I can’t think of the last time I’ve done a Top 10. I can’t think of the last time I’ve ever needed to do a Top 10. Over at the plantation, I’ve had to do some Top 10s, but those were for the year, not on a more consistent drum & bassis. Back in my day, we’d do them monthly. There may have been situations where they were done weekly; it’s hard to say. Either way, nothing says “this is my statement on the current drum & bass scene” quite like a Top 10.
To keep it funky, I had a hard drive fail on me not too long ago. Got the majority of the data, but it was another disaster that piled on during the end of Q3 2020, further stunting my Q4 2020. That included my regular drum & bass discovery cycle, which I was consistently chipping away at through the end of September. I think I took too much on in October and got flustered, but either way, I’m back with a message: Anyone telling you there isn’t good drum & bass out right now is insane. There’s almost too much good drum & bass out there right now. This Top 10 proves it. The fact that this low-key could’ve been a Top 12 or 14 is very real, but I like building my Top 10s a different way—to the point where I’ve been working on it for a few weeks.
Most of that is due to me just being busy, but b/c of that, I’ve had to just remove tunes I wasn’t really rocking with. This is as close as we will get to a Top 10 before the weather breaks. That helps, because I want to make this an on-going thing. Figured I’d test something out while working out that process. Check out the first HRDNZ Top 10, featuring links to help you listen to, discover, and purchase drum & bass music.
HRDNZ10 (8th March 2021)
01/ Furniss – “Sinister” [Prototype] [BUY]
02/ Dom & Roland – “The Search For Meaning” [Dom & Roland Productions] [BUY]
03/ Andy Skopes & Madcap – “Scatter” [Dispatch] [BUY]
04/ Everything Is Recorded – “That Sky (CLIPZ Remix)” [XL] [BUY]
05/ Klippee – “Hunter” [Shogun Audio] [BUY]
06/ Paradox – “Proceed” [Sneaker Social Club] [BUY]
07/ The Burner Brothers ft. Pish Posh – “Perfect Machines” [Patrol The Skies] [BUY]
08/ DJ Andy – “This Sound” [Liquid V] [BUY]
09/ D*Minds x Bladerunner – “Deep Inside” [RUN] [BUY]
10/ Dub Phizix – “Game Over” [SenkaSonic] [BUY]
notes
- That Furniss single on Prototype has been doing my head in since Fabio & Grooverider hit Rinse FM earlier this year. This one is gnarly, which is a word I rarely use.
- Dom & Roland also has the amen stormer “Gasoline” out now on Over/Shadow. One of the scene’s most prolific and he is still churning out quality tunes. [Ed note: We do have a Q&A about Over/Shadow somewhere. Will keep you posted on that!]
- Rest in peace, Andy.
- One of these days, we’re going to have a conversation about the lack of conversation surrounding CLIPZ’s debut album being a remix LP of Everything Is Recorded’s 2020 album FRIDAY FOREVER and the album being on some Mad Professor No Protection shit. Not today, but soon.
- Klippee is consistently dropping one amazing tune a year. I wanna see Klippee break that streak.
- For a minute, I was vibing off a number of other Burner Brothers tunes off One For the Road, but “Perfect Machines” crept up and became my true standout… for now.
- Paradox dropped the Dub Phizix tune on Vol. 37 of his on-going Radio Show series (the one promoting “Proceed”), and it was so dope I bought the whole EP.
- There are a couple of also-rans, like Zeba’s “Baller” and Lumia’s “Dubmarine” and Nick The Lot and Homemade Weapons and Influx UK. And Alpha Omega.
Let me know what’s on your Top 10 in the comments. Hell, shoot me an email and let me know what I should be listening to. Strictly drum & bass, though.