quick audio picks: 1234
Before Mad Decent, Institubes, and Trouble & Bass, Luca (aka Drop The Lime) was busy breaking breaks to smithereens and blowing up speakers with his breakcore/glitchcore steez on Tigerbeat. The sound is an intense hybrid of techno, breaks, drum n bass, jungle...
expand review - sped up, slowed down and basically jacked up to the max. You can to see how DTL grew from these sounds to the king of bass destruction he is today. This is part two of "This Means Forever" and features "Glassy Eyes(1)," "Dubbio(2)," "Shaken(3)," and "Press Charges(4)." Be forewarned, the sound isn't for the faint of heart. -the mgmnt
quick audio picks: 12345
Before Mad Decent, Institubes, and Trouble & Bass, Luca (aka Drop The Lime) was busy breaking breaks to smithereens and blowing up speakers with his breakcore/glitchcore steez on Tigerbeat. The sound is an intense hybrid of techno, breaks, drum n bass, jungle...
expand review - sped up, slowed down and basically jacked up to the max. You can to see how DTL grew from these sounds to the king of bass destruction he is today. Check out "Rocker Party(1)," "Soundbwoy(2),""Never Nah(3)," "I Got You Now(4)," and "Releaser Returns(5)" but be forewarned, the sound isn't for the faint of heart. -the mgmnt
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One time white label pressing (500 copies) of six Flylo rarities and unreleased remixes. Limited stock, act quick. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Lab's resident dubstep advisor Shota put me onto 2562 awhile ago. I was wondering when this thing would finally drop and I could stop listening to the promo CD that's littered with those annoying "This is a promo!" drops. Well here it...
expand review is (finally) on loud double LP pressing that sounds so good. "2562" is the moniker for Dave Huismans' dubstep productions and is actually taken from the area code of the Hague, Netherlands where he resides. The fact that this wasn't produced in the usual dubstep breeding ground of the UK is a notable thing and can probably attribute to the unique sound here.
The tracks all have a deep pulse and "breathe" differently from the usual dubstep joints. Take a listen to "Basin Dub(1)" and "The Times (2)" and you'll see what I mean. There is a heavy minimal influence here, but still it manages to give you that bass you crave. "Walkover (3)" and "Moog Dub(4)" kill it with that super-low dub-style sub bass and echoed out synth stabs, while "Morvern(5)" picks up the tempo and adds a big dose of ambience (and seagulls!) to the equation. Fans of Burial and deep & minimal styles will certainly dig this. 8 tracks total. -snackmaster
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Two super-tasty dubstep selects from Soul Jazz on this 12" from their "Box of Dub" comp. Digital Mystikz take the A-side with the deep and heavy dub-tinged slumper "I Wait(1)," while Kode 9 gets the flip with his forward-thinking uptempo banger "Magnetic...
expand review City(2)." Haven't really heard anything else that can compare to "Magnetic City" - the track is thick! Limited promo copies, so get 'em while they last. -snackmaster
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Inaugural release in Philly's Seclusiasis crew's Street Bass 12" series, featuring remixes from the group's two most prominent members (at least in Lab terms). Starkey takes the A-side with the ridiculoid bass mix of Swizz Beats' "Blow Ya Mind(1)" and a glitchy...
expand review Nintendo-step version of R.Kelly's "Real Talk(2)." On the flip, Dev79 geeks out with Fabo, Lil Jon and Gucci on his bouncy version of "I'm A J(3)" and rounds things out with the extra dummy "Yes Sir(4)" with Milano, Turf Talk and F.A.B. -Van Hammersly
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Pic sleeve of the year? The illustration on the cover of Spank Rock & Benny Blanco's latest single is almost as dirt as the track itself, and that's saying something considering "Shake That" samples Splack Pack's "Shake That Ass Bitch" AND 2...
expand review Live's "Fuck Shop." Early viral internet MP3 circulation = this is certified club killer material that everybody already knows the words to. Spank hates on "anorexic vegan bitches"... and the crowd goes wild! Includes dirty, clean (haha), instrumental and acapella versions. Check the single for "B-O-O-T-A-Y," too. -Larri Byrd
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Spank & Benny Blanco continue their onslaught of nasty 2 Live Crew-sampling club tracks and even nastier cover artwork. "B-O-O-T-A-Y" gets the single treatment this time, sampling "I Wanna Rock," "Booty Drop" and "Shake A Lil Somethin'," and featuring guest spots from...
