Cat No: NERVE027
Artist: Matt U
Released: 12th February 2010

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

A: “Close Call”

AA: “The Alchemist”

Paul Reset’s notes:

I’ve been a big fan of Matt U’s work for a long time, from his early releases on BSE and Moving Shadow through to his recent dubstep outings, his unique brand of tough edged beats ‘n’ bass have always been a favourite of mine and while Matt’s been concentrating mostly on the dubstep genre of late, he’s gone back in on the drum n bass tip and delivered two chunks of techy goodness for NERVE027.

“Close Call” kicks off the release with hard beats driving a techy synth hook over rumbling sub bass with catchy female vocal snippets and crisp percussion overlayed for good measure. “The Alchemist” on the flip is a chunky dubby roller on an eastern vibe with sinister undertones.

More info:

Matt-U on Myspace

Cat No: NERVE026
Artist: Receptor / Zero Method
Released: 14th January 2010

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

A: “East Electra VIP” – Receptor

AA: “Muskeg” – Zero Method

Bonus track:

“East Electra” – Receptor

Paul Reset’s notes:

For Nerve’s first release of 2010 we’re coming out of the corner fighting!

First up – Russia’s Receptor delivers “East Elektra (VIP)” – a big slice of chunky techy dnb with an absolutely huge sound and when the half time breakdown in the middle drops it’s always absolute mayhem on the floor! Also we’ve included the original version (minus the half time breakdown) as a bonus track. Don’t miss his other recent brilliant releases on oBSEssions and Breed 12 Inches.

Next up Zero Method delivers the amen driven techy roller “Muskeg”. Tough beats and bass drive the track alongside funky as hell synth stabs and this is another sure fire dancefloor filler from one of Hungary’s finest. Also watch out for the release of his second EP on DSCI4 – coming soon and including the absolutely amazing “Timeworm”.

More info:

Receptor on Myspace
Zero Method on Myspace

Cat No: NERVE024
Artist: Linden / Kantyze
Released: 3rd November 2009

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

A: “Frogdarts” – Linden

AA: “Nebula” – Kantyze

Paul Reset’s notes:

Linden made his debut on Nerve with the outstanding “Hidden EP” (NERVEEP001) and followed it up with the brilliant “Day By Day” on “The Intercity EP” (NERVEEP002). Since then he’s been making more waves in the drum n bass scene and with releases lined up on Broken Audio, Diverse Products and many others he’s sure to be one of the names on everyone’s lips for 2010.

For our 24th release he delivers “Frogdarts” – a chunk of techy dnb with crisp drums and a growly bassline that smashes up the dancefloor everytime.

On the flip we welcome French duo Kantyze into the Nerve fold. With past releases on Fokuz and Basswerk amongst others they’ve been carving a niche for their cutting edge techy beats. Here they bring “Nebula” – a deep n spacey slice of tech step – harking back to the late 90s vibe but bringing it up to date with 2009 production values.

For more info:

Linden on Myspace
Kantyze on Myspace

Cat No: NERVEEP006
Artist: Pyro
Released: October 9th 2009

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

1: “War On Error” – Pyro & 154

2: “Listen Up” – Pyro, CRS & Mundane

3: “Machines” – Pyro & Dubbilan

4: “Facem” – Pyro & Amex

Paul Reset’s notes:

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Pyro release on Nerve (although he picked the tracks for the brilliant New Frontiers EP) and this collaborations project has been a year in the making – but it’s definitely been worth the wait! Defo showing Pyro at the top of game production wise. Showing that the techno dnb thing can be done so well without falling into any of the cliche’s unfortunately associated with the genre. You’ll find no noisy, hard as hell tracks here – only top quality techno dnb with a groove.

I won’t waffle on as the tracks speak for themselves – from the minimal but funk packed “War on Error” through to the flat 4/4 tough as you like groove on “Listen Up” via the downtempo ambience of “Machines” and finishing up on a harder, darker tip with “Facem”.

Pyro explains the concept behind the EP:

This EP is rooted in my fascination for techno and the whole dj tool approach to dj’ing. Most dnb tracks sit somewhere inbetween a song structure and a dj tool but I wanted to take things completely away from the home listener and deep into the heart of the club. So I encourage you to use these in any way you can. Loop them, cut them up, mix them digitally, whatever you can think of do it!

The collaborators on the EP also have their own brilliant material to check out – watch out for 154’s new techno/trance project – Binturong, CRS has just had his first solo release signed to Perkussiv and Dubbilan runs his own audio/visual media company called Juvul. As for Amex, his name will need no introduction for fans of techno dnb and he’s been causing huge waves in the scene for a couple of years now.

Fore more info on Pyro check out his Myspace page.

