This selection is what I personally consider the pinnacle of DnB music. If your track is not listed here it doesn't necessarily mean it is not good. The problem is, there's too much awesome DnB music out there and I had to make choices. In the back of my mind, I also wanted lesser known artists and labels to be recognized. Also check out my other DnB (Reference/Master Class)playlists. Chances are high that your track is listed in one of those ;) Side note:  I wouldn't be exaggerating if I would say I have scanned through aprox. 10.000 DnB tracks just to come up with these 8 Reference Class playlists ! I hope you will enjoy listening to them as much as I enjoyed making them :) Keep on smiling and keep on moving always !

DnB Reference Class Pt 6 aka The Killing Blow

Limited Marbled 12" in Artwork Sleeve and Digital out now ▷ https://samurai.lnk.to/RATS

“After more than 25 years of active absorption of Drum and Bass music, the pandemic finally scrambled my daily life and cellular imprint enough to clear a path for a solo musical contribution.

Many people that were around in the mid/late ’90s are still living off the charge that the unbridled innovation those few years gave us all. RATS is built on this energy.

RATS is a distillation, refinement, and reconstruction of definitive elements and combinations that have become signals for authenticity in my experiences with the genre and continue to be the backbone of the foundations of this music.

RATS tunes were designed as integral parts of my DJ sets to replace the tunes from the late 90s / early 2000s that I have worn out, but retain their effectiveness with updated production strengths. So far these have worked for me, now it’s time for you to test these and see if I succeeded.

RATS is a love letter to the genre that has come to define my life for a quarter-century.”

🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀

https://www.instagram.com/preshasamurai/

RATS

Presha - Mainliner [SMDE23]

We finally return in 2021 with the second part in our Corporeal V/A series. The EP again showcases various sounds and styles we love, from a group of artists we are so happy to be welcoming to the Pseudonym Records crew :) 

Release date: June 4th 2021

Preorder on our Bandcamp: https://bit.ly/3aLqnFa

@foxmind
@max-palfrey
@sputnik_one
@big-hands-1
@thodenmcr

PRE-ORDER

PSEU002 - Corporeal Vol.2 [PREVIEWS]

Taken from the Torn debut LP for Samurai Music - Borderline [SMDELP08]

3xLP/Digital - https://samurai.lnk.to/smdelp08

Pre-order from https://samuraimusic.bandcamp.com/ and https://voidvinyl.eu/ and get 'The Fear' instantly with purchase.

Moscow based Ivan Karasev aka Torn inked his Samurai affiliation in 2017 with his first-ever solo vinyl release on Shiro, a sub-label for highlighting new artists. 

In the 5 years that have passed since this release, the Torn name has progressed into a widescreen sonic project leaving an indelible mark not only on DnB but also reaching into the outer edges of the underground Techno scene. 

As well as his monster debut EP (Internal - SMDE10) on the main Samurai label in 2018, Torn became one of the few artists to garner a release on Homemade Weapons' imprint Weaponry in 2019, a year which also saw him release an EP of Grey Area style Techno on Horo and a collab EP in the same style with Sam KDC and Korse as Vermisst, also on Horo. 

Since these releases, Torn has teamed up with fellow Russian artist Roho for an EP of percussive floor shakers in 2021 on Samurai Music (Fatum - SMDE19) and several self-released projects direct to his growing base of devoted Torn heads. In the background, the last few years Ivan has been diligently refining and experimenting with constructions for his debut LP for the Samurai Music label.

Borderline fulfils the promise of Ivans musical ascendancy in our sub-scene netherworld between DnB and Techno. Gut-punch kicks entwine with dense atmospheric layers, gnawing mid-riffs, and impeccably honed percussive propulsion. The cake is iced meticulously with guest collabs from Samurai Music top tier affiliates Homemade Weapons, Last Life, label head Presha and a tempo switch up to close the LP with the help of dungeon master Sam KDC and close cohort Korse.

Borderline plants a confident, empowered, flag on the electronic music landscape with Torn's name on it.


01. Dislocations 
02. Borderline
03. Bushido
04. Boxcutter (with Homemade Weapons)
05. Hyperborea
06. Fireball (with Presha)
07. Unbridled (with Last Life)
08. The Beckoning
09. Dallol 
10. The Fear
11. Automaton Clock
12. Onibi (with Sam KDC & Korse)

https://soundcloud.com/torn170
https://www.instagram.com/van_torn/

Borderline

Torn - The Beckoning [SMDELP08]

Taken from the Torn debut LP for Samurai Music - Borderline [SMDELP08]

3xLP/Digital - https://samurai.lnk.to/smdelp08

Moscow based Ivan Karasev aka Torn inked his Samurai affiliation in 2017 with his first-ever solo vinyl release on Shiro, a sub-label for highlighting new artists. 

