(Hospital/Inertia)

Drum and bass has never been the most accessible of genres. With a BPM often rivalling an angry gattling gun, d&b has long remained on the fringes of dance music, acknowledged by all but understood and enjoyed by relatively few. A slow shift has been taking place over the past ten years, with Good Looking Records and other smaller imprints slowly challenging the status quo and trying to open up d&b to an audience not quite comfortable with the frantic sounds of darkstep or the raw edge of ragga.

Enter London Elektricity and their label Hospital. Since Hospital’s humble formation in 1996 it has grown from a mere platform for Tony Colman and Chris Goss (London Elektricity) to release their left of centre drum and bass productions into an influential and commercially successful label. As London Elektricity grew in popularity, especially so at the beginning of the millennium, so did Hospital, recruiting the cream of soulful d&b producers and releasing some of the finest quality music ever heard. With a desire to release optimistic music in a genre saturated with dark and ominous sounds, Hospital has now become one of the worlds most respected labels and can proudly and honestly call itself home to a number of A-list drum and bass jocks. After ten years in the biz and 100 releases, Hospital is celebrating by unveiling its latest medication, the three disc spectacular that is Hospitalised.

Three highly qualified specialists have been called in to prescribe three similar treatments of d&b. Hospital heros London Elektricity, High Contrast and Cyantific have created three unique blends of funky d&b that will have heads in awe and may just welcome a few newcomers to the genre too. All thriller and no filler, Hospitalised is a success in every sense of the word. Spread across the three discs are lashings of the sharpest funkstep that sit happily alongside liquid so smooth it makes speakers sing with joy. Hospital’s 100th release is more than a milestone, it is a drum and bass fans dream come true!

Disc One: London Elektricity

From their humble beginnings to last years successful album Power Ballads, London Elektricity are a musical force to be reckoned with. Song In The Key of Knife catapulted London Elek to fame in 1998 and legitimised the positive vibes ethos of the label. The full length Pull The Plug was released the next year and found favour with many punters who were rapidly tiring of the sinister sounds dominating the genre. In 2002 Chris Goss handed the reigns of London Elektricity to Tony Colman in order to fully steer the good ship Hospital to ever greater commercial success, though Tony continues to keep the current flowing. Since Chris’ departure, Tony has created two highly successful followup albums Billion $ Gravy and Power Ballads, and through a hectic touring schedule has managed to grow an ever-stronger fanbase.

Radiant and lush, Elekricity’s mix is a delightful mix of aural frills and turntable skills. Tony’s precision mixing and selector skills have resulted in a mix full of the orchestral and jazzy flourishes that have won the outfit countless fans. Many Elek favourites are here including the beautiful classic Song In The Key Of Knife, the loveable Cum Dancing, Brother Ignoramus, a blissful acoustic remix of Rewind and the ever-popular Round The Corner. Add to this everything from The Peter Nice Trio’s Flight Of The Vulture, High Contrast’s fast soul classic Passion and some of the finest cuts from Total Science, Klute and early Hospital son Landslide, and you have a mix that is simply outstanding!

Disc Two: High Contrast

Welsh wonder Lincoln Barrett smashed onto the scene with True Colours, a debut album that received critical acclaim and brought a new generation of drum and bass heads into the fold. Following up with the equally well received High Society, High Contrast has established himself as a producer and DJ with no equal. Remixing everyone from The White Stripes to Olive, Linc has invented his own cross-breed of disco and funky jungle. Fusing the finest jazzy sounds with crystal clear rhythms, High Contrast makes music for the soul that is heavy on the low-end and bright in all the right places.

High Contrast has done Hospital proud, delivering a mellifluous mix that features many of his own tracks including the stunning Natural High, the engaging Basement Track and every heads favourite, Racing Green. Interspersed between these are a multitude of tracks from producers including Hospital stablemates Nu:Tone, Logistics and Q-Project. From the jazzy sounds of Syncopixes General Hospital to the roaming chants of Zed Bias and Hungarian wonderboy SKC’s slamming Free My Soul, Linc’s disc is pure Hospital.

Disc Three: Cyantific

Cyantific are world renowned for their infectious and clean sounding productions. London based Jon and Matt are the two lobes of the Cyantific evil genius, a production and DJ juggernaut with plans to take over the world one amen break at a time. With their debut album Ghetto Blaster just about to drop, and a cornucopia of first-rate releases under their belt, the duo has delivered a crisp mix that includes many unreleased exclusives. Layering multiple tracks together, they’ve created a truly unique mix that will please heads and excite newbies.

Highlights include a crafty mashup of London Elektricity’s Pussy Galore with their own Snowflake, London Elektricity’s captivating Power Ballads, the smashing unbridled funk of newbie Ghetto Blaster and the crown jewel, Cyantific vs Logistics’ Flashback! Cyantific’s mix is an intelligent jungle jazz odyssey that will age like a fine vino.

Endgame

In Hospitalised, a selection of the world’s most therapeutic drum and bass has been mixed together and bundled up for your listening pleasure. The beauty of Hospital’s output is that even complete d&b virgins can enjoy the infectious and cheery sounds. Though medical advice usually states not exceeding the recommended daily dose, repeated listening to Hospitalised is not going to do you any harm at all.