I've never been Andy C's biggest fan but 'Lifecrisis'!!! Granted the source material is awesome, but what he does with it is almost beggars belief.

This remix is actually greater than the sum of it's parts (Lifespan + Crisis) - something which I thought was nigh on impossible. Yes the breaks, sick synth noises, and general mood is very much Ed Rush & Optical, but the way Andy C has put it all together is inspiring.
The breakdown half way through is pure filth, then the drop is pant wetting on a loud system.
One of my all time favourites no doubt.

The Matrix remix of 'The Medicine' is not too shabby either.

A must have for any Drum & Bass fan.

In my opinion, 'Living in Darkness' was/is massively over-rated. It is one of the weakest Basement releases apart from the first three, up to when the style began to change more to D&B.

The main synth stab is pretty weak, and the drum programming is basic - the track is fairly formulaic. Kev Bird, Wax Doctor, DJ Mayhem, etc were producing far superior work on Basement at this time.

That said, it is kinda catchy, and middle of the road usually appeals to the masses more so than the more cutting edge sounds.
I can't help feeling that if the name 'Top Buzz' was not attributed to this track, it wouldn't have attracted half as much attention.

Another classic from DJ Mayhem and the Basement stable.
Both tracks are something of a diversion from their normal style - much more breakbeat focused, yet they retain that distinctive Basement sound.

'I wanna be your lover' delivers crisp amen programming, a dark lead synth, before breaking down and changing comepletely with a female vocal and pleasant strings. Beautiful.
'Darkcore' on the other hand is just full on darkness from start to finish - half speed beats, then layering of the full speed break over the top, then a fierce amen drops, and finally a sick mentasm to top it off. Heavy, heavy, heavy. An essential purchase for all Basement fans.

An outstanding release from Seba - one of his best in my opinion.

Valley of the Moomins has almost meditative qualities - just whack the volume up and lie back....The haunting strings and atmospheres are a delight, and the subtle increase in pitch of the apache break as the tune progresses, only to drop back down is inspired.

Car Crash is equally impressive - classical strings for the bass and melody line, with a tearing amen over the top. Genius.

Both tunes equally full of emotion and real depth - an essential part of D&B history.

A rare release where both sides are equally as good, but also very different.

Seven Samurai is a dark brooding piece with crisp clean breaks (as you would expect from Photek), and influenced by Japanese/Martial Arts themes - a pre-cursor if you like for much of Photeks subsequent work.

Complex on the other hand is a much more melodic, atmospheric piece - more reminiscent of the work done under Mr Parkes 'The Sentinel' alias.
Haunting strings, then breaks down with the introduction of a somewhat hypnotic lead synth - meanwhile the breaks change seamlessly, and finally the amen drop is the icing on the cake.

A work of pure genius, and one of my favourite Photek releases.

A seminal work in Drum & Bass history - in my opinion Ed Rush & Optical's finest hour, and with a body of work such of their's that is saying something.
The filthiest synth sounds a plenty, courtesy (i've been told) of a Nord Micro Modular among other things, made their sound unique and I would imagine the envy of many wannabe producers. An absolute classic, and for my money the finest D&B album of all time.

Four of the tracks on this EP are fairly non-descript in my opinion, and then there's Bassbar. Two words - absolutely awesome. The way the synth riff builds and ocillates over the sub, combined with the break make this almost perfect, and well ahead of it's time. Proof that simple is often best - an absolute classic.