Cat No: NERVEEP005
Artist: Morphy
Released: 2009

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

1: Hermies

2: Version

3: Warren Dub

4: Samfie Man

Extra tracks:

5: Version (Morphy’s Ruff’n'tuff Original)

6: Warren Dub (Enuui rmx)

7: Samfie Man (Aeroplane Dope rmx)

8: Version (Paranoise rmx)

Paul Reset’s notes:

After making his Nerve debut with the epic “Samsara” on NERVE023 and contributing two brilliant tracks to “The Intercity EP” (NERVEEP002), it was definitely time for Morphy to showcase his talent over the course of a full artist EP.

Each of the four tracks show a slightly different side to Morphy’s production talent – from the full on dancefloor smasher that is “Hermies” to the dubby darkness of “Version” via the smokey dub vibes of “Warren Dub” before finishing on the skankin dancefloor number that is “Samfie Man”.

To add a little extra flavour to the package we decided to have some remixes done and include the original of “Version”. Aeroplane Dope’s “Samfie Man” remix drops the tempo and takes the track down the dubstep route whereas Enuui’s remix of “Warren Dub” is on an ambient dub tip – keeping the same smokey atmosphere of the original but taking things down a notch. Paranoise brings a dark, doomy dubstep vibe to “Version” – upping the dirt factor even more! To close the package, Morphy always felt that original of “Version” deserved a release as it has a raw energy quite different to the final mastered version, I agreed and here it is!

Morphy has been performing his live set around Scotland recently and we highly recommend checking it out. For more info on Morphy – check his Myspace page.

Thanks to Kendo at BigDoodleDesign for the design help!

Morphy’s notes on the Dubtopia EP:

Samfie Man started out life as a fairly mellow dubwise number with a Jamaican dancehall feel to the beats. However one day I went overboard pitch-shifting and re-sampling the results over and over again. This resulted in the insane hookline which I am often asked about. I think Samfie Man is my favourite track on the EP and one of the tracks I am most proud of to this day.

Warren Dub was really just a straight dub track where I had laid down a bassline, piano parts and then recorded myself playing melodica along to the groove. The dubs were then performed “live” on the mixing desk using outboard vintage effects. The best bits of these dubbed out sessions were compiled and edited together to create the final track.

Morphy’s notes on the bonus tracks:

Version (Morphy’s Ruff’n'tuff Original) – this is the original mixdown of Version that was done initially for playing out. Although I went back in to work further on the track this original mixdown has always had a certain raw appeal about it that the more refined and polished Version seemed to lack so I thought it would be fun to let the original version see the light of day!

Samfie Man (Aeroplane Dope Remix) – when he isn’t producing exciting new dubstep and drum&bass or performing lead vocals for his reggae crossover act Mega Dub, Aeroplane Dope is a busy remixing. This is certified with this superb dubstep remix of Samfie Man where he slows the vibes down to a heavy skanked out pace whilst keeping the pressure on. For more information about Aeroplane Dope check his Myspace page.

Warren Dub (Enuui Remix) – having ran the successful leftfield d’n'b label Exegene for several years as well as working on a variety of diverse production and engineering projects Enuui (aka Cube) is no stranger to music. On this beautifully crafted remix he re-samples and re-processes every texture from the original Warren Dub beyond the call of duty and delivers a lush dubby ambient house track. Superb stuff. For more information about Ennui check his blog.

Version (Paranoise Remix) – Polish dubstep maestro Paranoise can normally be found behind the decks at Edinburgh’s hugely popular Volume night where he lights up the dance with the freshest beats around and his own tightly honed productions. Twisting up the components from the original Version he re-creates the track as a brooding and menacing dubstep number that lulls you into a false sense of security with dubbed out soundscapes before dropping a tearing hook out of nowhere! For more information on Paranoise check his Myspace page.

Cat No: NERVEEP004
Artist: Jean Doe
Released: 2009

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

1: The State of Transition

2: Fibre

3: Nuance

4: Ambitions in A Minor (with Pyro)

Paul Reset’s notes:

Our first release for 2009 and yet another amazing new producer. Jean Doe is another Copenhagen dweller and friends with Pyro and they had been swapping studio tips for a while before working on the track together. Originally – “Ambitions in A Minor” was planned to be part of an EP of collaborations with Pyro but as Jean Doe’s other tracks were so good we decided he deserved his own ep.

The lead track is a bit left of centre, lush soundscapes and atmospherics wrap around a warm sub bass and crisp breaks. “Fibre” and “Nuance” are smooth chunks of rollin dnb with lush housey stabs and crispy clean breaks. For the final track – Jean Doe teams up with Pyro for an epic tranced out number on “Ambitions in A Minor”.

Download this now and fire up your chosen media player for blissful dnb goodness!

For more info on Jean Doe – check his Myspace page.