In the 5 years that have passed since this release, the Torn name has progressed into a widescreen sonic project leaving an indelible mark not only on DnB but also reaching into the outer edges of the underground Techno scene. 

As well as his monster debut EP (Internal - SMDE10) on the main Samurai label in 2018, Torn became one of the few artists to garner a release on Homemade Weapons' imprint Weaponry in 2019, a year which also saw him release an EP of Grey Area style Techno on Horo and a collab EP in the same style with Sam KDC and Korse as Vermisst, also on Horo. 

Since these releases, Torn has teamed up with fellow Russian artist Roho for an EP of percussive floor shakers in 2021 on Samurai Music (Fatum - SMDE19) and several self-released projects direct to his growing base of devoted Torn heads. In the background, the last few years Ivan has been diligently refining and experimenting with constructions for his debut LP for the Samurai Music label.

Borderline fulfils the promise of Ivans musical ascendancy in our sub-scene netherworld between DnB and Techno. Gut-punch kicks entwine with dense atmospheric layers, gnawing mid-riffs, and impeccably honed percussive propulsion. The cake is iced meticulously with guest collabs from Samurai Music top tier affiliates Homemade Weapons, Last Life, label head Presha and a tempo switch up to close the LP with the help of dungeon master Sam KDC and close cohort Korse.

Borderline plants a confident, empowered, flag on the electronic music landscape with Torn's name on it.


01. Dislocations 
02. Borderline
03. Bushido
04. Boxcutter (with Homemade Weapons)
05. Hyperborea
06. Fireball (with Presha)
07. Unbridled (with Last Life)
08. The Beckoning
09. Dallol 
10. The Fear
11. Automaton Clock
12. Onibi (with Sam KDC & Korse)

https://soundcloud.com/torn170
https://www.instagram.com/van_torn/
https://www.facebook.com/samkdc
https://www.instagram.com/korse_music/

Torn - Onibi (with Sam KDC & Korse) [SMDELP08]

Taken from the Mako LP 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗖 [SMDELP09]

Released on 2x12"+1x10" (Marbled or Black)

Available now from Bandcamp - https://makosm.bandcamp.com/album/death-of-a-romantic

and Void Vinyl (Germany) - https://voidvinyl.eu/products/mako-death-of-a-romantic

🖤⚔️🔊☠️

As we welcome Stephen Redmore aka Mako back to the label, it’s important to note that Death of a Romantic is not only the debut LP for Mako on Samurai Music, but it also puts Mako in a solo category, a historic first - the only artist to ever release an artist LP on both Metalheadz and Samurai Music.

Death of a Romantic aptly captures Mako’s ability to span different corners of Drum and Bass’ musical palette - a talent cultivated by a musical approach informed by full absorption in the history of this music as a building block, plus a dedication to perfecting the science of breaking down the essential elements needed to make any construction approach at this tempo achieve maximum efficacy.

Followers of Mako’s music have no doubt taken note of this versatile approach to writing music and his gifted ability with breaks and sub-bass. For Death Of A Romantic, a considered approach to strip the music back more in line with the Samurai Music sound was taken but the album retains the Mako flavour - deft, subtle hooks, beds of sub and ethereal ambience, pinned down by total rhythmic potency.

Highlights are many, but the first tunes that were written for the LP embody perfectly the musical environment Mako built specifically for this LP - ‘The Both Of Us’ with its sinister intro and tear out conclusion, and ‘Raisuma’ - a call and response rhythm that is almost dub-like in feel with peaks that pack a hefty punch.

Makos's signature lead hooks appear, albeit tempered, to compliment the build reduction on tracks like ‘Falter’ and LP closer ‘We Can Love All’ - both are clear cases of this interpolation of Makos's own breadth of style, pointedly refined to slot into the LPs sound and utilising space to increase their power.

The Death of a Romantic song titles all carry a consistent message, one that Mako puts to use in his own life and interactions with other humans, and one we could all benefit from reflecting on at this time - life brings us joy and pain and much more in between, but if we live with compassion and humility, we can truly love all.

