London’s Fabric nightclub is one of the most popular, well-known and respected venues in the international dance music scene. Constantly attracting a veritable who’s who of music, the club has forged a reputation for having one of the best sound systems in the world, and one of the best rotating rosters of resident and guest DJs month after month. From break beat to house and drum n’ bass, Fabric has it covered, both in the club and on their monthly CD series. This time on FabricLive42, showing off his forward thinking musical direction, is none other than New Zealand’s breakbeat king, Freq Nasty.

Born Darin McFadyen, Freq Nasty has carved his niche in the dance scene with his blistering sets and on-point production, coming a long way from his beginnings playing in rock shows as a teenager. His seminal release Freq’s, Geeks & Mutilations on Botchit & Scarper established the dreadlocked one as one of the up and coming names on the underground breaks scene. Subsequent releases, such as his Y4K: Next Level Breaks title, have cemented his position as one of break beat’s premier identities.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Freq Nasty has continued to push the envelope, expanding his sound to a championing of the sounds emerging straight out of London. McFadyen himself admits that London is the capital of genre splitting, and has taken that approach to this FabricLive instalment. Not specifically a ‘breaks’ record per se, Freq Nasty has employed the sound of all things ‘bass’ to create an infused set of thumping beats and what he calls “different permutations of [breaks]”. With breaks’ history steeped in everything from hip hop to jungle, it’s no surprise to see the collection of tracks assembled together for this adrenaline-fuelled ride.

Opening with the spoken word stylings of Saul Williams, the sirens blaring signal a sign of things to come. Current ‘it’ girl Santogold pops up vs Switch and Freq Nasty on Creator, the slower bouncing beat sure to leave few nodding their head in appreciation. The electronic thumping continues with a smattering of Jamaican influences on Peacemaker by Freq Nasty vs Propa Tings, a burgeoning dance floor favourite waiting to happen. Crunk is the order of the day on Duckalicious (Baobinga’s Thugalicious Remix) by Madox, a heavy hitting baltimore meets hip hop track underscored by a wailing siren. Bring It On (Rusko’s Granny Smasher Remix) by Leon Jean-Marie has a dirty vibrating bassline (given a dubstep feel) that immediately catches your attention.

From here the intensity builds, with extra gritty basslines and break-y glitches interspersed throughout. If You Can’t Beat Em by Reso, House Music by Cadence Weapon and Change The Game by L-Vis 1990 all contributing to the insanity. Lower State of Consciousness (Original Munich Version) by ZTT is a kind of connect the dot-matrix, with enough beeps and bleeps to cause a seizure. The intensity calms down (but only slightly) with 2 Faced Rasta (Reso Remix) by Rob Sparx leading into the chilled out God Smiled (Remix) by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry vs The Moody Boyz. Breakbeat heavyweight Tayo contributes the military sounding March of the Soundbwoyz before Freq Nasty’s stripped back a capella version of Come Let Me Know (featuring Rodney P).

The tempo is lifted again with the bouncy State of Ghetto Jackin by Baobinga (Ft DJ Nasty) before being mashed into slightly more edgy rock territory on Thunder Gutter (Dub) by Epydemix, and then again into an even darker space on Living Like A Hustler by Backdraft featuring Sporty-O. All that, however, seems a brief detour, as Freq Nasty takes it back to the old school with his own ‘Breakbeat Bacon Mix’ of KRS One’s Sound Of The Police, upping the speed of the original and giving it his own spin. The bounce returns on the massive How You Like Me Now? (Rico Tubbs Gangsters Mix) by The Beat Monkeys, and heads into the crunchier dark bassline of Kasembla Wegue Wegue (Reso’s Aguadente Mash Mix) by Buraka Som Sistema, which has a touch of M.I.A about it.

Again things are slowed down with Snared (Freq’s Donkey Kong Mix) by Freq Nasty vs Heavyweight Dub Champion as we prepares for the final assault. Oi! Killa! by TRG has a down tempo heavy dirty bassline, and that leads into the equally dirty Viva Tibet by Freq Nasty vs Bassnectar. Godda Get It by Radioclit vs No Surrender is a reggae meets dubstep concoction which fuses into the slow boiled dub/grime of Above & Beyond Dem by Nate Mars Ft Jadan.

And there you have it, Freq Nasty showcasing the underground sounds that are infiltrating clubs around London at the moment. It’s a no holds barred excursion into a constant bassline bout. Admittedly, the final few tracks were a little slow for my liking after such a wicked ambience was continually built throughout the first two thirds. The mixing is solid yet nothing outstanding. However it’s really all about the track selection for me. An exciting and imaginative CD from one of break beat’s most colourful identities. Fabric once again bringing the quality to the masses.