#RuffneckTing are a drum & bass label who have often stood as a foundation for the genre’s underground world. Since their roots they’ve never watered down their strain of jungle influenced beats and this is one of the primary reasons they’re still seen as a groundbreaking member of the scene, drawing for an array of artists to have their take on their no-holds-barred catalogue. For their next release, they’ve called upon #FlatT and #Erbman to debut tracks which have been causing untold carnage on the international clubbing circuits. With similar influences and a strict education in drum & bass, it was no surprise that they’d eventually cross paths, coming together for an EP which clearly defines the #RuffneckTing ethos. Where Southport (#Erbman) meets Suffolk (#FlatT) this ep has a remarkably Bristol flavour, more easily explained by #Erbman’s diet of #VRecordings, #DopeDragon and #FC and #FlatT’s 90’s tape pack initiation to the scene and an ability to master a range of instruments and styles. There is no denying their merging of talents and experience as producers has proven a force to be reckoned with throughout their forthcoming ‘#Showdown’ EP.
#Erbman’s rework of #FlatT ‘#Intrusion’ introduces you to the next part of #RuffnekTing’s catalogue, with the remixer driving his own stake through the track’s heart and injecting his own pounding bass notes. Up next, #FlatT presents the standalone record ‘#Crimeside’, alongside its break-led hooks and rolling drops. #Erbman’s ‘#HitIt’ continues with the same intensity, with slapping drum sequences and stabs of vocal sample. #FlatT steps up again for ‘#RollitOut’, which does what it says on the tin whilst taking you along for the ride. ‘#AvengingFist’ brings together the production might of #Erbman and #Sphereix, as punchy as its predecessors with its low-balling bassline. #Erbman and #FlatT then join forces on ‘#MemoryLapse’, with a wafting melody sat on top of weighty kicks. Erbman’s ‘#LateNightBlues’ is another singular delivery, this time with warm dub influences, whilst #FlatT brings the EP to a close with ‘#LiquidCity’, a track which progresses with its intensity.
An EP sure to translate within any late-night setting, #RuffneckTing has encapsulated the Bristol vibes they’ve spearheaded since their first release. Years on from its launch, they’re still championing the same high quality, something which has kept them on the map. This EP is just another demonstration of that fact.
Juno Exc: 30th Oct
