The bi-polar English weather has caught us all a bit off guard this week, serving up a bit of late September sunshine before we plunge head first into the eternal winter. In aid of this we thought that we’d cling on to those last rays of sunshine and put up some beautiful beats to enjoy from sunrise to sunset as we bid the sun adieu for another year.
Duffstep – Know You (Saigon Records)
In aid of the glorious sunshine we are kicking things off this week with a track that harks back to the summery vibes of old school garage. Know you, by Duffstep, that’s Duffstep NOT dubstep blends a smooth drum beat with a progressive and uplifting garage/house vibe, a lovely amalgamation of some of the biggest dance music genres. Throw in a deep baseline and an ear pleasing vocal and Duffstep is definitely on to a winner with this one.
Eleven 8 – Colours of Distance (Medschool)
Yes, we know this is Drum & Bass Arena and you won’t find that much dubstep floating around these pages but there is always room when it is done right and Eleven 8 has hit the nail firmly on the head with this beautifully moody production. One of the less hyped tunes on the New Blood 011 LP, Colours of Distance proves that dubstep doesn’t always have to be on a hype, the melancholic pace and deep bassline provide a perfect platform for chilling and watching the sun disappear for the final time this Indian summer.
Koto – Chain of Thought (Mind Rhythm)
Koto provides that little dose of darkness in this week’s Under the Radar. The intro on this tune lets you know immediately that you are in for a proper bassline when it drops, the whispery echo adds that edge of darkness that sets this tune apart from the rest on the LP (which is definitely worth a look). Koto, a little known producer from the UK has some other big releases floating around, have a little ganders at The Intermission and Counting Days, definitely one to watch in the future, especially for lovers of the more musical side of drum and bass.
Seismix & Cahb – Space (Drum & Bass Arena)
Whilst this may indeed seem like a shameless plug of our Summer Selections album there was no way I could write about sunshine inspired tunes and not include this sexy number from Seismix & Cahb. Featured exclusively on the D&B Arena compilation this floating roller is the perfect tune to close your eyes, sit in the sun and imagine you were still on that beach whilst pretending that it wasn’t almost October. Absolute summer-time bliss from another set of names to keep your eyes and ears on in the near future.
Blu Mar Ten – Overwhelm (Seba Remix) (Blu Mar Ten)
Finishing things off this week with an absolutely massive tune from Blu Mar Ten, remixed by habitual ‘future beats’ producer Seba. Found amongst a few other gems on their Natural History Remixes album, Overwhelm has an explosively deep, yet effortlessly mellow sound as Seba extracts the calm from the original and mixes it up with some old school breaks and cosmic sweeps to produce a hybrid of a tune that is suitable both for the dancefloor and the bedroom. A near perfect inversion of the original, Seba has confirmed himself amongst the drum and bass production elite with this one.
That’s it for now, check back next week as fly under the radar with another choice selection of beats, breaks and basslines, until then, enjoy the heat and try not to complain too much about it, won’t be around for much longer.
For a monthly dose of more Under the Radar beats check out the DNB Tactics podcast, curated by yours truly, Under the Radar writer, Andre Jackson.
Words by Andre Jackson