Tag Archives: black box records

Album Review: Seven’s Evolution LP

Posted by Bassweight Society on

What up everybody!  We back from another weekend and ready to get going on the next!  Today we got a special highlight on Seven’s new album, ‘Evolution’, that just dropped today (digitally, vinyl was released last week).

Eddy Woo has been a tune making machine ever since the mid-2000’s (or at least that’s as far back as I can remember lol).  First putting his touch into the drum and bass world and then switching his concentration to dubstep after Yunx asked him to make a 140 tune for his radio show.  Since then Seven has been putting out multiple releases each year on imprints like Aquatic Lab, Black Box, Wheel & Deal, and Subway.  This past week saw the release of his debut full-length album on Black Box Records, Evolution LP.  For the vinyl heads this was a 3 platter, 6-track release and for the digital heads a 13-track collection of the finest quality tunes.  For the sake of time and, of course, your attention spans, I’m going to pull my 4 favorite tunes from the album to give you a little taster of what’s inside…

Morning Light ft. Alys Be//

This one is my percy off the album.  The soulfully haunting vocals from Alys Be dubbed up with the reverb-drenched synth leads on this tune set the stage beautifully for the in your face reese-esque bassline that comes in hard and leaves equally as clean, providing space for a snare drum that could snap the Dalai Lamas head back.

Seven ft. Alys Be – Morning Light

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Breathe//

The opening notes of this track are ones that will hook any listener, with any musical preference.  Big, spacious, and taunting stabs followed with an amazing  style of eastern-influenced strings.  This is a tune that requires patience, in my opinion.  Reason being that as the tune progresses into its final 1:23, each individual track comes together in its purest form.  The stabs begin to bounce through space guiding your neurotransmitters to all the pleasure centers in your brain, the high hats are rolling through the soundscape flawlessly, and then the tune begins to digress.  You’re then like “wait, rewind that shit back!”.

Seven – Breathe

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Feel It//

This tune is probably second in line for me, as far as favorites on the album.  It’s got SO MUCH soul!  Really bummed that this one didn’t make it onto the vinyl cut.  It starts off with real nice garagey introduction, causing footwork inna’ dance.  As its progresses, 90’s-rave vocals precursor the heavy arsenal of 808 drums that will instantly set off the dance vibes.  It’s very similar to a Von D style funkiness, drums made to shuffle and perfectly placed vocals.  Big tune!

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Picture This//

This track is a fire starter!  You’ll be instantly intrigued as the beginning section takes you through a flashback of some kind of 1980’s movie in which the setting is 30 years ahead of its time, in space.  Or maybe a Revenge of The Nerds talent show performance, haha.  Whatever you want to relate it to, it’s fucking dope.  The intensity begins to build quickly with the distorted wobble starting to rise out of the background and the sweep gains its force.  Once the tune hits its first climax the vibes are set to destroy!  That signature Seven style of creating some of the most powerful sub-lines in conjunction with just the right amount of aggression inna’ tune.  Again, this is one that I was really bummed to not see on wax.  The second climax is the one on this tune, though.  Switching out the wobble for a straight space-gangster synth line.  Like I said, this tune is a FIRE STARTER.  (I use the word ‘climax’ instead of  ‘drop’ because the term has been abused by the kids these days, lol)

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Now, make sure you get out and purchase this album!  Although I only reviewed four tunes today, the remaining nine on the album are all amazing as well.  Like I said previously, this was purely a time/attention management issue :).  The album is available at all good record shops and download sites, so snag it off whichever one you prefer (Chemical, Beatport, etc.).

Seven Evolution LP – Vinyl (Chemical Records)

Seven Evolution LP – Download (Chemical Records)

Thanks for tuning in, we’ll catch you tomorrow!

To the gods.

-Kinman

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On The Flex: Biome, Mala, & TMSV

Posted by Bassweight Society on

Massive out to all the heads that have been supporting us recently!  This grassroots movement has slowly, but very surely, been growing within the past couple months and the traffic through the website has increased significantly.  It really means a lot to us here at BWS.  We’ve always had a lot of faith in this music/culture because it is one filled with longevity and passion, and all of you readers have affirmed that faith.  As stated at the beginning of the new year, we have plans for 2012 to be a really big year for us and we couldn’t be happier the share the experiences with all of you.  RESPECT!

