Compulsive, Obsessive, Progressive.

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    Compulsive, Obsessive, Progressive.
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    So, growing up in London and in a musical family I was always subjected to heaps of diverse music. I think I was about 14 when I first heard Drum & Bass (forget The Prodigy). I remember the moment like it was yesterday. My ears stood up German Shepherd style and I got this overwhelming feeling of understanding. I will shortly introduce you to this particular track but I want to say first that you will see the progression of my taste in DnB as the years went by. There are so many elements and so many levels to this genre that I would rather not tell you how to find your way but explain the way that I became all wrapped up in it. A lot of you fledgling Drum consumers will find that the first kind of sounds to hit you will be the likes of this one. As explained above this was the first track that set me on the long road to lunacy.
     

    Mr Happy came out on Playaz (you will find a lot of producers releasing tracks on different labels) which was consequently the first rave I went to. An U18 rave without the help of any substances! I’d say I went a good year or so doing nothing but driving my mum mad with whaley, bassy jump up until naturally I got hungry for more. This is when you will start to look back to the origins of the genre which I did so in a massive amount of depth. So I found myself stumbling upon the likes of Goldie who well and truly changed the world as I knew it. Track entitled Timeless and it couldn’t be more so. I urge you to listen to this masterpiece beginning to end, you won’t regret it.
     

    Goldie himself started the label Metalheadz which is still going strong now as one of the frontrunners in today’s scene. I managed to catch the man himself at a couple of Metalheadz nights in London who is just as skilled on the decks as he is on the laptop. My ever evolving taste then took another turn. I then discovered a guy by the name of Marcus Intalex who introduced me to another sub-genre called Liquid. My iPod is probably most densely filled with this kind of DnB. Not least for its accessibility in any situation.
     

    Intalex put out his own records under Soul:R which like Metalheadz still runs strong putting out killer tunes on a regular basis. Was lucky enough to see a 3 hour Intalex set on New Year’s Eve a few years back which was a countdown to remember! The next phase happened by pure chance really. I just tagged along with a few friends to a night run by a label called Shogun Audio who I had heard of but never really payed much attention to. It was the best spontaneous decision I’ve made to this day. There’s no real name to this sub-genre but I usually refer to it as dark drum. As most metal heads will tell you, natural progression keeps you looking for heavier, more technical stuff and this is the same. Rockwell completely flipped my perspective of music on its head.
     

    Whether you like it or not the technicality of production on this is out of this world. If you can get your hands on one of Rockwell’s drum tabs you will understand just how much time and effort goes into it. As far as I’m concerned he is on a deep-space production planet of his own. It’s an infinite journey which ebbs and flows, takes you back to your roots time and again, but never fails to amaze you. Every week I hear something I truly haven’t heard before. Critical Music is the pinnacle for me. Run by Kasra, one of the game’s best DJ’s and occasional producer, he seems to be Mr Drum and Bass. This is no exaggeration when I say that I am yet to hear a bad release. Everything they put out seems to be revolutionary and I am finding it hard to share just one beat with you. If you have managed to stay with me and are still reading at this point, I’m guessing you’re intrigued. That being the case, go and check their catalogue. It’s an absolute game-changer.
     

    We’ll wrap things up with a recent rare feat in bass music. Solid yet variable full LP’s are hard to come by as could be said for any style of electronica. Possibly because more tracks at more regular intervals keeps fans interested? Or that it’s just so much bloody hard work to mix it up in such a short space of time? Musicians mature with age and experience as do their consumers and many would ask what the point is in releasing 12 tracks with the same tempo/feel rather than just 4 with the hope of a next release progressing in variation. But when they get laid out on a plate like Etherwood’s self-titled debut release (DEBUT I SAY) then that argument can be shot to pieces. Or at least brushed aside for an hour.

    Etherwood is the latest producer to sign to Med School which is practically a youth academy for Hospital Records (the most successful DnB label on the planet). Nurturing and guiding emerging musical talent Med School gives guys like Etherwood a platform to stand on and perform tassel-free. Prior to last weekend’s release of his LP, two song’s had been showcased to the world and were perhaps two of the most melodic, musical D&B tunes I’d ever heard. When your first two singles make an impact like that alongside BBC Radio 1 support you’re bound to get some decent hype in the run-up to the album. Hence somehow finding its way to #27 in the Australian iTunes Dance Charts. That baffles me considering the lack of exposure this scene gets over here, particularly a relatively unknown and foreign name like Etherwood. It currently sits at #2 in the UK’s equivalent and is testament to just how solid a release this is.

    From heart-wrenching vocals to classically influenced piano melodies on top of retro drum beats, each element comes together delightfully like beer and cigarettes. He often speaks of his musical idols and whilst legendary Drum and Bass producers Roni Size and DJ Hype were among them he often drew influence from the post-rock era and the likes of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. I can quite comfortably confirm the similarities that Etherwood portrays emotionally with these bands. Whether you like the genre or not this is just plain music to behold and something that I’d hate for anyone to miss out on. I’m not even going to bother saying my favourite track of the album as by the time you’ve read this it will have most likely changed again. Just do yourself a favour and get all over this one. Sharpish.

