Various Artists - Herve pres. Cheap Thrills vol. 1

Herve and fidget house go hand in hand. The synonymous coupling is as crucial to each other as cream is to strawberries. So it is without surprise that with him at the helm of Cheap Thrills vol. 1, that we get a big dollop of all things fidget, a compilation of tunes from the last two years, which are all taken off his fresh new label of the same name.

While the cheap thrills promises to be a mix of ghetto bass, house, dubstep, electro etc, while these are present, it is primarily a ravey fidget treat. Dominated by artists such as Fake Blood, Trevor Loveys, Detboi who are all members along with with Herve of Machines Don’t Care, a fidget house collaboration posse, this is a good indicator of what sound to expect.

As is the new trend with many mix compilations, this comp is made up of two discs, one mixed and one unmixed, and while some tracks feature across on both CDs, the unmixed tracks on disc one are perfect for anybody wanting to use the tracks for their own sets.

Cheap Thrills provides a perfect glimpse into the label, and Herve hasn’t been shy in showing off his own productions on the comp, with a quarter of the tracks on the non-mixed disc his own. While Cheap Thrills is a refreshing alternative to the minimal tech stuff doing the rounds, this is electro at its most grindy and distorted. And distortion is the major sound on both CDs, although tracks like Fix Your Accent provide some relief, and while still glitchy, there is a little more melody at hand while things keep coming fast and thick. Herve keeps things interesting however, getting a liitle experimental with the dubby Baseball with its angsty female vocal.

Of course the labels biggest hit to date from the label, Mars is let loose, as well as the anthem Rikkalicious, one of Herve’s many collabs with Kissy Sell Out. With its almost euphoric, uplifting house elements, which then slips into a more controlled fidget bleep fest, its still hard to get over this track, which is definitely one of the finest moments on the comp. But keeping those fans of the new happy, there also comes a stack of new material from lesser known artists.

This is definitely a comp for fidget lovers. While I dare say listening to this on repeat could be taxing, it’s definitely good at getting the hands in the air. Bass heavy in all the right places Herve presents a strong collection of tracks, which will inevitably create a new legion of fans for the label. A great show case of things past and presents from Cheap Thrills, one of the most innovative UK labels at present.

Tracklisting for Herve pres. Cheap Thrills vol. 1:

CD1 (un-mixed)
1. Jack Beats ‘U.F.O’
2. Fake Blood ‘Fix Your Accent’
3. Project Bassline ‘Drop The Pressure’ (Jack Beats Remix)
4. Trevor Loveys ‘Organ Grinder’ The Count aka Hervé’s ‘Big B Morgan’ Remix
5. Action Man ‘Zombie Dance’
6. Fake Blood ‘Mars’
7. Hervé & Kissy Sell Out ‘Rikkalicious’ (Club Mix)
8. High Rankin ‘No Money For Guns’
9. Hervé feat Marina Gasolina ‘Baseball Bat’
10. Speaker Junk ‘Outside’
11. Hervé & Jack Beats ‘Rainstick’
12. His Majesty André feat Bloody Beetroots ‘Puppets’
13. The Glamour ‘Rubbin & Bumpin’
14. Max Morrell ‘Seelikio’
15. Hervé & Kissy Sell Out ‘Everybody’ (vocals by Hervé)
16. High Rankin ‘Clarence Baskerville 2’

CD2 (mixed)
1. Jack Beats ‘Labyrinth’
2. Max Morrell ‘Seelikio’
3. Hervé & Jack Beats ‘Rainstick’ Bushfire Remix
4. Max Morrell ‘Back Yard Riddim’
5. His Majesty André feat Bloody Beetroots ‘Puppets’
6. Fake Blood ‘Fix Your Accent’
7. Gigi Borocco ‘The Rhythm’
8. Speaker Junk ‘Outside’
9. Detboi ‘Get Low’
10. Fake Blood ‘The Dozens’
11. Trevor Loveys ‘Organ Grinder’ The Count aka Hervé’s ‘Big B Morgan’ Remix
12. Jack Beats ‘U.F.O’
13. Martello feat Hervé ‘Wasted’
14. Action Man ‘Zombie Dance’
15. High Rankin ‘No Money For Guns’
16. Project Bassline ‘Drop The Pressure
17. High Rankin feat. Gyto ‘Bubble & Squeak’
18. Dub Frequency ‘Felton Skank’ (Dub Mix)
19. Trevor Loveys ‘Organ Grinder’ (High Rankin VIP Remix)