by: Zero Sharp
The genre of drum and bass is an expansive playground to say the least. On one side stands the minimal, dark sound that Ed Rush, Optical, and the boys of Renegade Hardware have explored beautifully. On another side stands the unrelenting darkness of Dom and Roland and Tech Itch. Photek, Omni Trio, and L.T.J. Bukem have done great work in atmospheric and intelligent d'n'b, and of course, there are the playful styles that came primarily from hip-hop and reggae. On yet another side stand the boys of Hospital. In the last few years, London Elektricity has put itself on the map with their funk and soul inspired vocal tracks. their style is probably the most accessible form of d'n'b to most listeners coming from more traditional music. Their new album, "Billion Dollar Gravy," is no exception. The album starts incredibly; the first track is an excellent mood-setter and showcase of beautiful vocals, interesting beats, and well-polished sounds. "Different Drum" and a few of the other tracks actually have a normal verse, chorus structure which will no doubt draw attention from the more mainstream listeners. Robert Owen's voice works well with the sounds, and he was an excellent choice of vocalists. Other standout tracks on the album include "Cum Dancing", "Fast Soul Music", and "The Great Drum + Bass Swindle." There's a little filler, but for the most part, the whole album flows well, and is good track by track. If you've never really heard drum and bass, this would be an good album to try. It's not plagued by much of the noise that seems to drive first time listeners away, and it shows that "fast" music can still be funky. (I've always thought the argument that drum and bass could never be funky because it's >170 bpm is rubbish.) Anyway, even if you are a jaded d'n'b listener like me, it's still a pretty good listen. I feel that there's a lot of room for different styles in d'n'b, and frankly, I'm glad artists are exploring them.
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