Proponents of techstep rejoice; Deception Recordings has remastered six tracks from the golden age of drum and bass, including two never-before-released cuts. For the first time, all six tracks will be universally accessible and available on digital platforms.
Label boss Manifest provides the opening track, Never 2 Far (featuring Lisa Viva). Ethereal vocals, dystopian digital effects, dissonant pads, weighty 808s and crunchy breaks are the order of business here. This behemoth of a track still hits as hard as it did over 20 years ago. Inside My Soul comes courtesy of Outerlimits. Crisp and bouncy two-step drums are matched with moody vocals and a thunderous bassline to create a dark, hypnotic, and fresh techy roller. Manifest returns with Dub War Pt. 1. Clash-ready ragga vocals pair with shuffling syncopated drums and an unrelenting slew off 808s. This one is a certified dancefloor damager.
Unreleased up until now, Manifest and Soulphonics are responsible for Oldskool. As the name suggests, musical references to the past abound. Think raw breaks, resampled pads, dubbed out effects, and booming 808s. Crunchy drums, jazzy Rhodes chords, and a rolling bassline form the backbone of 5 Boros (another track by Manifest) to create another quality techstep cut. The final track of the release, Dub War Pt. 2, is a grittier and uplifting take on Pt. 1. Also previously unreleased, this weapon of a tune is now available for deployment in your own sets. Use with caution.
Oldskool and Dub War Pt. 2 are available on promotional release only.
Comments