Tracklist:

01. Empathy Dub
02. Even Treasured Memories Fade
03. The Both of Us
04. False Promise
05. Falter
06. Cold Hands
07. Raisuma
08. Grieve
09. The Choice is Yours
10. We Can Love All

https://www.instagram.com/utopia_music_mako/

Death of a Romantic

Death Of A Romantic

Mako - Cold Hands [SMDELP09]

@rami-abadir serves  club music alchemy on his new album for @svbkvlt, splicing jungle, dancehall, Jersey Club and footwork with Arabic instrumentation and Maqsoum rhythms

More info: https://djmag.com/listen/premiere-abadir-irreversible

Mutate

Premiere: ABADIR ‘Irreversible’

In the Dark EP (previews) (out 26.01.24)

READ > inverted-audio.com/premiere-daser-into-blu-sky

Following up the release of their inaugural label compilation last November, Reasons To Dance mark their return with their first ever extended player from label co-founder Dåser...Today, we focus on the opening track 'Into Blu Sky‘. Kicking off with a digital mantra of eerie arpeggios, followed by semi-distorted drum rhythms, FX-drenched echoes and highly-syncopated vocals, the track captures the uncanny nuances of the Neoperreo genre, sweeping over global dancefloors lately from the likes of Bitter Babe and Amor Satyr.

@reasons-to-dance
@djdaser1

Into Blu Sky

Dåser - Into Blu Sky [Reasons To Dance]

available on 12" on Kimochi Sound

@vertical-cat

Fustian

Juno

Vertical Cat - The Gecko Pt. 1

On Escape from the Club, @alecpace makes his return to All Centre, following up his Absolute Pressure EP from 2019 with four wonky, breakneck techno cuts.

Opener Linea kicks off proceedings with a buoyant approach to electro. Encouraging shouts of “come on” are filtered through disorienting FX, usher in sliding synth lines. As the track progresses, the frenzied synths increase in intensity before giving way to a skeletal drum beat.

On the second track Drowning, throbbing kick drums pair with skizzed-out hi-hats. The track’s wonky, rolling groove builds up towards a propelling synthetic percussion onslaught with unique sound design to boot.

The title track increases the intensity with skewed acidic pronouncements leading into a lolloping 168bpm beat, embellished with Pace’s characteristic vocal sample disfigurations.

Finally the EP settles on its most frenetic excursion, False Claims. Hiking the BPM up to 148, high velocity drums which nod to UK Funky guide the listener towards ecstatic fervor that is hinted at throughout the proceeding tracks.

Escape from the Club is available on all digital platforms from October 18th.

Escape from the Club

Alec Pace - Drowning [ACEN064]

HAVA NAGILA (Monarch Drum & Bass Remix)

Purge VIP

Support me here: ko-fi.com/notyoki
My socials:
linktr.ee/not_yoki
discord server: discord.gg/FkgD7XGAM9

I was never an option was i

Toronto-based events organisers, collective and label Raven’s Vision are pleased to announce their debut online release, silk & lace Feb. 21st a compilation album featuring a variety of Toronto artists.

Stirring The Thaw - Bénédicte

The pages were old and dusty as he began to flick through the dirty old book. The writing was scrawled and jumbled, it required concentration to amass the tone of speech and the wording. It was written in present tense, an unusual sort of expression given the date of such an old artefact. The library was deadly quiet, the sound of a pin drop could be heard amidst the turning of pages and the occasional shuffle of feet. This place was old an haunted, much like the material which lay within it. He'd always been drawn to the creepy allure of the grand hall, ever since he was young he'd been different. 

Electroménager is back with a new EP from Porter Brook, a deep moody affair with a punchy remix from up and comer De Grandi who is attracting the eyes and ears of the electronic music community at present.

PREMIERE: Porter Brook - Present Tense (De Grandi Remix)[Electroménager]

BEFORE EDM THERE WAS EBM 😉

I am breathing electronic music since late 70s and that's over 45 years now. From Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarre, Mike Oldfield, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Yazoo, Alphaville, Men without Hats, Nitzer Ebb, Die Krupps, Front 242, Anne Clark, Camouflage, Gary Numan, OMD, Apopytygma Berzerk and even the Commodore 64 demo & break dance scene to more contemporary Electronic music artists, I witnessed the evolution of Electronic music, which basically means I am an old fart and consider myself an authority in this music genre 😵 Currently I listen DnB almost exclusively. But I do not like to restrict myself at all, enjoying flavors like Electronica, Trance, Psytrance, Tech House, Dubstep, Deep House, Future Pop, Trap, Techno, UK Bass and of course EBM/Industrial as well.

What you will find in my likes and playlists is the top of the crop in Electronic Music, I will  absolutely not list any bullshit. A track I have not listed might be just that: Bullshit, just mediocre or an artistic gem which I haven't discovered yet.

A world of our own

Samurai Music | Mindgames | waveforms - Please follow https://soundcloud.com/horolabel for Horo releases

We do not accept demo's.

Torn - The Beckoning [SMDELP08]

Samurai Music

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