Search - Kemistry & Storm :: DJ Kicks

Please spare my dog...

Tom Douglas | Mid-Atlantic | 01/30/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

""As sluggish as wet cement yet as treacherous as quicksand, digital rhythm is industrialized to extreme densities, processed past the timbral spectrum of metal, reinforced to the tonecolour of concrete. Bass is synthesized from analogue frequencies..."and so it goes onIts impressive enough that someone could write such nonsense, but to include it in the sleeve notes is a spectacular achievement. So, what do we really have here?This is a drum & bass mix. But what kind? Think of witches (indulge me for a moment!). There are good witches, who cast love spells and the like, and there are evil witches, who do bad things such as turning princes into frogs.Good drum & bass would be LTJ Bukem (check out his outstanding Logical Progression series), with his intelligent samples, delicate motifs and a focus on melody. Evil drum & bass would be......well, it would be this CD. This mix is the clearly the devil's work, but the involvement of the cloven-hooved one is no bad thing. In this instance, the opposite of good is not bad.This quality of the mix is top notch, and if you fancy driving your car at 120mph while your ears bleed, this is certainly one for you.Dark, brooding, dangerous and evil. And really quite splendid.Kemistry & Storm may look sweet enough on the cover, but they will kick down your door and shoot your dog if you so much as glance at them!"

This is how it's done

Tom Douglas | 09/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the few DJ mix CD's that has stood the test of time for me, I initially bought this mix after seeing Kemistry & Storm in Washington DC a week or so before the tragic car accident.After Kemistry's death it became something different.I've since become a hardcore drum'n'bass fanatic and I can honestly say that the best DJ's are the ones who can MIX.
Kemistry & Storm were innovators and it really comes through with this caustic and bracing 74 minute set. They never sought recognition for their track selection, yet the selection here is superb with now classics like "Clear Skies" by DJ Die, "Hyeana" by Goldie, and "Uneasy" by Jonny L. What they wanted to convey with this mix CD was a moment in time when Drum N Bass was still very volitile and experimental. They wanted to showcase the brilliant tension and precision that these tracks produce and demand of the listener. You see, its all about the MIX, and so few DJs truly understand this. LTJ Bukem, Randall, Bailey, Dieselboy and Grooverider are the other masters of this style. What made these 2 Metalheadz DJs the best of the best was championed with their extremely difficult 'double impact' style of mixing. 'Double Impact' is achieved when all of the beats, basslines and harmonies line up and are released all at once. The beats and the basslines from both records drop at the same time and you get double the impact. What should happen is that in the middle of the mix, a 3rd tune should come out of the first 2; and should only exist because of the first 2. If you want to understand what true mixing is about then pay attention to the transitions that take place in tracks 1-8. This CD is a definate must have for any potential junglist out there, and especially for the DJ who wants to learn to tell a story, and not just play a bunch of tunes."

Resparked my interest in dark drum n bass

A. Pai | 01/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"one of the better collections out there (another good one is grooverider pure dnb 2). the strength/weakness is that almost all the tracks sound the same. personally i like this consistency-- they maintain nice tight atmospherics and keep the rhythm pounding. i especially like the tracks that incorporate snippets of NON-DIVA-ISH vocals, e.g. the haunted voice midway through the mix muttering "now things are closing in..." Closing in is the right phrase, this is a claustrophobic skittering set with tension & no release. nice tracks from bill riley, john b, digital & spirit, & the usual metalheadz suspects. kemistry died a few years back in a tragic auto accident, but she won't be forgotten. peace"