Fabriclive 44 : Mixed By Commix

あのGOLDIE が大絶賛する、英国ケンブリッジ出身のドラムンベース･ユニットCOMMIXがRICARDO VILLABOS、M.A.N.D.Y等が参加してきた“Fabric”シリーズに登場。究極にストイックなドラムンベース・ミックスを堪能あれ。

Almost two decades since drum'n'bass first made its appearance in London's underground clubs, it's hard to make it sound fresh or new -- but George Levings and Guy Brewer (aka Commix) manage to do it. But they don't do it by trying to redefine the genre; no matter how experimental they may get with the specifics of their sound, they remain deeply wedded to the drum'n'bass fundamentals: rock-hard breaks, rich, juddering basslines, and textures that change with almost tectonic slowness and inevitability. Commix's contribution to the Fabriclive series is typically brilliant, featuring contributions by the likes of Photek, Spectrasoul, Calibre, and Rufige Kru along with a few original tracks thrown into the continuous mix as well. The results are consistently impressive: "Creatures of Habit," by dBridge, is simply beautiful; it combines chunks (rather than the usual dubwise shreds) of a prettily sung love song along with a spare, hard breakbeat and wispy clouds of synth chords, while a threatening bassline emerges occasionally from the depths below. Logistics' "Murderation" is more on the ragga jungle tip, with a brisk, no-nonsense beat and reggae-style female vocals; the dBridge remix of Commix's own "Belleview" is darker and weirder, while Breakage's "Old Skool Ting" is exactly what it claims to be, with a skittery ragga jungle beat and dubwise vocals and effects. Photek brings in an element of dubstep near the end of the program with his very fine "Yendi." This album is about as good as it gets. ~ Rick Anderson