Timecode - 02.2

...Hmmm, possibly one of the tastier offerings from Mr. Playford's repetoire of discount mix tapes to date. Kicks off on the hip hop tip with doug e fresh & sharon brown, and picks up the pace with a minimum of fuss, blending the jazzy hip hop feel with the rolling drum & bass vibe that is maintained for the remainder of the mix... Perfect Combination roll in 2nd up in typically soulful style and it is thus that we proceed for the next 3-4 tracks until a distinctly digital 'drum n trance' feel is raised with Exile's Tempest 14. The trancey leanings are only maintained a moment as the lightening quick mix winds us into John B's take on Omni Trio's Thru the Vibe which builds very chemically before dropping the listener headfirst into some pure Amen mash-up pressure - sublime. The next progression of tracks makes a bid for best (at least 'most uplifting') mix of the album as Weapon's reworking of TechItch's Reborn (the sublime original of which can be found on 99.1, FYI) blends seamlessly into Dust, courtesy of the EZRollers themselves, amazing vocal & funkin b-line from what is set to be an important album. When these 2 b-lines double up it's something quite beautiful & brings the strongest live-dancefloor reminiscence of the album... when Dust breaks down you want a dancefloor handy for the bassline drop. The flava never relents from here with some classic oldskool pressure provided by C4C remixing Deep Blue's Helicopter Tune, bouncy & funkin until it gets nastily bastardised by Calyx's intense digital darkness. The lyrical tip is touched once again, this time from the male point of view with mc Jakes joining TechItch on the Risin' (aka mercury risin') which blends with Hive's VIP of the Shadow by 2 of dnb's bigboys (Goldie & timecode himself), which keeps the pressure bangin' & dark. When fellow NZers Concord Dawn arrive a couple of numbers later, so does a euphoric grin of recognition followed by some all-out head-down rolling ("...in the forest of the nite..."). the Dawn's reworking of Disturbance by the Hyper-On Exp is some signature intense driving tech-step and could be my track of the mixtape purely coz the boys hail from my own humble wee country - New Zealand! They prime us nicely for the playout tracks, wrapping up with Dom & Kemal's Moulin Rouge: dark, intense and in particular (work with me here) cinematic and orchestral, and leaving you feeling well spent and guaranteed to leave the head longing for a little more bobbin'. Exhaustive review I know, but I think if you like it dark, intense and digital, any self-respecting steppa needs this... and considering the price - unmissable. In my opinion it betters the efforts of 02.1, check it coz there's no disappointment here. Word. K@