Honestly, judging by the tracks that had already appeared on samplers and compilations, it seemed this would be another solid but not particularly memorable collection. And on the first listen, it did not exactly make much of an impression. But after listening to the “weapons collection” again, I realised I had been wrong—the compilation turned out to be simply amazing, highly musical and harmonious without sacrificing dancefloor appeal. The material deserves a track-by-track breakdown, but I intend to write about it in general terms. The compilation contains many tracks using semi-symphonic arrangements, beautiful instrumental parts, and interesting interplay between harmony and melody. As has already become standard, there are plenty of vocal parts, both sampled snippets and entire verses. Particularly good in this respect are SKC & Bratwa with its generally uplifting mood, occasionally interspersed with sad minor-key flourishes; the “warm” Syncopix with its impressive development of the theme and breakdowns, Cls & Wax with its pleasant sense of lightness despite the slightly martial bass and Nu:Logic with its sweet, simple yet unobtrusive keyboard theme and female vocal. The way the foundational sample is used here is unusual, by the way—the brothers turned practically nothing into a real confection. Terribly beautiful is John B, creating the atmosphere of a warm spring evening with its neat, dry drums, lightly disco-filtered guitar, keyboards and airy vocal. A couple of minutes of good laughter were provided by the intro to Laroque, which reveals the risqué subtext of the track title against the backdrop of an epic instrumental introduction. The powerful atmosphere, emotional vocal and, although it does not offer much variety as it develops, its very pleasant listenability. The compilation also contains plenty of energetic material. The classic label sound can be heard in Danny Byrd, Adrok & MC Foxy with its spirited drums and tightly coiled, steadily intensifying and in the remix byNu:Tone of London Elektricity., which as a result of further refinement was thoroughly “warmed up,” softened, and diluted with instrumental passages in the background. A short JFB with an overused jazz motif and lively jungle drums, with the atmosphere of a drunken party.
Konsta recalled the triplet rhythm that briefly remained a favorite in, which alternates with the familiar Not as musical, but it turned out interesting and lively. The atmosphere is either that of a or mild madness. The compilation, like the label’s entire recent period of activity, can be called a breakthrough for the influence of “live” and instrumental music into drum and bass. If previously the soulful direction meant a track filled with jazz or disco samples, built according to the same rules as before (this is also noticeable on the parallel compilation series), then on a great deal of attention is devoted to the harmonics of the sound. The bass and drums are now simply a good rhythmic foundation, but not fundamental elements; the main roles are played by the instrumental and vocal parts. At the same time, the music is constantly developing as it progresses—minimalism has been firmly rejected. A magnificent compilation. And this, it seems, is only the beginning.
Rating: 6/5
Various Artists -
, 2004 [NHS69CD]
Disc 1
01. SKC & Bratwa - Heart Of Love
02. Danny Byrd & Adrok Feat Mc Foxy - Planet Music
03. Syncopix - Happy Happy Joy Joy
07. SKC & Safair -Free My Soul
08. London Elektricity -Fast Soul Music (Nu Tone remix)
Disc 2
02. Danny Byrd & Adrok Feat Mc Foxy -Planet Music
05. Syncopix -Happy Happy Joy Joy
06. London Elektricity -Fast Soul Music (Nu Tone remix)
07. SKC & Bratwa -Heart Of Love
08. SKC & Safair -Free My Soul
13. JFB -Ritz
