After exploring the melodic side of Drum&Bass in Sweet Headache 003: Snowball Fight , I wanted to record a darker and harder DnB-mix. It’s still kinda playful, so it shouldn’t really be rocket science to enjoy this mix. A glass of jet fuel might be a good drink along with this.

Tracklist:

1. Sub Focus – Rock It
2. Rob Sparks – Disintegration
3. Jade – Pulp Friction
4. Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank (Mulder’s Urban Takeover Remix)
5. Enea – Kill
6. Sub Focus – Timewarp
7. Enter Shikaru – Juggernauts (Nero Remix)
8. Gimbal&Sinan – Take Off (Dreadmaul Remix)
9. Bennie G. & Zeven – Anthem
10. Santogold – Unstoppable (Calculon and Eric Yo! Remix)
11. Dieselboy & Kaos – Barrier Break
12. Psidream & MC Mecha – Atomsmash
13. Concord Dawn – Raining Blood

Nerditional Information: It took me a while to remember why the vocal sample in Enea’s “Kill” sounded familiar: “HAL, despite your enormous intellect, are you ever frustrated by your dependence on people to carry out actions?” – “Not in the slightest bit. I enjoy working with people.” This is a quote from Stanley Kubrick’s classic “2001″ – and using this quote in a track called “Kill” can certainly be interpreted as dark irony.

Sub Focus are one of my favorite Drum&Bass acts in recent times. Their last album includes both straight, high-quality DnB-smashers as well as some good and unusual House tunes. I believe that it’s often a good thing if an artist takes a shot at a different genre, so kudos to them! If you haven’t seen it, check out the video for Sub Focus’ “Rock It”!

The last track (“Raining Blood”) is based on a Heavy Metal song (Slayer’s “Raining Blood”). I used to listen to Metal for a while, so may that’s why Concord Dawn’s rework resonates with me. The original is quite different though…

Thanks to Nils for recommending Diesel Boy!

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/2397259329/ // CC

As I already mentioned in my last post, I re-discovered Drum&Bass last year. I was always a fan of broken beats, but for a while, I had the impression that not much was happening in Drum&Bass any more. I was wrong, and I discovered a few really great tracks last year that I just had to make a mix of.

There is also quite a bit of snow here in Cologne right now. If it’s the same wherever you are, this might actually make a perfect soundtrack for your own snowball fight.

Tracklist:

1. Hilltribe vs. Staple Singers – Going Away (Hilltribe Mix)
2. Mathematics – Get Up
3. Icicle – That Tune
4. DJ Marky, Jenna G, M.I.S.T. & XRS – Sunshine (Touch Me)
5. Phoneheads – Roll That Stone
6. Lynx – Heat Haze
7. Stakka Bo – Here We Go (Gimbal & Sinan Remix)
8. Brookes Brothers – Tear You Down
9. DJ Fresh – Hypercaine
10. Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend (High Contrast Remix)
11. M.I.A. – Paper Planes (Calculon Remix)
12. Snow – Informer (Gimbal & Sinan Remix)
13. Kawan – Bikram Singh & Gunjan (Drum&Bass Remix)

Nerditional Information:
There are two tracks in that mix that were big hits in my early teenage years: Snow’s “Informer” and “Here We Go” by Stakka Bo. While I cannot listen to most tracks from that time without suffering, those two were actually some of the better ones. As both were remixed by Gimbal&Sinan, I assume that those guys feel the same way.

I also included “Roll That Stone“, an older track by the German Drum&Bass legends known as Phonehads. I only mention that they are from Germany because Drum&Bass is so UK-centered that it’s remarkable when there are successful acts outside of the UK.

Talking about the UK: If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t miss the awesome dance video to DJ Fresh’s “Hypercaine”! And if you like this style, check out one of UK’s finest DnB labels Breakbeat Kaos, home to a few of my favorite DnB-artists right now.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jickel/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0