#59 Feat. Staff Picks in Drum & Bass

Critical Music is proud to present 'Pyro', the debut album from Brighton-based drum & bass producer Particle. After more than half a decade starting fires for not just Critical, but powerhouse labels such as Shogun Audio, Hospital Records and Drum&BassArena, alongside remixes for Enei, Hybrid Minds and Skeptical, Particle is ready to set 2024 fully ablaze with an incendiary collection of tracks that confirm his status among D&B's most innovative and essential artists. From the sliding, massive yet minimal funk of the album's eponymous opening track through to the chunky VIP version of scene anthem 'No Mistakes' that closes the LP, 'Pyro' is the sound of an artist hitting his stride, expressing himself and his skills across ten faultlessly rendered slabs of sonic art that nod deftly to every era and style of jungle/drum & bass. Showcasing Particle's smoother side, there's the silken chords, icy pads and glittering vocals of immaculate liquid roller 'Focus' with Javeon, the 90s jungle-tinted link-up with YAANO on 'Glimmer' and the aptly named 'Heaven' with its smart breakbeat twists and trademark vocal flips. 'Pyro' packs plenty of peak-hour heat, too, balancing its more polished and musical moments with a clutch of tracks aimed straight at the dance floor. The booming old school subs of 'Fooling', the wasp-chewing mid-range contortions of 'Assasin' and 'Needles' with Critical stablemate EN:VY, the gloriously strange stuttering jungle of 'REM' and the tense, nervous dark side stomping link-up with Inja on 'The Message' will all give Particle's many fans exactly what they're expecting - and leave anyone new to his sound burning for more.

Particle, Javeon, Inja, En:vy, YAANO

#73 Feat. Staff Picks in Drum & Bass

2024-02-29 Critical Music

Inja, Particle