THE KINGS OF DRUM + BASS COMPILED & MIXED bY 4HERO + DJ MARKY

The Kings of Drum + Bass
Compiled & Mixed by 4HERO + DJ Marky
BBE Records

8/10

When Ninja Turtles and Nintendo ruled my world, there was a hybrid sound called breakbeat/jungle emerging. 4hero, now perhaps better know for their orchestral flourishes and lush broken beats were at the forefront of this unique, inner city London scene. Fast-forward nearly twenty years and drum and bass is a global player. Perhaps no one personifies this more than DJ Marky. Plucked from the raves of Sao Paulo by V Recordings founder and all round scene face Bryan Gee, his technical prowess and truly eclectic selection can leave jaws on the floor. BBE records saw fit their credentials to honour them “The Kings of Drum + Bass” and in the process, got them to do a mix each.

4Hero keep it strictly classic; starting on a smooth, soulful tip, London Elektricity’s “My Dreams” featuring Robert Owens proves you can do vocals in drum and bass. The Nu-Tone mix of Lenny Fontana’s anthemic “Spread Love” is a burst of sunshine on a cold, winters day. Shifting gear in the second half, the darker, moodier tracks you remember come flooding in. Nasty Habits “Shadow Boxing” is all menacing snares and that haunting, techy groove. The duo don’t forget their breakbeat credentials, under their Tom n Jerry guise, “Maximum Style” blurs the lines between hardcore and jungle. It’s a selection of artists who were or still are at the peak of their craft; Marcus Intalex and Calibre represent the new school. Ending on the hoover bassline of Goldie, under his early 1990’s Rufige Kru moniker, and the tight, funky programmed breakbeats of Guy Called Gerald, 4hero give a nod to two more pioneers of the genre. A journey through time that gets the balance of light and heavy just right, this is a seriously credible history lesson.

DJ Marky goes for the jugular, not in a rinse out, moronic kind of way so often the curse of modern dnb but in a grab you by the balls, euphoric, dance for two hours straight, sweat your tits off kind of way.Groove laden from the off, he dips and dives through a typically tight Marcus Intalex production (again), and Calibre (again), who’s “Let Me Hold You” with it’s tender piano refrain, is put simply, a beautiful piece of music. Andy C and Shimon’s “Nightlife” spoils the sunset, crashing in with its motoring baseline, a RAM Records classic.  It’s a peaks and troughs mix, the rough seamlessly flowing into the smooth. Hospital Records signing Subwave add surging synths to the mix. There’s two Marky and S.P.Y tracks back to back, one is all droning, dancefloor aggression, the other a cosmic, vocal female track. The contrast hinting at the diversity he exhibits in his extended live sets.

It’s hard to fault much about these two mixes, both show why at it’s best, drum n bass/jungle/hardcore breakbeat – call it what you like, is one of the few British movements that still gets the kids hooked. I’d largely written off drum & bass for the last ten years, it all seemed a bit repetitive. But nearly two decades on, the Brazilian and the boys from Neasden, North London, showcase why it was, and still can be, such a captivating sound with the right ingredients – energy, soul and just the right amount of darkness.

Joel Harris