6 Essential Drum n Bass of Albums of – 2001
2001. A HUGE year for drum and bass albums, and a huge year for DNB full stop. With the syncopated drum breaks of jungle firmly a thing of the past, and a new wave of producers coming in from overseas to add their unique take on the genre, drum and bass was at the start of an incredibly productive and highly creative decade.
Here we bring you 6 essential albums of 2001 (with part 2 to follow later) and hope you enjoy this trip back to one of most exciting periods of the music’s history.
Enjoy!
Dillinja - Cybotron
Easily one of the most talked about and highly respected producers the scene has ever known, Dillinja popped home entertainment system speakers to pieces with this incredible album.
Utilising the ‘swing beat’ or quantised drum pattern popular at the turn of the century, this collection of tracks ranges from bass bin crushing growlers to vocal led stompers and everything in between.
Still sounding fresh all this time later, while also very clearly setting the boundaries of the early 2000’s movement, this LP stands as a perfect time capsule for DNB for the year in question.
Superb.
Concord Dawn - Disturbance
Straight outta New Zealand, and packing a mighty, mighty punch to boot, this incredible album really highlights what can happen when a cottage industry goes global, ie a totally homegrown scene makes its way oversees.
With no tracks among the nine in this collection coming in at less than 6 minutes in length, and hot on the heels of the debut LP from the year before, the futuristic vibe on this, with it’s electro bleeps and swirling synth lines is on another level altogether.
A masterpiece.
Rymetyme - Rymetyme
Starting off as an MC at the very earliest days of the rave scene, and later becoming affiliated with numerous pirate radio stations in the UK, RymeTyme was one of the earliest MCs to turn his hand to production, and one of, if not THE only one to forge a path in the burgeoning techstep sound of the late 90s and early 00s.
This LP is good. Really good actually, and that is no wonder when you look at who was involved with its production. When you team up with the likes of DJ Trace, Younghead, Dom & Roland and Optical, you know it’s going to go off.
And go off it does. This album packs a serious punch and simply had to be included.
Mampi Swift - Mainframe
Another producer with a long history within the movement, Mampi Swift gained his first entry into the scene back in 1992.
This album is full of teeth grinding audio carnage, and the energy packed into each and every bar in each and every track explodes from the speakers like a bullet through plate glass.
An absolute must have for anyone wishing to learn their DNB history, Mainframe is an impeccable, highly polished piece
Calibre - Musique Concrete
Picking just a handful of choices from this LP was impossible, such is the precision and beauty crafted into each and every track.
This album is an absolute treat, and there is nothing more to say.
John B - Future Reference
