Executive Steve Reviews

Steve has kindly allowed us to reproduce his excellent reviews from Slick DJ magazine keep an eye out for more holy decrees from the executive one in the future!

Fracture and Neptune – “Wrong Think” / “A Clue” – Bassbin: “Wrong Think” is an altogether nastier funkier techier affair than you might expect on to see on Bassbin, twisting and winding in a manner not entirely unlike Optical’s classic “Watermelon” track on Virus. B-side “A Clue” is the sort of tune that only really makes sense if you’re a private detective from Mars who just crash landed his spaceship into the Pentagon and is legging it down the road in a borrowed pair of velvet flares being chased by Edgar J Hoover and the cast from Scooby Doo… 8/10

Zero Tolerance feat. Steo / Zero Tolerance & Alix Perez – “Refusal” / “Dangerous Liasons” – Integral : Zero Tolerance drops a red hot 12″ on Integral: “Refusal” is a sultry moody brooding affair, with strings and a warping midrange bass punctuated by Steo’s extraordinary vocals, sounding like Justin Timberlake on helium, heartbreak and way too much Viagra, lifting the tune head and shoulders above the competition. You’ll be hearing this one a LOT come summertime. “Dangerous Liasons” sees Perez’ add some of his trademark vintage soul vocals to the mix, and is also well worth a listen. 9/10

Macc – “So Far” EP – Subtle Audio – Upon being asked to list hotbeds of forward thinking drum and bass (experi-)mentalism, Limerick mightn’t immediately spring to mind. The opposite is true however, as Code’s Subtle Audio label is having it’s name and it’s records dropped by all the right people in the alternative dnb scene. The four tracks on offer here from self-sampling multi-instrumentalist Macc marry the rhythmic urgency of an army of many-limbed jazz drummers with a plangent and playfully spooky sense of atmosphere; imagine Stockhausen falling down the stairs in a warehouse full of drums and completely by accident making some amazing and utterly danceable music before he hits the bottom and you’re sort of on the right page. Sort of. It’s not for everyone, but check this EP out if you dare to be different. 9/10

Fracture and Neptune – The Struggle / Reality Hoax – Transmute. Excellent stuff as usual from the London based beat-smiths, “The Struggle” refines the crossover tip they’ve been on lately, blending snarling Virus-y midrange tones with the feeling for breaks that first got them a release on the now (tragically) defunct “Droppin’ Science” imprint. B-side “Reality Hoax” is more my cup of tea, ascending, ethereal chords, deep subs and cerebral “stoned drummer with his eyes closed” breaks giving way to something vaguely reminiscent of some of the deeper bits that Dillinja used to come out with every so often about ten years ago. If you know what I mean when I say that you’re probably ordering this already by now… 4/5

Breakage – Clarendon / The Shroud – Digital Soundboy. I honestly can’t think of a release in the last 18 months I’ve liked as much and as immediately as this. A release of jaw-dropping bravery and depth, Clarendon combines lazy, not quite half time, rolling percussion, a highly quotable ragga sample, (What on earth is a “Culture Donkey”?) over a firm, warm sub-bass line to absolutely intoxicating effect. “The Shroud” on the flip sounds like Basic Channel / Rhythm and Sound making Jungle, warm crackly static echoing away over cavernously maternal bass. 12″ of the year by a country mile. 6/5

Dissident vs. Fracture and Neptune – Split 12″ – Counter Intelligence. Russian producer Dissident touches down on this well regarded Dutch label with two slices of fractured glitch-funk that come steeped in droning robotic soul. “Blind Viewer” fizzes and pops, coaxing all manner of strange grooves and musicality out of the atmosphere. “Nothing Outside Nothing” is more conventional, perhaps more effective, but (perhaps!) less moving (to these ears). Fracture and Neptune’s “Planet 13″ on the flip is a wicked piece of pure naked funk, punctuated by all sorts of interesting chimes, drones and snarls… Definitely one for the deeper floors out there, although there’s a wide variety of sets it could fit into. Recommended. 4/5

Sabre – Love is Gone (Kryptic Minds + Leon Switch remix) / Polski Produkt – Osiris Music. If you haven’t checked a Kryptic Minds & Leon Switch record since their smash hit “Hide the Tears” on ‘Headz a few years ago you might be put off checking this by virtue of the fact that that was such a heavy tune it was known to melt paint off walls at over a hundred yards. You needn’t be put off – lately the two Essex boys have been taking a deeper turn as evidenced by their recent album and this remix on their own Osiris sub-label. “Love is Gone” remix is a rolling, soulful techy affair, with a bit more of a bite than the original, without the full-on aggression of their old releases perhaps, but with a style that’s all the more memorable for its restraint. 3.5 – 5

Commix – Be True / Satellite Type 2 – Metalheadz Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last while (or unless you bought this magazine for the trance reviews and you’re reading this on the jacks, in which case “Story Bud!”) you’ll have been swept up in the hype for the imminent Commix LP on ‘Headz already, for which this is the sampler. Be True has a echoing vocal, a warm bassline that swirls around the club and dominates a soundsystem despite its apparent restraint, and generally sounds like commix through and through. Satellite Type 2 is one example of a sequel being miles better than the original, keeping the growliness to a minimum and adding bleeps and washes to the pretty uninspired straight-cut-and-paste-job of the break. Still, no one buys Commix records for their drumwork, and this is one of their better releases. 3.5 – 5

Be Sociable, Share!

•