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"Night Works" is one of this year's essential dance albums. Sexy, soulful, atmospheric and all grown-up, this album represents a big step forward from Layo & Bushwacka's acclaimed 1999 debut LP "Low Life". A perfect blend of house, breaks and downtempo with jazzy, dubby and bluesy vibes - stylish and well-polished but never slick or commercial-sounding. The album offers 14 fantastic tracks in all, smoothly mixed together. These include gems like the classy, spaced out breakbeat track "Let the Good Times Roll", much-hyped house tune "Love Story" and the lovely closer "2MRW", with melancholic synths drifting over oldskool "Doo Doo Brown" breaks. "Night Works" is the ultimate CD to play in your car while driving along the highway at night, and it sounds just as brilliant at home or on a big sound system in a club. Goosebumps!

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Renowned for his party funk break singles and the Battlecreek EPs on his own Illicit label, Deadly Avenger (aka Damon Baxter) is back, but you may not recognise him. The days of sample-heavy dancefloor funk are over as Deadly Avenger has gone all serious and musical. Deep Red takes Baxter into a new realm of breakbeat production, having more in common with the likes of Craig Armstrong and David Holmes than Freddy Fresh or Krafty Kuts. This is a more grown-up piece of work, reflective and dramatic, and in his own words "not meant for the dancefloor". Even so, there are still some punchy breaks to be found. The recent promo-only single "Punisher" b/w "Day One" is here for those who weren't lucky enough to get it, "Punisher" being a dirty guitar-led upbeat DJ Shadow-style symphonic breakbeat track while"Day one" goes full tilt into blissed-out summer house. The album is themic, giving the atmosphere of a soundtrack (a future David Arnold perhaps?), with intros, love songs, car chase sequences and end titles. The emphasis is on atmosphere, built up with strings and at times melancholic beats, often reflecting the deeper moments of Air or even Enigma, all supported by cathartic percussion. The album features collaborations with Pussyfoot stalwarts Howie B and Sie Medway Smith, a certain guarantee of top-class knob twiddling. Deadly has set his stall out as the upbeat challenger to Craig Armstrong's film score role, taking the ideas of Labbi Siffre and contemporizing the rhythms. With only a handful of tracks appropriate for most dancefloors, this is one to set aside for home or car listening. It is well worth checking out, before Deadly Avenger is lost to the advertising and film industry.

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Meat Katie (aka Whole Nine Yards main man Mark Pember) is one of those rare artists who have succesfully crossed the gaping house / breaks divide. His signature dark, minimal, bottom-heavy tech funk sound straddles the grey area between breaks, tribal and tech-house with big-system tracks like the now-classic "Rotten.com" establishing him as the don of tech-breaks. The CD kicks off nicely with some smooth four-to-the-floor beats, including a mix of Dark Globe's Boy George-vocalled "Auto Erotic". Toward the middle of the mix, Mark switches to a more break-heavy style, dropping some of his own bombs like "Moist" (a teamup with Dylan Rhymes) and funky solo effort "My Little Dancing Girl". The second half of the CDs keeps building the energy with harder-edged tech-breaks productions from well-known breakbeat producers like Koma & Bones, Future Funk Squad and Soul of Man (contributing his hot single "Dirty Waltzer"). Meat Katie's own cheekily titled groover "Cum Shot" provides the perfect closing track. If you like Meat Katie's housey breaks sound then you can't afford to miss out on this CD.

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A fantastic mix from the unstoppable Mr. McFayden. Best in series! Our favourite dreadlocked breaks warrior takes the reigns in the consistent "Y4K" series. FreQ takes the compilation through 4/4 tech-breaks, breakstep and of course deep, dark, bass-driven nu-skool. Supported by the vocal talents of MC Spoonface, FreQ moves through the layers of bass with an expertly compiled and mixed selection. Not content to limit himself to breakbeat, the mix incorporates dub, house, techno and jungle while maintaining the dancefloor energy. Highlights include the "live bootleg" of Public Enemy vs. FreQ's own "Amped", Phil Keiron ("My house...") and Precision Cuts ("Let This World Be"). FreQ comes boomin' back at us in the finest of form!

