Drum and bass. Granted it has slipped off the radar in the last few years, but every now and then a track comes along that is just such a good mix of merky and groovy that you can’t not get stuck in to it. This is one of those tracks. Turn it loud.
Photo credit: Billboard
Today is a right old throwback to 2006 when DJ Fresh was a fresh-faced drum & bass producer. Some of the album has aged very very badly so I’m just picking out the top tracks.
First up, It’s All That Jazz. 3 minutes of beats, bass, rhythm, breaks, guitar strum etc. etc. playful jungle vibes.
X Project. Great name. Great tune (granted, in a very 2006 DJ-Clipz D&B scene way).
And last up, Funk Academy. I have no idea what he was thinking but it kind of works.
So this is obviously a post about Chase & Status. But stay with me. I’m talking ’08 Chase & Status. When they were playing at Neighbourhood and you have to try get in without ID and your mate was selling tickets to someone called Chasing Status because you were only 16 and didn’t really know what was going on and you probably weren’t going to be able to get in anyway because let’s face it, International Driving Licenses were a joke. But you do get in, and it is class. That’s the Chase & Status I’m talking about. And that Chase & Status is all over this album.
And let’s not forget we’ve got Kano, Plan B, Nneka and Jenna G on here. We’ve also got all-time classics like Take Me Away, and Hurt You. Put your drum n bass hat on and get jumping.
Here’s a pace change-up for you. A new track from UK D&B royalty Shy FX. It’s nothing but a classic jungle/breaks rumbler. Simple really.
Bonus track: it’s Shy FX y’know. Let this one fizz you into the weekend.
Today we are heading back to 2004, with Hospital Records pillar, High Contrast. This guy was pretty much responsible for building my love of drum & bass back in my teens, and this album is one of his finest. Proper goosebump material.
Tutti Frutti, Brief Encounter, Racing Green, Natural High and Twilight’s Last Gleaming are all top level feel-good d&b bangers. Fast breaks, soulful vocal samples and thrubbing bass. It’s a good recipe, and one that he has down.
Hospitality are throwing a day party at Printworks in February. They have put together about as strong a line-up as they can muster with High Contrast being supported by S.P.Y, London Elektricity, Danny Byrd and more. Tickets on sale now.
