Sunday, July 20, 2008

DJ Crusade & Bassmom - Artist Overview

Hear The Track Here

As you know I try and avoid the rawer edges of the electronica/dance genre(s), not really my speed at all. On the other hand I do have a marked liking for the Gabba sound, which a lot of electronica owes a big debt to. Techno, trance or other genres leave me cold but when you start slamming around at 160bpm and up, things get very interesting. Some of the most challenging compositions I have worked on have been around 180bmp or so, and at that speed cohesion goes pretty damn quickly; unless you are a bit fly with it.

The reason I dredge this all up before you is because Bassmom asked so nicely for a review, and obviously spotted an Old Softy immediately. I have to admit that upon investigating some of the 47 tracks on their webpage, most was just not my style at all. Not because I felt that Crusade or Bassmom were doing anything wrong, just aimed at a different market and - judging by their stats - they are not doing to badly at it. A lot of the initial tracks I listened to were interesting but didn't get more than that, then I happened upon Take Me Higher, the track which inspired my first paragraph. Tracks like Dance Club Remix and Synergy would certainly sound great on the dancefloor but didn't hold me (a well know wallflower) the way that Take Me Higher did. It's a classic study in Gabba, even if unknowingly and definitely a track to savour if you like life in the fast lane.

The problem with people asking for reviews is that it forces you to be honest and in that respect, I probably wouldn't pay for any of these tracks. There again, as I say, I am not the market this is aimed at. However, I think I am enough of a musician to know when something works and all the tracks I heard on the page work in their own way. Try Lithium for example, an excellent peice of electronica that will have you guessing all the way. Listen to enough tracks and it quickly becomes clear that DJ Crusade and Bassmom have a quirky way of getting at it that definitely sets them apart.

Excellent Hardcore Electronica. Recommended if you like the genre.

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