(Mantra/MRA)

Ultimate Mantra Breaks is a hefty 3 CD offering featuring famous names like Adam Freeland, Freestylers, Evil Nine and Plump DJs. Mantra Breaks, for those of you who haven’t heard the name, is the first Italian label completed dedicated to breakbeat. It’s the little sister label of Mantra Vibes and, at last years Breakspoll Award, Mantra Breaks was nominated in the ‘Best New Label’ category. Leading Mantra Breaks are DJs Santos and Madox. They are joined on this compilation by the Mantra All Stars.

CD One, mixed by Santos, kicks off with ‘Ride’, a collaboration between BT and Sasha. We move through some dirty electro breaks with Santos’ ‘Elecktro’. Jazz gets a spin in the oddly named ‘Mismoplastico’. Electronically enhanced voices whisper “disco babes from outer space” in the tune of the same name. Rolling basslines and tinkling noises characterise Evil Nine’s ‘We Have The Energy’. Friendly’s kinkily named ‘The Bump And Grind’ gets a rework from Santos. Classic tune ‘La La Land’ finishes off the CD. This is the Poxy Music & Kid Kinobe remix – somewhat more minimalistic than the original.

Partner in crime Madox dishes up CD Two, opening with Drive Red 5 ‘This Is My Party’. This CD is more funk orientated with tunes like ‘Tsuki’ and ‘Funk909’. Madox mashes his tune ‘Funkadelic’ with Freeland’s popular ‘We Want Your Soul’ (the accappella version) before shifting smoothly into ‘Push Up’. Yes it’s overplayed, but it’s a great party tune and where would an “ultimate” breaks compilation be without it… Other tunes on this CD include Madox ‘Careca’ and ‘More Other’ by Poonisher.

Finally we have CD Three delivered by the mysterious Mantra AllStars. It begins with Evil Nine’s darkly groovy ‘Crooked’. A track in the similar vein is ‘Sneak’s Step’. For more mellow sounds try the Meat Katie & Elite Force remix of ‘Too Fast’. Freeland remixes Kelis’ ‘Trick Me’. There’s a slightly discordant mashup of ‘War’ and ‘Rocker’s Delight’. The pace picks up with Santos’ ‘No Ticket To Run’ and the CD rounds out with the very mellow ‘Down & Out’.

Think of this as the Italian equivalent to Kid Kenobi’s Ministry of Sound CDs. A mishmash of breaks subgenres tidily mixed together to achieve maximum popularity. It’s easy enough to see how Mantra Breaks are forging ahead in the breakbeat arena.