ALBUMS((
ALBUMS
REVIEWED
BY
:
RICHARD
ARNELL
/
L
OPEZ
/
COLIN
STEVEN
DRUM & BASS
with the chunky, London Steppers remix of twisted jazz flavas, Kalm & Citizen draw out the /
BEN
‘Breakbeat Etiquette’. Meanwhile, to complete this obscure, cavernous sound of ‘Rollerball’, J Raq kills it
DILLINJA PRESENTS
WEAVER
album’s sweeping sound, you have the dubby with the irresistible, quirky tones of ‘The Buzz’, and all
CYBOTRON
dow tempo vibe of ‘A Little Rain Must Fall’, and the these tracks will be unleashed on you vinyl hungry
FFRR
deep, mid tempo breakbeats of ‘Lucid’ and beat-headz very shortly. In the meantime though, fans
Without doubt, this is one of the most eagerly
‘Kashmir’. Such range and consistency is rare. of hard beats, sick bass and alien sounds must check
awaited artist albums to emerge from the drum &
Recommended listening. RA this raw and uncompromising label showcase. RA
bass scene in years and, as far as hype goes, the
scene has known nothing like it for a long time. It’s
TOTAL SCIENCE VARIOUS
been talked about ‘til tongues go dry, there were
AUDIOWORKS VOL. 1 CHAMPION SOUNDZ
‘official’ track listings appearing on the ‘net up to 18
(CIA / AUDIOWORKS) TROUBLE ON VINYL
months ago, but finally all speculation can cease, as As you no doubt know Total Science have been
This is album number three from the Trouble On
Dillinja’s debut album touches down. Flowing with all around since the very beginnings of jungle but have
Vinyl posse and, as you would expect, it’s a proper
of the raw, dramatic and heavyweight style that really come on strong during the last year or so. It
tearing selection through and through. Coming as
has made him one of the most popular and in would be easy to view this 12 track compilation CD as
four-piece vinyl and double CD, we’ll take a look at
demand producers in the d&b world, this is indeed a ‘Best Of Total Science’ with anthems like their recent the particularly hard and doomy, new music to start
a hard-hitting album, but certainly not one without remixes of Q Project’s ‘Champion Sound’ and What’s with. Manchester represents through Sonic & Silver,
soul. It’s a broad album too. Of course there’s no My Code’s ‘Dub Plate’ making early appearances. But on the sci-fi ruffness of ‘Lucas’ (now I wonder where
mistaking the mind behind the music, but there’s a there’s more to it than just their biggest dancefloor the inspiration came from here!), and Future Cut;
real variety to the tracks, with a particular flava to hits, as there later on are a few undiscovered who, with DJ Kontrol, lay down the raw, kung fu
each and every tune. From the sumptuous swing
mellower gems, remixes from Spirit and Phantom
inter-play of ‘Crouching Tiger’. In fact, it’s a right trek
beat of ‘Together’, the sinister industrial sound of
Audio, some downtempo breaks and beats tracks and
across the UK, with south coast pressure coming
‘Cybotron’ and the hip-hop influence of ‘Human
current ‘floor favourite ‘Jet Set’ rounds things off. All
from DJ Red on the blistering sounds of ‘The
B-Bop’, to the dark soul of ‘I Told You How To Rock’,
for only £4.99 as well... bargain! CS
Hacker’, DJ Friction gets together with the Usual
the tech-jazz of ‘What’s the Deal’ and the steel drum Suspects for the fiercely rolling ‘Stress Factor’, while
thrasher, ‘All Aboard’, you just can’t move for one
VARIOUS
Stakka & K-Tee appear with a remix of Friction &
dancefloor hit after another.
BIOGENESIS
Nu Balance’s ‘Movement’.
