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Congos, The - Heart Of The Congos - 16-Aug-08 06:48 AM
This isn't really a review about the music on this album, because of course the music is untouchable - Heart Of the Congos is generally considered to be one of the greatest reggae records of all times.

Instead, I wanted to highlight some of the details about this 2xCD edition. Blood and Fire have a well-earned reputation for excellent reissues - great selection, mastering and artwork - and here they have given this classic album the respect it deserves. This edition is lavishly presented in a slimline clear double jewel case with a 20+ page full colour booklet on thick stock. The art and design from Intro gives an organic feel to the package with images of the original LP and irie collages of found objects. The booklet also has an essay and some short technical notes about the remastering process.

CD1 largely follows the tracklisting of the original LP, with a couple of extra tracks. CD2 is a collection of versions including two spacious mixes of Congoman. The audio has been transparently remastered - it never feels fatiguing like overdone remastering sometimes feels.

Altogether, Blood & Fire do it again with a superb edition of a sublime album. Essential!

Aquasky - Cosmic Glue (Remix) - 08-Jan-08 09:01 PM
This record was one edition in the series of remix 10” singles that Moving Shadow released in 1996 – 1997. In my opinion, the real winner here is the overlooked b-side remix of Nylon Roadster. Aquasky flexes his programming muscles and turns out a dubbed out downtempo trip-hopper with heavy bass science. At the right moment it’s the perfect secret weapon with the right balance of groove and digi-funk that still sounds good. Holds its currency more than 10 years later.

31 Records - 08-Jan-08 08:27 PM
No gimmicks and only a few releases, but 31 Records is peerless. Doc Scott is one of the most forward thinking, deep and musical dnb DJs around, and this is reflected in the 31 Records catalogue.

It’s difficult to characterise a typical 31 Records sound. Instead, the releases cover the full spectrum of drum n bass. Classics like Shadowboxing and Deadline represent the best darkside, released next to superb techno-soul tracks like How You Make Me Feel.

Taken together, the records offer an unequalled anthology to the sounds and directions in drum n bass. Essential.