From Upaka Sent Sat, Jul 4th 1998, 00:41
David Kristian - a. National Kid / b. Oyster Point (on Discreet/Indiscreet) Very nice 12" of drum and bass. The drum patterns are precise and crystalline clean, with strange atmospheres in the background. The side with the track listing (I think it's Oyster Point, but I'm not certain) begins with a wonderful melody. Intricate drum patterns then emerge while the melody slowly changes. The other side has a strange drawing on it, and a lovely track, less overtly melodic with a creative use of those ubiquitous diva samples (they only show up for a bit). While a lot of people on this list make posts implying that drum and bass is formulaic and lacking in 'innovation', you certainly couldn't say that about this record (Well, you could, but you'd be wrong), or David Kristian's earlier release on Drop Beat 'The Ectopic Beat' . What I'm most impressed by is the level of musical sophistication in his work. He has a very unique sound, and doesn't sound like a Squarepusher or Autechre rip-off. Best of all he has very tasty drum patterns. -David