London producer Sam Gordon, who works under the Missing alias, came of age as a jungle/drum ‘n’ bass artist in the ’90s and is known for his blazing remix of Human Being’s “The Box Reopens,” which he cut when he was just 18. Releasing records on labels including Tearing Vinyl and 3rd Party, he forged a sound that was gritty and tough. Gordon, who was half of the breakbeat duo C83 in the ’00s, continues to push his music forward with a new label venture, Urban Habitat Recordings. The imprint’s first release is his Off My Mind EP featuring Jamie George and Heidi Vogel. Exploring electro, house and UK garage, the four-tracker is a glimpse of an artist who confidently explores new styles and musical opportunities. Always one to draw inspiration from his peers, Gordon tells us about five artists currently on his radar.
Om Unit
Bristol-based d’n’b producer who records for Metalheadz and others is bringing some really fresh jungle flavors, mainly working in the 150-160 BPM range allowing for more spacious and percussive grooves. Lush pads and awesome production.
Ivy Lab
Another crew with a fresh take on d’n’b. Genre hopping between instrumental hip-hop flavors and tough d’n’b styles, their original grooves and skippy beats really stand out with stripped back, massive production.
Plastician
Well-known DJ and producer from the grime and dubstep scenes who has recently put together some mixes with the “wave pool” title that are unclassified deep and thoughtful tracks that I believe he has sourced solely from SoundCloud. Not sure if it’s a genre but it’s great music, but I would be interested to see how it works out.
Loch
Scottish producer who makes infectious beats with ’80s tinged soundtrack vibes. Really original and makes me think of films like Risky Business and Weird Science. I saw him live recently and it worked on a dance floor too.
Chris Lorenzo
He’s somebody who is probably on most people’s SoundCloud lists and deservedly so. He must be one of the hardest working people in music by the sheer volume of productions he turns out — either as him or a co-producer. Consistently flawless production and every one is a floor filler. Class act.