ALGORYTHM
As well as Dillinja’s infamous beats and bass
Based around the three man hit squad of Animal
Elsewhere you get the bass heavy steps of Supply &
sounds, the breath of this album also owes a lot to
Chin, 500 Mills and Carl Fremen, this is the sound of
Demand’s ‘Gangsta’, some ‘Tribal Tones’ from DJ
the predominance of vocals, many from Dillinja
South African drum & bass. With worldwide support,
Damage and Alpha Omega’s ‘Klash’. Bristol gets a
himself, and the human voice is frequently the
counting the USA’s No.1 DJ, Dieselboy amongst
look in too, through the Undiluted remix of Psychosis’
defining element of the tune. Often with a sweet,
those rinsing their plates, these characters do
‘Freefall’, a rub that’s reminiscent of the TOV of old
female or deep, male vocal to contrast with the
get around, with Animal Chin and 500 Mills being
and the only real moment of respite amongst the
rugged rhythm tracks, the vocal styles on this album
signed to Canada’s Allied Recordings as Counter
terror sound here; which is a bit of shame, because
are showcased to awesome effect on the belting
Strike. Back to this album though, and while there’s
the album would have benefited greatly from a few
‘Valve Sound’, where male and female vox intertwine
little information regarding the artist input
extra dimensions. However, that bigger picture is
above an evil bass, mental horns and simply
throughout, the mix rolls with the consistency of flava
revealed on the Usual Suspects’ mix CD, with the
devastating beats. Coming with all the tracks that
that suggests all the tracks have come from the
latter half of the mix plundering a broad range of
have been smashing it on plate, ‘Cybotron’ is an
Algorythm studios. It’s a frantic, grinding techno-
champion sounds from drum & bass history,
album that all the drum & bass massive will not want
influenced journey throughout, and while the mixing
including anthems like ‘Peace, Love & Unity,
to be without. Unmistakably dancefloor, but with
is tight I did feel that some of the tracks lacked
‘Bambaataa’, ‘Just A Vision’, Bad Company’s remix
vibes enough to be a winner with both the open
identity and, after 70 minutes of rhythmic tension and
of Pressure Rise’s ‘Stranger’ and the dusted down
minds and the weekend warriors alike. RA sonic terror, you might be looking for a bit more Dillinja remix of Future Forces’ ‘Strontium Jazz’. Now
variety and depth in breadth. RA
that’s what I call trouble. RA
OMNI TRIO
EVEN ANGELS CAST SHADOWS
VARIOUS
MOVING SHADOW
VARIOUS
CENTRAL MIX
MODERN LIVING
Rob Haigh reaches album number five, and once CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE HARD LEADERS
again he’s produced a masterstroke of melodic and With DJ Kalm at the helm, Central Intelligence have, Following up the excellent ‘Listen Up’ album, this next
moving breakbeat music. With a subtle range of over the course of the past three years, made a quite compilation from Hard Leaders again takes a diverse,
mood and tempo, ‘Even Angels Cast Shadows’ sizeable impact on the drum & bass scene, and this musical direction; so prepare to discard any remain-
flows with the timeless, musical quality of his album documents the growth of the label. Mixed by ing preconceived ideas that you may have about this
previous albums. Taking in hard beats, techno bass Kalm himself, and taking in tracks from each of the label. Now. As well as drum & bass, this album also
and sci-fi themes on ‘Diffusion Loops’, ‘First Contact’ label’s releases to date, this is a fierce and intricate features subtle, melodic breakbeat from Justice, hip
and ‘Kinetic’, he goes on to draw out those bright, breakbeat assault, full up of ruffness and approaching hop from Canada, courtesy of Rogeraudio and Buck
yet melancholic, vibes he is most known for through with an eerie, complex air. Featured tracks come from 65, while the inclusion of Jaffa’s ‘Sneak In’, a cover of
the soulful ‘Nu Birth Remix’ and the melodic rolling all on the Central Intelligence axis: Citizen, Kalm, Billie Holiday’s ‘God Bless The Child’ featuring the
vibe of ‘Artificial Life’. Echoes of the old skool Future, Defuse, EB1 & Keaton, Killawatt and vocals of Miss B, laces the album with an enchanting,
Omni sound are evident in that track, but they are Shuriken, plus there are a handful of dub plate soulful vibe. A lot of the fresh cut drum & bass mate-
unmistakably revisited on the cascading piano lines specials thrown in for good measure from Quartz, rial comes from DJ Pulse; with the Underwolves on
of ‘Higher Ground’; a haunting cut, that can be found Kalm & Citizen and new signing J Raq. Quartz’s the mellow ‘Change’, through the tuffer, suspense
on the flipside of the album sampler, together ‘Nightlight’ opens the mix with bruising drums and filled beats of >> [Continued overleaf]
KNOWLEDGE69
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