not even noticed - nocturnal slide

7 Jan

The Frankfurt duo lorded for their ability to reinvigorate old-school elements. Their output is deeper than that as they bring true futurism back to breakbeat. In comparison, countless artists look backwards in the pursuit of a classic junglist aesthetic peppered with wild drum programming and reggae-influenced vocal chops while not even noticed sprint forwards taking influence from pioneers like Goldie and Photek. The duo managed to merge the cold and calculated futurism of drum and bass with the warm and soulful jungle textures in a way that feels authentic to both.

Not even a week into 2025, and not even noticed returns with Nocturnal Slides (2025) on Gimme A Break Records. Nocturnal Slides is overflowing with the calling cards of two-steps rich history. The duo ventured through the archives, taking some of the most iconic elements and repurposing them into stripped-back head bobbers. Not even noticed flow effortlessly from eerie but aerial rollers on 'Ethur' as they capture some emotive liquid drum and bass dramatics. The rollers roll on to 'Queso', which incorporates more uplifting pads while getting gritty in the low end, and when percussive grit meets the subtle 303 lines, were thrown headfirst into the cybernetic hyper-fast future.

Jump-up DnB drums and acid bases sound like an awful combination, but not even noticed's pursuit of a challenge to your preconceived notions of what genre makes 'Jitter' one of the standout tracks. A savvy ear for disparate sound clashes pops up several times, with 'Kura' feeling more like a sped-up garage track than straight-up breakbeats. They go all in on the syncopated two steps, allowing the brakes to punctuate the end of each measure. For those who just came for a bit of raw energy, 'Rustle' is a proper percussion workout with phonetic shuffles and jagged snares. Its no-nonsense approach will attract some of the most vehement junglists, and it has a satisfying amount of darkness to keep the underground purists happy. That's without mentioning the Phasmid remix, which offers more traditional, driven-based statics but with the trippier, almost dub techno element to synthesis.

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