Dan Guidance and Friends (VA) [Portal Recordings]

This week we have a wonderful assortment of Drum and Bass from the Portal Recordings family, including 11 collaborative tracks between Dan Guidance and, you guessed it, some of his friends! These are some of the best and brightest liquid and liquid funk producers in the mix right now, including Blade, MsDos, Twintone, and Fishy, as well as numerous others. Each track takes on a unique chacter full of differing ideas and techniques that span decades of production experience between these artists, which has created a truly rich collection of music. One of Dan’s major goals with Portal Recordings is to be artist controlled, especially creatively, encouraging artists to employ a natural approach to composition. You can hear the influence of Dan’s sound in each of these tracks, as well as his interest in the unique offerings of each of these collaborators.

This VA feels like a celebration of style and connection. These are artists from all over the world that share a love for making unique and interesting music that resonates with the soul, taking influences from reggae, soul, acid, ambient, rap, and atmospheric. There’s something in here for everyone – a few heavy tracks, loads of dreamy liquid funk, and a few curveballs that still hit just right. 

These tracks are all out right now via the Portal Recordings Bandcamp:

[bandcamp width=700 height=472 album=200860941 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=small]

Dan and company worked really hard to deliver a consistent product across so many different styles – that care and craft shows throughout each tune, and the artists really manage to showcase a bit of their own voice in each track. WIth that let’s get into the track by track:

My Funk: The compilation opens STRONG with a unique offering from Dan & Fishy, ft. the inmitable Professor Funk on vocals. Featuring a little distorted 303 accompanied by a huge rolling bass, the vocals of Funk are supported by a memorable and catchy bassline and groove. Loads of fun sounds and switches in this one, what a banger! Permanent in the crate for me, it fits into so many sets.

Take Me Somewhere ft. Blade: Digging into the atmospheric bag of tricks, the longtime collaborators Dan Guidance & Blade find something deep and exciting in this tune. Composed around a meandering piano line that eventually stumbles into a cadence, the moody bassline creates a poignant visual – a liminal space that’s foggy and amorphous. Old school flavor with unique touches.

Ease Up ft. MsDos: Yes yes! One of the tracks that was used to promote this album! This one has some serious vibes that transport the listener instantly to the beach, laid back and eased up. I hear a lot of MsDos influence in this track, especially in the bassline groove how it lands heavily on the 2nd beat. Combine this groovy style with Dan’s propensity for progressive grooves and you’ve got yourself a hell of a set starter. Huge vibes.

It Ain’t Right ft. Phat Playaz: Another smooth and sultry tip here that’s full of funk and groove, opening with a funky atmospheric environment before dropping a raucous bassline. The chunk on the bass/kick is just so satisfying. Once again the crew is able to create unique moments within a single tune while not crowding the music or orchestration, this time using a vocal line that starts on the second phrase; not present before.

Skyfall ft. Fluid Form & innaself: This tune goes deep with the reese bass while maintaining a crisp hi hat layer in the forefront, which totally allows the mid range atmospherics to shine as they progress and evolve. The groove lies in the top end on this one, the artists opting to let the low end speak for itself. A broken but very present vocal quote drives this one forward through its various sections, which really sets up the changes well. The phrasing in general on this tune really make it special.

Walk Away ft. Alex Barton: A heartfelt and gentle opening turns into a lovely journey through melancholy tonality, utilising myriad intstruments and quotes to accentuate the rhytmic changes. This one has a solid core as well, with beautiful atmospherics glittering around in the stereo layer. Beautiful, interesting tune here. 

In Our Skies ft. Marvel Cinema & Fishy: Interesting sounds open this deep roller, dropping quickly into an awesome shuffle-y drum groove. Switching to a step rhythm in the second half and letting the bass loose a little bit, the artists find a way to create a rise and a fall amidst the abrupt rhythmic changes that really let a DJ or listener dig into the experience and listen harder.

Way Back ft. Blean: Offering a cinematic piano to begin the track, “Way Back” meanders around a tonal center that isn’t exactly clear. This uncertainty really colors the tune to come as the bass doesn’t provide a lot of melodic information right away either. Personally i think the track and progression was solidified on the fourth bass note, which finally drops down to the third. I don’t see a lot of tunes that dig into the third scale degree as much as this one has, but how cool!

Mingle in Midair ft. Twintone: Taking flight near the end of the album, you hear a picture painted of two beings floating together. Twintone’s style shines through in this one in my opinion, but these two have collaborated so much I think I hear a third, collaborative sound emerge here. The transitions here are so smooth, so intentional and effective musically. It’s a hard one to mix just because the natural progression of it is so beautiful. Each individual section is enjoyable, but the entire thing as a whole is really special. Love this one.

A Place Like This ft. Neuron: Another distinct style being showcased here in Neuron. The deep, sidechained reese, combined with a dreamy top end, hi hats laced with all sorts of lovely melodic content that showcases the producers appreciation and skill in using extended tonality and major/minor motifs. Poignant material that would mix so well!

Vacation ft. Sonic Art: A chord progression that seems to telegraph a very clear bassline still suprises when the actual song drops. Focusing on the guitar melody above the bassline, this funky groovy anthem trods along with a laid back feel and beachy atmosphere. Giving warmth in the dead of winter.

Once again the Portal Recordings crew show how important the underground DnB scene is to the health and progression of the music at large. There are artists out there that work on their craft constantly and are putting out incredible material, such as these showcased here. I would encourage anyone reading this to go dive into the Portal Recordings group and find your new favorite DnB tune. 

Purchase this amazing VA for only 7GBP here! Support underground DnB!