The Rabbit, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, symbolizes longevity, peace, and most suitable for the Unchained trajectory, creativity.  

Each year we set out to collate a mélange of ambiguous club-ready electronic whilst doing our part to cross that apparent divide between drum ‘n’ bass, jungle, footwork, grime and other members of the extended bass family.

We haven’t always been wed to the massive banger alone, but we have to admit, we always will be obsessed. We don’t consider ourselves possessed by sonic slabs that are looped beyond recognition, but we hold them in high regard just the same. 

So with that in mind, curating the Year of the Rabbit compilation took some time this year.

The Year Of The Rabbit showcases artists both emerging and established from China, Russia, England, Holland, and the United States. Be it wonky, divergent, mutant, deep, or simply in the vein of the pure epic club banger, every producer has something remarkable and distinctive going on.

We introduce and welcome back our 2023 Year of the Rabbit artist crew: Subp Yao, Radiax, Lakeway, Danky, Neve, Harka, Doctor Jeep, Leo Cap, Kray, Trophy, Airstrike, Throe, Pllfry and Dynamic Stab. 

Love,

Unchained

UNCHAINED: The Year of The Rabbit

Most known for his hybrid melds of various permutations from the UK Bass universe, Yorkshire-based Jamie Harka has emerged as a genuinely original and creative influence in the music community. Whilst some have attempted to classify his output as a sort of footwork-esque fusion, with his latest musical incarnation on Unchained, with the Dull Corner EP, we have a piece of work that is, without a doubt, its own disparate visionary beast.

“I’ve taken a new approach to this EP, a richer and earthier sound compared to my previous work... Swapping rave stabs for neuro bass hits, and pitched vocals for gritty chants. I’m aiming to show a more serious side of my repertoire that hopefully appeals to even more ears.”
We are stoked to have the FMO that is Harka on board the Unchained mutant-beat train.

P.S. This year we have an absolute ton to get out, so if you’re keen, stay on the beat.

Love,
Unchained Crew

Harka - Dull Corner EP

Buy/Stream

Thematic - Moon Warriors EP

Whilst a well-known force in underground bass in New Zealand for some time, Paige Julia is now being embraced by the global music community as one of the very profound artists emanating from the south pacific island’s thriving Drum and Bass scene. 

In the run up to her Dreams EP out on Unchained this June, we asked Paige to put together a special mix for us. Packed with plenty of her own dubs, this is a rich selection of both the elegant and tastefully dirty end of jungle, half-time and drum'n'bass.  

Follow @paigelol

Unchained Mix Series 042 by Paige Julia (NZ)

Dreams

11/06/2021

Paige Julia - Dreams

Unchained: Year of The Tiger

L'homie - Hypnosis

Subp Yao - Xiasha

Rohaan - Cavity

The Unchained pilgrimage through the world of mutant bass takes us to our thirty-second release as we again celebrate the lunar calendar with our third annual compilation, the “ Year of The Tiger.” In keeping with our other various artist releases we center around some of our core ideals -  diversity, experimentation in bass, and the clubbing experience. 

A collection of 12 tracks, this album represents a bit more of the rowdier end of our repertoire with off-kilter D’n’B bangers, foot-work grooved club tunes, swaggering halftime, grime and a bit of dark jungle tekno for seasoning.

Alongside leading and emerging talent from the UK and Europe, we are proud to feature a solid Asian representation this year, including artists from Hong Kong, China, India and Japan.

We hope you enjoy these bass mutations in the Year of The Tiger.

Happy Chinese New Year from the Unchained Crew

Harka - Work Ya Body [FUXWITHIT Premiere]

LEO CAP - Drop The Bass

With elements across the entire drum & bass spectrum taking clear leap forwards over the past couple of years, including a high-powered, spaciously technical sound revival, Unchained steps back for a moment to celebrate the deeper ‘vibes’ end of the bass chromatic, yet with a desire to always shift the shape of the genre box.

