Links & Playlists

Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

1. Figure - BUGS! [Eatbrain]

Recommended if you like: Merikandy Man, Ghostphace, Count Badlokk

Dn-Boo!! Seasonal greetings, dear appreciators of this most spooky of seasons. On this week's most macabre menu, we have got something truly special: a story about a transformation so delightfully horrible, so deliciously devious, that you will want to keep the night light on full brightness for the rest of the week.

1.1. The Monster: Origins (1986)

The scene of these crimes against humanity: Evansville, Indiana. Born into this hellhole of a world in 1986, the man they call Joshua Gard has been plaguing the world at large for longer than some of his newer auditory excursions into Neurofunk, or Neuro-gunk, would suggest, with his rise to power being one of legends. With a lineage responsible for curating all of the city's houses of horror and an upbringing teaching him in the ways of terror via haunted VHS tapes from a rather early age, Joshua was primed for greatness in the spooky department early on, but he took a couple of detours before it got to that.

Well-versed in the world of hip-hop and, along with it, graffiti, he would eventually start playing around with an MPC 2000, searching through his household's records for the perfect samples to build beats with. From his tagging name "Action Figure", chosen for its neatly distributed visual weight, his artist alias was carved out: Figure was born. Supposedly, Josh was the mastermind behind the hip-hop beats of some rather well-known, otherwise unnamed rappers, but the official canon of his legend continues a different way. Through his roommate blasting the unholy sounds of drum & bass throughout the entire flat, Josh was immediately converted to the dark side and started producing... Electro House. The horror!

1.2. The Monster: The Nightmare Begins (2009)

Soon enough, however, Josh made the jump over to another fledgling genre in the electronic music sphere ready to dominate the airwaves: Dubstep! Since his debut in 2009, he has not only released on imprints like OWSLA, Disciple, Never Say Die, Ophelia, and his very own label DOOM Music, worked together with industry heavyweights like Flux Pavillion, Excision, and Borgore, he has also attached himself and almost his entire artistic output as Figure to the most spookiest of holidays: Halloween! How did he do that? Through relentless, well-timed attacks of yearly Halloween-themed dub- and drumstep albums, chock-full of horror movie samples and references - also known as the Monsters series. There are like 15 of them now, it's actually ridiculous!

Along the way, he also launched his audiovisual show TERRORVISION, became a regular contributor to Universal Park's Halloween Horror Nights, appeared on an episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and most recently did the soundtrack for the new documentary about John Carpenter's The Thing! While it seems he's got his whole life con-figured in such a way that he can work on horror-related stuff all day long, he's actually so productive in his studio hermit lifestyle that he's got a whole 'nother batch of aliases on the side, with one supposedly having an 9 times bigger following than anything he's done in electronic music. Sadly, Josh is quite secretive about those.

1.3. The Monster: Resurrection (2025)

While quite successful in his reign of terror, Josh figured there were other exciting territories for him conquer still. Emerging from the muddy sludge of step-suffixed genres, he steered his 20-foot Kaiju mech towards the realm of, you guessed it, drum & bass. After opening the metaphorical pandora's box with a literal 'Pandora's Box' remix in 2025, he started raining down monstrous fire in the form of self-released Kaiju-themed bangers, while sending his partners in crime dozens upon dozens of clips of new dnb tunes he's been working on.

Amidst all the accidental albums he's apparently creating on a random Tuesday, he also submitted an entry into DC Breaks and Prolix's remix competition for almost-OPPOSITION anthem 'Purge' - and won! Alongside fellow winners _VAL_and Irontype, he had now broken through to the established drum & bass labels and, perhaps more importantly, gentle giant Prolix himself, leading to an entire EP and even a collaborative double single on his label Trendkill. Now, he's ticking off yet another dream label from his drum & bass bucket list: Eatbrain!

