This is the new release on Breakbeat Science. High Contrast, by the way, is also a contributor to Hospital Records, a great premier drum & bass label.

High Contrast is back with more high-octane, slightly jazzy drum & bass grooves. The whole album has a cinematic aura in its synth/orchestra loops and soundscapes. All the tracks are long, sometimes too long. It’s all pretty traditional and certainly doesn’t push any envelopes. But who cares - this is drum & bass solidly executed. Fun stuff.

My picks: Tracks 1, 4, 8 are *bangin’* – excellent! Also try: 5, 11.

Track by track inside ----->

- Captain Dee, 12-2004


*1. Kickass beat, electronic arpeggios, vocal/spoken samples about love, a mix of horns riffs, piano chords, and synth ambience. (7:12)
2. Dance party stuff. Pumping beat, electronic bloops, soulful vox samples. (6:04)
3. Old orchestrated soundtrack-ish riffs, mid-tempo MCing. Reminds me of old Roni Size. (5:23)
*4. Ethereal female vocal loop, great harsh beat, spooky background. (5:42)
*5. Crashing beat, energetic melody, vox samples. Good racing music. (6:44)
6. FCCs: “shit.” British female rapping, dark club/booty feel. (5:10)
7. 80’s-ish synths, rolling beat. Fast driving music? (6:23)
*8. Swirling atmosphere, spacey melodies, catchy bass interacts well with the beat. Chase scene in outerspace, perhaps. (6:28)
9. In-your-face beat, funky vibe, more female vox samples. Celebratory. (7:35)
10. Clapping beat, distant electric guitar, cheesy male vocals. I’m bored. (4:31)
*11. Enchanting ambience and guitar underneath sci-fi groove and echoing samples. (5:48)
12. Dancey, big breaks, female vox, sax. Predictable. This is the “bonus track,” but I think by “bonus” they mean “boring.” (5:41)