The legendary DJ Madd is one of those artists whose work continues to carry forward this re-mould.

Whilst many of us agree that UK-influenced dance music is centred around a conversation between the Caribbean sound system world, American Hip Hop, and British Rave culture, US-based DJ Madd ventures away from his classic dub sound to pay homage to richness of darker warm subs, the dominion of the kick and minimal percussive funk.

“This EP is going back to some of my dnb roots. I used to listen to a lot of Digital, Spirit (Rip), Amit, Loxy etc. Artists who laid down the foundations for the halftime sound.Those drum & bass tunes with strange drum patterns and no snare drums had a big impact on me early on, and this EP is a nod to that.”

With a wealth of production behind him and an incredible release heritage spanning hundreds of releases, his Explorer EP is a journey through this more minimal darker take on the classic dubby universe of electronic that he is so well known for pioneering.

Whether firing up a massive soundsystem dance journey or blazing up solo, this EP should make its mark on any card carrying ‘head’ out there.

Love,
Unchained

Explorer EP

Explorer

We’ve been relentlessly delivering music that is our take on bass music for a number of years now. More recently, in an effort to recharge, shame on us, we felt we had earned a couple of cheeky months off from output to take stock of what we had done and where are going next.

We’re now back, reset and refreshed, continuing to drive ahead with releases that strike that balance between serving the dance floor and pushing alternative sounds and mutations from the norm.

The current food chain of D’n’B, 160, and jungle with bass producers going rogue is both exciting and dizzying with multiple influences and genres feeding the sound. The scourge of musical self referencing that often seems to possess the drum and bass scene is on the wane, so, maybe for a brief moment, all is good in the world again!

Our roster of artists, as always, are encouraged to go mutant and push things forward yet give something tangible to the dance-floor if they can. That is exactly what our new entrant to Unchained, Josh Ainge, aka TROPHY, has done with his Preach EP.

Littered with fractured Jungle, Rave and Halftime, his four-track piece of work runs all the way from the melodic sublime in “Back to Me” to dusty half-time funk on “Wannabe” to outright hard 160 4/4 footwork-esque bangers with “Werk” and “Preach.” These last two are potent, diabolically fast and kick serious buttock.

With the past couple of years seeing Josh juggle the demands of his graphic design career against his late-night studio music production addiction, work has appropriately given way to the obligations of the 4am mix down. Now, having come up through the ranks alongside his close friend Samurai Breaks and with a solid spate of self-releases under his belt, Trophy is preparing himself for the leveling up stage of his career as a musician.

This EP is just the beginning.

We hope you enjoy.

Love Unchained.

Preach EP

Wannabe

TROPHY - Wannabe

Compilation

Subp Yao - #13

Throe - Killer On The Loose

Doctor Jeep - Stinjan

Trophy - Move Like That

Lakeway - The Drop Out

Neve, Harka - Club Flip

Airstrike - Wobert Downey Jnr

Radiax - Dunno

Hailing from Yorkshire, Jamie Harka is turning heads in the music scene with his unique fusion of sounds drawn from the vast expanse of the UK Bass realm. Recognized as a trailblazer, Harka defies simple categorization

● Unchained Recordings - @unchainedasia
● Harka - @harka-stigofthedub

---

Connect with Rendah Mag
● https://rendahmag.com/connect

Harka X Top Rankin - Lethologica [Rendah Mag Premiere]

As usual Unchained Recordings delivers some fresh madness! Out on 23/08.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like & Follow!

► https://soundcloud.com/harka-stigofthedub // https://www.facebook.com/Harkafootwork ◄ 

► https://soundcloud.com/unchainedasia // https://www.facebook.com/unchained.asia ◄

► https://soundcloud.com/districtbassmusic // www.facebook.com/districtbassmusic // https://www.instagram.com/districtbass // www.youtube.com/districtbass // https://districtbass.bigcartel.com ◄

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All rights belong to the artists and the label.

