Various - Virtual DJ: Underground Garage (Breakdown)

The second in the series of Virtual DJ compilations offers exactly the same interface as before, but this time the content is pure garage. "Speed garage" tracks are included to either listen to on a standard CD-player or to plug into your computer to mix, scratch and edit to your heart's content. But the quality of the compilation has not been compromised with the inclusion of the CD-Rom element - all twelve tracks are well worth checking out. Stand-outs come from Gant - 'All Night Long', A Baffled Republic - 'Bad Boys' and Federation X - 'Odyssey One'. In fact the best thing about these compilations is that they are from an established English label. So many similar CD-Rom releases have come straight out of US computer corporations who put little emphasis on quality music and over-hype the interactive content. The virtual DJ decks are just as fun as before, even if I found garage a little harder to mix than the more dynamically varied drum & bass set. But, hey, that's what these CDs are for - they let you play around as a DJ (in an impressively life-like way), without the expense of buying a dozen 12"s, the decks and all the hardware.

But viewing the other interactive elements a second time began to drag. Elsewhere in the 'virtual bedroom', things are less interesting. The 'Interactive TV' is merely a high-tech way to entice you into watching full-screen video of adverts for other Breakdown compilations and the merchandise cupboard is an equally cheeky sales attempt for their range of clothes. There's a daft (but probably cool) hoop-shooting basketball game in one corner that I didn't have the patience to figure out and the quality of the interactive discography is poor - featuring only low-definition scans of other album covers.

In recent years CD-Rom content has been largely overtaken by the World Wide Web. Cool interactive music software that you used to have to buy and install from CD is now increasing plentiful - and free - on the Internet. But it will be some time until there's the Java skills and bandwidth to replicate Virtual DJ on the WWW. Until then, this is probably the best reason for any bedroom DJ to get hold of a CD-Rom-equipped computer. album: 6/10 interaction: 9/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine