For his second column outing this month Al Sonar has got Bane from Manchester's Eastern Bloc Records alongside with some of the hottest releases of the last month.

NZ014
Foreign Concept & DBR UK - "Radiation"
Eastcolors - "Acidized"

A fresh piece of wax from Samurai Music featuring 3 names which have been cropping up a lot on dj playlists and some of the most consistent labels in the business. First up is Foreign Concept & DBR UK, fresh from cooking up (sorry) a few bits and bobs separately on the Ingredients samplers and the Recipe Book LP. DBR UK is also know for his recent BLKND release. On this 12 " they have joined forces to create a monster reminiscent of the golden age late 90's Virus sound. "Radiation" gets under way with a big phat kick and snare, a couple of rim shots and militant percussion to set the pace. Once the baseline takes hold of you, you are locked. Add to this some cheeky edits, an infectious simple bassline and a few pads and there you have it, an instant dancefloor rocker. On the flip, Eastcolors. You may know his name as it has been stamped on a few reputable labels in the last year or so, he already has Blackout Music, Critical & Hospital under his belt, as well as more collaborations and solo releases line up for release. "Acidized" is a stomper. Tight beats, tweaking acid stabs and a rolling bassline to hit you in the chestplate. Great release, 3 artists you need to take note of.




Samurai Red Seal 011
ASC - "Brain Scan"
ASC - "Zone One"

ASC AKA James Clements has been releasing top quality electronic music for well over a decade. Originally based in the UK, he now resides in San Diego USA. He had early exposure with Good Looking and Nu Directions and went on to establish his own label, Covert Operations. His back catalogue is an impressive one, with his name on vinyl releases from 720, Offshore, Outsider. Warm Communication, Inperspective, BLKND & now Samurai Red Seal. His recent success with the likes of Exit, NonPlus+, Autonomic and his own Auxiliary Symbol label have pushed him into a whole new league of his own. ASC is now renowned as one of the most exiting and versatile producers at the forefront of sound design and production talent within the d&b scene. These 2 tracks are well up to the standard that has come to be expected from him. "Brainscan" kicks off with stepping beats, eerie wide bleepy sound effects, and a raspy simple bass sequence. Once the gut wrenching sub drops you know this will do damage. A subtle yet effective piece. "Zone One" is on a similar tip, yet slightly more robotic. The drop leads in with clean crispy percussion, a pulsating acidy bassline and a reverb heavy snare. A worthy addition to the back catalogue.

Bop - The Amazing Adventures Of One Curious Pixel - Med School - MEDIC023

The whole album is a great success from start to finish! Made up as it is, by quirky low bit noises, it's reminiscent of some of the more chilled Aphex Twin and Autechre outings on W.A.R.P. Also listen out for the exceptional use of Super Mario samples in, "8-Bit Cosmos". Without doubt I found, "Extraterrestrial Creatures Are Stealing You From Me From The Bedroom", the highlight of what is a beautiful album. Don't however expect to hear much of this album played on a dance-floor as most pieces aren't geared towards that sound. Instead sit yourself somewhere in the sun, close your eyes and listen. As we've come to see more and more now on Med School albums, B.P.M. is not fixed at 170, so there's a total mix of tempos to keep you entertained.

Shogun Evolution EP Series 2 - ROCKWELL / PROTOTYPES / ICICLE / S.P.Y. - SHA044

The four tracks on this EP are all heavy weight dance-floor monsters. Each of them is so completely different from the next, that they could all pass as singles in their own right. Rockwell opens with, "BTKRSH", an uncompromising dance floor smasher, boldly veering in a different direction to his previous offerings. Next the Prototypes reclaim a certain Jay-Z sample back to Drum & Bass in, "Subterrestrial". This is classic Prototypes, delivering another piece that would sound just as at home on Virus Recordings. The Icicle remix of Friction & K-Tee' s, "Set It Off", does exactly what it says on the tin. The Dutchman delivering his typical growly and punchy rendition of what was already a fierce track. Last up it's S.P.Y. with, "Pressure Drop", doing here what he does best, anthemic steppy Reese-outs!

Noisia & Phace - Program / Regurgitate - VSN011

After what seems like unnecessarily long intro, "Program" finally drops into an angry Q&A made up of the typical nasty noises we're expecting from Noisia & Phace. "Regurgitate", starts promisingly with a captivating string and guitar sample reminiscent of a classic western theme. Unfortunately it drops into a rather uninspiring, repetitive sloppy messy.