Various - Spunk Jazz (iLL)

Don't be mislead by the "Jazz" part of this album's title - this compilation is an explosive fusion of drum & bass and industrial (drill & bass?) that's mad, bad and dangerous to know.

'Hate Me', the opening track from Animals On Wheels, leaves nothing to the imagination. Carrying on from where Future Sound Of London ('We Have Explosive'-style) left off, 'Hate Me' brings to mind images of musicians creating tracks by propelling oil drums off the roof of a building onto the passing traffic. But that belies the immense precision in what sounds like Throbbing Gristle covering drum & bass (only a centipede could tap its feet to this...). If you can take the pace, this album is full of gems of an emerging breed of cut-up dance. Bubbah's Tuma, Value Ape impress and I want to see Hoarse Operator score the next Star Wars movie. Now that's what I call space-age.

The only mellow moments come from Milky Boy (on loan from Bovinyl) and Si Begg (one third of No Future with Christian Vogel and Neil Landstrumm). His 'You're On Your Own' brings things back into more chartered electronica territory. I'd love to find a club that spun this sort of vinyl, but for home listeners the CD version has the bonus of another mental cut Animals On Wheels. Also look out for Paddington Breaks, whose 'Wet Wang' is the first drill & bass classic. With 'Spunk Jazz' as the debut release from the new iLL label, this could be the beginning of a very disturbed life. 7/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine