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

Wu Yen 'Noire EP' (Paper Cranes)

‘Noire’ is the first release from Hi5Ghost under his Wu Yen alias and, in contrast to his dynamite club ammo on labels like Bandulu and Sector 7, it finds him exploring a less upfront production world. Still centred around an acute understanding of bass weight and texture, ’Noire’ is more away-from-the-club than it is front row: there’s a calming, glossy feel to ‘Waterfalls’, a track steeped in hazy piano lines, but equally a positively greazy, sinister edge to the mood on ‘IWH – Soda Water’ that nods to Wu Yen’s firm handle on atmosphere. Even the distorted trap lines on the murky title track make us feel some kinda way. At five tracks long, it does feel as though there could be more, but it’s an impressive first step into new spaces and, in a switch-up in format, is to be released via USB with a free sample pack.

8/10

The Bug feat Riko Dan 'Iceman' (Ninja Tune)

It might be summer, but The Bug and Riko Dan are ushering in winter. ‘Iceman’ is a lesson in space and tension, with its frosty, diced atmospherics and passes of pure club dread. While instrumental grime continues to look outside for new inspiration, The Bug is clearly still finding plenty of joy looking inward, with both this and flip ‘Box’ – originally only recorded as specials – feeling every bit a product of throwback dubplate culture.

9/10

Swindle 'Connecta EP' (Butterz)

Swindle’s back on Butterz with the first EP since his 2015 album ‘Peace, Love & Music’. ‘Connecta’, recorded in Brazil last year, taps into the same country-to-country themes that inspired his album, a concept that also lends itself well to his own maverick approach to instrumentation. The samba-inspired title track, featuring local vocalist Ricardo China, is a revelation that comes complete with live drums, piano and guitar, while ‘Villa Mimosa’ sees Swindle take Brazil to his own sound, lacing tribal drum beats with contorted 808 bass knocks and booming sub. And an EP written in Brazil wouldn’t be complete without ‘Copacabana’, which bounces along at footwork pace, set against bright, sunshine melodies and sci-fi FX.

8/10

Habitat 'Warlord/Silver Mask' (Triangulum)

Fierce as you like double-single from Neffa-T & Habitat on DJ Cable’s prolific Triangulum label. ‘Warlord’, a collaboration between the two producers, is cluttered and artillery-like in its delivery: think scorching low-end beats, scattered machine gun FX and chopped jungle drums, complete with a David Rodigan sample for good measure. On the flip, Neffa-T strips ‘Silver Mask’ down to its core components, building rhythm with super low-end stabs and warped, proto sounds.

6/10

Mordecai 'Lakeview Drive EP' (Pear Drops)

Mordecai is a name we’ve been hearing a lot over the past few months. His debut EP for fledgling Bristol imprint Pear Drops deals in the lush r'n'b textures and sweet-boy rhythms of producers like Gundam and Finn, but executed with less freneticism and bags of calm. Opener ‘Uncle Charlie’ is a case in point, fluttering between choppy grime and blissed-out r'n'b at will, while ‘Together’ works a similar formula, only daintier and more intricate. Final track ‘Cutie’ takes it even further, keeping the flavours sickly sweet right until the end (and look out for Deadcrow’s booming trap mix, too).

7/10

Dub Dynasty 'Dub Cure/Kut' (Zam Zam Sounds)

Big, upfront sounds from original steppas Dub Dynasty, who stick true to the culture on their new double-single for Zam Zam Sounds. A-side ‘Dub Cure’ is uncluttered and stripped-back, its appeal talked up by sheer bass weight and scattershot percussive FX. On the flip, meanwhile, ‘Kut’ is a smoother ride, spiked with trippy, sci-fi bleeps, horns and fuzzy melodies.

7/10

Mystry 'Graveyard Shift' (Stripes)

Mystry’s latest for Stripes follows 2015’s killer EP ‘Pulse 8’, a record that marked him as one of grime’s elite beat-makers. On ‘Graveyard Shift’ he flaunts a similar trap lean across all seven tracks, although as with bullish opener ‘Shinobi’, his beat patterns certainly feel less predictable. The title track is an absolute monster with an off-key barrage of square wave bass stabs, but our tips are the iced-out, eerie calm of ‘Ghost Town’ and the booming trap bounce of ‘Defeat’.

7/10

Kaido 'X26/Lightyear' (Fent Plates)

More gorgeous, ambient and immersive music from the Fent Plates stable, with Kaido’s two-track single the latest to catch our ear. The rolling pressure and crunchy beats on ‘X26’, matched by blurred and distant vocal samples and hyper-emotive string melodies, pack enough weight for the club, too, while ‘Lightyear’ lands as a proper stunner. With a subtle, half-time dubstep lean, it weaves a series of cosmic intertwining melodies that fade in and out of focus like a beautiful mirage.

9/10

Wallwork & Nico Lindsay 'Facts/Fyah' (Black Acre)

Nervous Horzion co-head Wallwork has been rewriting the club music rulebook for a minute now, and he certainly doesn’t hold back on his debut for Black Acre. With the help of grime MC Nico Lindsay, he explores more experimental zones, particularly on super-minimal drum workout ‘Facts’, which is tackled by nonchalant, near-horizontal verses by Lindsay. But our tip is ‘Fyah’, a fierce twist on original UK funky defined by angular bass tones and fizzing rhythm that Lindsay navigates with unerring confidence.

9/10

Muttley 'Nuff A Dem EP' (Transient Audio)

Bristol’s Muttley comes correct with five, full-blooded club steppers for Transient Audio here. Opener ‘Clav Riddim’ deals in pure bass weight, while the growling bass tones on ‘Living’ channel a far more sinister aesthetic. ‘Verd’ is our favourite cut thanks to its blissed-out, panpipe melodies and bottomless sub, but the rough-and-tough title track ‘Nuff A Dem’ also keeps it murky right until the end.

7/10