Cat No: NERVEBP004
Artist: Secret Society
Released: 2008

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

A: Under The Radar

AA: All Seeing Civilians

Paul Reset’s notes:

I first heard of the Secret Society guys through their brilliant release on Outrage’s Backlash imprint and was really keen to get them onboard for a Nerve release. They sent these two tracks over to see if we’d be interested and we snapped them up!

The first track “Under The Radar” is a lush bit of dirty rolling dnb. There’s a liquidy vibe going on there but also a “so dirty it makes you wanna have a shower” bassline roaming around. The flip – “All Seeing Civilians” has a nice steppy old skool feel with lush atmospherics and a spacey bassline.

Find out more about Secret Society and their involvement in the amazing J Tek movement – check out their Myspace page.

Cat No: NERVEEP003
Artists: Histibe, Pylon and Soccom, Dan C, Split Concept
Released: 2008

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

1: “Tears of a Machine” – Histibe

2: “Katalyst” – Pylon and Soccom

3: “Nauka Fank” – Dan C

4: “Section 63″ – Split Concept

Paul Reset’s notes:

The techno dnb thing has always been a huge part of both myself and Pyro’s dj sets, but Pyro has been one of the producers and Dj’s at the forefront of the scene and it’s his personal mission to get the style recognised properly, so he took hold of the reigns on this release and here’s his press releease to tell you more.

Press release

At Nerve Recordings, we’re constantly on the look out for new and interesting artists pushing the drum n bass envelope and developing the music further. In the past few years, the techno influenced drum n bass has once again started to take a foothold so our very own Dj Pyro set out to find the most interesting prospects of this part of the scene. Join him, if you will, on his journey to new frontiers…

Pyro tells us more about the artists behind the music:

Histibe – Tears of a Machine

Histibe has been sending me tracks for a while now and early on I decided to keep a close watch on him as he manages to come with fresh new sounds in every track. With ‘Tears of a machine’ he managed to integrate minimal techno elements into drum’n'bass in a way that I’ve never heard before. Its completely fresh sounding with intricate and detailed production. It’s great to see someone not afraid to get deep and funky in a scene saturated with hard tracks.

http://www.myspace.com/histibe

Pylon & Soccom – Katalyst

No two ways about it, this one destroys floors. Pylon & Soccom operate out
of Poland and are part of the highly progressive and talented Mechaplex crew (Yabol, Pylon, Soccom and Switch Technique). They violently grabbed my attention last year in a true “Where the f$!#ck did they come from?!” moment, when they put out their Mechaplex promo mix full of unknown killers. ‘Katalyst’ is a classic representation of what I love about the Mechaplex sound. Aggressive, funky and with strong techno influences, yet still rooted in dancefloor friendly drum’n'bass. It’s also great to see a real ‘unit’ working together and drawing off each other’s strengths.

http://www.myspace.com/pylonpl
http://www.myspace.com/soccompl
http://www.myspace.com/mechaplex

Dan C – Nauka Fank

Ironically, I came across this track after reprimanding Dan on a forum I
moderate. He was nice about it though, so I had a listen to what he had to
offer. Hidden way at the bottom of his myspace player was this gem of a dark spacey neurofunk workout. ‘Nauka Fank’ rolls out very smooth with an impressive balance of grit and depth. It’s a real treat to work in the mix and it also provides a very pleasant home listening experience. I have a serious soft spot for tracks drenched in atmosphere like this one, and they come in short supply these days.

http://www.virb.com/dan_c

Split Concept – Section 63

When techno influences in drum’n'bass started gaining some momentum I was very interested in who would be able to ‘keep it real’ and make the techno sounds their own, and who would just copy the innovators and reach for the stereotypical sounds, like so often seen in this scene. Split Concept definitely belong to the first category, and the reason is probably that they produce hard techno themselves! This becomes evident when listening to ‘Section 63′, a twisted and percussive onslaught with a very authentic sounding 4/4 techno breakdown. It’s all saturated in a genuinely creepy atmosphere, every element working together as one big machine, like good techno should do.

http://www.myspace.com/splitconcept

This concludes my frontier exploration, it’s left me feeling very hopeful about the future. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did putting it together.

Cat No: NERVEEP002
Artists: Morphy / Velocet / Paul Reset / Kiat / Linden / 9 Tails Fox / BZ / The Figures of the Lost Dawn
Released: 2008

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

1: “Ruffneck” – Morphy

2: “Awaken Life” – Velocet & Paul Reset

3: “Island Rock” – Morphy & Kiat

4: “Day By Day” – Linden

5: “Tenma” – 9 Tails Fox

6: “Positive Vibes” – BZ

7: “Go With The Flaw” – Velocet

8: “Not In My Town” – The Figures of the Lost Dawn

Paul Reset’s notes:

I’d realised that there was a huge amount of quality production talent in Scotland and no real showcase of this talent. So I decided to put this EP together. Basically I wanted to get the best Scottish drum n bass producers in one place to show off the talent to the world! The EP is fairly varied style wise – ranging from Morphy’s dubby rollers to BZ’s jump up tinged beats and even with some spacey downtempo towards the end.

