Drum 'N' Bass Mix – DJ Suv

During the late '90s, the drum'n'bass scene endured a long dry period, characterized by arid, brittle beats and nearly unrelenting effects paranoia. When it came roaring back a few years later, an unlikely source -- the music and DJs of Brazil -- proved the catalyst for a return to soulful sound and varied stylistic mix. Though it may surprise a few listeners to find one of the key figures in tech-style jungle making a smooth transition into a new scene, SUV's 2003 set for DMC is all the proof anyone needs. Simply titled but subtly compiled, Drum 'n' Bass Mix makes complete his move from Roni Size sideman and Full Cycle producer to soulful, Brazilian-tinged man about town. A pair of own productions done in sunny Sau Paulo for the Trama label, with vocalists Max de Castro and Patrícia Marx, illustrate that SUV is very comfortable with the sound, his wicked production sense compensating for any sense of profiteering (it was in much the same circumstances that DJ Marky hit the British charts with "LK [Carolina Carol Bela]"). To prove he's hardly a gold-digger, SUV spends plenty of time in the Western Hemisphere, slotting a couple of crucial ragga tracks -- a Smith & Mighty remix of Big Youth's "Jim Screechy" and a More Rockers track called "Ridim." Interspersed are a few of the old breakbeat-mayhem tracks that Full Cycle fans will appreciate, tracks from J Majik, Total Science, and Ray Keith (the latter remixes SUV's "Give It to Me Now"). A winner right off the bat, Drum 'n' Bass Mix takes its place next to Marky's Movement: The Brazilian Job as an excellent look at the future of relevant jungle. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide