When a drum and bass release comes across my desk, just as Fabric 46 did a few days ago, I greet it with mixed emotions. Only a few years into my exploration of electronic music, I’m still trying to figure out where I stand on a number of issues. I’ve had well over twenty years of listening to (for lack of a better term) non-electronic music, and can speak about a variety of topics at length, and (I’d like to think) with some depth. When it comes to drum and bass, however, my novice ears are only been able to break it down into simple categories: Love It or Hate It. It rarely takes more than a minute or two for me to make this determination. The drum and bass tracks that leave me cold are the kind that hit you over the head from the get-go, and have little interest in doing anything else. I prefer the d&b tracks that give you a little space to operate. I’m a big fan of musical subtleties. As with so many other things in life, it’s the little things that make all the difference…

It would be pointless to try to write an expert review of this release as a number of more qualified individuals have or will. I’m not going to tell you how it stacks up against LTJ Bukem’s other releases, because frankly, I haven’t heard them. I can tell you what it sounds like, if I like it (I do) and why. I can even put together a little snippet with the bits I enjoyed so you can preview the release and form a few opinions of you own, which, after all, will probably serve you better than mine. Enough prefacing….

I was struck with an optimistic outlook for this mix at the 0:20 mark. A saxophone was audible, and the “bass” showed up. I was pleased to find a nice, grooving bass line. One would find this not entirely surprising in a genre called drum and bass, but I’ve been burned before The sax proved to be an indication of that for which I was hoping, the kind of d&b that incorporates elements of jazz, soul, and r&b.

The gears change slightly around track 4 with the Madcap remix of Villem’s Inflated Tear. Early on in the track there are some cool spacey, fluttering synths that shift the mood, only to drop out and give way to a proggy piano break; a nice spot in the mix to ease back. This is followed by three solid tracks from Paul SG, the last of which includes this little jazzy guitar break that would have worked marvelously as transition music on a 70’s game show. I love it.

I won’t pick apart the rest of the album. I’ll leave that to you. I can say confidently that this is a solid release. I’ve given it several subsequent spins, and have come to enjoy it more and more. I suspect it would easily find favor with drum and bass enthusiasts, and would also be good for those new to electronic music. It has enough elements of other styles of music to keep an electronic newbie from feeling lost, while hopefully bringing them to something new. On a personal note, this release is going to be the beginning of a trek back to the early days of drum and bass for me. I don’t spend much time pursuing it because of the extent to which I am turned off by bad d&b. I think I’ll use LTJ as my starting point and branch out from there. Seems like a safe place to start…….