Berlin / Hit The Ground is the new release from boiling hot drum & bass duo, Loadstar. The single will be issued by the mighty RAM Records on the 22nd of August, and seeks to follow in the footsteps of the huge A Link To The Past, Space Between and BVLD.

Loadstar, aka Xample and Lomax aka Gavin Harris and Nick Hill, are quietly on their way to superstardom, having built up a reputation in the past 18 months, and they are now signed to Ram, a label with a history and standing second to none in the whole of d&b.

Berlin’s intro manages to be both light and grand, and has a slightly filmic, almost advert-y feel – think camera sweeping over a countryside location. The track then opens out, with a prescient, timely vocal sample followed by a gun click which leads us into the bass-heavy main section. The bass grinds its way through the track, and the beat flicks in and out behind it.

Overall, the track is one of contrasts, with the melody sublimated to grimey, grindy sections, but, against this, the shimmery, shiny, more musical sections are quiet beautiful. I am not sure if this approach will work wonders on the dancefloor, but for a home listen, Berlin won’t disappoint.

I think Nick and Gavin have been working on their intros, as Hit The Ground’s is signature Loadstar, with synth effects building up in layers. The music seems to emanate from the ground up, gradually filling out into a wide soundscape.

The track exhibits another short vocal sample, and compared to Berlin is more of a dancefloor banger. The track rocks along with techniques comparable to other Ram alumni like Sub Focus and Chase & Status.

The head-nodding beats show off the normal smooth production we have come to expect from both Loadstar and Ram over the years. The sound, and this is a neat trick, seems to build up towards the end – again balancing synths with beats n bass. The track certainly ticks all the boxes for success and continued exposure for the combined talents of Loadstar.

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Score – 7.5/10