From lwtcdi Sent Sun, Feb 22nd 1998, 00:11
From lwtcdi Sent Sun, Feb 22nd 1998, 00:11
Hi all, It's been a bit quiet on the list recently. Well, maybe not quiet, just a little musically uninteresting. Not a lot coming out worth talking about. I for one haven't had that much to say (it's probably for the best!), until now. I'm just posting to tell you what I think about the new Renegade Hardware album Quantum Mechanics (crappy title!) which I think is out on Monday. I got a copy from my local shop on Friday, and I just wanted to reccommend it to anyone who might be considering getting hold of it. It's good stuff, probably better overall than the recent Enforcers comp although I'll have to reserve judgement until I hear more of both of them. It's definately more immediate anyway. Anyway, there's some excellent stuff on here from the usual Renegade Hardware suspects ie DJ Kane, Future Forces Inc, Genotype etc, some remixed by our favourite darksiders Optical & Fierce, Dom & Roland, Technical Itch, John B and Dillinja. Pretty harsh stuff overall, as you would expect, but there a couple of not quite as dark numbers on here too. I didn't think Renegade Hardware could really pull off an LP without it getting really monotonous, but they've done a pretty good job. If you're looking to find something to put next to your copy of Torque, this will certainly do the job.Probably not as experimental as it would like to think it is, but this comp will rock the floor or your house or whatever you want it to rock. Standouts are hard to pick out 'cos it's probably one of those "you'll love it or you'll hate it type things", but my favourites so far are the John B mix of Shogun's 'Together', the Tech Itch mix of another Shogun tune, 'Slipstream' and of course the Optical and Fierce Mix of DJ Kane's 'System'. Dom and Roland also do a good dark breakbeaty turn on Genotype's 'Extra Terrestrial'. Lowlights are pretty non-existant, although I did find first track Genoforce's "The Germ" a little bit lack on the old ideas front with it's distorted one note basslines thingy which we've heard plenty of times before. Also picked up Opticals 'Bounce/End Pt.1' which is good and not as raw as some of his stuff has been of late. Bounce is more subdued in a futuristic techno kind of style, with added afro-funk distorted guitar snipppets and bongo bits. Won't have your head nodding like Moving 808s or The Funkster, it's more of a grower, but an excellent tune all the same, and should work well for me in mixes as the light at the end of a tunnel of darker records. The End Pt 1 is not as apocalyptic as the title would have you beleive, its more of a mellower Detroit-techno style thing (except at drum and bass speed of course). Overall it's good to see Optical turning out other stuff as well as just the anthem buisiness, although it's not totally dissimilar. This guy is a serious workaholic with the amount of stuff he's putting out at the moment (the new stuff coming on Virus, porduction work on Grooveriders LP and remixes for anyone and everyone under his own name and Grooveriders). Having said all this I would like to see a few more actual breakbeats being put back into drum and bass. I love the sound of fat fizzing breaks in a record and this two-step stuff is getting a little out of hand, good as a lot of it is. Even the new afro-funk stuff is a bit two-step when it could do with more breaks. That's my lot. Graham. -- /TheW i http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/lwtcdi/all/4anuvada.htm f o L D o dlr WTC "Another D.A at the Office - free fiction & an animated donut!"