(Renegade Hardware/Inertia)

Recently, I’ve been wondering how long it would be before I heard some nice new drum and bass. I have heard plenty of it in recent times, but it’s all possessed a kind of sameness. That’s not to say it a case of musical mediocrity – the opposite – I truly love the energy and atmosphere of a dark drum and bass track – but I’ve been feeling like I’ve heard it all before.

Well then, let me introduce you to Raymond Bingham – that is, the one and only Grooverider. I know it’s a cliché, but this man needs no introduction. He’s been around since the early days of acid house and then jungle; the man spans a career over of 20 years. And when you hear a Rider mix, it makes sense. He has an ear for the most special of special, the hardest of hard and the most unusual of unusual. Bare Witness – Skitty might sound like just another dub banger, but listen again – listen to the frantic samples and the breakdowns. This is the new age of drum and bass sounds. Music like this I can’t say I’ve really heard before. There’s a certain freshness to it. Outbroken (That Track) – Spor underlines what I’m saying. You just need a quick listen before you revel in it’s ferocity – the snares and rides crash while the low bass filters over a mysterious synth – and then it let’s you down for air. Haters – Loxy & Keating is another dancefloor killer. Raucous drums and cymbals with a menacing vocal sample with a devastating synth is the order of the day here. Crater – Prolix & Nocturnal is the same – except that mid way it breaks into this half speed ballad which is just grand. The now classic Dead Air – Noisia as well as Phase and Cause 4 Concern are in the mix as well.

Overall, the Grooverider mix is not for the faint of heart while the Loxy and Ink mix is titled Retrospective and hence seems to be a little less futuristic. That’s not to say it’s an average effort – on the contrary, the great artists still appear – Usual Suspects, Loxy and Ink, Dylan, Cause 4 Concern. The jacket sleeve says this double CD pack features the “best of the past, present and future”. I call the Grooverider mix the future and the Loxy and Ink mix the present and past. All bases are covered in a 50 track mix that is likely the best drum and bass compilation I’ve seen in quite a while.