Dull Corner EP

Dull Corner

Support

Harka - Dull Corner

Most known for his hybrid melds of various permutations from the UK Bass universe, Yorkshire-based Jamie Harka is sharing a different side of his creative voice with his latest release.
“I’ve taken a new approach to this EP, a richer and earthier sound compared to my previous work... Swapping rave stabs for neuro bass hits, and pitched vocals for gritty chants. I’m aiming to show a more serious side of my repertoire that hopefully appeals to even ore ears.” says Harka about his new EP "Dull Corner" out today on China's UNCHAINED. Follow the buy link to purchase!

[PREMIERE] Harka - Used Thug (UNCHAINED RECORDINGS)

Harka - Intermittence

Starting as a resident and promoter with Junglism Scotland, Anikonik's unwavering dedication has made her a standout presence in Scotland's thriving underground Drum & Bass scene.

Now, her influence extends across the UK, gracing stages at top festivals and venues like Boomtown, Outlook UK, Fabric, and XOYO to name a few.

The dance floor is a sacred space for Anikonik, and for our latest edition of the Unchained Mix Series we have invited the eclectic selector to channel her energy behind the decks into a guest mix.

If Anikonik is playing anywhere near your city, DO NOT miss a chance to catch her live, but for now, immerse yourself in the sonic landscapes Anikonik has weaved for you through this mix.

Tracklist - 
Strategy - Carbon Footprint 
?? - ?? [Unreleased Unchained]
Mssingno - 124th 
Origin Unknown - Valley of the Shadows (DFRNT Remix) 
Shy FX feat. Kano, Donae'o & R - Raver (Breakage Pattern Moschino Remix) 
LCY - Y 
IMANU - DTA 
B-Ju x yunis - Ouala  
TASO - SaxXx 160bpm 
Kahn - Abattoir (SRP 160 Flex) 
iTAL tEK - Gonga 
Coco Bryce - Adventures In Perception 
QZB - Apollo 
Skantia - Dark Matter 
Rockwell - Chorus Of Disapproval 
HØST - Have & Have Nots 
Rohaan - Stay 
Cauzer - Focal Point (Original Mix) 
Notequal - Descend (Original Mix) 
Trophy - Move Like That 
Yoofee - Glume 
Neve, Frame - Jinga (feat. Frame) 
ADDISON GROOVE - Rzor 
dBridge, Fixate - Programmed To Fail (Original Mix) 
Lakeway - All Massive All Crew 
BONE BOX - Wormhole (Original Mix) 
Chu Hi - Grape Hi 
Reso - Pulse Code 
Fourward - Empty Soul 
Metafloor - Mo Power (Moresounds Remix) 
Subp Yao - Backwitda (Yoofee Remix) 
Kiril - Minimal Instinkt (Original Mix) 
Qo - Insectoid (Original Mix) 
Djrum - Tournesol 
Lewis James - Your Love is a Power Feat. DandansK (Original Mix) 
Om Unit vs Kromestar - Solar Cycle (Melody Mix)

Instagram & Soundcloud: @anikonik

Unchained Mix Series 065 - Anikonik (Scotland)

For our first mix of the year, we have Calgary-based Drum & Bass DJ and promoter, Swayze, who truly embodies the collective and cultural spirit of the genre. Representing Sub Chakra, a collective engaged in spreading soundsystem culture, Swayze is an incredibly important cog of Calgary's thriving Drum & Bass scene.

When asked to deliver a mix for Unchained, Swayze dug deep into his influences that originally got him to love the genre.

"This mix was created with a few things in mind for myself, for one keeping it true to the sounds I love and the ones that originally got me into drum & bass. The softer lighter sounds but with those heavy rollers also."