The artwork is actually a map of Scotland but I’m not 100% sure how obvious that is…..

Also here’s the press release that went out with the MP3s to the press etc – I thought it was fairly amusing and also has all the Myspace links etc for the artists so is functional as well as (very slightly) humorous!

Press release

With a history of invention spanning such diverse creations as the telephone, golf and economics, Scotland has proven itself to be at the forefront of well, basically, genius. To prove this once again, Nerve Recordings have focused on this part of the world for it’s new release – The Intercity EP, featuring producers spread the length and breadth of Scotland (with a guest appearance from Singapore). From the dubby beats of Morphy to the techy futurism of Velocet, most of the sub genre’s of drum n bass make an appearance here and show the quality and diversity of the production talent in the country. Starting with the tough beats of “Ruffneck” through to Linden’s smooth roller “Day by Day” and finishing on two slabs of downtempo in the shape of Velocet’s epic “Go With The Flaw” and the doom laden sounds of “Not In My Town” from the Figures of the Lost Dawn.

Morphy:

With a love of dub so strong, you’d think he had an echo box for a heart, Morphy has carved a niche for himself in drum n bass with his releases on labels such as Function, Horizons and Direct. Popping up twice on the EP, first with “Ruffneck” – a chunky half time dub monger finding favour with fans of drum n bass and dubstep alike and being joined by Singapore’s number 1 dj and producer Kiat on his second outing – “Island Rock”, a combination of crisp breaks and killer sub bass sure to smash up any dancefloor.

More info – http://www.myspace.com/morphydubbed

Velocet:

Islay born Velocet splits his time between making the finest bread in Glasgow and making beats on his beloved Logic Audio. Again making two appearances on the EP, firstly, joined by Paul Reset on the techy dnb monster that is “Awaken Life” and secondly on his tod and in epic downtempo mode with “Go With The Flaw”.

More info – you will know him by the trail of the bread…

Linden:

Dundee based Linden made his debut on Nerve Recordings earlier this year with the Hidden EP featuring 4 chunks of full on techy dnb. Here, he takes things down a gear and delivers 7 minutes of rollin beats and bass in the shape of “Day by Day”, once again demonstrating why he’s been tipped for the top by many.

More info – http://www.myspace.com/dalinden

9 Tails Fox:

The shadowy figure of the one known as 9 Tails Fox is often spoken about in hushed tones and occasionally referred to simply as “The Scottish Producer”. No one is entirely sure what he looks like, and this track was delivered on DAT by a vulture bearing a wax-sealed letter reading “abandon all hope ye who doth hear these breaks”. The track, “Tenma” uses crystal clean breaks and dark atmospherics underpinned by a bassline guaranteed to shake your rib cage.

More info – http://www.myspace.com/9tailsfox

BZ:

Motherwell based BZ has made a name for himself as one of the top MC’s in Scotland whilst building up a reputation for producing high quality hard edged beats. He makes his debut here with the techy tinged jump up flavours of “Positive Vibes”.

More info – http://www.myspace.com/bzxplicit

The Figures of the Lost Dawn:

A meeting of minds between Scottish producers Martin BSE and Paul Reset came to fruition in the form of The Figures of the Lost Dawn. Both producers left behind their own native genre’s to carve out this dark piece of downtempo electronica.

More info – http://www.myspace.com/thefiguresofthelostdawn

Cat No: NERVEEP001
Artist: Linden
Released: 2008

Tracklisting – click track title for 320kbps MP3 download

1: Hidden

2: 7 Breaths

3: Tuva

4: Crush

Paul Reset’s notes:

I’d decided to do a mix of unsigned material for the DOA message board to showcase the great new producers out there that weren’t being picked up by labels etc. So amongst the tunes submitted was “Tuva” by Linden. I was totally taken aback by it – epic strings and atmospherics, clean chunky breaks and a big fat bassline to smash up the floor. I snapped it up almost immediately and asked Linden if he had any other beats he could send me.

As he had so many good tunes we decided an EP would be required to showcase his talent. Four big slices of dancefloor techy dnb are what you get here and each one of them still sounds super fresh today.

Linden’s had a lot of interest from quality labels and we think he’s defo going to be a name for the future. Also watch out for his amazing remix of Morphy’s “Samsara” (from NERVE023) coming at the end of 2009.

For more info on Linden – check his Myspace page.

Once again – artwork duties were carried out by the guys at Yuva.TV.