ON OUR RADAR

Welcome back to On Our Radar, a music feature where the Reform team show off their hottest tracks of the week. This week we’re starting you guys off with some smooth Jazz, followed by some UK Bass and Breaks.

NAT BIRCHELL 

Hidden Jazz tressure and saxophonist Nat Birchell just got together with pianist Adam Fairhall, bassist Michael Bardon, Paul Hession on the drums and percussionist Lascelle Gordon for his latest EP ‘Spiritual Progressions’. Naming themselves ‘Unity’, the five-piece ensemble when put together has an apparent unified effect, with each musician’s unique sound simultaneously coming together. It sounds like the group had quite a lot of fun putting this together, with Nat himself commenting that “making music with this band is pure joy”.

JB DUNCKEL 

Do you remember the iconic French duo that went by the name of Air? We’re talking ‘La femme d’argent’ and ‘Sexy Boy’. One-half of the Air boys is back with his third solo album ‘Carbon’, and it’s dreamy Ambient Pop if ever we have heard it. Wonderfully sublime, mysterious and emotive, JB explores the sounds of our universe through sprinklings of Electronic modulations that have a distinct transcendentalness. All tracks are composed, performed and produced by none other than Jean-Benoît Dunckel, otherwise known as JB Dunckel. 

MURDER HE WROTE

This two-track Electric display of club-heavy whoppers is here to soundtrack your summer. Manchester’s Murder he Wrote has been slaying the game and his latest EP ‘FB020’ is here to prove it. Rich in influence from UKG, Dub, Hip Hop and Drum & Bass, ‘Future’ sets the tone with its fluctuating synth chords and regimented percussion. Fusing his musical influences into a genre of his own, MHW shows off his broad range in the second track ‘Say’. The bass-heavy narrative leads the way, with choppy vocal samples and alarm-like synths infiltrating to make the ultimate party tune. 

FOREST DRIVE WEST

First Drive West just released his four-track EP on the German label Ilian Tape, and it’s hot as chips. Beginning with the track ‘Creeper’, eight minutes of pure relentless Break-Beat, progressing into the dark and Ambient world of ‘Sustain’, before speeding things up on ‘Greed’ which enters the Drum & Bass spectrum. The EP ends on ‘Breaks’, bringing you back down to dizzying Break-Beat through percussion galore and ominous echoing chords. We recommend listening to the tracks in order to hear their full potential. 

SAGE DE LESTROGÉN

Under the new alias of Sage De Lestrogén, LA’s DJ Introspect joins the Breaks N Pieces family with the new EP ‘Femme Fatal’. After a sneak peek of songs ‘Tongue Technician’ and ‘Femme Fatal’, the full six tracks are now available to stream, all thanks to Cheeky Music Group. Pulling his inspiration from UK Dub, Jungle, Dubstep and 2-Step, Sage conjures up bass-brimming, leg-wobbling, energetic compositions fit for the D floor.