You know, I used to be into hardcore… around 1992 or so. Then it just stopped interesting me. So when I picked up DJ Scud’s Ambush! on the not-entirely-consistent-but-usually-interesting Rephlex label, I was quite surprised. It’s good ol’ hardcore darkstep, tracks that would make Ed Rush proud, if not a little scared. In addition to the furious beats (and believe me, they’re heavy and fast), there’s plenty of distortion and feedback to go around. Most of the tracks are quick and to the point (“Kill Or Be Killed (Version)” clocks in just over two minutes), but my favorite has to be the remix of Asian Dub Foundation’s “Witness,” which turns the lyrics into a electric growl of a ragga chant. “Coldharbour Lane 2002” is less aggressive, but not less enthralling. Hardcore in the new millennium… who would have thought it?