Album Review: Darkroom Dubs Volume Two - various mixed by Silicone Soul

If you have heard of Silicone Soul you probably know them for their genre-defying track 'Right On!' from the turn of the last decade. It was the kind of track that found a place in many DJs sets it managed to please both techno fans and house heads with a combination of strings and loose percussion and despite the duo having released four albums over the years it remains their biggest track.

What you may not know is that the Glasgow duo are not only still active but they also run their own label, Darkroom Dubs. This is their second label compilation, following on from Darkroom Dubs Volume One in 2005.

Darkroom Dubs Volume Two surprises just based on how understated it feels. 'Right On!' was never exactly a fair barometer for Silicone Soul's sound but this never strays even close to the elements that made that track cross over. This is an album for fans of dark, atmospheric minimal music and it takes itself seriously. What you get, therefore, is serious music for people in clubs that want to dance and don't want to talk to other people.

It's clinical then, but in places it works. Opening track 'Diabolus In Musica' by Mirror Music lays down a delicate introduction that feels like floating in space and there are numerous tracks, especially those from Silicone Soul, that get a groove going on.

But what Darkroom Dubs Volume Two lacks is any form of transcendence. There is nothing here that adds up to more than the sum of it's parts - so it's basically a collection of average to good quality minimal tech-house tunes. Nice if that is your bag but ultimately, as the name suggests, this is music for darkrooms in nightclubs.

BP x

Darkroom Dubs Volume Two is out now on Darkroom Dubs.

Album Review: FabricLive 51 - The Duke Dumont

The Duke Dumont appears to be getting his props for the right places - much like upstart Rory Phillips the Duke has seen increasing popularity as the result of a string of successful remixes for the right bands, triggered by his winning the Diesel U Music competition.

At thirteen tracks long FabricLive 51 features less tracks than most Fabric albums, let alone most albums in the FabricLive series and, whilst that may seem like a trivial point it says a lot about Adam Dyment's style. Ultimately this mix is about function more than anything else - there are no tricks here and FabricLive 51 demonstrates that, refreshingly, The Duke Dumont is more about playing ten quality songs than 20 average songs just to prove he can.

And the tracks themselves are a lovely mixture of big room, twisted techno and darker sounds. So from the Vincenzo Remix of Audio Soul Project's 'Reality Check' through to Dyment's own deliciously freaked-out remix of Late of the Pier's 'Bathroom Gurgle' the overall vibe is varied yet consistently spacious and atmospheric. Taking a step-back, FabricLive 51 ends with two slower tracks - Floating Points' loose breakbeat, Flying Lotus-esque 'K&G Beat' and Idioma's melodic 'Landscapes'. It's perhaps a brave move but it shows that The Duke Dumont is more than just a DJ and a good mix CD is more than just a DJ set.

FabricLive 51 may lack thrills but ultimately it delivers a fluid, considered collection of well-mixed tracks and demonstrates a better level of programming and sequencing than many DJs deliver on these sets.

BP x

FabricLive 51 is out now, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD [affiliate link].

Album Review: Shapes 10:01 - Various compiled by Robert Luis

Robert Luis is responsible for A&R for Tru Thoughts and this very affordable compilation (a two-disc set retailing for £4.99) represents his hot tips for 2010.

With Tru Thoughts' general focus on high quality funk and soul the result is consistently good, if sporting few surprises.  On the whole this is a trip through the record crate of someone who clearly knows their stuff, but admittedly a little more here than anyone but the purist needs.  Given the extremely good value for money however, it would be unfair to complain so instead BlackPlastic suggests the listener focuses in on what transcends the barrier between good and great.

So pretty much everything is good, in a 'won't offend anyone' kind of way but some of tracks included inevitably stand out. Azaxx's rough stop-start funk 'Play Again' is as much hip-hop as soul or funk and amongst some of the slightly blander tracks on Shapes it definitely stands out.  Similarly, the epic, almost David Axelrod-esque eponymous 'Stonephace' really carves a place out for itself, leaving whimsical female soul vocals for dust and concentrating on blowing your mind instead.

Shapes 10:01 is a great taster for Tru Thoughts in 2010 but at times the sheer quality of tracks like 'Stonephace' just mean the overall package is in danger of feeling bland. Ultimately though the only real criticism that can be levelled at this album is that it is too much - a stripped back one disc set would have been so full of future classics that it would unquestionably justify its existence, but with so much available for such a low price BlackPlastic can't help but recommend people pick this up.

