drum & bass

Finally there is a new one. I got to know the UK Moving Shadow label for their 99.1 and 99.2 extremely cheap drum and bass compilations. It seemed that there are also 98.1 and 98.2. These cds (double) cost only 2 UK pounds and contain very interesting d&b compilation and mix-cds. The normal Moving Shadow cds aren’t that cheap though…
And at the end of 2000 there is the first compilation for this year and it is a special one, because apparently the label has been around for 10 years! They thought of an interesting concept.
The first cd is a 80 minute mix-cd with three tracks from releases of every of the 10 years of existence. This way you get an idea of how old rave/breakbeat techno evolved to drum & bass. Old style tracks are mixed with modern tracks, but overall it is mostly in chronological order. In the beginning you will hear rave/breakbeat techno (remember the Prodigy Experience? something like that) and over time the music goes through jungle to drum & bass. The style of the Moving Shadow artists has always been very energetic and harsch which you can hear very well on this compilation. Some tracks are well known, others unknown.
The second cd is a cd rom with an irritating Flash-like platform containing information about the label’s history. A database of all the releases, the covers of these, artwork, merchandise and much more. Very well done, but I am not happy with the design, but that is probably a matter or taste.
Overall again a good cheap cd (say $5,- in most cases) with a nice overview of difficult rhythm techno. Of course not all tracks are equally good, but it is funny to hear the typical old rave with piano melodies and boring vocal samples together with some harsch modern d&b.

I don’t know if any of you read the review of the Bad Company 2cd of a while back and decided to have a listen in the shop but came to the conclusion that this cd is too expensive for a kind of music that you usually don’t listen/buy? Well, here I have got a descent alternative. “21st Century Drum+Bass” spans 3 cds and will cost you the price of one! That is not even everything, because the d+b is not the usual d+b with vocal(sample)s, too many change of rhythm and melodies that we are not waiting for (I am not at least), but more minimal harsch and rather dark d+b (however dark is of course very relative when you usually listen to dark industrial, etc.). No-nonsense d+b put together for an agreeable price. The best Bad Company tracks can be found here and also one track of the Matrix cd (also reviewed somewhere). This is a minor point about this compilation or actually of any d+b compilation: many songs appear on many other compilations of cds of the bands themselves. Further I find nothing much to complain. Over three hours of nice to brilliant d+b in a style that I like best. Of course not every track is equally brilliant and the minor tracks seem to be concentrated on the third disc. And I think this may be a good introduction for those who are not yet familiar with 21st century techno.