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This LP showcases the talents of Aquasky - previously known for their drum 'n' bass and hiphop - as producers of the highest calibre. From the off, the basslines are loaded and the percussion is ready for battle. "Satellite Channel" draws you in with warm funk breaks before instigating a techy excursion to Planet Bass. The album moves through the tech-breaks of "Thru the Fire" and garage-influenced breakbeat of "Loko" (featuring the Ragga Twins) to the massive "777" single, showing why so many dancefloors have been going ballistic over their sound. The bonus mixed CD features additional tunes and is mixed by Aquasky themselves.

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Seems like just yesterday Baby Anne's "Dark Side of the Boom" was released. So this is a very welcomed surprise for her fans. Our very own Breakbeat Diva drops a mix of current and unreleased tracks that are straight funky breaks. Her new track "Fury" is not exactly pushing any envelopes, but it stays true to her style of Miami bass and electro. She even throws in the Nynex remix of Tall Paul's "Precious Heart" to please the brass at Moonshine. With stand-out tracks from Dynamix II, Huda Hudia and Tony Faline, "I'm About To Break" is sure to become a favorite with new and old breakbeat heads alike.

Review by [Wasted, UK]
Released as a tribute to the short but accomplished musical career of late label boss Vini Medley, this compilation (encompassing three CDs and over 50 tracks) showcases the vibrant and diverse breaks scene that he was so heavily involved with. The first (unmixed) CD, offering downtempo and chilled breaks, opens with Atomic Hooligan's top-class downtempo and melodic interpretation of title track "Forever Young" and pulls in classic tracks from the likes of Chris Carter, Tipper, Pressure Drop, and Meat Katie. Next up, the ever-prolific Atomic Hooligan step forward to up the pace with their exclusive mixed CD, dropping a more dancefloor-orientated mix of exclusive Botchit breakbeat, featuring many fine moments like the dark, Middle Eastern influenced strains of Vini vs the Funk Monster's "Dominion", Freq Nasty & BLIM's outstanding deep and dirty reworking of title track "Forever Young" and the mighty Terminalhead with the acidic roller "Max Fiasco", before rounding off with the airing of Vini Medley himself on "Human Warmth". The package is rounded off with a third CD featuring DJ Tonic and Nick Noize mixing up 18 tracks of hip hop, garage and drum 'n' bass to deliver a smoothly mixed and fitting conclusion to this tribute. 50% of the proceeds from "Forever Young" will be donated to the Willow Foundation charity in honour of Vini Medley.

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SOTO (Sonia Akow and Toby Edwards) are on mixing duties on this latest compilation CD from Botchit & Scarper, the UK breakbeat label's 16th album release to date (!) SOTO first came to my attention when I heard the anthemic "Hold On" featuring Amaziree's amazing vocals. Fortunately both "Hold On" and another classy SOTO tune, "Pigsy", are on this 18-track album, which also features loads more wicked new Botchit tunes from the likes of Atomic Hooligan, Backdraft, Chris Carter (with the superb "Echo Babylon"), Freq Nasty and Aquasky (contributing a new mix of dancefloor anthem "777"), as well as exclusive unreleased materiial from newcomers Quest & K. Koop, Distortionz and Sicknote. The track listing is spot on although the mixing on "Urban Funk Breaks III" seems a bit mechanical in places. All in all though, this is another top class collection of the latest Botchit beats.

Review by [Wasted, UK]
Spoon Wizard first came to my notice when I got my hands on a promo copy of his single "Shoe Monkey", a superb offering that stayed in my box for a while and made "Vital tune of the Month" in Muzik magazine. Straight from the outset, Spoon Wizard's unique blend of wispy atmospherics and rolling beats fuse in the sublime melodies of the opening track "Hardened", setting the pace for his debut album "Believe or Suffer" on Southwest label Functional Breaks. Throughout the CD Spoon Wizard draws from all angles of the breaks scene incorporating electro and downtempo, right through to the nu skool breaks scene, delivering a well-produced and fluent album of classy breakbeat. Vocalist Neil Anderson lends his talent to the downtempo "Seven" and the infamous "Shoe Monkey", while Graham Gray takes care of the programming and production, delivering one of the most promising debut's of late. With a UK tour on the way, and armed with a polished live set, Spoon Wizard hase matured into a top-rate act that looks set to carry on upwards.