1)    Blu Mar Ten – Somewhere (Ft. Ange Genyte)
2)    Tenchinmatic – Night Vision
3)    Silence Groove – Who Will Love You
4)    Technimatic – Remember You
5)    Phase – Listen
6)    SOLR – Kupalo
7)    Artificial Intelligence – Waiting For
8)    Alibi & MC Fats – Rise Up
9)    GLXY & [ K S R ]
10) Kanine – Figure It out
11) Disrupta – Like The Sun
12) Dawn Wall – Lemon Dogs
13) No Patterns – Misty Skies
14) IMANU – Noir (Bop Remix)
15) Disrupta – Together
16) Satl & Kasper – Sky Turns Black (Ft. Lurch)
17) Platinum Breaks Ft. Eden – Everything (Bladerunner Vocal Mix)
18) Sub:liminal & Humanature – Around The World (Phaction Remix)
19) Artificial Intelligence – Desperado
20) Marcus Intalex & Calibre – Lobeat
21) Heymac – Cloudbreaker
22) Kings Of The Rollers – Tisno
23) CELO – Transcend 
24) Mitekiss & Ruth Royal – YKOM
25) Voltage – Losing
26) NV 33, Jamezy – Euphoria 
27) Bert H & Becca Jane Grey – Destruct
28) BCee – Fantazia
29) Seba – So Beautiful
30) Gray, A Little Sound – Twilight
31) Malaky & Satl – All By Myself
32) Destinys Child – Say My Name (KR Dub Bootleg)
33) CLB & Sara Sukkha – Running Back To You

Follow Swayze on Instagram: @swayzednb

Unchained Mix Series 066 - Swayze

Thematic - Lookout

Thematic - Moon Warriors

Thematic - The Fuss

Thematic - Signal

Whilst OAKK has hit numerous home runs, such as his runaway tune Sleepless and the ground breaking Hysterical EP, Unchained asked him to raise the bar further - to unite his full breadth of musical influence spanning Drum’n'Bass, Dancehall, Trap and Hip Hop into a single multi-track release. 

“Public Enemy”, part of the Growing EP, takes listeners on a tasteful ride through juke-infused dance floor rhythms and mesmerizing Latin vocalisms.

Growing EP

Public Enemy

Buy Now

OAKK - Public Enemy

Right off the back of his Exit Records Ginza EP and Astrophonica smash hit Hennessey Brown, Groves delivers an EP on Unchained Recordings that spells smackdown, with three tunes that promise to give any system a proper serving of bass weight.

Track 3, KINDA MAD, is a tune that eludes traditional household semantics. Let’s just call it a multi-layered baseline headfuck that should not be allowed to exist.

We hope you enjoy what promises to be Groves’ ‘step-up’ release of 2019 and a new juncture in his path upwards as a producer of fine low-end sonics.

VOTPW

Kinda Mad

Groves - Kinda Mad

Whiplash | 2nd Unchained freebee for the year. 

We hope you enjoy this halftime hook monster that has been solidly tested in clubs across China. 

More on Kabuki | below

Few artists have been releasing music for decades yet still maintain their relevance with the ever-evolving soundscape we call electronic music. Enter Kabuki, an artist that falls into the cateogry of original junglist yet for years has released widely across the bass music spectrum. He also holds the title as one of Sony Playstation’s most celebrated gamer soundtack musical talents.

🔥⛓ Free Download ⛓🔥

Kabuki - Whiplash [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Two new infectious halftime gems by newcomer Cesco along with
UK born Cesco had his first major release this year on 1985 Music’s ‘Edition 2’ compilation - curated and run by Alix Perez. It immediately catapulted him into the spotlight and earned him the respect of tastemakers such as Ivy Lab, dBridge and Noisia to name a few. He now continues the journey with two new infectious halftime gems on Unchained Recordings. Whilst the tracks are solid enough as a standalone pair, the addition of a devastating remix by minimal badman, Arkaik helps to form an EP with a fresh 360 degree view of modern bass.

The title track 'Random Adjective,’ is a subtle yet infectious sonically evolving mantra – trappy percs, rich textures and hypnotic hooks all demand 100% head-nod compliance. 

