Four tracks of esoteric and spatial electronica are served up on Quartz’s debut release for R&S Records. Via releases for Metalheadz, Rupture London and System Music, amongst others, the ascending producer from Cardiff has impressed with his unique take on drum & bass, and more recently via grime influenced dubstep. A thrilling hybrid of sounds and rhythms are pulled together on the ‘Deity Spear’ release as Quartz deploys angular breakbeats, gargantuan bass tones, convoluted rhythms, and panoramic sound design across four mesmerising tracks. The opening track ‘Lilac Cobwebs’ is a reference and homage to his deceased mother, featuring a snippet of one of her last voice notes to him, and a reference to a colour he fondly remembers of her. A spellbinding and dense release from one of the UK’s most audacious producers. More

Samy Ponsar aka War has been a firm favourite and valued member of the Utopia family, so it was only a matter of time until his first solo body of work for them would surface. It also happens to be the first dubstep / 140 bpm offering from the label, completely taking things away from the drum & bass things for a beat.

An ice-cold body of work showcases Sam's impressive and continuously growing dexterity both in the idea and engineering spheres alike. The EP is laden with his well-known style and distinctive approach to writing music. As the artist harnesses room-shaking low end frequencies and bone breaking beats, we're invited on a trip filled with jazz and noir soundscapes between 110 and 140 bpm, served on a solid White 10" with full colour sleeve designed by War himself.
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Samy Ponsar aka War has been a firm favourite and valued member of the Utopia family, so it was only a matter of time until his first solo body of work for them would surface. It also happens to be the first dubstep / 140 bpm offering from the label, completely taking things away from the drum & bass things for a beat.

An ice-cold body of work showcases Sam's impressive and continuously growing dexterity both in the idea and engineering spheres alike. The EP is laden with his well-known style and distinctive approach to writing music. As the artist harnesses room-shaking low end frequencies and bone breaking beats, we're invited on a trip filled with jazz and noir soundscapes between 110 and 140 bpm, served on a solid White 10" with full colour sleeve designed by War himself.
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Goldie - "These guys are at the top of their game"
Break - "One of the best labels in dnb, very happy to be involved"
Ulterior Motive - "Big tunes"
Spectrasoul - "The quality is always super high"

While 2020 has been a pretty bleak year, the Utopia Music family has come back and this time it's a really meaningful release for the crew. The 25th instalment to their back catalogue features collaborations between the late Andy Skopes alongside Madcap. Here are a few words from the people responsible for making it happen:

Elliot (Madcap): "Recording with Andy was always a pleasure. We had worked on a few tracks in the past & my first vinyl release back in the early 2000's was a collaboration with him. We've developed a great friendship over the years & talked about getting back in the studio. 'Tap The Bottle' included in this EP was the first one we completed out of about 8 tracks. All recorded, finished & signed before his deeply sad passing. This 12" is one of the most emotional projects I've been involved in & of course I miss Andy a great deal. I'm pleased to finally have a release on Utopia & want to express my appreciation to Mako for believing in the music & letting us do our thing. Peace x"

Stephen (Mako): "This release means a lot to me in many ways. Elliot and Andy were originally penned to have the first release on Utopia so to get a 12" with them after 11 years is a dream for me. The music stays true to what both of them have held so dear for so long, this 90's vibe of 808 sub bass, breaks and sick samples. Andy is missed every day and I see releasing their music as a celebration of his life rather than a mourning of his death. I must send shout outs to Madcap for being an absolute badman, I have huge respect for you brother x"

Each track of the three picked for this release has all the soul, organic beats and vibes people have come to love Utopia for.

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