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Sander Kleinenberg - Tranceglobal Airways - 22-Apr-08 12:11 PM
A very solid (if now a little dated) covermount from Oct 2000. The title is a little bit of a misnomer, being a largely progressive house related affair, but was a fair cross section of what was being played at the time. The mix opens (and is later bookended) with Lovesky's Ella Fitzgerald sampling, beatless, ambient offering "New Dawn" before chugging off in a housier direction with some of the biggest names of the day (Miguel Migs, Lexicon Avenue, Hipp-E and Way Out West). From here in, as the title suggests, things get somewhat more European, the mix eventually climaxing with Humate's seemingly omnipresent mix of Schiller's "Das Glockenspiel". I think it's a good introduction to Kleinenberg's style at the time and stands up next to his commercially released "Nu Breed" mix of the next year.

DJ Zinc / DJ Hype - Playaz 4 Real LP Sampler - 21-Feb-08 04:49 AM
Dead A's is a bit of a departure for the old fightin' dog DJ Hype, being a dubby slab of hip hop paced downtempo. It's got a proper booming bottom end though, and a sample of John Cleese as Death in "The Meaning of Life", which can't be bad. One wonders whether the tracks name being "Dead A's" rather than the "Dead Americans" that are mentioned in the sample was decided based on the political climate of the time (the release coming out around the time of 9/11). "Casino Royale" you doubtless know, being caned in the clubs in original, and later (poorer, if you ask me) remix versions. Proper jump-up Hawaiian Vibes in effect. (Even better if you knock two copies out of phase and go mad with your cutting).

Ed Rush, Optical* & Fierce - Cutslo (Lokuste Mix) / Alien Girl - 24-Sep-03 04:02 AM
A classic dancefloor moment from the No U-Turn refugee's Fierce and Ed Rush, and the latter’s more recent production partner and ex- Spiral Tribe affiliate Optical.

Compared to most of the 'Darkside' tracks round at that time 'Cutslo' positively thunders along with a quick, cutting two step break, and a tremendously warm, flowing bassline.

Apparently the bass sounds on this, and a great many other of Ed Rush's tracks, were achieved by running the synths through old guitar distortion pedals to fatten the signal.

Whatever the method, the outcome is clear. This track is a classic, not just of the scene, but of the entire drum & bass genre.

Rather than opting for the then 'des rigeur' bleak, hollow, industrial edged noise, reese bass and needle sharp snares, (which they and the rest of No U-Turn’s crew jointly pioneered) the trio have created a sound, still bone rattlingly hard, but as warm as uplifting as any supposedly "Euphoric" dance.

Still being played in big clubs as late as 2002, this tracks stands up tremendously well when compared to any current material by leading producers in the Drum & Bass scene.

The drop is a fine example of why the phrase "rewind" was initially coined.

DJ Addiction - Drum & Bass Anthems - 23-Sep-03 07:54 AM
A good overview of the more melodious end of the UK Drum & Bass scene, mixed by the horrifically underrated DJ Addiction (who's own offering - 'Feel It' with Twisted Angers Danny C, is bewilderingly one of the few low points on the album).

Ably starting with the chiming guitars of Die’s aptly named ‘Autumn’ from ‘98’s “Planet V” compilation on V Recordings, the mix cuts a swathe through past and present dancefloor classics before bumping to an abrupt halt with LTJ Bukem’s heart-stopping “Horizons.”

The programming errs on the poppy side, (with maybe a few to many tracks by Movement residents), but for a free covermount, this is a godsend.

Why aren’t they all this good?

Roni Size - 23-Sep-03 07:21 AM
A true breakbeat pioneer from Bristols highly regarded Full Cycle collective, who perhaps unfairly, has totally eclipsed long time collaborator Krust’s profile and reputation, in a sycophantic media.

Early and mid period material by Roni Size is pretty much essential for any electronic music lover.

An absolute studio professional, his tracks are superbly engineered and balanced for maximum dancefloor impact. Size's tracks flow and pace belies their heavyweight nature.

Although made famous by jazzier offering with his Reprazent project, Size’s formidable reputation stems from his fearsome darkside offerings on Bryan Gee’s ‘V Recordings’ label early in his career.

However, despite his production pedigree, the great man has gone totally off the boil lately, with very, very samey recent offerings.

(For example, see 'Playtime', Scorpio's remix of "LK" by Marky and XRS, and "Appreciation" by Three Way for Roni's lazy new 'One Size fits all' bassline.)

Extended suggested discography: Try "It's Jazzy", "Brown Paper Bag", "Snapshot" & "26 Bass".

- And nothing off the disappointing "Touching Down" LP.

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