Review by [a:LOUD / Candy, USA]
Two CDs packed full of self-proclaimed "funkyprogressivenuskoolelectrotechbreaks" or, for those of us not quite so "undaground", simply two discs of forward-thinking and amazing breakbeat music. The sheer quantity of superb unreleased material runs the risk of overshadowing itself. Twenty-four tracks in all, 17 of which are brand-new. Highlights include a nasty bass-heavy person shaker from producer Lobster Boy; Kraymon continuing to consistently drop choice cuts (three in all, of which two are new); Hedrock Valley Beats making their return with a drivingsampleheavy- funkybeatsandbass (to use the parlance and form of our times) party rocker; and Databass (label head Justin) absolutely establishing himself as a top-notch producer with "Resistor" and the "Try Me" remix. I haven't even mentioned contributions from Switchshift, Sheethanger, Burufunk, and 2 Sinners. Both CDs are mixed robo-flawlessly but without flair, very much a showcase mixing job allowing for full appreciation of all the tracks. If you have felt slightly underwhelmed by the breadth of past UK breaks compilations and need something to substitute"'Bedrock Breaks", pick up "Boomtronics" and submerge yourself in some supaqualitynuskoolrewindselecting - rinsingdropsandsupabangin' breakbeat, courtesy of Freakaboom.

Review by [FOOD, Ireland]
With Rennie heading up the "tribal" breaks sound, it only makes sense that his next compilation reflect that in name and mood. "Tribalizm" is about as cutting-edge as breaks get. With tracks from the likes of 2 Sinners, Chris Carter, Rennie, and Kosheen, it's no wonder this compilation is destined for greatness. Highlights include the Koma & Bones remix of "Hide U", which will take your breath away, and the deep techy unreleased remix of "Bounce" by Rennie and BLIM. Top comp from a top label, keep it up Rennie!

Review by
Breakbeat heads rejoice! This is Simply Jeff's second continuous mix to be released in as many months. "Next Step" features artists from Phonomental Music, Jeff's well respected breaks label. Donald Glaude, John Kelly and Josef Plante join Simply Jeff on this compilation, making it a leviathan of West Coast breakbeats. San Diego's B-Side is also represented with his bangin' track "Waterman" - a crazy nu-skool track that defines the future of this genre. Laker fans will get a kick out of the Chick Hearn samples in last year's tech-house breaks track, "Jello Jigglin." And Hawaii's own Mizota represents the far West Coast with his synth hybrid breaks track, "Realize." A truly awesome combination of talent producing quality music that should open some ears to the breakbeat genre.
 

Review by
Simply Jeff is known for incredibly eclectic flavors and his latest Moonshine release Breakbeat Massive doesn't disappoint. The mix kicks off with a flowing homage to Kraftwerk in Jeff's own "Funkengruven" and ends with a progressive remix of Rick West's "In The Mix." What happens in between is pure West Coast mastery of the breakbeat sound. Much like DJ Icey has done on the East Coast, namely Florida, Simply Jeff appears to be doing out here. Taking well known artists like Rennie Pilgrem, Bassbin Twins, Jackal & Hyde and somewhat unknowns like Elite Force and Player One, Simply Jeff unites the subtly different sounds into a seamless blend of broken beats. From the trancey remix of Skuffle to Jeff's collaboration with Stacey Q, the listener will definitely travel through a few different schools of breaks. He is always moving forward and we're fortunate to be taken along for the ride.

Review by [Future Music Distribution, USA]
If you have ever had the pleasure of hearing Koma & Bones play a live set then you are well aware of the skill and aura that this duo can create behind the wheels.  This continuous mix is no different and just as the name suggests it is the next level of breaks in the timeless Y4K (and beyond) saga.  Not just your average broken, rumbling and clattering nu skool tracks wrapped in professionally marketed design and mixed into a semi detailed account of how it should be done.  No, this is a journey through linear and nonlinear breaks from multiple angles that has been compiled into an engulfing mix of seamless transitions and lush soundscapes.  With tracks from Blu Mar Ten, Jark Prongo, 2 Sinners and Chris Carter to remixes from the likes of Terminalhead, PMT and B.L.I.M. this is not to be overlooked for any reason short of a koma.  In this mix, K&B have outlined the next wave of influential breakbeats to spark worldwide interest.  Don't be surprised if this is the sound breaching sound systems in chique house clubs and late night slots in the main room of any retro party or fiesta.

