Rising UK talent Azaad debuts on Dungeon Meat with his ‘Sonic Boom’ EP

Emerging out of London, Azaad sets himself apart by presenting a highly mature, raw, direct sound with impressive ease. Drawing from numerous influences throughout his ever-growing record collection – Azaad’s performances often feature lost 90s UKG gems and rare finds from the golden era of US, UK, French & Italian house, as well as his own productions.

Backed by some of the biggest names in the game, including Enzo Siragusa, Reiss, Chris Stussy, Archie Hamilton, Sweely, Fabe and Laidlaw (to name a few), teamed with releases on MicroHertz, Beeyou, and now Brawther and Tristan De Cunha’s Dungeon Meat imprint, Azaad is laying the foundations to become one of the industry’s most unique and respected artists.

His latest release is another stellar example of the young UK-based talent’s mature and cultured sonic palette. Spanning four incredibly diverse basement jams, Azaad’s ‘Sonic Boom’ EP is stacked, packed and ready to blow up dance floors worldwide.

Kicking off with ‘Zest’, you’ll instantly submerge into a body of bumpy house grooves and jackin’ percussive drive accented by detuned keys, silky strings, thickened bass notes and soulful vocal runs. 

Next, the title cut ‘Sonic Boom’ does as the name suggests and hits you square in the face like a right hook to the forehead. Quintessential rump-shaking beats and swinging hat sequences stir away from the outset, bolstered by a catchy bassline melody and endless layers of sophisticatedly nonchalant percussion, vox chops and quirky fills. 

‘Dub Analyse’ is next to cause havoc, running riot with an onslaught of original UK tech flavours from start to finish. It’s chunky; it’s funky; it’s rude, and endlessly inviting. It has flickers of UKG, NY House, and so much more. Absolute whopper of a riddim!

‘Making Moves’ signals the unfortunate end of an extremely more-ish release. Bringing upbeat flavours and bright melodies through soft synths, silky strings, jazzy brass and rumbling low-end bass, it’s another racy exhibition of feel-good danceability that will have you shaking off all the woes of life in seconds. 

All in all, it’s an undeniably gripping body of work inspired by one of the most influential periods in dance music history. Retaining that authentic feel but bringing new ideas and a vibrant personality is top stuff!

Azaad’s ‘Sonic Boom’ EP is out now on Dungeon Meat.