Krust Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Bristol's Full Cycle label drew a veil over their dalliances with major labels following the release of their ill-fated In the Møde as Roni Size & Reprazent, which received both a critical and commercial response far from the rapturous reception of their debut album, New Forms. Having split to pursue solo interests via their own imprint, Die and Krust further embellish the domination of the drum and bass movement, following Roni Size's coagulation of dancefloor runners on Touching Down, with the debut album from their much-vaunted collaborative project I Kamanchi. Initially unleashed to some fervor with their epic "Stay," which was featured on the Planet V LP back in 1999, the mixture of Krust's penchant for terrifyingly bleak, bass-driven pieces mixed with the dancefloor fluency of Die amounts to something of a formidable formula. From the opening sci-fi broadcast through to the worldly thrash of "What is Kamanchi," the pair continually turn up the jungle beat pressure, interrupted only by the occasional downbeat vocal aside, and a competent hip-hop piece featuring Rodney P, "Sounds of the Culture," rounding out an accomplished LP. ~ Kingsley Marshall, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After many singles and EPs (for Full Cycle and V Recordings) as well as a high-profile gig with Roni Size on the Mercury Award-winning New Forms, recording producer Krust goes the way of "intelligent" drum'n'bass (for better and for worse) on his debut album, Coded Language. Though both his sense for production and ear for great ideas are still intact, the record suffers from a sense of how self-serious the jungle community has become; the title track features rapper and performance artist Saul Williams solemnly praising the importance of the jungle community, never a good sign for the continuing development of a musical style that has seemed frozen in its tracks since 1996. Krust also enlists a female vocalist named Morgan to contribute vocals on several tracks. He even hired a string quartet for the muted classical flair of "One Moment." Coded Language is a very good drum'n'bass album, but it's a shame that Krust didn't focus on his production skills as much as he did on trying to branch out into jungle-fusion. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
