Release: Fabriclive 70
Release Date: 15th July
As you might expect from a Fabriclive mixed by Friction, it’s a pretty rough ride. Starting with a seemless mix of the VIP version of Otiv & BTK’s ‘Understand‘ into ‘Swag’ by DC Breaks, this mix takes your mind into a drum and bass and vortex, and it’s brilliant.
Each track is perfectly married to the next, creating a heady unity of drum and bass bliss. Breifly ten minutes in to the mix and Friction goes in hard, smashing it with Badmarsh & Shri’s ‘Signs‘, followed by Technimatic’s Bristol then topped off perfectly with Alix Perez’s new track Playing Games (VIP).
Halfway through, Alix Perez makes another appearance, this time with a SPY mash up of Annie’s Song. Though a cracking tune in its own right, it sort of doesn’t fit this mix, taking the listener out of the drum and bass bubble for a while, Perez’s successful new single is far to radio ready for the Friction party.
The journey Friction takes you on doesn’t stop. Icicle makes two appearances on the second half of the mix and Minimal Funk VIP into Rockwell’s ‘Detroit’ (which recently blew up a pair of Radio 1 subwoofers) is mind tingling good.
Friction, label boss of Shogun Audio, has really created a master showcase for the artists on his roster, creating a mix that feels fresh, new and exciting. It has more muscle than classic drum and bass, taking elements of grime and dubstep and quite pointedly shoving them in your face. Friction is a maestro of the Drum and Bass scene and has been a kingpin of it all since the early 2000s, yet despite this greatness, he’s managed to create a mix that feels accessible, intuitive and is a damn good party. It all finishes with the massive ‘Desert Orgy VIP/Diplodocus’ by Phase & Misanthrop/Noisia, a euphoric end to the rough and ready ride. If you haven’t got a nosebleed by the end and if you can still hear yourself think, go back, you’ve done it wrong. 8/10
Pre-order you copy here