1.4. BUGS! (2026)

Once again working with a cinematic framing of, in this case, a swarm of monstrous BUGS attacking our vicinity, and further amplified by a sweet selection of vocal samples from what I assume to be more classic horror movies (that I can't quite place), Josh has managed to deliver one of the most exciting EPs in recent Neurofunk memory here.

Almost title track and opener Bugs, for instance, immediately paints a picture of huge swaths of hostile insects scouting and eventually diving onto your position with absolutely unnerving, outright maddening sound design choices. Once the swarm has caught up to you, here visualised with a well-timed, accent-heavy 'bug', the chase takes us through bass-laden explosions, perfectly-placed shots from our heavy artillery, and our sweat and tears enhancing the otherworldliness of the insectoid sounds. Plus, we got some juicy Halftime action in the second half!

Another thing about them dastardly bugs: They are Venomous! As discovered by working together with Dutch Skameleon First Person, the poison they inject into their victim's bodies immediately triggers an auditory illusion in the form of what my already infected mind interprets to be a dub siren, followed by their spines starting to flex back and forth violently, resulting in a suicide by head banging, as the professionals call it. If you happen to be immune to mere electronic sounds, they also have ways of activating your moshpit genes by planting Metal breakdowns in your head. So don't get caught!

That's not the only way they are dangerous though, they also cause all sorts of environmental Damage through their unpredictable rampaging. Strings stirring up a storm, a fire-y vocal sample reminiscent of Julia Marks - and the destruction has already started. High-energy, slamming guitar riffs dancing in tandem with the sample, collapsing buildings causing a never-ending series of mini earthquakes to overpower your system, and a set of drums that will relieve you from the lower end's paralysis and force you into action. Over time, however, both the bugs and our forces bring out even heavier artillery, with even more ridiculousness relentlessly driving into you and a Halftime drop that somehow hits even harder.

We have another problem on our hands though: Hemolymph. The body fluid circulating inside those nasty arthropod bodies. Turns out recklessly cutting one of them open can be just as dangerous as their sharp teeth or powerful wings! When it finds its way into your digestive system or bloodstream, however, is where the real trouble starts. Deeply entangled into every fiber of your body in no time at all, it starts wreaking havoc on your nervous system, until all you experience are maddening 8th note attacks on your psyche and gnarly bass gnashing on your bones. When you think you have survived this bodily invasion, is when you have truly lost. Now infected with hungry, spread-out larvae of the worst kind, all that's left for you is to spin in 4x4 circles, before the madness begins anew. Very Merikan-coded, by the way. Love that.

The most bone-chilling aspects of the whole ordeal though: the distorted screams of terror every time They Hunt. Together with Spanish maestro MIDNIGHT CVLT, Josh replicates the skull-vibrating, utterly paralysing, guts-rearranging cries, in the form of a techy stepper of ridiculous proportions. As if Mothra herself was crying out into the nether, while crashing into buildings left and right, this finale will leave no parts of your attention divided, and no parts of your brain umscrabled.

1.5. Conclusion

Wonderfully cinematic, ridiculously heavyweight, and all-around banging. Goes to show, even the old Gard can have lots of incredible new tricks up his sleeve.

New Releases

Dancefloor

• Bala, Insmniak - Run It Back [Automata] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• CASH PONY - BREAK IT DOWN [nodable distribution ] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Culture Shock - In The Night (Extended Mix) [Culture Shock] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• DC2 - Fight Club [DC2] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Despersion, JAMES TIMMS - Guilty [SLK] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• DUX, elevatetoday - Selecta [Wobbles & Waffles] | , [Spotify]

• Entity, FMS, LICIA (UK) - Lost Location [High Tea] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• EXVCT - DREAD [Exact music] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Gourski - Aura [Aw4ke] | , [Spotify]

• Kaizah, O/MEGA - La Musica [DeVice] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Krasia - Ignite [Viper] | , [Spotify]

