Does anyone remember Modern: Primitive? 2006? Elite Force? Of course you do, it was one of the best releases of that year! Combining elements of breaks, tech-house with a touch of experimental and flat-out electronic; it was an album that you should have listened to because it had staying power (to this day, I still listen to it.)

Well after a few years of touring, single release and label establishment, Simon Shackleton has returned with a new artist album / mix-tape / record bag show off, entitled Re: Vamped. With a selection of his re-edits, remixes and originals being smashed together to showcase a mix that is brimming with power, energy and innovation. I’ll give you a quick list of who’s on the guest list; Stanton Warriors, Wolfgang Gartner, Hijack, Plump DJs, Popof, JELO, Propellerheads and Bar 9, just to name a few.

It’s really fantastic watching Simon’s plan unfold, after months of teasing and talking up the release of Vamped, the man’s talking up is no fib. The album starts off with two absolute belters in the form of The Final Whistle, which sees the combination of Elite Force, Popof, Delon & Dalcan, Lee Coombs and Dylan Rhymes, a track that pulses combined with some laser shots, helicopter whips and a slick breakbeat and that doesn’t stop as it melts into Elite Force, Redlight, Meat Katie and Toob’s Redlights and Lasers a track that oozes warehouse vibes with its echo synths and siren fuelled flavour. Reclaim Control, Calvertron and Elite Force, a track that plays out as a cross of manical dubstep with a hint of breakbeat inspiration as it drops some atomic bass wobble that is to die for.

Elite Force’s Law of Life is one of the best breakbeat tracks that has been released in the last few years and I’m looking forward to seeing if it gets its own proper release, because this epitome of badassness, as it drops an slick eastern vibe with one of the most badass beat patterns I’ve heard and one I’ve sorely missed. Rhythm Rocks the Blue; a track that has a “booty bass” vibe but with the touch of Force, utilising the Stanton Warriors vocal to a tee and nailing it and it continues with Shacks capturing of more Warriors goodness combined with the wobbly and phat electro of JELO.

Time warp back to the 90’s with Elite Force’s retake of the Propellerheads classic Take California, maintaining the spy-like mood of the original but injecting it with a shot of the now. We move onto the bubble and squeak of Bring the Panic, which sees the Force taking the reins from Hijack, Rogue Element, Meat Katie and Blatta & Inesha and delivering an energetic dancefloor killer, with a gritty and warehouse infused vibe, glitched up vocals and monstrous builds. Divine Act continues that energetic legacy dropping more nuclear powered electro house, a combination of Wolfgang Gartner, Classixx, Meat Katie, smashing down an outrageous combination of indie and electro, with a scratchy electro lead that I can see obliterating crowds at festivals and clubs. Expect disco revolutionaries to go nuts.

The final three tracks each act as a build of power. We’ll refer to these final three tracks as the tower of power. The first sees Force jump on the Plump DJs classic Scram and dial it the notch up to 11 with a remix that keeps the broken electrics sample and kicks down your door with spooky dark synth stabs layered over pops and deliciously large kicks. Proving his dubstep influence of date, the next remix is of Datsik and Excision’s Calypso, this one is anything but the Calypso Beach you’ve heard from the Wet’N’Wild ads, grabbing the insanely heavy bassline and lead grouch synth from the original and building with epic choir and you know it, Transformers samples making this an absolutely heavy track that will tear your subs to shreds. You’ve been warned.

Our closing track is a journey of kickassness in the form of Elite Force’s remix of Bar 9’s Shaolin Style, a track that makes you want to jump out of your chair and beat the hell out of someone (in Street Fighter 4, or whatever floats your boat) this track has a steel edged lead synth and bassline that whips over the wicked breakbeat before it splutters out of the synth work and closes the album in an excellent fashion.

Elite Force proves to everyone that he is one of the leaders of innovation within the broadest range of scenes by combining artists with their creative outputs and dipping them into scenes that you would never expect to cross over. This is one of the single most important, captivating and crucial mixes / albums of the new decade (It’s a big and very long call, I know, we’ve got 9 years until the 20’s) not just for breaks, but for the dance music scene as a whole, it’s a signal of what is capable when you throw in innovation, experience and pure class. I have high hopes that Re:Vamped will re-invigorate a genre that many have missed.

Tracklisting
1. Intro
2. The Final Whistle (Elite Force, Popof, Delon & Dalcan, Lee Coombs, Dylan Rhymes)
3. Red Lights & Lasers (Elite Force, Redlight, Meat Katie, Toob)
4. Barbar Blaze (Elite Force, Blaze, Hugg & Pepp)
5. Harness The Nonsense (Elite Force, Daniele Papini, Tim Green, Harnessnoise)
6. Reclaim Control (Elite Force, Calvertron)
7. Annihilate (Elite Force, 6Blocc)
8. The Law Of Life (Elite Force)
9. Rhythm Rocks The Blue (Elite Force, Stanton Warriors, Bassbin Twins, Dopamine)
10. M.A.D. (Elite Force, Hatiras, JELO, Stanton Warriors)
11. Cali Sk8r (Elite Force, Propellerheads)
12. Bring The Panic (Elite Force, Blatta & Inesha, Hijack, Rogue Element, Meat Katie)
13. Divine Act (Elite Force, Classixx, Wolfgang Gartner, Meat Katie, Roland Clarke)
14. Scrammed (Elite Force, Plump DJs)
15. Calypso (Elite Force, Datsik, Excision)
16. Shaolin Style (Elite Force, Bar9)