Track 2, ‘Spiral’, then follows by threading eerie cinematic atmospherics with evolving rhythms to form a lush minimal dance-floor ‘groove monster'. It effortlessly steers from halftime beats through to bouncing breaks to 4/4, then back again. Tunes like these demonstrate just how much Drum & Bass has evolved in recent years.

Finally, Arkaik furnishes his own flip of ‘Random Adjective’ which, by all independent accounts, is a track more thrilling than Boris Johnson romping in a thong. It is a fine example of the current spearhead level of modern production - where dedication to technical perfection begins to elevate electronic music into a sacred art-form.

The Random Adjective EP was custom built for the bass aficionado, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

unchainedasia.com

Cesco - Random Adjective

Rohaan is about as diverse as they come when it comes to artistic output. With releases on a wide range of labels including Deadbeats,
Circus and Saturate, we have witnessed him rapidly ascend the ranks of modern electronic as a solo artist, as a prolific collaborator and garnering support from legends such as DJ Craze, Bleep Bloop and Noisia to name a few. Now as he rolls out his latest incarnation of musical halftime tapestry, he joins the Unchained Recordings family in search of new sonic summits.

The first track on the EP, “Sirens”, is a veritable beast. Dirty stabs, bouncing bass sweeps and powerful off-script breaks all form part of the “I’m gunna mess with you” ethos that we like to hear at least once or twice on a well rounded Unchained EP. Then if you have been starving for a proper underground halftime sing-a-long banger in your life, Rohaan has answered the call with “Darlin”. Melodic hooks artfully combine with well crafted grimey bassline banters to make it, and its minimal remix cousin also on the EP, a 'must have' for all card-carrying bass aficionados. Finally “Gums” surprises with constantly evolving amorphous rhythms and ghostly low-end stabs and movements. One could say it echoes the 20/20 left field hip-hop camp but dons brand new clothing reflecting Rohaan’s unique musical heritage.

Lost Sirens

Gums

Rohaan - Gums

Dutch native Subp Yao returns to Unchained armed with “C’mon Badness”, a no bullsh#t four track EP that, once again, flexes his creative and technical genius whilst providing the dance floor with unrelenting, artfully crafted waves of sound.

The EP begins with “C’mon” which combines low-end serrated baselines and atomic kicks to form the type of distorted aesthetic that Subp Yao has become so well-known for. “Badness” immediately follows - a hoover bass, halftime beast, that freshly reverberates with the good old days of 90s rave. Then both “Ok” and “Like” together complete the release. Trippy vocals, bombshell distortion and death-star funk are fused with masterfully engineered drums to drive a stake into the heart of contemporary club music.

With “C’mon Badness” Subp Yao continues to push the boundaries of modern electronic. We hope you enjoy.

C'mon Badness

C'mon

Subp Yao - C'mon

“It’s not that shocking anymore when a Dubstep guy plays some Halftime, or a House guy closes his set with a couple DnB tunes.” Whilst many purists would object, Budapest-born Peter Simon, aka DJ Madd is passionate about the richness and diversity of modern electronic music. From UK Bass, Dancehall and Dub to his unrelenting spate of Halftime flips of tracks by artists such as Calibre, Flowdan and Dillinja, Madd’s output has come a long way since his first vinyl release in 2008. 

Attracting followers such as Skream, Mary Anne Hobbs and David Rodigan, Unchained Recordings is incredibly excited to be a part of the growth of Madd’s unique take on Jungle, Dub fusion and beat-driven electronic. 

His new All Massive EP is a three piece club-selection combination that carries heavy bass-freight across Drum & Bass, Halftime and 140. All three tracks are amazing and charged with heavy funk-etched 808s, Jamaican flavours, rolling percs and just enough darkness to fit like a glove with a well-tuned 3am club sound-system - whilst keeping the dance floor charged with full-dial grins.