Review by [FOOD, Ireland]
Adam Freeland and his label Marine Parade have their eyes on global domination, and I'm not just talking in the breaks scene. He one of the main people responsible for bringing breakbeat out of the backrooms and onto the main floors of some of the biggest clubs in the world. So when he decides to release a new compilation, people listen, and listen closely. "On Tour" is by far his best compilation to date. It is comprised of 15 tracks in all, with 5 unreleased cutz from the likes of Bushwacka!, ILS, Bassbin Twins, and Uberzone. It showcases some of the biggest names and phatest tracks around, all of which are mixed to perfection by Adam himself. After a couple of listens you will see clearly why this man is a kingpin of our scene. "On Tour" is out on October 1st on CD and 4 x Vinyl, dont miss it!
 

Review by [Breaksworld.com]
Everyone's favourite funky breakbeat label, Finger Lickin', have unleashed their second compilation CD and it's twice as fun as the last one! Mixed by Soul of Man using two turntables and a mixer and no computers (a rarity these days!) the mix encompasses 12 tracks with lots of essential tunes from Finger Lickin' recent back catalogue. There's "Electric Disco" and "The Push" from the Plump DJs while Lee Coombs contributes the fantastic "Future Sound of Retro" and "Thrust 1". Soul of Man's aptly named "Killa Brew" tune is here, in both the Killa Mix and Brew Mix, while the Drumattic Twins (who signed to Finger Lickin' recently) contribute the groovey "Thinkin' About You" among others. In short "Finger Lickin' Thang 2" is a must-have CD offering a nonstop booty-shaking party breaks assault. And good news for DJs who missed out on the 12 inches, the comp also comes on unmixed double vinyl.

Review by [Breaksworld.com]
This inspired mix more than makes up for Tayo's recent "Y4K" CD which I thought was rather disappointing, especially in its obvious track selection. It seems like the top UK breakbeat deejay had a lot more freedom in chosing tracks than he did on "Y4K". This mix definitely has more obscure selections and it's much heavier on tracks from Tayo's excellent label Mob Records. The "Nu Horizons" CD offers two of Tayo's own productions - the fantastic, dubby breakbeat tracks "Fire Good" (a teamup with Precision Cuts) and "Wicked Dub", a collaboration with Acid Rockers Downtown. Also making the selection are Hybrid's outstanding remix of John Creamer & Stephane K's "I Love You" as well as Rennie Pilgrem & Dub Species' distinctive "The Sermon" - yep, that's the one with the mad preacher carrying on about "treble and bass" - plus tracks by PMT, Bushwacka! and McMillan & South among others. If you're into Tayo's groovey, funky organic style, than seek out this excellent mix!

Review by Hogey Bare [Fish & Chips, UK]
Unlike some labels, Raygun aren't afraid to diversify their musical output. The budget priced "Administration" compilation features an array of musical genres, from the sofa friendly lounge beats of Dynamo Dresden, the Rephlex style anarcho-electro of Bromide war & Spiralizt, and leftfield tracks from Broadway Danny Rose, to the more recognisable beats of Stabilizer, Scissorkicks and Phantom Beats. Even the Nu-Skool is twisted into new variants; The Funk mix of Stef Stabilizer's "What it takes" lays a housey groove for the funkier heads (never fear, the bass-heavy original can be found on the mixed CD), while Sheethanger & Spec X-Ray provide funky Nu-breaks trax. The eclectic nature of the label can be found sweating and bounding in the Atomic Robo Kid track "Magical Sound shower". Starting with a Casio keyboard riff, charged up sub percussive drums are overlaid with chunky bass & snares. It is a track, which cannot fail to make you groove & grin in an unexpected way. A true indicator that the Raygunites are music lovers, who want to share with, and not rip off their clientele is the fact that this budget priced double CD compilation has a mixed CD featuring different trax from the unmixed, and as a whole has many unreleased tunes. At the helm for the mix CD is Vandal. His crossover Electro breakz tune "Higger Tor" is a standout on CD1 with its garagey sub-bass, offset by electronica which would make the brothers Hartnoll jealous, and driven by Nu-Skool percussion. The mix is kicked off with Vandal's own superb Tribal mix of Stereo Deluxe's "Je Suis Fatiguee", before taking us into sub bass territory with Stabilizer, Deep Impact and Phantom Beats. Future Funk Squad's remix of Scissorkicks' massive "Livin' for Kicks" us a supercharged breakbeat tune, from a producer from whom we can expect great things. The mixed CD is wrapped with none other than the Raygun presidents' Phantom Beats, with their already classic dancefloor filler "The Drop". This compilation as a whole lays the emphasis on fun & funky beats, both for the bedroom & the darker dancefloors, brought to us by a bunch of guys who know how to party