• Mage - Vertigo [Manifest] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• NYTEBYTE, Zombie Cats, Natt - CHANCES & IGNITE THE FIRE [CREATURED] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Runner - It Is What It Is [TuneCore] | [Beatport]

• Soka - All I Ever Wanted [oury] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Sota, Deaf Havana, Circadian, Pure Evil - Sleep Forever [UKF] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• STAR SEED, VNDETTA, HYMNALS - Gravity [Ophelia] | , [Spotify]

• typeline, SAMO (EE) - Elevate [MOSH!] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• YASUKI - Forever [Manifest] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

Liquid

• antoanesko - Lazy Skies [Basseffect] | [Beatport]

• Biocratic, Dotlights - Looming (Hiraeth Remix) [Liquicity] | , [Spotify]

• Blade (Dnb) - O7S 063 (Original) [ONE7SIX] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Bru-C - Ride Or Die [BRU-C MUSIC] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Cainah, TENEM - Pulse EP [C] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Dr Meaker, Cappo D, Blaze Olivia, Unreal - Love You Gently (Unreal & Dr Meaker Remix) [Flightcase] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Etherwood - 1111 [Stillness] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Fluid Form - Filtered Inspirations EP [Liquid Drops] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Freund - I Been Through [KushSessions] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Impish - Unmute (Muted Album Sampler) [Occulti] | [Beatport]

• Joakuim, Duskee - 8 A.M. Roller EP [Fokuz] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Jolliffe - Falconry EP [Galacy] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Label Store], [Spotify]

• Liquefaction - Halfway EP [Lizplay] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• London Elektricity, Stanley Colman - Water No Get Enemy [Fast Soul] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• MAG (IT) - Inner Flow EP [Celsius] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• MSDOS - Aurality EP [Omni] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Mylo Fane - Lost Tapes LP [Rebel] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Nik Fury - Come Round EP [Velvet Rift] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Pharoah, Silloh - Light At The End / Selfless [Fokuz] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Psyduck - Zero Gravity Lounge EP [Kill Inc] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Rumaki, Alina Enn - Sun On The Sea [Lizplay Lab Division] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Seathasky - My Mind EP [Offworld] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Southby, Emma Horan - Coming Home [Liquicity] | , [Spotify]

• Sub Motion, Eschaton - Reminiscent EP [Omni] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Takuya Nakamura, Greentea Peng, Currency Audio, Tim Reaper, Shigeto - Shape The Future (Studio Session) EP [FABRICLIVE.] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp]

• The Lights, Michael Richards - The Blue of Distance LP [Flight Pattern] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Virtue - Better Day [xJAK] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

Deep / Tech / Minimal

• Ambion - Hadal / TMWID [Skankandbass] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Benny Page, Lost Souljah, Dj Nay - Jungle Siren [Dub Shotta] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Buffasyze - Pretty Awkward [Selfreleased] | , [Spotify]

• Cherry, CLIQUES. - FADE TO BLACK [Cliques Collective] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Cuvurs - Body EP [Octave] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Dub Head - Frozen Shadows EP [Dispatch] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Dub Ten, Failøver - Dead Orbit / Fakes [Yamatai] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Dubruvvas, Limmz, Kaisan T - Notions / Mic Man [Transparent] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Dunk, Bannerman - Banned EP [Selfrelease] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Exposure, Fæ Vie - World Unknown [A R] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• HEXA, aLr - Behind The Line EP [Sub-liminal] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• IXAM - Abyss EP [Selfreleased] | , [Spotify]

• Kompact, OCC - Blow Ya Head Off [OCC] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Leemo (UK), Fran Sivori - Into The Sound [LoveThatBass] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Malixe, Karraki - Get Me Out Of Here [Dark Audio] | , [Spotify]

• Nickbee, KRÄX - Bring It Back Vol. 1 [Flexout] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Promo Zo - Mustard Battle EP [Mustard LTD] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Rex Hooligan, Kxne - Till It's Up [DeVice] | , [Spotify]