expand review Santi (of Santogold) and Black Betty. As Lab material goes, a new Spank Rock single is about as "no brainer" as it gets. Includes dirty, clean (what?), instrumental and acapella versions. Check the 12" for "Shake That," too. -Larri Byrd
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The unfadeable Dr. Titts makes his return to Vicious Pop with The Afterparty EP, featuring five tracks of finely-diced and heavily gimmicky Bmore club. Tittsworth is seriously miles above most of the other (million) Bmore "producers" out right now, always lacing his...
expand review tracks with unexpected housey elements, original production and whatever else he's got kicking around in his bag of tricks. Big samples abound here as Titts flips PM Dawn's "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" for the synth-heavy "Dawn(1)," The Police's "Roxanne" for the BONKERS "Rocksand(2)" (those layered Sting screams are intense) and, my personal favorite, Earth Wind & Fire's "Brazilian Rhyme" on the mellow and funky "Rhyme(3)." He also freaks the Taana Gardner disco classic "No Frills(4)" and a joint that nobody here can quite put their finger on for "Whips Remix(5)." -Larri Byrd
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Time for numero tres from our cumbia-loving Bay Area homies at Bersa Discos, and this time they've got Texas' DJ Panik and ZZK's Chancha via Circuito on board for the hottest set of tunes yet. (No joke.) Panik comes out guns blazing...
expand review on lado A with nasty cumbia remixes of El General's "Te Ves Bien Buena(1)," Unk's "2 Step(2)" and Baby C's "Do It Like This(3)." All these are surefire dancefloor detonators - nothing syrupy this time out. No no - that's left to CvC on the flip, who get straight hypnotic with "Cumbia Murguera(4)" and then bring out the crickets for the ultra mellow (and yet strangely gun-clacking) "Damas Gratis Dub(5)." Yes, Bersa Discos is truth. Both sides play at 33. Recommended. -Van Hammersly
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For his first release on Murderbot's Dead Homies label, Philadelphia's Starkey brings us "Pins(1)," a deep dubstep banger with touches of Tigerbeat6 / Donna Summer broken beat for good measure. His Seclusiasis crew cousin Dev79 mixes it with some purple for his...
expand review G.R.I.T. Boys blend "Pins In Your System(2)," while the UK's Atki2(3) gives it a grimey workout and Murderbot goes completely drum'n'bass on dat azz. The second piece of wax features Starkey's punishing "Stripped | Gutted" and the slightly ethereal "Let You Go(4)," plus remixes from Boston's DJ C and the ubiquitous Drop The Lime(5), whose syrupy jacking vocals I know the C'mish would appreciate. Double vinyl; 8 tracks. -Van Hammersly
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Naeem's cool and all, but a lot of the appeal of Spank Rock is in XXXchange's beats. Big Dada knows this, and has unleashed this double vinyl collection of all the instrumentals from the debut Spank Rock album, YoYoYoYoYoYo. 12 tracks in...
expand review a promo style sleeve. Limited edition. -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 1234
Timing here at the Lab is kinda funny. We'll be talking about some record and then suddenly we'll get it in the next week. This weekend I dug up my old Mini-Disc player (remember those?) and was listening to a bunch of...
expand review old MDs from the late 90's/early 00's. Most of them were filled with early scratch sessions, jazz stuff, indie rap, and mad downtempo. It was refreshing listening to it in these days of electro-rock and hype blah. I was thinking about how we need to get more of that shit in here and voila! Throwback Ninja Tune 12" from 2002 on my desk. Cosmic coincidence's aside, I'm lovin' the vibe on this Cinematic Orchestra 12". Straight up moody, jazzy downtempo goodness as you would expect from a Ninja Tune wax circa '02. "All That You Give(1)" is that signature Cinematic Orchestra sound - epic and beautiful downtempo suitable to be the soundtrack of your life with superb vocals by Fontella Bass. Let that shit play all the way through and let it blend into the awesome "Kalima(2)." Sounds like some lost Blue Note shit, for real. Flipside features some more dancey style remixes of "All That you Give." You get the minimal house flavor of Herbert(3) on the remix and the funky breakbeat version(4) from Dr. Rockit. Sweet pic sleeve to boot. -snackmaster
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Juiceboxxx & Dre Skull are back with another bar burner now on wax! From the get go, Juiceboxxx's signature "Master of Ceremony" party raps quickly command the dance floor to get down (which is probably why Sinden just dropped it on his...
expand review Essential Mix). Makes me want to do the Roger Rabbit. Curses! from Trouble & Bass starts his remix(2) in a more contemplative dance mode than usual but forgoes that quickly for butt-rock guitars and shakey-face wobbly basslines, while Chicago house legend Farley Jackmaster(!) does the deep and jacking thing(4) that makes my soul feel good. Incredible cover art too... you can feel the energy radiations! -Rezound
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