COMPILATION REVIEWS
QUICKIES 8.0
8.0
Various
Various
Chronic
Hospital
BryanGee’sVRecordingsindeliblymarked the history of drum & bass, producing constantly reloaded classics such as Krust’s ‘Warhead’ or Adam F’s ‘Brand New Funk’. But lesser-known was his Chronic imprint — relaunched last year and coming out fighting in 2014 with this 24-trackcomp.Fortunatelyits‘Warehouse Music’ title is no hyperbole, the sound palette drawing from tech-step squat raves in a turn-of-the-millennium, pregentrifiedHackneyWickandMovement’s raucous Thursday night sessions, rather than the toy-town antics of much modern d&b. The ever-fresh Dillinja smashes out ravey stabs — as Capone — on‘I’ll BeYour’, Symptom’s filthy ‘Heavy Heart’ gets all Ed Rush & Optical and Need For Mirrors’‘Trips’ is pure unruly bruk-out energy. In fact, the only duffer is Roni Size’s ‘Blind Alley’ which swings way too close to Pendulum for its own good. As raw and rowdy as drum & bass gets, this is wall-to-wall bangers. Joe Roberts
As old as the kids who go to their raves, Hospital is celebrating its 18th birthday this year — and, as you’d expect, it’s in as good health as ever. More dedicated to accessibility than d&b purism, the label has aged well thanks to its willingness to give people what they want rather than preserve what they did. Tunes from Netsky, Danny Byrd and Rollz pay service to more stadium-sized sounds that wouldn’t be out of place at festivals across the Atlantic, while Fred V & Grafix, Hugh Hardie and Etherwood don’t have any qualms arranging more flowery, radiofriendly rollers. It’s not all sugar-coated, though. Label boss London Elektricity gets deep, moody and melodic, before new signing Reso injects some chainsaws into the formula. Logistics’ remix of Four Tet, meanwhile, is simply excellent. Two unmixed CDs, one blended:‘We Are 18’is clinically insane. Adam Saville
Warehouse Music
Hospital: We Are 18
Original Gee
Various Message In The Music: The Ashley Beedle Re-edits
Good life
Harmless
9.0
Beedle’s about
Brandt Brauer Frick DJ Kicks !K7
Deeply dug They’re most famous for bringing classical instrumentation into the techno domain, but Brandt Brauer Frick’s idea was borne from a great passion for dance music rather than any tired gimmick. The trio’s entry in the long-running mix series ‘DJ Kicks’ excavates deep into dance’s substrata to uncover some surprising and satisfying tunes. Skewed to the more forward-thinking acts and genres, this mix runs the gamut from the slinking, steady funk loops of Theo Parrish’s ‘Electric Alleycat’ to the kinetic energy of Afro bomb ‘Better Change Your Mind’ by William Onyeabor, its scratchy, lo-fi guitar and bulbous bass an early stunner. Later there are more bass-centric, broken beats fromPeverelist,KingdomandFrenchFries, Machinedrum’s‘Now You Know The Deal 4 Real’ a canny addition. If some of the mixing is a little suspect, we can forgive them for the sterling choice of tracks. Ben Murphy
9.0 Various
Critical Music presents Underground Sonics Critical condition
Critical edition Entering its 12th year, Critical Music is as respectedasthemanbehindit.Supplying Kasra with freedom to roam the murkiest corners of the d&b spectrum, the label — responsible for some of the scene’s mostexceptionalwork—hasdeliveredits mostcomprehensivecompilationtodate. Dub Phizix’s ‘The Clock Ticks’ conjures the menacing tension that the title suggests, while Ivy Lab’s‘Baby Grey’offers a brooding slice of smoky jazz. Foreign Concept & DRS (‘Falling Stars’) aren’t afraid to slow into drum-step territory and Sam Binga & Redders get techy with ragga on ‘Lef Dem’. Elsewhere, Mefjus & Inside Info’s ‘Repentance’ is scary enough to make even The Predator wet his pants, while Enei’s ‘Slender’ and Noise & The Upbeats’‘Little Flight’ balance taut d&b grooves with supple melody elegantly. In fact, there’s little about this collection that isn’t perfect. Adam Saville
Needwant
6.0 Dated (nu)disco
Various Toolroom Records Selector Series 14: My Digital Enemy Toolroom Records
7.0 Low-slung selections
Casting his eye across multiple generations of stone-cold classics, the (e)X-Press 2 man turns vintage gold from the likes of Bill Withers, Ruth Copeland, The Gap Band and The Fall into dancefloor-friendly gems. Taking up three discs, it’s a veritable gold mine waiting to be excavated. Adam Saville
The Hed-Kandi-forhipsters series presents the tunes that keep the stragglers stuck to the dancefloor at the end of the night. Tracks from Terrence Parker, Mirror Mirror and Names In Lightsmakeitmuchsexier and sophisticated than most people look at that time, although you can’t shake the feeling the nudisco thing is getting a bit tired. Paul Clarke
Various Saved 100
Various Artists 50WEAPONSRMX01-09
Various Futurists
Saved Records
50 Weapons
Moda Black
8.0
7.0
Various Future Disco Vol. 7: ‘Til The Lights Go Up
7.0
Brighton duo My Digital EnemytrawltheToolroom back catalogue for the ‘Selector Series’. As you’d expect, bass-loving MDE favour the deeper, dirtier, banging end of the Toolroom spectrum and it works a treat. Prok & Fitch, ToddTerry,JohnDahlbäck and Thomas Gold all feature. Tristan Parker
Centenary cuts
Battle royale
6.0 Not too future for you
To mark 100 releases since 2004, Saved label bosses Nic and Mark Fanciulli have pulled together the finest moments from the back catalogue. There are sterling cuts from the extended crew, including the brothers themselves, Mark Broom and Stacey Pullen, but it’s Terrence Parker’s celebratory piano anthem ‘Song Bird’ which ushers in the centenary best. Ben Arnold
A history of 50 Weapons remixes with a smattering of exclusives. Not all surpass the originals, like Shackleton’s Radioheadish take on Moderat’s ‘Rusty Nails’, but it’s fun to see how rotating label regulars like the ace Bambounouremaketheir co-signees in their own image. It doesn’t end as adventurously, but the quality rarely dips. Sunil Chauhan
In a bid to unearth future talent, Jaymo & Andy George showcase the latest talent to break onto the Moda Black radar. Aside from Sidney Charles, Javi Bora and Dudley Strangeways, the names—RebelandTwon, Fauvrelle, Elias Tzikas etc — are pretty much brandnew, but on this form we won’t be hearing much more of them anytime soon. Adam Saville
REPEATTHE LPS WE CAN’T LEAVE ALONE...
Henrik Schwarz Defected Presents House Masters Defected
9.0 An obvious choice, Henrik Schwarz proves why he’s a ‘House Master’.
Various 10 Years of Crosstown Rebels
Crosstown Rebels
9.0 Tech house’s most eminent label reminds us of its diversity.
Kerri Chandler Watergate 15
Watergate
8.5 The New Jersey veteran blends a classic mix with one eye on modernity.