Etched in Salt is a unique collaborative album from Netherland producers Tapage and Meander, which stands out in a genre completely saturated with indistinguishable and forgettable albums. The interaction between beautiful, delicate melodies and distorted breakcore rhythms is right on point. Think Venetian Snares meets Plaid and Brian Eno. If you haven’t already, put this on your list of albums to catch up on from 2010. To hear more, check out Tapage & Meander on iTunes.

MP3 1: Tapage & Meander – Tolopea
MP3 2: Tapage & Meander – California Blue
MP3 3: Tapage & Meander – Oceanographic

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Aaron Funk scrambles our brains again with his 2010 release, My So-Called Life. It’s a 10-track nightmarish collage of breakcore, glitch, drum n bass, 90’s techno and jungle—similar in style to Detrimentalist (2008). Like Filth (2009), this album leaves you mentally drained, awe-struck, and feeling a little bit dirty. It’s amazing that after all these years of listening to Venetian Snares, I’m still blown away by the complexity and energy of these tunes. To hear more, check out Venetian Snare on iTunes.

MP3 1: Venetian Snares – Posers and Camera Phones
MP3 2: Venetian Snares – Sound Burglar
MP3 3: Venetian Snares – Hajnal2

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We’ve got some fresh tracks from Broken Note and they’re brutal! Flood EP is a 4-track release of new material, except for “Mask of Gas,” which was on their 2009 album, Terminal Static. The title track, “Flood,” starts off like an Amon Tobin tune from the Infamous soundtrack. After the dramatic build, we get hit with a crushing 4/4 beat which quickly morphs into chopped up grime rhythm! “Aporia” and “Bad Acid” are more familiar, yet make this a solid release.

Broken Note are currently touring through Europe and the United States. To hear more, check out Broken Note on iTunes.

MP3 1: Broken Note – Flood
MP3 2: Broken Note – Bad Acid

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If you’re into dubstep but are getting tired of the same rolling bass lines, rhythms and synths, you need to check out Broken Note. Actually, anyone looking to hear something new and heavy needs to check out this young, fresh duo from London. Loosely categorized as dubstep artists, their tunes feature elements from jungle, breaks, hardcore, drum and bass and industrial. They’ve brought their own unique style to the underground electronic music scene. It’s heavy, dark and absolutely sick!

As headliners to shows titled “Helloween,” “Brutal Bastard Core Breakdown,” “Tinnitus,” “Rebeltronics,” “Frequency Abuse” and “F@ck You I’m Furious!,” you can get an idea of what they sound like. It’s dark, edgy, relentless, philthy and slick. Toss in some warm pads, hellish samples, constantly evolving aggressive breaks and you’ve got Broken Note. Don’t be fooled by the posted track, “Dubversion.” It isn’t as harsh as more recent releases. For young 20-somethings, the production is surprisingly top notch, especially from their later 2008 releases. Similar artists include Vex’d, King Cannibal, iTAL tEK, Tech Itch, Architect and Raiden.

For over a year now, Broken Note have been packing dance floors throughout the UK and surrounding areas. Their sets consist of laptops running Ableton Live, turntables and a host of MIDI controllers to warp the sounds. You should be able to find some live clips on YouTube. They’ve been played live or featured on the air by DJs including Amon Tobin, Mary-Anne Hobbes and Juno Reactor.

An upcoming Breakbeat/Dubstep compilation, Frequencies of the Mind, will feature “Sullen,” by Broken Note. To get updated news and live show dates, check out Broken Note on MySpace. Releases can be ordered from Ad Noiseam.

MP3: Broken Note – Dubversion

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