     

    -Stan R

    151301
    Tags:
    drum and bass, DnB, music,
Submitted by Site Factory admin on


 



So, growing up in London and in a musical family I was always subjected to heaps of diverse music. I think I was about 14 when I first heard Drum & Bass (forget The Prodigy). I remember the moment like it was yesterday. My ears stood up German Shepherd style and I got this overwhelming feeling of understanding. I will shortly introduce you to this particular track but I want to say first that you will see the progression of my taste in DnB as the years went by. There are so many elements and so many levels to this genre that I would rather not tell you how to find your way but explain the way that I became all wrapped up in it. A lot of you fledgling Drum consumers will find that the first kind of sounds to hit you will be the likes of this one. As explained above this was the first track that set me on the long road to lunacy.

 



Mr Happy came out on Playaz (you will find a lot of producers releasing tracks on different labels) which was consequently the first rave I went to. An U18 rave without the help of any substances! I’d say I went a good year or so doing nothing but driving my mum mad with whaley, bassy jump up until naturally I got hungry for more. This is when you will start to look back to the origins of the genre which I did so in a massive amount of depth. So I found myself stumbling upon the likes of Goldie who well and truly changed the world as I knew it. Track entitled Timeless and it couldn’t be more so. I urge you to listen to this masterpiece beginning to end, you won’t regret it.

 



Goldie himself started the label Metalheadz which is still going strong now as one of the frontrunners in today’s scene. I managed to catch the man himself at a couple of Metalheadz nights in London who is just as skilled on the decks as he is on the laptop. My ever evolving taste then took another turn. I then discovered a guy by the name of Marcus Intalex who introduced me to another sub-genre called Liquid. My iPod is probably most densely filled with this kind of DnB. Not least for its accessibility in any situation.

 



Intalex put out his own records under Soul:R which like Metalheadz still runs strong putting out killer tunes on a regular basis. Was lucky enough to see a 3 hour Intalex set on New Year’s Eve a few years back which was a countdown to remember! The next phase happened by pure chance really. I just tagged along with a few friends to a night run by a label called Shogun Audio who I had heard of but never really payed much attention to. It was the best spontaneous decision I’ve made to this day. There’s no real name to this sub-genre but I usually refer to it as dark drum. As most metal heads will tell you, natural progression keeps you looking for heavier, more technical stuff and this is the same. Rockwell completely flipped my perspective of music on its head.

 



Whether you like it or not the technicality of production on this is out of this world. If you can get your hands on one of Rockwell’s drum tabs you will understand just how much time and effort goes into it. As far as I’m concerned he is on a deep-space production planet of his own. It’s an infinite journey which ebbs and flows, takes you back to your roots time and again, but never fails to amaze you. Every week I hear something I truly haven’t heard before. Critical Music is the pinnacle for me. Run by Kasra, one of the game’s best DJ’s and occasional producer, he seems to be Mr Drum and Bass. This is no exaggeration when I say that I am yet to hear a bad release. Everything they put out seems to be revolutionary and I am finding it hard to share just one beat with you. If you have managed to stay with me and are still reading at this point, I’m guessing you’re intrigued. That being the case, go and check their catalogue. It’s an absolute game-changer.

 



We’ll wrap things up with a recent rare feat in bass music. Solid yet variable full LP’s are hard to come by as could be said for any style of electronica. Possibly because more tracks at more regular intervals keeps fans interested? Or that it’s just so much bloody hard work to mix it up in such a short space of time? Musicians mature with age and experience as do their consumers and many would ask what the point is in releasing 12 tracks with the same tempo/feel rather than just 4 with the hope of a next release progressing in variation. But when they get laid out on a plate like Etherwood’s self-titled debut release (DEBUT I SAY) then that argument can be shot to pieces. Or at least brushed aside for an hour.

Etherwood is the latest producer to sign to Med School which is practically a youth academy for Hospital Records (the most successful DnB label on the planet). Nurturing and guiding emerging musical talent Med School gives guys like Etherwood a platform to stand on and perform tassel-free. Prior to last weekend’s release of his LP, two song’s had been showcased to the world and were perhaps two of the most melodic, musical D&B tunes I’d ever heard. When your first two singles make an impact like that alongside BBC Radio 1 support you’re bound to get some decent hype in the run-up to the album. Hence somehow finding its way to #27 in the Australian iTunes Dance Charts. That baffles me considering the lack of exposure this scene gets over here, particularly a relatively unknown and foreign name like Etherwood. It currently sits at #2 in the UK’s equivalent and is testament to just how solid a release this is.

From heart-wrenching vocals to classically influenced piano melodies on top of retro drum beats, each element comes together delightfully like beer and cigarettes. He often speaks of his musical idols and whilst legendary Drum and Bass producers Roni Size and DJ Hype were among them he often drew influence from the post-rock era and the likes of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. I can quite comfortably confirm the similarities that Etherwood portrays emotionally with these bands. Whether you like the genre or not this is just plain music to behold and something that I’d hate for anyone to miss out on. I’m not even going to bother saying my favourite track of the album as by the time you’ve read this it will have most likely changed again. Just do yourself a favour and get all over this one. Sharpish.




 

-Stan R

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