Sick Music

Well now.........

Hospital Records have done it again. I picked this up simply because Jon and Matt had their tune 'Empty Streets' finally released and i hadn't got a full version of it yet. I'm a big fan of the majority of music that Hospital release but when talking to a few drum fans in months past, the appreciation of seems to have gone down. I've always thought they signed quite a wide range of artists with different sounds but some producer's i've talked to disagree.

When i got this home i was so suprised by a few tunes on there. The recent signing of Russia's Bop has really shaken up the selection on this album i think. Tracks like Luca's 'Screen In Motion' show the label's progression into something alot more minimal than in the past, looking towards early Warp and Omni Trio type sounds. The surge of European producers of late has kept the UK artists on their toes. Muffler brings his Finland Funk into the track 'Hear Me Scream', while 'Snow' by Sweden's Seba and 'Beautiful Lies' from Slovak B Complex are epic new school rollers, the kind you'd expect from the label. Even these two tunes have a completely new element to them, showcasing the Eastern Block's up and coming sound, infused somewhere between early High Contrast vocal chopping and a euphoric trance feel. It's nice to hear the use of obvious melodies in drum and bass now and again, so long as the individuality isn't lost. All you have to do is look at many High Contrast or Blame type remixes to see that playing to a simple chord structure and sticking a wobbly garage-esque bassline on won't actually give you a new piece of music, just something that will be playlisted by Radio 1 for a few weeks.......

Anyway, aside from my rant, i really urge you to go and buy this. As always, support for the vinyl release is crucial, but those of you on CD will get a number of extra tracks. Both are available from local record stores near you so please go and search them out. Keep your eyes peeled for the onslaught of Eastern European drum and bass producers coming through too. Many will have had their eyes on people like Electrosoul System and co for a while now, but the artists showcased on this CD are just another wave of a scene it's a pleasure being drowned in.

These sneaky Russians are coming!

I'd like to finish with the link to one of the tunes on both the CD and LP...... i've got a sneaky feeling that this tune may blow bigger than it already has, as it is fast becoming the soundtrack to the summer.

Stick your 99's in the air, draw for your finest summer kicks and get gurny to this one.

Peas