Shapes 10:01 is out now on Tru Thoughts, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD for just £4.99 [affiliate link].

Album Review: Fabric 51 - Various mixed by DJ T

Perhaps ironic given his pseudonym but out of the heavy hitters within the Get Physical stable DJ T seems to have been the least prolific within the medium of the mix CD. Both Booka Shade and M.A.N.D.Y. have released mixes in the past (in the latter's case seemingly at the expense of ever getting an album out) but this is, to BlackPlastic's knowledge, DJ T's first.

Even more surprising, given DJ T's tendancy for producing club tracks rather than the introspective albums of some of his label mates (Bronnt Industries Kapital or Booka Shade and particularly their The Sun and The Neon Light album) Fabric 51 is surprisingly deep. Refreshingly so.

It is an album that is much slower and thoughtful than BlackPlastic would have anticipated. Michael J Collins eases the listener in with the minimal and atmospheric 'I Just Wanna Be Your Disco Bitch' and with that the pacing is set - nice and slow - for what follows. And what follows is pretty fabulous. The Salax Peep Show Remix of 'A Million Secrets' by Stuffa sounds like some whining indie boys taken straight from the cover of NME yet rapidly thrust into a dubby, emotive minimal workout - and shockingly it works.

This slow, twisted vibe runs throughout the rest of Fabric 51 to create something that really feels different. Danton Eeprom's 'Give Me Pain' sounds like Metronomy meets Hot Chip in a race to the cool indie kid dance floor and the kick, when it hits, is pure joy. And the level of experimental liberalism never fails to land well - even the bohemian 'Jesus Was A B-Boy' from Ben Mono featuring Jemeni hits with well aimed humour. Hell - BlackPlastic recently said that we never wanted to hear DJ Mujava's 'Township Funk' again and yet DJ T even makes us take that back for the Crazy P mix, applied here, is a thing of melancholic joy.

DJ T has undeniably managed to exceed expectations here. Whilst he may be not have the catalogue of mix albums of M.A.N.D.Y. he has just delivered a mix level with some of their best and the finest Fabric album in a good few months.

BP x

Fabric 51 is released on Monday - order now from Amazon.co.uk on CD or MP3 [affiliate links].

Album Review: FabricLive 50 - dBridge & Instra:mental present Autonomic

dBridge & Instra:mental's Autonomic mix for FabricLive eschews expectations for a drum 'n' bass mix by slowing things down. Right down.

After collaborating on a track together, dBridge and Instra:mental collaborated to form Autonomatic - ultimately a club night with spin-offs, the most significant of which is, as the press release say, ultimately a style of music.

Because FabricLive 50 doesn't just slow things down. It is considerably slower than even a breakbeat set, with the tempo coming in below a chilled out 100bpm. This is still distinctively dnb though, and both dBridge (formerly part of the fairly legendary Bad Company) and Instra:mental clearly know their craft.

The album opener, Riva's 'Seems Like', glides a soulful vocal over a spacious backing that gently melds into Instra:mental's own 'From The Start' but as soulful as the whole thing feels the beats are deep, percussive and ultimately pure liquid drum 'n' bass.

But slow drum 'n' bass sounds about as much fun as stretching out the Queen's speech to last the whole of Christmas day, Boxing day and maybe even right up to New Year's Eve... Surely the point is that it gets you moving, the rolling basslines, pitched vocals, and the last thing we want is more bloody dubstep.

But as we said, dBridge and Instra:mental clearly know what they are doing. Just as liquid dnb made BlackPlastic's heart go aquiver about eight years ago by giving the genre vocals and, as a result, a tune, FabricLive 50 works because of the space the production gets. There are relatively few vocals here as it happens but the speed gives the album an intelligent, soulful feel more reminiscent of Jazzanova and the Compost label than any dnb or dubstep we ever heard.

FabricLive 50 is actually fairly reminiscent of Global Communication's Fabric album (Fabric 26), robotic yet soulful... Ferocious let subtle. By redefining what drum 'n' bass is dBridge and Instra:mental have just pushed a genre forward that desperately needed innovation. Dubstep be damned - dnb died and Autonomic just brought it back.

BP x

Check out the 30-minute promo mix over at Fabric's MixCloud page.

FabricLive 50 is out on 15 February, available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on CD [affiliate link].