★★★★☆
Undisputed when it comes to pinpointing pure, effervescent drum ‘n’ bass flow, LTJ Bukem surveys the skies, predicts a long hot summer, starts filling the pool and dispatches a soundtrack of badass wobbles and Amen rollage. The pure sunshine vibin’, riding like a muscle car with a velvet gearbox and revs cruising on a cloud, is a wild fizz of breakbeats and bass completely smoothed out, turning passing city streets into an exhilarating blur. Particularly with a near wholesale void of vocalism going on, bass, whether upright or in boss mode, and melody rippling and surging through jazz steps are all you’ll need to hang onto; while the ease and efficiency of movement is expected from one of ’90s jungle’s most decorated, perhaps the early quick fingeredness and hectic breaks are more of a bonus windfall.
Rich without pandering to any labels of ‘intelligent’ and dismissing ambient aspersions despite its ready-to-unwind recourse, the brass of SoulTec’s “A Need in Me” and Dynamic’s “Highway Patrol” line the streets as a guard of honour while the motorcade bounces on; while immediately after, Pauls T & SG speed through for the most seamless of intersections and complexion changing drive-bys. The curves of the bass do have a habit of swaying into one, but there’s the essence of rolling for you; twinkling and skimming beyond the dance floor, cocktail shakers readied thanks to Dave Owen’s terrace pianist, and Bukem’s own heralded jungle-tekno physical “Atlantis” getting a tremendous re-up from Marky & SPY.
File under: EZ Rollers, Peshay, MC Conrad