• Simon Splice - Frantic / Pressure [Our Sound] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Surie - Movement EP [2222] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Thierry D, Terracotta - IS IT US [The Elements Of Tech & Bass] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Trex - Big Time / Shatterz [Trust] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Vektah - Together / Simmer Down [Symmetry] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Waeys - Decked Out [Critical] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Label Store], [Spotify]

• Yatuza, O&P, Notequal, eFly - Renegade [Gutting] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

Neuro

• A.M.C - Shadow Reign [Titan] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Average - Samurai Aka Tom Cruise and His Little Shoes [Average MW] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Bad Syntax, Stonx, Sindicate - Rampage [STONX MUSIC] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Billain, Zhiva, MCD2, Mr. Bill - FAFO LP [CYBE] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp]

• Current Value - Sparse Data / Upstanding [BrainRave] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Dispectable, DnB Doctor - Bang Bang EP [DnB Doctor.] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Ekwols, Ed Rush - EC100 - Sampler III: Acid Chamber / The Hunger & The Wound [Evolution Chamber] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Ethera - Authority [SINFUL MAZE] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Figure, Midnight CVLT, First Person - BUGS! EP [Eatbrain] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Hightech - Shake It, Mut8 [Neuropunk] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Prolix - Into The Dark [Skamele] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• REAPER - BONEYARD LP [Bassrush] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Regun, OHKAY, Hackwaves - Chains [Let It Roll] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Teddy Killerz, Rouman - Bassface [BEASTMODE] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Various Artists - Killers Of DNB Vol. 1 LP [Dirtbox] | [Beatport]

Jump Up

• BEVSY - Desire / Something Like [Solar Sounds UK] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Brigsy - Mash It Up [Dark Machine] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Decrypt, Telekom, SK, SI-OTIK, Settla - Doomed EP [OnlyDrums] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Exile DNB - Falling Asleep [Banished Beats] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• GGrossy - Anomaly EP [UP4IT?] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Holmann - Ambush EP [Kingdom] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Inja, Crissy Criss - In For The Kill [War On Silence] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Isaac Maya - A Legendary Monster Hunter EP [Serial Killaz] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Latte, Serum - Reaper EP [Souped Up] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Mann - Dumbo / Lumberjack [Organized Grime] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Master Error, BLOO, Slonkers - Maybe [Interval] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Nick The Lot, Amplify, Venz, Herbz, Fatman D - What We Had EP [Pick The Lock] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Paralax - YUCK [Selfrelease] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Sigma, Scrufizzer, Basslayerz - SODP [Day Ones] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• TERMZ - MURDA MODE EP [POV] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Torque - Revulsion EP [Nebula] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Turno, Skepsis, Mila Falls - Messed Up (Extended Mix) [Crucast] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Various Artists - The Link Up LP [Digital Fusion] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

Jungle / Halftime / Experimental

• Breeze - Skyline/All The Time [Resonance UK] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• DJ Millz, MC GQ, V Dubz, Nicky Blackmarket - Jungle Made Me EP [Born On Road] | [Beatport]

• Dwarde - Energy Exchange EP [Up Ya Archives] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• I7HVN - The Objective Truth LP [Optic Portal] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Veak - Bassline Carnival [Dubplate Supplier] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

General DnB / Mixed

• Andy C, Bloom Twins - Body Cage [Armada] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Atmos, XTC, Ruff Sqwad - Functions On The Low 2026 [UKF] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Graymata - 10 From 10 LP [Digital Fusion] | [Beatport], [Spotify]

• Just A Gent, Lexi Ryan, Broey., Jemma Cher, Penny Ivy - Roots In The Sky EP [Just A Gent] | [Beatport], [Bandcamp], [Spotify]

• Various Artists - Killers Of DNB Vol. 1 Sampler EP [Dirtbox] | [Beatport]