Free Download: Sparxy & Fused Forces - Leviathan Remixes EP

After a somewhat overwhelming response to December's remix competition was the task of picking out a winner to be released on Bacon Dubs and a selection of runners-up to have their efforts collected on a free EP. With the original intention being to put just three entries on the free release, our final shortlist of five was proving difficult to whittle down any further and so the decision was jointly made to include four entries.

First though, is first place: Yungwanz took the 140 template and bent it to a techy drum & bass stepper, playing intricate percussion off against the original's Reese bassline to a startling effect. His remix is available to preview below, and will be included on Sparxy's next release on Bacon Dubs.

Sparxy & Fused Forces  - Leviathan (Yungwanz Remix)


There's similar variation to be found among the runners-up too, each of whom set to take the remix stems and shape them to a new mould and mood. Feonix took the minimal approach, stripping the entire project back to its core elements of bass, space and swinging drums; Syxx, meanwhile, stepped to the other extreme and amped the entire track up with the Reese sound dominating, puckered only by latent synth plucks and a heavy snare; ARtroniks went for atmosphere and came back with plenty of it, along with meditative head-nod drums and those Reeses twisted in on themselves; of all of the entries, just1 arguably took the biggest turn left from the original tune and made of it something almost entirely new: a warm sub with dubby drums and piano and choral samples lilting throughout.


Download: Sparxy & Fused Forces - Leviathan Remixes EP




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Remix Competition: Sparxy & Fused Forces - Leviathan

One of this year's fast-risers, Sparxy has spent 2012 leap-frogging his way to Radio 1 and Rinse FM plays from the likes of scene legends Skream, Benga and N-Type, as well as steering output from his own Bacon Dubs imprint up the release charts with uncompromising regularity. This week saw the release of his own 'Gravitation EP', and with it comes the opportunity to not only have a go at remixing one of the stand-out tunes from the release - 'Leviathan', a collaboration with Fused Forces - but also to have the remix released on Bacon Dubs as well as winning a whole sack of other good stuff.

The rules are simple:

1. Entries can be in any style, of any length and incorporate any number of other parts, but at least 4 of the remix parts provided may be used.

2. Finished remixes should be sent via email attachment or Mediafire link to hedmuk@gmail.com before the closing date, with the subject 'Sparxy Remix Competition'.

3. Your email should include a note of which 4 (or more) of the remix parts have been used.

4. Entries should be sent in 320kbps mp3 format.

5. All entries are to be kept offline and private until after the competition close date.

6. One entry per person.

7. All entrants are strongly advised to label their remix entries properly with ID3 tags in order to clearly indicate who is responsible for each version.


Download: Sparxy & Fused Forces - Leviathan Remix Pack


The competition will close on Sunday the 13th of January, after which date all entries will be judged jointly by Sparxy and Hedmuk and the winning entries announced a week later, on the 20th of January.

The winner will not only have their remix included on Sparxy's next EP (subject to contract agreement), but will also receive: 1 x Hedmuk X Thelem T-shirt in the size of their choice, 1 x Bacon Dubs T-shirt in the size of their choice, 1 x Bacon Dubs coffee mug, Bacon Dubs stickers, the entire Bacon Dubs back catalogue on a limited edition CD. Three runners-up will also have their versions released as part of a free EP released via Hedmuk.

Preacha.

Free Download: DubApes - Questions

Austrian newcomers DubApes drop this free download in support of their forthcoming 'We Are Monkeys' EP on Bacon Dubs, a relatively young label whose early releases saw them nominated for dubstepforum.com's Best New Label Award in January.

This debut four-track serves as a strong showcase of the production duo's talents and influences: incorporating earthy roots, intricate drum patterns and an inventive approach to melody; there is within each tune a nod not only to how, you can imagine, the pair were first introduced to the sort of rolling rhythms and basslines to be found here, but also how they have developed that taste in order to produce something indicative of just one potential future form for the sound. So whilst there may be the somewhat familiar mid-range tugs and growls, they are, each time, coupled with sounds either original or tipping their figurative hat to the history of soundsystem culture. 'Africa Calling' is perhaps the best example of this here, and arguably the strongest track on the EP as it suggests an alternative, less-urbane origin to the repetitive element of rhythms which we now associate with electronic dance music on a wider scale.



The 'We Are Monkeys' EP will be released on the 30th of July and can be pre-ordered here.

'Questions', available here as a free download, is a similar exercise in hybridity and cohesion as it blends samples from the Orient with melodic percussion, and adds a distinctly-2012 dose of mid-range to top its sub-line.

Free download: DubApes - Questions [WAV]
Free download: DubApes - Questions [320kbps mp3]


.Preacha.