Review by [Breaksworld.com]
The "Bass Queen" Baby Anne finally emerges from the shadow of Florida's "king of funky breaks" DJ Icey with this solid electro bass & breaks CD. Mixed at Florida's breaks temple ICON in Orlando, this mixed CD (her third and best to date) offers a superb selection of electro breakbeat that manages to harness all the infectious energy of the sunny state's Miami Bass-influenced electro breaks sound, but staying well clear of the cheese - hence the "dark" bit in the title. Among the 12 tracks are two of Anne's own productions, the funky "Probe" and bottom-heavy "Pulse". Other highlights are Huda Hudia's rocking "That Conga Track", Con's "Let It Go" with its killer bassline and atmospherics, Motion Unit's classic German electro cut "My Mind", and the CD's opening track, "Beyond" by internationally renowned Florida-based electro duo Jackal & Hyde.

Review by [Breaksworld.com]
If you're into progressive breaks than this CD is the one for you. "Original Masters" is the first-ever compilation CD from a very classy label: Acetate Ltd. The label has been instrumental in breaking the boundaries and crossing over between progressive house and breaks. The CD is mixed by Acetate's best-known artist, PMT (aka Will Brunner). So what tunes are on this disc? PMT's classic "Gyromancer"is here of course, as is the Koma & Bones remix of PMT's "Deeper Water". More classic tunes are mixed in as well, like Mara's twisted vocal progbreaks tune "Desanitize" and Hybrid's sexy, anthemic remix of "I Love You" by John Creamer & Stephanie K feat. Oliver Twisted, to be sure! What's more the track selection also includes excellent productions by top names like General MIDI, Lexi Love, Lee Coombs and Chad Jackson (hiding behind the alias Marcus). This CD is one of the best of 2001 and comes highly recommended!

Review by [Breaksworld.com]
Player One's "Into the Darkness" was one of the hottest breaks tunes of the past few months. Still, it's hardly the best track on this brilliant mixed CD (or unmixed LP) of 12 exclusive new tunes from Liverpool's Airdog Recordings. The Toxteth Renegades weigh in with a truly blinding breakbeat garage monster called "The Rhythm Track" while those popular Plump DJ's are on remix duty, reworking Deejay Punk-Roc's "Blow My Mind" into a relentless peaktime frenzy tune. Airdog keep it funky, bottom-heavy and rough around the edges throughout the mix, without sacrificing variety. Electro is well-represented with cuts from the Krylon Kings and Cape Canaveral, while Brooklyn's Poor & Needy take us on a lovely disco house adventure and Fatcamp (with title track "Play It Rough") and One Armed Bandit chill out on a real funky downtempo tip. Dave London's old "The Roof" tune could well have been left off though. Still, this is a great collection of tunes perfect for your car stereo or home enjoyment, while DJs should seek out the vinyl. I'm not suprised that this will be compilation of the month in the next issue of Mixmag!

Review by [Breaksworld.com]
Danny McMillan represents the groovier, subtler, sexier end of breaks and this has translated very well into this fantastic mixed CD. Danny has mixed together 13 excellent tracks in all - previous releases on his new label In-flight Entertainment, plus loads of hot new, unreleased tracks, such as "D.zire" from Australian trio Nubreed, and "Prototype" from talented UK newcomers Sheethanger. Danny's own project Soul Electric contribute two of the best productions on this CD, the opener "What's That You Do" plus the 2 Sinners remix of "4U". Well-known UK breakbeat artists Aquasky, Precision Cuts, Dub Marines and Uptown Connection also contribute quality productions to this well-rounded mix which flaunts Danny's exquisite musical taste and demonstrates that there's a lot more depth to breaks than the raw sounds of nu skool breaks and breakbeat garage. "High Altitude Breaks" will have you rocking from start to finish.

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