Favorite music of the year - D&B edition
Top 10 Drum & Bass Tunes of the year:
1. Hazard - Killer's Don't Die - Playaz
What is there to say about this tune? Absolutely savage. The razor sharp synth, the switch halfway through, the sample. Works in any kind of upfront set. I heard this back in January and had to wait until August to get it, suffering through seven months of hearing it on every tapepack. I'M THE KILLER THAT'S WHY!
Click to view2. Shy FX - Bambataa (Break Remix) - Digital Soundboy
To be honest, I could do a top 10 Break tunes of 2008. The man releases so much and his productions never dip in quality. That said, I had to choose his "Bambataa" relick for this list because it encompasses everything a remix of a classic should have. Samples of the original tune? Check. Original bass pattern updated with thicker drums for 2008? Yep. Murderous second drop? God, yes. Make sure there are no sharp objects around you after the breakdown. Break is slowly overtaking Dillinja for best second drops in drum & bass.
3. DJ Fresh - Golddust - Break Beat Kaos
Ever since he left the seminal techstep group Bad Company, Fresh has had a hard time making a name for himself. For a while, he stuck to his roots making tunes like the classic "Signal". Around 2004 he began dabbling in jump-up and the poppy side of drum & bass. Shortly after, he signed Pendulum to his Break Beat Kaos label and tried his hand at singing over rock-influenced tunes. It didn't work. This year, he released one of the best 12" of the year. "Golddust" is an electro-house influenced stomper with a quick intro that gets right to the point. The build-up on the second drop incorporates lush strings and is total hands-in-the-air bizness. The flip, "The Field," is Fresh at his best with a sharp techy roller. More like this, please.
4. DJ Die - Flashpoint - Clear Skyz
Similar to Fresh, Die has been around since the mid-90's and throughout the early 2000's struggled to keep up with the new direction drum & bass was headed in. In the past couple years he has found his stride, going back to basics and making bangers, both by himself and with artists like Clipz, Break, Interface, and Breakbeat Era's Leonie Laws. The third release on Die's own label (named after the seminal Full Cycle tune) is Die doing what he and the rest of the Bristol crew are known for - heavy, no-nonsense jump-up rollers. There is not much I can say about this tune other than that it's pure dancefloor drum & bass.
5. Noisia - Stigma - Vision
If there is one set of producers you can always count on to come original, it's Noisia. Along with "Diplodocus," also released this year - which may be the shortest D&B track ever at just over 3 minutes - "Stigma" is a combination of hard breaks and reeces that would make Ed Rush's mouth water. This tune sounds like nothing else out there.
6. Chase & Status feat. Takura - Streetlife - Ram Records
Another production duo that has been all over the place this year are Chase & Status. This is my favorite track off of their debut LP "More Than Alot" (yes, it is spelled that way which kills me). It's only fitting that this tune came out on Ram, as the bassline sounds like something Andy C and Shimon would have made back in 95. This is pop drum & bass at it's best - imitators take note.
7. Benga & Cokie - Night (Digital Soundboy Remix) - Digital Soundboy
There is no doubt that the number one music genre this year has been dubstep. The original version of "Night" is a dubstep anthem by two of the biggest names in the genre. It's only necessary that a drum & bass remix has two of the biggest names to remix it, right? Shy FX and Breakage up the tempo a bit and add a dubby bassline making this the best of the many dubstep-influenced dnb tracks of 2008.
8. Nu:Tone - Balaclava - Hospital
With synths sounding like they came out of a late 90's melodic trance record (think Vincent De Moor or Aztec Mystic's "The Knights Of The Jaguar" - which is more house, I guess, but that's beside the point), Nu:Tone comes through with a blissful roller unmatched by anything released this year. Taking obvious influence from fellow Cambridge-ites Logistics and Commix, Nu:Tone brings out one of the deepest cuts of 2008.
9. Apex - The Yearning VIP - Horizons Music
Brilliant drum & bass hearkening back to the days of Omni Trio. The breakdown is breathtakingly beautiful and the breaks are cut up masterfully. Not to mention the bassline, which is thick as molasses. There are no words to describe this tune, really, just take a listen.
10. Icicle - Spartan - Shogun Audio
It's only right for me to round out this list with the man who was pegged as "one to watch" for 2008 - and exceeded everyone's expectations. "Spartan" was a standard for any DJ who liked to go dark. With its gut-wrenching bass stabs and cut-up jungle breaks at the end of every 8th bar, "Spartan" epitomizes what drum & bass is all about. Released on Friction's Shogun Audio, which has the highest quality control of any label in the genre.
Stay tuned for more of my favorites from 2008!