Bullitnuts - Nut Roast (Pork)

Kicking in the with the fantastic hypno-therapy-inspired drum & space of 'A Sponge, Two Bricks and A Spring', this debut LP from Bullitnuts has an intimate, instantly familiar feel. In fact the title 'A Sponge, Two Bricks and A Spring' perfectly sums up the brick-busting, spring-charged, brain-mashing music which results from the drum & bass-meets-big beats fusion that has inspired so many lately.

This second album from Hull-based duo Bullitnuts is full of variation. 'Rockskool' is pure funk city streets bent-cop action thriller, 'Lizard Tooth Eye' on the other hand initially fools you with its sweet atmospheres (there's even a whistle in there!) before blowing over big with what sounds like a dark 90's take on Grace Jones' 'Pull Up To The Bumper' - all phat bass and fruity percussion. The whole project is topped off by what sounds more like a live instrument-based jam, 'Hell For Leather'. Coming a year after their acclaimed debut, 1st Of The Day (the successor to their original electronica adventures on Concrete records), Nut Roast is probably Rob Ellerby and Murray Clark's most human release to date. Certainly an album (and not forgetting the luxurious cover photography) that leaves you wanting more. 8/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine

Ronnie & Clyde - In Glorious Black And Blue (swim~)

Following tracks on Leaf's 'Invisible Soundtracks Volume II' compilation and appearances on Swim~ records' 'Last Hand' and 'Macro-Scopic' EPs, we finally get our hands on Ronnie & Clyde's debut CD. From spooky chilled-out basement eccentricities to glorious breakbeat and drum & bass, this is what I call a real album - not just a collection of ten tracks. It builds up, breaks down and burns with an underlying coherence throughout.

Ronnie & Clyde (a/k/a John Ross and Rob Fitzpatrick) are in a world of their own with the wooba wooba bass and dub atmospheres of 'Natural One' though to the near-junglist beats of 'Macro-Scopic'. But when the pace calms for beatless chill out sessions, the duo are on thin ice. 'Twice Removed', for example lacks the soul of highly-studied ambience, or the depth of their bass- and beat-oriented tracks. But when the drums return and are mixed up with these more atmospheric leanings, Ronnie & Clyde create a perfect harmony. And this chemical reaction makes for one of the albums highlights, 'Last Hand'.

As this album is only being released on CD, the most important tracks here are 'Natural One', 'From A Great Height' (probably the most accomplished, frontier-embracing drum & bass cut on the album) and 'Theme From A Lazy Life' (awesome science-lab jazz jungle), which are all set to appear on DJ-friendly vinyl. 7/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine