In the second of the Beardism series – I harness the power of the beard once again…for more info head on over to Phuturelabs.

As with Vol 1, it’s a snack-sized mix that comes in at just over 30 minutes. Ranging from techy house to some techno goodies to some more wonky type numbers towards the end, get this down the pipes and get yer boogie on. Beard not mandatory.

Download Paul Reset – Beardism Vol 2

Listen:

You can also subscribe to the Phuturelabs mixes podcast on iTunes.

Tracklisting:

“Rosa (Rodney Hunter Version)” – Tosca (G-Stone)
“Heart of the Soul (Slam’s RTM House mix)” – Slam (Paragraph)
“Membrane” – Kirk Degiorgio (Planet E)
“Following My Heart (Oliver Huntemann mix)” – Abe Daque (Process)
“Femme Fatale” – Layo & Bushwacka (Olmeto)
“Black Hole” – The Hacker (White Noise)
“Cubes (Spektre rmx)” – Pig & Dan (Yoshitoshi)
“Phuture (Joris Voorn rmx)” – Harry Choo Choo Romero (Ovum)
“Azure (The Black Dog’s Corn Beefy rmx)” – Slam (Soma)
“Weapons of Mass Distraction” – Dolby Anol (Tigerbeat6)
“Sex Sax (MJ Cole’s Lubricated rmx)” – Drop The Lime (Trouble & Bass)
“Ghost House (Suspense is Killing Me Pt 2)” – Boy 8-Bit (Mad Decent)
“Nobody Gets Out Alive (Noisia rmx)” – Le Castle Vania (LCV)

Well after nearly 9 years and 63 releases, it’s time to close the doors at Nerve and Nerve Breaks.

It’s been a fun journey and I’d like to think we’ve introduced the world to some amazing new producers and released some amazing music along the way. We released the debut material from artists such as Noisia and Psidream and early tracks from the likes of SKC and Gridlok, and even to the last we’ve got an amazing debut ep from new producer Y2D.

To go out with a bang we’ve got three final releases. First up we’ve got the final release on Nerve Breaks from the amazing Ronin. His Battledrums 2 EP is even better than the first installment so hop on over and fill yer boots. Next up with the final EP on Nerve we’ve got a brilliant new talent in the shape of Aberdonian Y2D. His “Devolve” EP is a top quality 4 tracker of rollers topped off with some old skool tech-step goodness. And last but not least for Nerve030 – Saburuko goes head to head with Morphy. As well as being two amazing producers, these guys are also two of my favourite people in the world so I’m really happy to have them bring things to a close.

From now on I’ll be focusing on my Phuturelabs project – it’s a magazine type blog and we’re launching the Phuturelabs label in the next month or two so keep an eye out! I’ll also be DJ’ing mostly under that name in future and taking a break from my residency at Xplicit in Edinburgh and won’t be dj’ing drum n bass as much anymore.

Before I finish I’d like to thank Pyro, we started the label together and even if he hasn’t been involved recently, his presence on the label was still clear right to the end. I’d also like to thank Nick from YUVa.TV – he created both versions of the Nerve logo and designed all the vinyl artwork and up until recently he also worked on the artwork for the digital releases. The whole look and feel of Nerve was created by him and he did a top job! Also thanks to all the brilliant producers that have let us release their work and thanks to anyone who’s ever listened to any of our releases.

This site will remain live so if you haven’t heard all of our releases – have a wander round the Nerve and Nerve Breaks discographies and get a-downloading.

So in the words of the late, great Douglas Adams – So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.

Cat No: NERVE030
Artist: Saburuko vs Morphy
Released: 16th June 2010

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

A: “Feels Good” – Saburuko

AA: “On The Slate” – Saburuko & Morphy

AAA: “Glasgow Rockers” – Morphy

Paul Reset’s notes:

Well, it’s time for last orders and as we close the doors and start tidying up, who better to join us for one last pint of Red Stripe than Saburuko and Morphy. Both have been good friends for many years outside of the world of drum n bass and I’m honoured to have them involved in the final release.

First up we’ve got a big ol’ summery number from Saburuko – “Feels Good”. Sampling an old skool classic to quality effect, it’s a bit of a belter and always does the damage on the floor. Next up we’ve got a Saburuko & Morphy collab in the shape of “On The Slate”, taking things on a darker, rolling route, this is a brilliant chunky amen roller packed with atmosphere. To finish off proceedings and Nerve we have an unreleased gem from Morphy in the shape of “Glasgow Rockers”. This one’s been played to death by both of us over the years and has provided the soundtrack to many a messy evening. This one’s all about the infectious horn hook showing Morphy’s love for reggae and dub.

The artwork for this release was put together by Glasgow’s ithinkitsnice, as well as being my unfortunate flatmate for a coupla years and putting up with my crap banter – he’s also been a big supporter of the label from day one so I was really chuffed when he agreed to take on the artwork and even more chuffed when I saw the brilliant finished article! Check out more of his stuff over at ithinkitsnice.com.

Cat No: NB020
Artist: Ronin
Released: 16th June 2010

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

1: “That Golden Rule”

2: “Small”

3: “Koyoshira”

4: “Hey Joe”

5: “The Battledrums 2 EP (seamless mix)”

Paul Reset’s notes:

After 7 years, it’s time to bring Nerve Breaks to a close and I couldn’t think of a better artist for the final release. After totally blowing me away with his “Best Laid Plans” debut LP and the original “Battledrums EP”, I was all ears when Ronin told me that he’d almost finished work on the follow up – “Battledrums 2″.

This time it’s Biffy Clyro and Portishead that get the Ronin treatment amongst others and he’s outdone himself with these tracks. Huge soundscapes are coated in jaw dropping drums and hooks a-plenty, it’s brilliantly heavy but packed to the brim with atmosphere and depth.

I’ll let Ronin himself tell you more:

Where the first EP served to show a tougher edge to my output, this one is hopefully more of a balanced effort. Subtler stuff like the “Small” remix, although it still ends up pretty punchy, starts off kinda reminiscent of the chilled shit I started out doing, i think that serves as a nice counterpoint to the heavier stuff like “Golden Rule”.

Musically, I’m very happy with this EP, I’m using a wider variety of techniques than ever before, coming from the sample based MPC/Decks background, things like working with Sandie and Adam on “Koyoshira” were a huge challenge for me but I think it comes together really well.

That whole violin part was put down in one take and mostly improvised, pretty amazing to watch! Trying to move the track with that violin part led me to really start experimenting and opened me up to a lot of stuff I’d never considered before, I’d definetly like to do some more work in that vein.

The quality control was high on this one, I wanted to do something pretty impressive since the first BattleDrums got a bit of attention. Any fans of my previous output should know what to expect from this but it’s a further evolution again so there could be a few surprises in there, the “Hey Joe” remix is the kind of track I’ve wanted to do for a long time, a bit more progressive and experimental than anything on my last EP.

I’m really just trying to keep my stuff evolving and avoid repeating myself – it’s too easy to let your output get stagnant once you’ve found a formula that works, I think that’s where a lot of acts in my field have fallen down in the past. I was really concious of that when putting this EP together, hopefully it reflects in the finished thing.

Look out for material from Ronin our forthcoming Phuturelabs imprint and keep an eye on his Myspace for more info on releases.

Cat No: NERVEEP008
Artist: Y2D
Released: 16th June 2010

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

1: “Devolve”

2:”Autonomy”

3:”98 Dub”

4:”Millenia”

Paul Reset’s notes:

Scotland’s always been a fertile breeding ground for top quality producers of electronic music and the latest to sprout is Dominic Petrie AKA Y2D. I’ve been following his music for quite a long time and in the past year he’s come on massive leaps and bounds. What you get here is 4 absolutely brilliant tracks – showcasing that Y2D is a definite name to watch. From the spacey liquidy atmosphere of “Autonomy” through to the 97 tech step vibe of “Millenia”, every track’s a cracker.

Keep an eye on Y2D’s Soundcloud for info on forthcoming releases from this amazing new talent.

For the artwork – as it’s one of our final releases, I asked Nick from YUVa.TV if he’d put it together and he thankfully agreed. Nick is responsible for both Nerve logos and most of the artwork up until very recently and I can’t thank him enough for all the work he’s put in over the years – it’s been a bit of a thankless task and he’s always brought top quality work to the label. Check out YUVa.TV’s site for lots more top quality visual goodies.

Wee guest mix I put together for Scratching The Surface on Stirling Student Radio. Quite different from the April mix I did a coupla days ago. Have a gander.

Download MP3

Stream:

Tracklisting:

“Bright Lights (Rollers mix)” – Die & Interface (Clear Skyz)
“Far Reaches” – Naibu (Horizon)
“On The Slate” – Saburuko & Morphy (Nerve dub)
“The Aperture” – Trisector & Inztance (dub)
“Funky Creeper” – Soul Intent (Influence dub)
“Warehouse (Ill Skillz rmx)” – Logistics (Hospital)
“The Viper” – Raiden (Offkey)
“Catch Me If You Can” – Expect (Nerve dub)
“Freeloader” – Temper D (dub)
“Timewarp VIP” – Sub Focus (Ram)
“Black (Bladerunner rmx”) – Dj SS (Formation)

Cat No: NERVE029
Artist: Brandon Miles & Tricky Pat
Released: 20th April 2010

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

A: “Poison Dream”

AA: “Alignment”

Paul Reset’s notes:

Brandon Miles & Tricky Pat have been carving a niche for themselves in the dnb scene over the past year or so with their high quality deep dnb with a darker edge. Past releases on Temper D Productions and forthcoming material for Raiden’s Offkey imprint give you an indication of the quality within.

