Narratives Music returns with release number five and with it a special collaborative single that brings some of Drum & Bass’ biggest names together to create one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year so far. With album projects on Exit Records and Non Plus respectively, Loxy, Resound & ASC have been pushing their uncompromising sounds for years via some of the scenes freshest and most forward thinking labels. This coming together with label owners Blocks & Escher has forged two highly contrasting but intrinsically linked tracks. The A Side sees the Narratives owners take on Loxy & Resound to create the tag team, melody led dancefloor effort, Monsters. Solid breaks, pads and retro synth chords lead into a hushed breakdown before firing off into a cauldron of percussion, subs and wrenching reese edits. Never a label to stick to a formula, this track progresses into a different ‘monster’ altogether in the second half; enfusing the intro’s melodies with a new bassline that takes it to a more euphoric and meditative climax. With DJ Friction dropping this track as a ‘world exclusive first play’ on his BBC Radio 1 show and D Bridge calling it a ‘retro throwback for the future’ on his Rinse FM show, support has come thick and fast.
Continuing with the retro nod to real synths and melody, the flip pits Auxiliary head honcho ASC against Blocks & Escher in the ever evolving Heliocentric. This track welds the collaborators sounds firmly together, trademark breaks, ambiences and basses provide the canvas for the constantly progressing musical motifs, pulsing fx and soaring chords. Vastly different in terms of execution and mood but inimitably the sound we know from Narratives Music. DJ Support includes: Goldie, Friction, Loxy, dBridge. Highly recommended!
