Durkle Disco return with their first release of 2022, presenting a cross-country link up between London producer/DJ J-Fresh and Hull MC Chiedu Oraka aka The Black Yorkshireman; the duo combine on ‘Energy Never Dies’ to bring the heat to the Bristol-based imprint. 

With a pedigree stretching back to grime’s pirate radio era, and regular guest appearances on both BBC Radio 1Xtra & Kiss FM, J-Fresh has also been steadily building his production arsenal. The past year in particular has seen him bless us with explosive collaborations with vocalists ranging from grime legends such as Clipson, Brakeman and Ears, to rising talents like Skatta, Griz-O, Cassie Rytz & Flamezee. 

Chiedu Oraka is coming off a similarly strong few years – releases such as the ‘Ave Life EP’, ‘Darcy’, and most recently ‘Maggie To Sip’ have seen him regularly feature in Spotify’s ‘Grime Shutdown’ playlist and gain support from radio luminaries such as Charlie Sloth. Durkle has long been a natural home for those representing their regional accents, and the Black Yorkshireman fits naturally into this lineage with his unabashed East Yorkshire twang and slang. A formidable lyricist, equally comfortable on grime or rap, on ‘Energy Never Dies’ he takes a slightly more minimal approach, providing two catchy hooks which repeat throughout, perfectly complimenting J-Fresh’s high energy production which fuses the bass-heavy dancefloor focus of late era UK Garage with strong influences of the Eski strand of Grime which directly followed in the early 00s.

Despite the 200 miles distance between J-Fresh & Chiedu Oraka, this was no chance online link up – the 2 have have a musical relationship dating back to Chiedu guesting on a radio show with J back in 2019; ‘Energy Never Dies’ is a collaboration long in the making. Radio is also the link between J-Fresh and Durkle Disco, as he originally linked up with label boss Koast via Durkle stalwart Slowie when filming some MC sessions in Bristol pre-lockdown. A label that prides itself on its diverse approach to UK bass music with a proud track record of pushing MC-led bangers, Durkle seems a natural fit for ‘Energy Never Dies’ – a tune that seems set to live up to its name as the days start getting longer and minds turn to summer fun.

Energy Never Dies

J-Fresh & Chiedu Oraka - Energy Never Dies (Vocal Mix) [DURK038]

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Durkle Disco is a Bristol-based record label with bass at its very core. First conceived in 2011 as a place where grime, garage, hip-hop and dubstep could combine and intertwine - with just as much attention paid to the MCs as the producers - the label has since evolved to become a natural home for the new strains of instrumental bass-driven music coming from Bristol’s next unstoppable wave of production talent.

Lamont, OH91, Otik, Lemzly Dale, Daffy & Gundam are just some of the producers to have released with the label in the past. As a mark of the respect Durkle holds within the music world, the label’s tracks have undergone the remix treatment from some of bass-driven music’s biggest names. Zed Bias, Kahn, Starkey, Hi5Ghost & Caski have all given some of the imprint’s finest moments their own individual twist.

With recent releases from Mani Festo, Unkey, Young H, Vern & Milla, and Denham Audio, the only Disco worth doing your thing at this year is the Durkle one…

J-Fresh & Chiedu Oraka - Energy Never Dies (Vocal Mix) [DURK038]

DurkleDisco

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