A feeble attempt at reviewing the brand new Offworld Transmissions Volume 3 album.
This album starts off just as lush and expansive as I hoped. Seathesky is one of those 'can't do wrong' producers for me and he opens the album with the sublimely liquid 'Contact'. This song is a collaboration with Nelver (a Russian based producer) whom I was previously unfamiliar with and after a visit to his soundcloud I could see why Seathesky would want to collaborate with him - he has serious chops and traditional/classical training. Anyways, back to the song at hand. ‘Contact’ is, to me, the essence of Drum and Bass; if a person were to ask me what Drum and Bass was I would show them this track. An almost mysterious intro pushes forward to a silky smooth bassline that is topped by an ethereal piano and some disparate vocals. This opener does not disappoint.
Bone makes another appearance after featuring on Offworld Transmissions Volume 2 with the track 'without you'. In this installment he brings 'This Time' and it's a small departure from what I've grown accustomed to. It contains some female vocals, but they are more linear and poignant than the typical atmospheric vocal stabs he uses - at least in the intro, once the chorus hits 'this time' is repeated and effected in various ways to move the song forward without becoming stagnant.
Phat Playaz makes his debut for the Transmissions series, but is a longtime favorite of Allan Cowie (LM1) who is a label honcho at Offworld Records. This song, 'Seperation', follows suit with the album with its velvety smoothness and its peppered-in vocals.
Scenic & Advisory make their obligatory appearance on the Transmissions 3 album as with every one before it. And, as much as a didn't want to say this, the track 'Skin Deep' itself seems a bit obligatory. While the production is great and the soundscape is massive this is the kind of song that gets lost on a compilation like this. While I've always appreciated artists knowing their place and not trying to outshine others (that opening DJ at 9PM playing peak stuff to an empty room) this track just doesn't bring enough to the table to be remembered beyond a shrug and half smile that says: "Yeah, it was pretty good.”
Another newcomer to the Offworld Transmissions series is Parhelia. Parhelia is another Ruski (don't worry, I looked up if this term was offensive to Russians - and then I realized I didn't care) who brings the second longest track to the album. ‘Interlunar Landscape’ is a good example of how to do what the previous song struggled with. This song stays fresh with endless automation and a constant piano that maintains a unity throughout. Parhelia blends subtlety with energy nearly flawlessly.
My palms are sweaty as I adjust myself more securely in my seat. I feel my blood pressure rise and begin to breathe heavier. This is either my first experience at a strip club or me approaching the first, and wait... what?!, only track by LM1 on what is, essentially, his pet project. Well, it's the latter and thank goodness... the other story ends, well, messy. Listening to this intro of ‘The Calling’ just puts a smile on my face and I can feel my writers' bias slipping away so to be fair I'll just give the ‘one’ an A++++.
Bone, with his second track on the album, brings 'Whole (feat. Snowflake)' to the amalgam. Some strings, pads, and fragile vocals start this tune off, followed by a driving drum pattern with an atypical DnB kick drum pattern. Open and airy but not so much so that it becomes boring. Emily Richards, aka Snowflake, makes this song undeniably sensual with her dainty singing that brings to mind images of ruffling white bed linens and sand kicking up in slow motion. Also, she's kind of a babe.
Two more newcomers 'Enigmatic Desire' & 'Nelver' (who was introduced earlier) throw their collaboration/refix 'Close Your Eyes' into the mix. Minor key, or do my ears deceive me? Standalone I would say this is a great track, but on a compilation like this I don't think it does enough to stand out.
Nelver. AGAIN?!?! The hell you say... With his third and final creation we are gifted 'Nightwalker'. It's clear to see why LM1 and the other folks at Offworld like this guy so much. Not only does he fit their niche of liquid and atmospheric DnB, but he has a penchant for making the same mundane themes we've heard before seem more textural and interesting. Big ups, Eugene.
Some more fresh blood pumps in via artist/producer Static, but he's no newcomer to the scene. He has collab'd with some of the biggest names and released tracks with many well respected labels. His song for this album is 'Waiting Around' and it is absolutely palatial. In short this song feels like flying through space with your trusty companion HAL 9000 guiding you along. Appropriate.
You think it's easy to make it on a compilation like this? Well, Tim Cant... I mean Tim can... shit. Tim Cant is a DJ/Producer/journalist from the Bath area and he presents 'Sunken Dream' for the album. All the tracks of this album have a somewhat metallic sound; however, this one takes the cake, thus far. After the breakdown the second chorus is pure frenetic energy that is pulled in tight by some sort of magical, musical corset that gives the tune a nice hourglass shape. Jesus... enough waxing poetic - the song is packaged well.
SILENCE GROOVE!!! A fellow Polack that has had me enthralled since his release of the 'Eat Me Softly EP' (if you haven't heard it or don't have it - listen to it or buy it) and is regularly in my playlists. This tune, 'Munch Box', is shaded a bit different than what I've come to expect as it opens with a drum beat in the 170's BPM range as opposed to the 80's I'm used to; very reminiscent of what Camo & Krooked do. The whole first half, in fact, is a bit like a C&K song. The breakdown reminds me of why the song is on this album and not Drum and Bass Arena's 2013 or Hospitality 2013 but I can't help shake the feeling this isn't what I expected from Silence Groove. Good tune, though, and I look forward to mixing with it.