Now, with all the sentimental sh*t out of the way, let’s get right into today’s music.  Not only has 2012 been a great year for us, it has been a great year for the entirety of the dubstep scene.  No, we are not talking about the Grammy’s given to, thou who shall’nt be named.  We are talking about the foundation scene.  The deep scene has witnessed such a prolific amount of innovation and evolution to dubstep.  From tribal to techno, jungle to classical, the influences are FLOODING the productions.  Today we have a pretty random collection of tunes to showcase, all of them top-notch.

The first batch of tunes come the man known as Biome.  He should be no secret to any of you, and if he is, GET AMONGST IT!  Pushing out high quality releases since 2008 from labels such as Subsonik, Biscuit Factory, Sub Pressure, Osiris, and most recently Black Box, he’s a man who has nothing but WEIGHT up his sleeves.  His most recent release on Black Box, titled ‘Space’, is truly an unreal production.  Seems only suiting that it earned a release as a single-sided vinyl in the XXX series from the box.  Today he announced a release on the imprint M.U.V (Macabre Unit Vinyl).  A tune called ‘Persepolis’.  An absolutely massive production!  Take a listen to Persepolis and few other bits that he has just thrown up on his Soundcloud page.

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Biome – Zen

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Biome – Shadows

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This next track is recent one from the almighty Mala.  Set to release on his album due out sometime this year.  Rumor has it that the entire album is influenced off his recent  travels in Cuba.  You can definitely feel the vibes in this track.  Titled ‘Cuba Electronica’, this tune is seriously MAD.  Listen to the man Joe Nice when he brings in the second drop, it’s straight up badness coming through your speakers.  This will no doubt, as always with Mala, be one of the most anticipated releases of the year so keep your eyes and ears open.

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The last track we are going to leave you off with today comes from the extremely talented hands of TMSV.  This guy has seriously been handling business for the past couple years and 2012 is definitely going to be a HUGE year for the man.  Releases tunes pretty much exclusively on Box Clever/Black Box records, DJ Thinking must be amped on life.  TMSV’s production abilities are hard to pigeonhole so I’m not even going to try.  He can really build music in an amazing fashion,  and I will leave it at that.  This tune, a remix of Dark Angel’s ‘Lay Down My Burdens’, is going to send you all off with a righteous vibe.  It’s forthcoming on Foundation Sound, date still to come.  Let the music speak to you.

Dark Angel – Lay Down My Burdens

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Also, in case you missed this free download he gave out a few months ago, GRAB IT UP WHILE IT’S STILL THERE!  A really sick tune he did with Myrkur called ‘Icarus’. Of course, show the man some love!

TMSV & Myrkur – Icarus (FREE DOWNLOAD)

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Alright fam, that’s all for today.  Stay blessed.

To the gods.

– Bassweight Society (Kinman)

For The Ears Of The Inhabitants

Posted by Bassweight Society on

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Man, what the f*ck. The weekends go by way too fast! Someone needs to institute some sort of last Friday of every month off type ting’, there is just not enough time to unwind with only two days. We spend too much time worrying about the next bill due or the numbers on the clock. It’s things like these that many psychologists believe to be the underlying cause of the violence and contempt that humans exhibit. We are not innately evil, nor violent, we as humans strive for cooperation, collectivism, and functionality. All the worlds evils; self-righteousness, greed, angst, social inequity, etc., are products of an absence of love. The human spirit has been starved of its capabilities. It is a shame we have lost so much of the imagination and mysticism that once flooded the human psyche. Great minds are often wasted because an individual has never been given the chance to recognize his/her potential. My all-time favorite author, William Blake, once wrote that ” He whos face gives no light, shall never become a star. Eternity is in love with the productions of time.” (Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Proverbs of Hell) These words are so profound and each can gather their own sentiment from them.

Anyways, thank the heavens that we have music to uplift our souls! We are back with another week filled with quality music for all the readers ears’, so we hope you enjoy them.

This first tune hails from the production arsenals of PinchandPhotek. Pinch, who was responsible for founding Subloaded, one of the UK’s first pure dubstep nights, has recently been spending most of his time in the 120-135 area. Always one of the largest advocates of forward-thinking, he has been marrying a vast amount of styles within his sets. Listening to his mixing you will hear anything and everything from straight techno to chest-hollowing bass anthems. This recent collaboration with Photek, like his mixing, blends a pool of styles together to form a tune that appeals to listeners from all ends of the electronic music spectrum. Punchy synths, syncopated vocals, and huge sub-frequencies. Lend an ear!

