Well, when we saw this title land in the store we were as surprised as anyone to see that Four40 Records, one of the most active and exciting UK bass labels across the full breadth of 2020 has just turned 10 years old. This is a pretty outstanding achievement, for a label that is still at the forefront of it's sound to this very day. The compilation of course features some of the biggest releases from across the breadth of Four40's incredible catalogue of content, from the likes of Hybrid Theory, I Killed Kenny, Pavv, Limita and more, condensing ten years of musical progression into one extended tape. We also get to hear a bag of exciting new exclusives from the newer breed of the Four40 roster, including music from The Phat Controlla, Blakk Habit, Lucas Maverick, Gemi, Badger, Patrick Kane, Yozhi, George IV and more. What an incredible way to round off the year!

Following on from the release of 'Braindamage' earlier this year, we see the super original sounds of A/T/O/S land once again on the legendary Deep Medi Musik imprint for a feature length LP project. In an age of infinite genre fusion and vocal experimentation, this album really does represent a changing of the tides as the untouchable collaborative energies of Amos and Truenoys unleash a ten track epic, challenging an uncountable number of genre restraints. From the spooky backdrops of 'Space Rails' and sumptuous vocal displays of Amos on 'Are You In Love', we see the duo rise to yet another peak of both consistency and quality. Our highlights would have to include the dreamy soundscaping and sweeping subs of 'Connect The Signs', alongside 'Stretched', an experimental journey through chiming instrumentation and retro drum sounds. Incredible stuff!

Playaz are rounding out this year with their first compilation for quite some time, and their 2020 roundup relies on a fairly small handful of long-term label stalwarts across twenty tracks. In this case, less is more and the likes of Annix, Taxman, DJ Hybrid and Tyke all come seriously correct in this compilation, their collective decades of experience really shining through. Taxman's 'You Can't See' is absurdly good, with wonderfully stuttering breaks which emerge from shimmering synth lines before cutting into a raucously stabbing bass hits, a proper rowdy collection of sounds which get right to the heart of the Playaz sound. Bristol trio The Sauce pop up on the label with several contributions, including 'Spooked', an eerie roller with choppiness right at its core - big stuff from the crew.