E-Z Rollers - Retro (Guardians Of Dalliance Remix) / Quantum State

You can pretty much guarantee that anything that comes from the Moving Shadow/Audio Couture stable is going to be a strong release (check their pedigree) and this one is no exception. This track first came to my attention via DJ Magazine, through one of their many free cover cassettes. The culprit in question was the Moving Shadow Past>Future mix cassette, featuring a superb selection of tunes from that year (1997).

For me, this was the standout tune. Perhaps partly down to the Derrick May sample "...but in the process, they became the true renegades, and the true rebels always walk alone anyway" which has since become a legendary speech in its own right, and perhaps partly down to the fact that the song is an absolute stunner, even without said spoken sample. Guardians of D'Alliance have succeeded in bettering the original mix by a country mile, and what they've created is a beautiful slice of classic drum 'n bass, which I defy anyone not to be blown away by. Hazy summer vibes and jazz flavoured sax melodies are on order here, along with a multitude of other amazing sounds and samples I can't even begin to describe...just roll one up and have a listen for yourself - you won't be disappointed.

It took me nearly nine years to sort myself out a copy of this (cheers, Tim!) but thank God I did, I'd almost forgotten how wonderful a piece of music this really is. One from the golden era of drum 'n bass, the kids today don't know what they're missing!