Following the release of his new Guilty / Kanjiru EP, Critical Music founder and drum & bass kingpin Kasra puts together a list of his best “upfront” bangers for Beatport’s Playlist of the Week.
This chart features a mix of my favourite upfront D&B as well some classic cuts from the genre. In my sets, I always try to play a cross-section of styles and this list hopefully shows that.
There’s a lot of music from my label, Critical Music — as I always want to represent the label as much as possible in my DJ sets.
Start mixing Kasra’s playlist on Beatport LINK, or on LINK’s DJ web app.
Kasra – Guilty (feat. Catching Cairo) [Critical Music]
This is my latest single, a track I’m really proud of as I wanted to make something deep and emotive but still with good energy. The vocal performance from Catching Cairo takes the track to a whole new level.
En:vy – Pegasos [Critical Music]
A new talent to the label and one who I am really excited about. His tunes manage to combine all the elements I love about D&B into one — serious music.
Klinical – Around Me VIP [Overview]
Klinical is a name that has been doing the business for a couple of years now. I’ve loved returning to clubs to be able to play tracks like this. Super minimal but heavyweight.
Kasra – Kanjiru [Critical Music]
The b-side of my latest single, Guilty. I wrote this one during lockdown daydreaming about being next to a speaker stack in a small packed club.
Skeptical – Imperial [Exit Records]
I have played this track every set since it came out a few years ago. D&B meets minimal techno — simple yet so so effective. I think this tune could be perfect.
Commix – Talk To Frank (Break Remix) [Metalheadz]
Classic Commix taken on by the king, Break. An all too forgotten tune, this one always turns heads as it sounds super fresh even though it’s a few years old now.
Halogenix – Tekina [Critical Music]
Not many come close to Halogenix right now and this track from 2020s Dragonforce EP is just excellence. Rolling beats, high-energy groove, and amazing vocal cuts.
Mefjus & Insideinfo – Leibniz [Virus Recordings]
This one always appealed to my guitar music side, a classic of the genre. It’s so grungy and dirty yet super funky at the same time. Always a joy to play this one out.
Dkay & Lee – Tuning [Metalheadz]
The long intro seems to be a thing of the past, that’s why I love this one. It has that classic Headz style, that big dystopian foreboding feel, and then it drops and its pure tension and release. Another classic that’s forgotten about, in my opinion.
Enei – Sinking [Critical Music]
One of our biggest tunes and one that is always so much fun to play. That 4/4 section always takes things up a level.
