Search - Clever :: Offshore Presents Troubled Waters

Going Deep!!!

EO | So. Cal. | 07/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Top notch! I think the press release says it all:





New York, NY - DJ Clever is set to release Troubled Waters, his third mixed CD and first release for Gigantic Music, on July 13th, 2004. Troubled Waters is a drum and bass mix comprised of Offshore Recordings 12"s and this will be the first time ever that these tracks are available on CD.



"A compelling and interesting mix of postmodern breaks and year 3000 soul - a truly fresh push away from the standard issue drum and bass mashup." - Dieselboy



On Troubled Waters Clever presents a fluid mix of the more adventurous, off center side of drum and bass, aimed at the mind just as much as the hips and feet. Though they can all fit into the category of deep or leftfield drum and bass, these tracks range from the drumfunk workouts of Paradox's "I Get a Kickback" and Fracture+Neptune's "Normality Complex Pts. 1 and 2," to the nu-skool neurofunk of Graphic's "1000," the minimal future (soul or funk) of Deep Blue's "Do You Voodoo?" and Seba's "Make My Way Home," and the quirky, technical wizardry of Sileni's "Twitchy Droid Leg.""

Original Offshore

eightpointagenda | Chicago, IL | 05/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was feeling a little nostalgic the other day so I decided to dig out Goldie's Retro disc on his INCredible Sounds of Drum N' Bass collection. What I found was somewhat shocking; drum n' bass used to have it all. Crush, complex rhythms, dark menacing atmosphere but above all, it had more varierty in sound and patterns than most D'n'B today. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a simplistic two stepper from Fresh or Andy C but it excite me with the sense of invention that I found on Goldie's disc(and the album is nearly 8 years old).



Thank the stars for Clever and his Offshore records label, the much needed shot of originality and freshness that's been lacking from Drum n' Bass. What's truly wonderful about his label how his artists not only pull from the glory days of Drum n' bass, but from so many other genres as well. Offshore may not be rocking the floors in the clubs, but it certainly demands attention (and certainly more than its getting now).



The album starts off on fairly minimal note (and with longest track on the album) with Fracture and Neptunes 'Normality Complex' tracks. The openner is a textured affair with an approaching menace atmosphere and a drunken drummer sound, it already shows that this is going to be a much different ride than some of its contemperaries, From there, the album moves in a seemless shift of off key melodies(Seba, Graphic, ASC, and Paradox) and complex drums, to bizarre left-field break workouts(Tundra, Justice, and Seileni especially) that can almost barely be labeled as Drum n' bass, finally working its way through some lush atmospherics that can only be described as an updated Good Looking Records sound(the latter Deep Blue and Pieter K tracks are absolutely killer).



What's also worth mentioning other than just wonderful track collection is the wonderful mixing from the aptly named DJ, Clever. His mixing is spot on, with beautiful pacing, track selection and beatmatching, showing profiency beyond the average DJ. What makes his mixing that much more interesting is how and when he decides to do his blends. Its kind of hard to put into words but listen to the first few tracks and try to figure out where the next tracks start coming in. What this equates to is mixing that's so seemless that you'll be referencing the jewel case just to make sure that one track has ended and the next one has begun.



Wonderful, colorful, diverse subject material. Clever (pun intended) mixing. Offshore is doing a good job at help break up the monotony and stubborn rut that Drum n' Bass is often criticised for. Having also taken a look at other Offshore materials (check out Graphic's chunky collaberation with Beans for further proof), it looks like the innovative signature shows no sign of letting up. Don't sleep on this release"

The progressive-house of drum'n'bass

displeasedidealist | louisville,ky | 01/25/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this cd is F'ing crazy. there is some of the most insane breaks i have ever heard on this disc. truly a gem.

i want this cd to played at my funeral.

i want to have mad ecstacy sex, and hit-it raw-d while listening to this cd.

i want to listen to wagon christ's "musipal" and "offshore presents troubled waters" simultaneously.

this as good as any d'n'b i have heard, and is only for the true jungle enthusiast.

highly recommended for anyone with an open mind."