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3LP
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2NDRP 001LP
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Originally released in 2013; Clear red vinyl edition. 2nd Drop Records release Seven Lies, the debut album by Felix Manuel, aka Djrum (pronounced "Drum"). Its sounds are inspired by the rawness of urban London, influences of Portishead, DJ Shadow, and The Cinematic Orchestra, jungle, minimal techno, classic house, broken beat -- all seamlessly segued with a nod to jazz vinyl and film music. Fans will recognize Djrum's iconic tropes on Seven Lies: widescreen atmospheres, dub chords, dusty and melancholic strings, obscure film samples. But this time its spread over a bigger, more luxurious canvas that dips like an undulating terrain of sound; techno troughs, bumpy hip-hop breaks, euphoric drum and bass, all filtered through the Djrum node. Felix would admit himself he is a not a prolific producer. Preferring to craft and hone, often allowing music to mutate and diverge down different paths, his tracks often top the eight- to nine-minute mark in length. However, each track is never at risk of becoming staid or boring, quite the opposite as ideas mutate and evolve, subtle differences and nuances are evoked and explored. Inspired by the sounds of Ninja Tune's Solid Steel radio show, Oxford born/London based Felix became involved with the free party scene and helped set up the seminal Yardcore nights in 2005. A night of wild extremes, it swept from acts as diverse as Hellfish, Andy Stott, Breakage, and Various Production in one night. An aesthetic he still faithfully adheres to in his all-vinyl DJ sets, a seamless blend of techno, garage, dancehall, hip hop, old-school hardcore, and jungle. Just as the dominant dubstep scene was in a painful, if fertile, transitionary period in 2010, Felix made his production debut as Djrum with 12" singles on the On The Edge and Smokin Sessions labels. This would ultimately provide him with the perfect platform for his own hybrid sound. A sound that instead of reflecting the brash energy of his DJ style, turned inwards, almost ingesting and metabolizing those sounds to create an introspective and more sensitive and tactile crossbreed. The 2nd Drop label were lucky enough to pick up on his latent talent. After a few remixes came the Mountains EP in 2011. The third part of the Mountains EP came in 2012, completing an epic body of music and setting up the realization of Seven Lies, Djrum's highly-accomplished debut long player. Features Shadowbox. Artwork by Jaya Mansberger.
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12"
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2NDRP 013EP
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Repress. Originally released in August 2011. Resident Advisor on the 12", giving it a 4/5: "Djrum displays his dexterity via the EP's three-part title track, which crafts the same palette of samples, strings and gentle timbers into very different sonic terrains. 'Pt. 1' undulates along a steady 4/4 heartbeat that becomes slowly choked with chimes."
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12"
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2NDRP 014EP
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Repress. Originally released in August 2011. Resident Advisor on the 12", giving it a 4/5: "Djrum displays his dexterity via the EP's three-part title track, which crafts the same palette of samples, strings and gentle timbers into very different sonic terrains. . . . "Pt. 2 & 3" is flexed over fluctuating tempos before lapsing into an aching reprise. Yet it's the floor-tapered "Turiya" that is the standout here, transforming all of Mountains' subtleties and dub techno cool into a warm and dusty swinger."
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12"
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2NDRP 034EP
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Djrum explores the upper reaches of the BPM register with Space Race EP. Here over two epic tracks, he offers two supreme cuts of exhilarating music. "Space Race Pts 1&2" kicks things off at house tempo, before picking up the pace to unfold into a celestial d'n'b roller. Djrum constantly weaves percussion, space, bass and melody together to create something other-worldly. "Pt 3 Sometimes I Share" is dominated by a honeyed vocal sample, deftly danced around by cleverly deployed hand claps amidst the tight, rifling percussion and on/off bass line. Artwork from Tel Aviv artist Klone Yourself.
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12"
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2NDRP 032EP
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Djrum presents the Forgetting EP. First up is "Forgetting", taking inspiration from London's Grime scene, with carefully crafted vocal samples adorning a haunting and spacious underbelly of harp arpeggio. "Projection" is an absorbing piece of classical piano, a hypnotic cyclical motif lends a feeling of a heavy love affair. "Induction" is the understated powerhouse amongst the chill, a rolling 160bpm cascade of syncopated drums and percussion with a raw mid-range synth providing a grunt amidst the washes of celestial echoes. Concluding the EP is "Forgetting Coda", a fitting outro, departing as gracefully as it entered.
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