For us they’ve delivered a brilliant double edged release – “Poison Dream” opens proceedings with edgey synth work draped over rollin percussion and eerie pads, while “Alignment” on the flip is heavily dipped in atmosphere, with it’s “1,2,3,4″ refrain repeating hauntingly throughout over some beautiful piano work.

The release showcases two sides to their production talents and fits as well to home headphone listening as it does on a dark dancefloor at 2AM.

New mix from me – starts off nice and deep, goes a bit mental towards the end and then Morphy and Max Richter step in to restore calm before closing time.

I deviated a bit from the Scottish foodstuffs for graphics theme for Feb’s mix – but to get us back on the right path here’s a pic of some classic Tennents Lager cans (courtesy of Extra Salt n Sauce).

Paul Reset – April 2010 mix
31 Mins – 256kbps MP3 – 58MB

Download MP3 (right click and save target as)

Listen:

Tracklisting:

“Starchaser” – CJ Weaver (Nerve dub)
“Tribe” – Jammin J (Nerve dub)
“Steptoe” – Calibre (Signature)
“A Wandering Journal (Rockwell’s club mix)” – Sabre (Critical)
“Hate Speech” – arQer (Nerve dub)
“Survivors” – Sine (dub)
“Project 1″ – Jubei & S.P.Y (Metalheadz)
“Does Not Compute” – Trisector & Infader (Hustle Audio dub)
“Catch Me If You Can” – Expect (Nerve dub)
“Gimme What I Want” – Temper D (dub)
“Timewarp VIP” – Sub Focus (Ram)
“Get Ill (Prolix rmx)” – Ed Rush & Optical feat The Scratch Perverts (Virus)
“Sax Me” – Soul Intent (Influence)
“Wildflowers” – Morphy (dub)
“Horizon Variation” – Max Richter (Fatcat)

Cat No: NERVE028
Artist: Trisector & Dejaru
Released: 1st April 2010

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

A: “Dead End”

AA: “Aeon Silicon”

Paul Reset’s notes:

Going back to the Nerve roots with this release – two absolutely brilliant tough n techy rollers from Finland’s finest – Trisector & Dejaru. Individually they create a beautiful cacophony of noise – with Trisector releasing on Med School and Dejaru delivering for Vampire Records but together it’s an even more beautiful thang.

“Dead End” opens with creepy pads and synth work before a crisp breaks rolls in as a wee warning for the approaching bass, which can only be described as “a bit like that bit in Indiana Jones with the giant ball”. It’s a tough techy roller and guaranteed to get any decent dancefloor on it’s feet and on the go. “Aeon Silicon” on the flip is a dirtier affair, again the trademark quality beats and bass are in place topped off with a grungey synth hook that can only be described as “filth” (in the best possible way).

Absolutely brilliant stuff, for more on these guys and other fine Finnish producers – make sure to check out the Finnish Drum n Bass and Dubstep 2010 compilation. You can also find out more about Trisector’s podcasts and club nights alongside VVR and Axu at Science Helsinki and watch out for Dejaru’s forthcoming release on Alphacut Records.

Cat No: NB019
Artist: The Setup
Released: 28th March 2010

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

1: “Lizard”

2: “Lizard (Ronin Reconstruction)”

3: “Lizard (Tactus rmx)”

Paul Reset’s notes:

The Setup are a duo from Edinburgh comprising of DD and Big Fats and can be found punting their wares at various night around the city including Split and their own venture – Dirt. While their live set focuses mainly on techno and electro – “Lizard” sees them wander into the world of dubstep. It’s a cracking 4 minutes of dark dubstep goodness and I’m hoping they’ll produce more of this type of material in the future – so if ya like it – let em know!

Remixes come from two of the finest producers that Scotland has to offer – first up is Glasgow’s Ronin. With his Best Laid Plans LP and Battledrums EP establishing him as a versatile producer, this remix sees him in harsh breaks mode, notching up the noise factor and coating the track in trademark Ronin high quality dirt.

Edinburgh’s Tactus is up next and with a top quality catalogue of dubstep beats behind him on his own Abaga imprint, this remix sees him take the original down an even darker route and churn out a big dancefloor dubstep number in the process.

Ronin’s up next on Nerve Breaks with his “Battledrums 2 EP”, this’ll be the final release on Nerve Breaks as it morphs into a new project but more on that later…