Dubstep Allstars Vol.2 (Mixed By DJ Youngsta) - Various Artists

Advantages: Massive Tunes, Cheap, 38 tracks
Disadvantages: Lots of MCing

...Dubstep Allstars Vol.5 is the fifth album in the series of mixes showcasing the talents of the UK's most rapidly evolving and contagious genre. For those unfamiliar with Dubstep, it is a genre that has emerged in the past decade or so, but has begun to pick up speed in the last two or three years. It is a carefully crafted mix of heavy sub-basses, reggae, jazz, and other electronic subgenres such as Drum 'n' Bass and Techno. Perhaps its most distinctive characteristic is the famous 'wobble' bass line (a brilliant 'wup wup' noise that you have to hear to believe) accompanied with atmospheric and resounding syncopated drums. Having emerged from Croydon, Norwood and Brixton, Dubstep looks set to take over dance floors worldwide. This Allstars instalment is mixed by one of the leading DJs in the scene; N-Type. Although the tracklisting... Read review

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Advantages: Good selection of skream tracks
Disadvantages: the frequencies tend to stay in the same conceptual space too often

...This mix is quite a hefty run through of all the big tracks of 2007 in the world of Dub-step (which is a relatively new but ever-increasingly popular music genre). The sound is from London and the UK (which is where most of the producers on the mix come from. The tracks are based upon what DJ Skream likes personally and what he plays at DJ sets (or was in the 2007-2008 period). Kulture kicks off the mix with a reggae infuse synth bassline rizing track which gets the energy levels pumping straight from the outset (interesting way to start a mix!) Next is a track from Skream himself which was popular one on pirate radio and in D clubs 'wobble that gut' with minimal progressive beats and bass-lines. Next is another skream track of a remix of a garage track by dj zinc. Its got bass technical-wobbles and a sick vocal (cool). Then its Skream... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: 61 minutes of art.
Disadvantages: Listening to your other mix cds afterwards.

...2 Many DJ's have reinvented the mix CD full stop. Admirers of the dance mix need to reassess expectations of what is possible when you push play on your CD player. Over 45 tracks the boys genre-bounce seamlessly through a musical onslaught that's as detailed as it is danceable. Forget the monotonous bass line merges that you get from your annual Dave Pearce mix cd; here we have the Beatles bouncing off Dolly Parton between more familiar dance artists like Vitalic, Felix Da Housecat and Basement Jaxx. Amongst the track into track mixing includes mashups of two or more songs playing simultaneously to create brilliance. Highlights include the 2 many DJ's favorite of The Stooges' 'No Fun' mixed with Salt n' Pepper's 'Push It'; the opening mash up of the Jaxx's 'Where's Your Head At' smashes your ears into something exciting... Read review

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