matching rich, beautiful melody patterns with clubbier intent.

9/10

Boylan & Spooky 'Low Rider/All Black Winter' (Oil Gang)

Two of grime’s rawest and most destructive producers on one record could border on too much, but Spooky and Boylan pull it out the bag for Oil Gang here. ‘Low Rider’, already a solidified Boxed anthem, is pure grit-your-teeth fare, taking cues from old Spooky cuts like ‘Electric Fence’: think shuddering bass, razor-sharp claps and booming sub. The growling ‘All Black Winter’ feels even more distorted and nightmarish as it charges along with its own subtle, dubstep lean.

8/10

Yaroze Dream Suite 'Yaroze Dream Suite EP' (Local Action)

Anybody who’d listened to either Mr Mitch’s debut album ‘Parallel Memories’ or Yamaneko’s pearler of a tape ‘Pixel Wave Embrace’ could tell the pair were always destined to spend time in a studio together. As Yaroze Dream Suite, they take instrumental grime sounds and their own unique approaches to melody, pattern and structure, and catapult them all into flux. Delicate and cosmic, the base melodies and fragmented, broken flow of ‘Pixel Dreams’ scream Yamaneko for example; elsewhere, Hannah Mack’s gorgeous, hazy vocal on ‘In The Moonlight’ rests above a jittery bed of skewed melodies and leftish sax interludes. ‘Awakening’ then deals in sparse industrial sounds and Rabit-esque drone beats, before ‘Spirit Temple’ sees soft drum beats flutter in and out of focus as the track drifts away like an unconventional lullaby.

9/10

Priceless 'Rumour EP' (Future Follower Records)

Priceless’ debut EP straddles the divide between more up-front garage and darker shades of grime, even enlisting YGG’s Lyrical Strally on the bubbling title track. The off-kilter bass patterns and zippy sampling on ‘Cimmerian Shade’ are another surprise, while the fuzzy blows of ‘Lo-Fi’ also smack of a producer trying to show his range. The EP is signed off by sultry garage joint ‘East’ and then ‘West’, which is punctuated by metallic synths, short piano melodies and trademark two-step bounce.

7/10

Tomas Fraser is Mixmag's Dubstep & Grime Editor, follow him on Twitter