*Review* Gurnin Beats 001
We return for another review.
I have just come into the possession of Gurnin Beats 001, and the tracklisting lines up like this…..
DJ Bennie D - Ruffneck Champion
DJ Nee - Be Mine
Eddie Voyager - Hardcore is the Future
Slam 2 the Max - Eddie Voyager Remix
Righty Dokey, lets tell all you lovely people whats going on with this release. Bennie D hits us first off with a proper oldskool fuelled tune. It seems to use a lot of the same sounds that The Prodigy used in the groundbreaking ‘Charly’ back in 1991. Nothing wrong with that really, as this has been very well done indeed. A solid tune, however nothing really new here, and would fit very well in an oldskool set. Starting out with the Charly stab, this builds using the whiney hoover-esque sounds, and drops into a ragga vocal “I just love how the champion sound keep playin”, pepper in some solid bass, and this is quite a shuffler. This tune, however lacks a bit of ’something’ for me. Whether it’s just because the vocal is quite deep and slow, I dont know. But like I say, a solid tune, and should grace many an oldskool jungle set.
Ok, DJ Nee is next. Be mine is the name, and this is a bit more up tempo. Its got some proper dirty amens in there, and slap the Mystery Man break over it, and you got a pretty tuff break going on. Again, heavy on the sine bass, this is reminiscent of the early jungle days 92/93 stylee. The beat tears along and drops into a weird synth pattern, kind of spooky, but not spooky, if you get me. Add in some yeaaaahhhs, and few strange noises, and you arrive like an intercity at the piano section. This is where you’ll find the ‘You know you’re gonna be mine’ sample. I would describe the piano section as a proper oldskool piano, uncomplicated, simple, but effective. This is a track that has a lot of similarities with Bennie D’s in the sense that it has that ‘jungle’ feel to it. A Good slice of hardcore.
Next is the Eddie Voyager, and his ‘hardcore is the future’ track. Now, this is a blinder. It starts with some proper fucked up synth sound, and steals the ‘Dubplate Style, C’mon’ sample. Along with the vocoded main vocal, this track drops heavy with some hard edged amens and lots of ‘wooo’s’. The beat skips along in a funk-step (another subgenre, I’m geting good at these) fashion. And the main drop sees a futuristic synth pattern that is atmospheric, and is pushed along by the introduction of filtered beats and pitch-bent bass. There’s a lot of work gone into this track, and its a powerful , energetic, oldskool workout that should please the majority of listeners. This is pretty close to ‘Sci-fi’ hardcore….. (2 subgenres in one paragraph! Get in!) And for me, the tune of the EP.
Last for my Aural pleasure (!) is Slam 2 the Max (Eddie Voyager Remix). Another one of those cunning remixes on a first release…. creates demand for the original, I’ve heard. Anyway, this one uses the classic Slammin Vinyl ‘Bad Boy’ sample, and runs a little slower than the rest of the EP (or at least the last Eddie V track, anyway). This is a very simple track. Very little edits, uncomplex stab patterns, but staying true to the oldskool vibe. Not a lot else to say about this one. It runs along without getting boring, and whilst it’s not pulling up trees, it does a job. And that job is to finish off the EP with a good tune.
Overall, this is different to the other EP’s I get, as this one has its feet firmly in Oldskool territory. But not frantic oldskool. This is what I would describe as ‘listening’ oldskool. What I mean is, grab a copy of this, whack it in a mix, roll up a doobie, and let the tunes take you back to where it all began. A real ‘Smokers’ EP. And everyone needs to chill from time to time.
Miss this at your own risk.
Until next time…..
The Mix Analyst