Pinch & Photek – Acid Reign (Pinch’s dubplate version)

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The second one we have is from Wheel & Deals latest hype,Surge . Last week we brought a tune that he did with N-Type, and it was nothing short of FIRE! Today, we have a solo release from the man like ‘Surge’ featuring the tracks ‘Leech’ and ‘Swaying Mantis’. This one just hit the stores today so make sure to grab your copy before it’s gone. Featuring the vocals of an artist unknown to us here at BWS, Leech is an anthem of perseverance. Merging deep, dark, and heavy with beautiful, free, and passionate, this one is pure vibes. The flip is straight-up BASSWEIGHT. One for all the deep-steppers that will mash up the dance! If you want to learn more about Surge, check out this piece that Knowledge Magazine did on him here.

Surge – Leech ft. Pyxis

Surge – Swaying Mantis

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Last one is from one of the sickest duo’s out there right now. The Soap Dodgers have been releasing HUGE tunes like no other. Both tunes on this release are some of the most anthemic rave tunes we’ve heard to this day. Absolutely massive synths are met with even more massive bass notes. This is another release from the Wheel & Deal label, these guys are on top of things lately! Due out some time in February of this year, this release is an absolute must have.

Soap Dodgers – Rachel Went South

Soap Dodgers – Belly

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That’s it for today. Bless up. Be free. Expose your mind.

–Bassweight Society (Kinman)

Forward >>> We March!

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Lately, as we look around, there is entirely too much hating going on.  Too many jaded souls that feel that feel they have the right to determine when a genre is dead.  It is honestly mind-blowing.  Dubstep has always been about pushing boundaries, sub frequencies, and uniquity.  Considering that all three of the aforementioned traits are still EVER-PRESENT, there is no possible way that the music we love so much had died.  While many people’s claims that the current state of dubstep is “too commercialized” , “every song sounds the same”, or ” it’s no longer underground” do have strains of validity, they are in no way suited for generalizations.  Many artists have reached unimagined levels of acclaim for sounds that are over-produced, but these people in no way encompass dubstep, musically or culturally.  If you listen to song after song and truly say to yourself that they all sound the same then you don’t have a grip on what is being put out, or reality for that matter.  The complaint that Dubstep is no longer underground is tired, useless, and blatantly incorrect.  Although a particular niche (brostep) of dubstep has gained a large amount of hype in the past couple years, this doesn’t mean that dubstep, as a whole, is no longer underground.  Just open your eyes and look around!  You will find underground culture still in large effect in every country, city, or province.  Dubstep is so multifaceted that making any generalization will leave you standing in the wrong.  As stated by Goth-Trad in his recent Resident Advisor interview, “dubstep is very progressive, there are no rules…”.

Today’s post has the purpose of reminding you that dubstep is in no way, shape, or form, dead.  The artists and songs that we have chosen for today are examples of music that is the complete opposite of commercialized, songs that all sound very different, and songs that represent the still-live underground culture of dubstep/bass music.

The first producer that fits into this category is the one, and only, Goth-Trad.  This man has been making dubstep since the term hadn’t even been coined yet.  During the early 2000’s the artists who are now credited with the formation of dubstep (Skream, Benga, Goth-Trad, Hatcha, etc.) were just making beats.  It was all about experimentation, innovation, and limitlessness.  They had no idea what they were making but they were just doing it.  Goth-Trad is still making his music under these rules.  Goth-Trad is one of the few producers today that when you hear a track of his you immediately know it’s Goth-Trad.  Now, don’t get it twisted, that is not to say that all of his productions sound the same, because his sounds are all very diverse.  But, his style of production is very unique so when you hear a tune of his, you immediately know.  Already having too many releases under his belt to mention, Goth-Trad has a full-length album due out in February of this year on the Deep Medi imprint.  The highly anticipated album, ‘New Epoch’, was, in part, inspired by the devastating earthquakes that terrorized Japan this past year.  Read more about how the earthquake effected the album/the man here.  We have two songs from the ‘New Epoch’ album for your ears today.  The first track, ‘Departure’, is like riding through the subway systems at extremely high-speeds while everything around you in moving in slow-motion.  The tune in an absolute gem suited for any occasion.  The second track, titled ‘New Epoch’,

Goth-Trad – Departure

Goth-Trad – New Epoch (sorry for the radio rip)

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The next artist that we want to highlight is a Finnish producer who goes by the name LAS (Love and Sound).  First caught wind of this guy when, during the latter part of 2011, Black Box released his track titled ‘Power Surge’.  Now, with many more releases lined up, he is finally beginning to receive the attention that he deserves.  The tracks that we have for you today are both really cool.  The first one, ‘Mental Judgement’, is forthcoming on Box Clever (offshoot of Black Box).  The track has a very nice incorporation of percussion that keeps the feet shuffling, and a soundscape that vibes eerie throughout.  The second track, ‘He Ha Ho’, utilizes a really sick vocal sample, emitting the laugh of a monster from some sci-fi movie (we would imagine).  The minimalist approach on this tune was perfectly executed.  Show some love to LAS is you haven’t already!

