Various Artists [2x12" LP]

Various Artists

Record label: Astrophonica

Catalog Number: APHALP001

Release Date: April 21st 2017

Genres: Drum n Bass

Tracks

pos	title	artists
A1	Blink	Stray
A2	Warriah	Moresounds
A3	Cosmic Tales	Touchy Subject
B1	BFT	Sam Binga
B2	Back Up In This	Fracture
B3	Snook	Lewis James
C1	Whatever	Fracture & Neptune
C2	dB vs 45 King	dBRidge
C3	We're Here	Sully
D1	Helios	Sully remix Philip D Kick
D2	Blakout	Tusais
D3	Statisfyee	DJ Earl & Fracture
D4	Alphabet Ooz	Tehbis

London-based Astrophonica, headed by Charlie Fracture, kicks off 2017 with a compilation capturing the sounds that have driven the label forward for the past five years. *Gradients* is Astrophonica s first compilation and brings together its small but powerful roster with a string of close friends and allies, giving prominence to both well-known names dBridge, DJ Earl, Stray, Om Unit under his Philip D Kick guise and newcomers Lewis James, Tusais, Touchy Subject, Tehbis. Astrophonica s ties to various established players are proudly on display with contributions from Richie Brains collaborators Sam Binga the furious, clap-driven BFT and Stray whose uplifting Blink provides a ray of sunshine as well as Exit boss dBridge, who indulges his love of sampling and breaks on the stripped back db vs The 45 King . Reflecting Astrophonica s love of Chicago footwork is Statisfyee , a hypnotic groover from Fracture and DJ Earl, Teklife member and a disciple of the late DJ Rashad, while Sully s Helios gets a rare remix from Philip D Kick, the footwork meets jungle alias of Om Unit. Representing the label, Parisian dub scientist Moresounds and English producer Sully come with two different but complimentary junglistic experiments: the dark and percussive Warriah and the expansive and rolling We re Here . Meanwhile London s Touchy Subject and Tehbis, the latest additions to Astrophonica, offer up two head-nodding burners with the bright and colorful Cosmic Tales and the smoky grooves of Alphabet Ooz . Label founders Fracture & Neptune dig deep into their archive for Whatever , a previously unreleased track updated for 2017 that pays homage to Astrophonica s roots with trademark attention to detail and an ear for rhythmic sensibilities. Fracture also flies solo with Back Up In This , a lean and aggressive dancefloor wrecker. Completing the picture are two new talents: Irish-born, London-based producer Lewis James displays his blend of cinematic compositions and hard-hitting beats on Snook while Antwerp s Tusais does an equally efficient job of pummeling the dancefloor with the menacing Blackout . *Gradients* is a glorious celebration of Astrophonica s growth as well as its stylistic roots and forward-thinking ethos. Each of the 13 tracks has been tested in the clubs for the past year to ensure an all-killer-no-filler experience. And as with previous releases, the compilation sports artwork from Utile Creative whose striking design adds an all-important visual touch to a new milestone for the label.