Enjoy & Eschaton, also new to the series, bring a jungle beat that is toned down by incredibly lush keys. The song 'San Pedro' falls into oblivion for a couple seconds and is brought back with energy and fervor the album hasn't experienced yet. In short, if you had fallen asleep with headphones on this one is going to wake you. The intros, buildups, and breakdowns on this are phenomenal - but for me, the chorus is a bit too abrasive to match the other parts. That could be entirely intentional; however, for me, it falls short.
Mindgear, a German newbie, shakes things up right off the bat. 'Quism' starts with a broken drum beat, but that is quickly enveloped in a larger, tighter groove. The sub-bass pushes the action forward nicely and elements are layered and then swept away for the breakdown. The intro is interesting and all, but if it were me mixing I'd definitely cut in from the middle of this tune. Oh, not heard of Mindgear? That's because it's a pseudonym, you may know him as Frequenzverschiebung...
At this point we'll just assume the artists are new unless otherwise stated - just like Shrust. Shrust, a German if I'm not mistaken, has placed some interesting vocals that lead into his chorus – they’re certainly not English. 'Cocoon' is another lush song that lives up to the album art accompanied. This is another track I would probably grab from the middle if I were mixing it.
Good ol' Frequenzverschiebung is back, alongside GLT with their collaborative track 'Outside'. ‘Outside’ takes about 2 minutes to get to the chorus (I won't say 'drop', I just won't) but the wait is worth it. The disparate, almost minimal sound gives way to a wall of frequencies from, what seems, 30Hz to 20kHz. This track is... interesting, it is very modular and begs multiple listens.
Now, onto the longest track on the album 'Disconnected Vision' which was produced by FreeBird. FreeBird is relatively new to the scene (2010) but is making splashes with productions like this. This song was love from the top - high pitched drone, trumpet with massive reverb - what's not to love? Earlier I alluded to HAL 9000. Well, wouldn't you know it, a 2001: A Space Odyssey sound bite makes an appearance here. This song morphs and moves of its own volition, slowly adding and shedding layers upon layers of luxurious, almost icy, soundscapes. Certainly one of the top 5 tracks on this album, in my most humbled of opinions.
Dan Guidance takes Hybrid Genesis' song 'Cerpow' and remixes it for the album. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the original despite my best efforts so I can't tell you if it did the original justice or strayed too far from center so I'll just have to speak to this version as if it were the original. The intro is nice, nothing groundbreaking - but, solid. The build to the chorus adds a 16th note mid and sub bass that drive along with the drums nicely. A post-modern laser sound is automated over the top of all of it to break any monotony the listener would experience. Quite a solid track that has some deep, heavy undertones accompanied by (what I would consider) an uplifting vocal.
Next up is the artist that gets my award for hilarious/cool DJ moniker. Nic ZigZag adds 'Five Hill' to the mix. The song starts with a sound that would make Bob Moog smile. A fatty synth mixes with heavily delayed and reverbed keys while a drum loop is slowly filtered in. The drums carry a familiar beat for drum and bass, but the kit used is anything but DnB regular fare. It sounds like an acoustic set and it's easy to tell each piece of that kit was picked carefully. This was the first song on the album that grabbed me by the stones and didn't let go. 'Five Hill' is just plain fun - it carries a very complex sound but is, perhaps, the most widely accessible track on the compilation.
Enigmatic Desire, who was featured on another track (Close Your Eyes) with Nelver gets a solo debut here. The track 'Last Breath (feat. Sandcastle)' starts with an almost gated synth sound accompanied by a 170's BPM drum loop. This song is about as close as you'll get to a certified club banger on this album - it flirts with trance and dance roots but boasts a strong DnB sub-bass groove. The bridge/breakdown is another testament to the trance roots made very apparent. All-in-all I would say on another compilation this mostly cheerful song might be lost, but it stands out on this album full of moody and, somewhat, brooding tunes.
Breakslinger is back after doing a few tracks on Transmissions Volume 2. 'Pixels & Stuff' builds in an almost glitch/broken beat fashion. A lot of detached pieces of music slowly form into one working, moving sound. This song has a much less recognizable progression as it moves from intro to chorus to bridge in, what seems like, whatever fashion struck the imagination of Breakslinger at the time. There are a lot of different phrasing lengths here. Simply, another track that demands multiple listens.
Rounding out the album is Joey Meuross, aka Sprinter, with the song 'Suffocate'. The song itself is aggressive; really, in every way. Light quick drums, a pulsing melody line that drags you along, and some interesting stabs above it all. After the bridge/breakdown the second chorus really picks it up with a change of bassline to a more modular chord change. From there the song goes back and forth between all the themes that have been presented until it slowly fades into just drums and some pads.
If you've made it this far you're probably thinking:
Sorry for being long-winded, but I think it was important to spotlight each song individually. The album as a whole is one hell of a journey in melodic/liquid Drum and Bass. While listening it was hard to think objectively about the songs as a whole and not think simply about how they would mix together or where I'd set my cues – but we all need to break a good mental sweat now and again. Pick up the album from the iTunes store, directly from the Offworld Shop http://www.offworldrecordings.com/store/, or any good online music retailer. Hope you enjoyed my review, now go crack a beer - you earned it.
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