LAS – Mental Judgement

LAS – He Ha Ho

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The last artist that we want to highlight really caught us off-guard!  We were introduced to his sounds after the boys at Trusik:Dubstep did a little highlight on him right before the new year.  This Dutchman, Camu, has taken the eternal phrase of “meditate on bassweight” to a new plateau.  The clips that we have for you today will send you on a journey through tribal hallucinations, spiritual cleansing, and extremely powerful sub frequencies.  He has already received support on Rinse FM for a couple of his previous productions and if he keeps putting out tunes in the manner he has been, he’s going to be a quick-rising sensation for all the deep heads.  The first tune, ‘Asmat’, made me laugh with excitement because it was so good right off the bat.  This track honestly will put you into the jungle.  The atmospheric production is absolutely amazing.  The second tune, ‘You Are’, is a seemingly flawless fusion of sounds.  Again on a tribal vibe, this track has bit more dance appeal than the previous.  Enjoy!  And try not to drool all over your computer.

Camu – Asmat

Camu – You Are

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Alright everybody hope these sounds will ease you into the weekend, nice and steady.  We will see you all on Monday with a fresh batch of dankness that we always bring to the table.  Be safe and, most importantly, be present.

To the gods.

-Bassweight Society (Kinman)

Weight Watch Wednesday

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Easy everybody.  It’s already halfway through the week!  Time to celebrate hump day with some proper sounding bassweight.  Today, as always, we are featuring some absolutely amazing tunes that we are sure you will enjoy.  There are so many unreal tracks being released right now that it would be impossible to highlight them all so we are just going to bring forth a few that stand out the most to us.

The first track is due out for release on December 19, available through Surus first.  This tune is an absolute BADMAN riddim’!  Personally we have never heard anything from either of these two producers, call us lame, but we can guarantee that we will definitely be on top of their releases from here on out.  Dub Phizix and Skeptical absolutely smashed the production on this one.  To top off, the badass MC, Skeptical, spits some venomous bars to add some real vibes.  Getting a release on Exit Records, which is a label run by D-Bridge, this tune has been getting relentless amounts of hype on the web, and rightfully so!  Don’t forget the day that this track comes out!!!  Test press’ went on sale early yesterday and were instantly sold out, we imagine the same story will follow for the official release.  Massive out to the boys that made this tune, it’s straight up business.

Dub Phizix & Skeptical ft. Strategy – Marka

 

The next release that we have for you was a recent release on Black Box’s ‘XXX’ special edition series.  The original track is one done by Killawatt and is titled ‘Sidewinder’.  This is yet another tune that Killawatt has produced in the finest of fashions.  This bassweight roller gets the night started off real proper by easing you into a head nodding frenzy, and subsequently throwing some mysterious vocal cuts that compliment the soundscape quite nicely.  The flip of this release is a remix that Ipman composed and is made for the dancefloor.  The jungle-vibed break pattern of the drums incite flashbacks to our days of being strict junglists.  Have a listen to both of these and don’t forget to purchase your copies either!!!

Killawatt – Sidewinder

Killawatt – Sidewinder (Ipman Remix)

 

The next release that we have for everybody is one from the likes of TMSV, and just received a release on Black Box’s side label, Box Clever.  The ‘A’ side, titled ‘Myth’, emits a truly tribal vibe while sending the listener through different low-end paths of thought.  The bongos on this track keep the shuffle alive while keeping it nice and slow.  The flip of this release, ‘Flow’, is another gem that TMSV can throw under the belt.  This track starts off with vibes as the dark and ominous vocal sample immediately hooks you in.  From there this track really takes form and offers a perfect balance of frequencies.

TMSV – Myth

 

TMSV – Flow

 

That’s it for today everybody.  As always, we hope you enjoy the sounds!  Spread the love to your friends and family, everybody deserves some proper bassweight in their life :).

 

One love.

-Bassweight Society