Since the releaunch of DJ Flight’s play:musik label last July, fans may have thus far assumed that the A&R might focus on amen-forward, jungle-or-jungle adjacent offerings like Quartz’s Trauma Response and Nectax’s Body Talk EPs. Said punters might find the next release, the nearly-dropped (115) from Hamburg-based Kuttin Edge, to be a bit of a surprising choice. With most beats on the EP formed by a straight up and down, snappy and sometimes minimal D&B kick, both artist and label show with this release that it’s really all about the vibes.
Apparently Flight and Kuttin Edge have known each other for over two decades, but their careers never quite converged enough to partner on a release. With Kuttin Edge being a local Hamburg legend, having ten years of work under his belt and loads of releases on Locked Concept, Soul In Motion, LW Recordings and his own Krunchtime imprint since 2022, it may have just been a question of having the time to collab. It seems that time is now, and the result is (115): a punchy, funky and atmospheric EP that defintiely passes the play:musik vibe check.
Taking inspiration from classic funk West African rhythms and even a bit of Krautrock, (115) is both smooth and melodic but fun, experimental and interesting. With this EP, it seems Kuttin Edge really let his sound scientist tinker in the lab with loads of vintage samples and the atmospheric ambient background being a surprising grounding force, making the tunes cohesive and danceable.
With two teaser tracks already making the rounds to give audiences a taste of the album, ‘Loop Me; is the track that seems the most definitive of this new style Kuttin Edge is cultivating and will likely be a fan favourite is the last premiere before (115) drops this Friday, 18 July.
Polyrhythmic arpeggios, swirling delays, unstable harmonic structure, and chromatic movement form a tense, shifting progression. The track is built around a single bell sample and reshaped through layering, modulation, subtle changes in texture, and filtered transitions. A techno stepper.
The artist is right in his observation of his own sound: the bright, steppy track hides a world of complex loops and rhythms, making it both danceable and a think piece for the chin-scratchers among us. It’s a balanced track that shows the true diversity of drum & bass in the middle of summer banger season.