↪ @djmadd
https://www.instagram.com/djmadd_/
https://twitter.com/djmadd
https://www.facebook.com/djmaddbeats/

All Massive

All Massive N Crew

DJ Madd - All Massive N Crew

Today we launch “Detached" - a regular series of free unique single releases from artists that we respect here at the label but also provide an opportunity to explore sounds which unapologetically push new edges in bass music. 

To kick things off we have invited Manchester-based Danny Jones, aka Aagentah, to be first to join us.

Whilst Danny is the founder of undercurrent electronic music joint Rendah Magazine, we see him gradually climb the ranks of leftfield bass as a producer with a unique run of releases on tastemaker labels such as YUKU, SATURATE!, VALE and RAM. 

Whilst his inspiration draws upon a wide array of influences including '90's Jazz, Science Fiction score music, experimental electronic and Drum & Bass, Aegentah steps forward with “Vanguard” - a sonic gem best described as an intersection of atmospheric, Leftfield and DNB.

We hope you enjoy the first in our Detached series.

↪ @aagentah
www.instagram.com/aagentah/
www.facebook.com/aagentah/

Vanguard

Download

DETACHED SERIES 001 (Free Download) Aagentah - Vanguard

Detached is a regular trek of unique free single releases from artists that we respect who also unapologetically explore new edges in bass music. 

We are super excited about our next track in the series by UK-resident producer JAMIU.  Mutated from traditional Nigerian sonics and drum patterns, Yemoja is a fresh chapter in African-influenced Halftime - it’s also proper murky! 

Formerly known as Jimi Perspective, Jamiu is one of the forces behind the rich Bass and Jungle joint Darc City and runs regular shows on Subtle FM and Balamii Radio. 

Check out his own self-released music and socials here.

Bandcamp: https://jamiu.bandcamp.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jamiu_music
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/jamiu_music/

Mastering: Saif Bari @Fixedmastering.com

DETACHED 002

Yemoja

Free Download

DETACHED SERIES 002 (Free Download) Jamiu - Yemoja

If "The Year of the Rat" compilation last year demonstrated what the label was about, our latest compilation in the lunar calendar series "The Year of the Ox" might give you the hint that we aren’t backing down. We have curated a 12 track serve from some of our fave artists both local and global. 

We are excited to have onboard Austrian OGs, ROYGREEN & PROTONE, who take a detour from their jazzier side into no-nonsense halftime and LAKEWAY, whilst still fresh off the Med School boat, delivers a marvellous dark liquid club banger. 

We also have Asian-based artists representing in full force. Beijing’s rising big cheese RADIAX, Unchained’s roller studmuffin KRAY, Japan’s long-fringed wonderkid FETUS and Sino-Italian trio outfit FRACTALE - all brimming with burly bass weight. 

Unchained Recordings Dutch royalty SUBP YAO offers up yet another ‘make shit bang’ curveball and Russia’s CHAMPION SOUND shows how to recycle classic breakbeat for modern-day warehouse stomping. 

Stateside, Unchained crew member and skinny git, AIRSTRIKE makes his debut by embracing Unchained’s mutant bass ethos and disguises it in dirty, smelly, “roller” clothing with his tune Lion Up. 

Canadians GROVES and OAKK are back with two totally wrong face-tic wonky wobblers and we also welcome fresh outfit 3VS's (Akuratyde, Tellus and Monika) who have thoroughly owned this gorgeous, atmospheric yet menacing, sunrise belter. 

We are incredibly proud of all our artists for their work on this release and we sincerely hope you grab a listen to all the tunes inside.

I'm So Sorry

OAKK - I'm So Sorry

Pushing Bass music across Asia and the world at large.
Unchained roams in the forward-thinking universe of Bass music focusing on Halftime and the full amalgam of sound that is Drum and Bass.

Unchained club nights are typically packed events focused on the dance floor where every new release is tested and international talent from various corners of the globe are featured.
Demo/submissions: email demos @ unchainedasia.com with a private downloadable Soundcloud link.

Unchained Recordings

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks