Critical Music

Critical Music

Critical Music

Future Forever sees QZB come full circle. The duos debut album lands after a three-year span of radical re-examination. During this extended writing time, they have delved head-first into their practice, questioning every step of the process. Drafting, testing, reimagining its components. Fine-tuning its minute details. Until the machine was built to fit the spec. Needless to say, they had to get rid of a lot to get this whole thing worked over; from outboard circuitry to inner attitudes. There were sweat, tears, and splinters. The project chronicles these struggles precisely, wears its heart on its sleeve. It negotiates between the influenced and the genuine, the shoulds and woulds of its time, trading up any sense of destination for a grasp on the present. Both artists draw on their shared passion for cinematography and design to translate this experience, incorporating new modes of production throughout. With sonic fragments arranged in wide shot compositions, the QZB signature sound delivers. Emotion is revealed through cuts and purposeful push-ins. They exercise restraint when leaving their cast of collaborators to take center stage. They celebrate their brand of monochromatic maximalism everywhere else. And the drums, they hit hard. Within 36 months of recording, patching, scratching, bouncing, and re-bouncing, QZB have distilled their vision down to 44 minutes of focused intent. This album is high-tech funk recounting the past, understanding the present, hallucinating the coming. It is released by Critical Music and features contributions by Charli Brix, T-Man, Marea, MCXL. #QZB – Future Forever

Critical Music

Critical Music

Critical Music

Red-hot drum & bass talent EN:VY kicks off 2025 with a five-track EP that showcases his ear-catching skills across various sonic styles. Title track ‘Silver Riff’ leads the way, with tightly clipped drums and an ever-switching staccato bassline ready to please fans of the sort of hyper-energetic, funk-drenched grooves that EN:VY has already made his own - most notably on tracks such as last year’s ‘Red Hot Fight’, which also gets the VIP treatment here. ‘Stan It’ takes things moodier, layering shivering drum breaks and super-low subs for a fresh take on the classic ‘90s D&B sound, while ’Damaio’ adds further depth; dropping suffocating sound design over a 140bpm, heads-down dubstep rhythm. ‘Admire’ closes the EP with yet more variety, as EN:VY delivers a surprisingly smooth and soulful liquid drum & bass roller, leaving no doubt that there’s so much more yet to hear from Critical’s latest star.

Critical Music

Critical Music

Critical Music

Critical Music

Sam Binga and Rider Shafique return to Critical in their usual atypical style, smudging the lines between dancehall, hip-hop and US club music with three vocal-driven sonic killers. ‘Bamboo’ is pure dancehall, with a stabbing bashment rhythm ridden by a slack set of lyrics from Rider that would do Vybz Kartel proud. Title track ‘Get Down Low’ calls on Cardiff rapper Magugu to elevate a moody lesson in club-ready 808s. Finally, ‘Vendetta’ takes things fully West Coast, with Teklife producer Taso linking Binga on the beats and San Francisco’s MicahTron joining Rider on the mic.

Critical Music