Albums
aus
Aidan Baker
Big Farm
The Black Dog
Blackshaw & Melnyk
Budhaditya Chattopadhyay
Clockwork
Matthew Collings
Coma
DJ Koze
Djrum
Eluvium
Fredda
Freska
Hanging Up The Moon
Jenny Hval
Jimpster
Rena Jones
Mark Lorenz Kysela
Leonhard + Red
Naph
Petrels
Piano Interrupted
Pursuit Grooves
David Rothenberg
Saltland
subtractiveLAD
Terminal Sound System
Andrew Weathers

Compilations / Mixes
Joy
Kumasi Music Volume 1
John Morales
One Point Three (A & B)
Maceo Plex
Soma Compilation 21
Steffi

EPs / Cassettes / Singles
Alter Echo & E3
Amiina
Badawi VS Ladyman
Bunnies & Bats
Diffraction of Sound EP
Gerwin
Heligoland
Hibea
The Monroe Transfer
Chris Octane
RSD
Katsunori Sawa
Andy Vaz

VA: Diffraction of Sound EP
Protect Audio

Four drum'n'bass stormers from Protect Audio, which launched in June 2012 and now issues its sixth EP, the digital-only Diffraction Of Sound. Featuring four artists previously heard on the label (Marukomu, Survey, Shiver, Homemade Weapons), the EP serves as a fine sampler of its overall sound.

Lead track “Treibgut” by Berlin-based duo Survey includes enough deep-throated bass growl and beat thunder to satisfy the fussiest drum'n'bass connoisseur, and, cranked high, the tune's raw groove hits as hard as a gut-punch. A bit of early Prodigy-styled dread seeps into the opening frames of Homemade Weapons' “Slivers VIP” before the cut lays out a somewhat more experimental vibe in its fusion of stutter-funk beats and cut-up vocal interjections. Listen closely and the artistry of the track's arrangement comes into full focus, as Homemade Weapons amplifies its swirl with hand drums and micro-edits of various sonic stripes. Shiver likewise opts for an experimental take on the genre in “Displaced,” which the producer grounds with an alternately lurching and jungle-inflected beat pattern and then crowns with generous dashes of atmospheric colour. Marukomu's closing “Iridium” bears more than a little resemblance to Photek's “Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu”—not only is the groove similar but Marukomu even includes percussive and vocal accents reminiscent of the 1996 classic—though the similarity in no way negates the pleasures “Iridium” offers.

Of course, any modern producer can't help but be influenced by those who came before, and certainly Photek casts a considerable shadow upon current practitioners. Regardless, listeners hungry for contemporary takes on the drum'n'bass form are well advised to check out Protect Audio if they haven't done so already.

May 2013