(React/Shock)

It’s been a bit of a wait for the second instalment of React’s DNB Arena’s CD series – the first came out in 2001 and also featured “The Executioner” Andy C on mixing duties with the second unmixed CD brimming with cracking, frequently exclusive tunes. As that release was blindingly good and DNBA and Andy C’s stars have been rising rapidly since that release (best website and best DJ at last years Knowledge dnb awards), my hopes were quite high for this release. Not only that, but Andy C had just released the “Nightlife” mix CD on his Ram label – an ultra high-octane blast of 3am Saturday night dancefloor dnb.

Andy C is the scene’s number one DJ – voted best DJ more times at the dnb Knowledge Magazine Awards more times than anyone bothers counting – only Brazil’s DJ Marky is currently giving him a run for his money in terms of popularity and talent. His trademark style is straight-up, stunningly well mixed dancefloor chargers, double drops and not letting too many breakdowns (dnb neeeeds fewer breakdowns…) stop the aural ripout tearing through the speakers. It’s a slightly different style to Marky, who constantly uses scratching, beat juggling and constant contrasting of rough with the smooth tunes to keep the floor interested and energised (check Movement’s “Brazilan Job” mix CD for a restrained version of what you get live).

Recent interviews with Andy C have quoted him as saying “I genuinely like all the aspects of the music, always have done and there are so many good tunes from all the different sides that I’ve got to work it into a set. GOT TO.” And this CD is proof that he is but also that his mixing style isn’t quite used to flipping back and forth between the different styles – at least, not yet. This might be minor carping, but listening to this high quality selection of tunes mixed by the No. 1 voted DJ in the scene you expect big tings. The results just aren’t the mind-blowing spectacle they might have been in the hands of a DJ used to bouncing back and forth between the various shades of the dnb spectrum. Full marks to Andy for broadening the sounds on offer – he could happily coast along to innumerable “No. 1 DJ” awards by just giving the hardcore floor what it wants. However this expansion occasionally feels slightly token and comes at a slight cost to his trademark style. The set sounds restrained in comparison to other Andy C mix outings and he doesn’t seem to have the innate feel for contrasting tunes that a DJ like Marky does.

Essentially, the introduction of the broader palette stopped this CD from the all-crucial build-up that separates a “showcase of tunes” type mix from the “what the f#@$ just hit me?” mix of highs, lows and crescendos the best mix sets provide.

Saying that is not to detract from the considerable plusses of this mix – great hard tunes (Bad Company’s “Bullit Time”, Fresh’s “Big Love”), great soulful tines (Matrix and Danny J’s “Vertigo”, Nu:Tone’s mix of “Spread Love”) and just great bloody tunes (MIST’s “Outerspace”, Hold Tight’s “Fever” and Zinc’s new mix of the ever-wonderful “Ska”) – the list goes on. Antipodeans score highly – two tracks from NZ heayweights Concord Dawn and one from Perth’s Pendulum along with US producers Hive and Keaton and Austria’s top-draw newcomer, D.Kay. It feels a little like Andy’s feeling the weight of his position as No. 1 and striving to open the doors in all directions – campaigning for longer DJ sets (dnb DJs only usually get an hour in the UK – so everyone’s playing the same big tunes), pushing a much broader range of styles in his sets and opening the door ever-wider to non-UK producers. All this is admirable and necessary as others will follow where Andy leads, however he may not be best-placed to present this sonic variety in its optimal form. His style is simply better suited to the sounds on the previous DNBA and “Nightlife” CDs.

Pigeonholing him like this may be to underrate his talent however. We could be witnessing the reconfiguration of Andy C – still feeling his way with exactly what effect he wants to get out of dropping a deeper driving tune before ploughing back into the fray, but at the moment you’re left wondering why he just did that…

The DVD isn’t bad (beats the hell out of the pointless Dilinger one) but safe to say it won’t be watched repeatedly after first viewing. The “Live DnB” section is eye-popping, mainly for the London Elektricity footage (the Jungle Drummer is the MAN). The articulate passion of London Elektricity’s Tony Colman contrasts mightily with the posing, geezerism and “philosophy” of the MCs (Tali aside) in the “Rise of the MCs” chapter. The emphasis on the crowd-pleasing MCs like Skibba, Shabba, Nava etc all just serves to cement my opinion that unless they posses the skill, range and presence of a Stamina or Watkiss (shamefully neither interviewed here) they’re the most cringe-inducing and dispensable part of the scene. The interview with Andy C is like home video footage in a silly location (some London plastic-domed vantage point) without much enlightening content, and the other sections are more DNBA adverts. You’ll be buying this for the CD mix.