- The label compilation is a peculiar beast. Most imprints seem content to shunt out a yearly update of their club smashers, with tracklistings dictated by release schedule rather than any notion of flow or progression. This mentality is particularly endemic in drum & bass, as back catalogues are regurgitated with unerring regularity, a token acknowledgment of their non-vinyl buying fans. Given the narrow scope of most junglist imprints, such compilations tend to be stylistically narrow affairs with little appeal for anyone other than the most ardent completists.
Subtle Audio, though, makes a conscious effort to position themselves as an alternative to the drum & bass mainstream, so it's with a glimmer of hope that one approaches their debut compilation. Diametrically opposed to the trends of populist drum & bass, Subtle espouse an ethos that still holds breakbeat manipulation as the cornerstone of the genre. Volume One looks back upon the label's three year history and offers a peek into its future.
The first unmixed disc opens as French newcomer Naibu goes widescreen with the bold orchestral stylings of his "Theme from Harajuku Station." Cinematic strings, guitars, and chimes converge for a most unorthodox intro for a collection of drum & bass. It serves as an apt lead-in for the direction of the compilation: Sileni then slides into the warped space jazz fusion of "Bouncing Octagonal Fragments"—an interesting diversion that highlights the scope of the label, but is perhaps not the most listenable moment of this release. It's not until the third track that anything resembling conventional drum & bass is heard. Amplicon's flurry of manic beat edits usher in the sound for which the label is most known—densely percussive reworkings of classic breakbeats into epic soundscapes. This style is writ large as Equinox turns in an utterly sublime remix of "Messier 51" by Macc and Duffah. Simultaneously rugged and grooving, his intricate beat contortions give this track a thrust towards the dance floor that is missing elsewhere. "All Over" by Senses has a gloriously old school vibe with ethereal vocals, sparkling melodies, and bird sounds and Bop's "Cogito Ergo Sum" is the twitchy, glitchy drift into ambience that rounds out the first disc in the manner it began—sitting on the outer peripheries of what drum & bass can encapsulate.
The second disc is a sixteen track mix by label head honcho Code, who has put together an impeccable selection from the Subtle archives, interspersing older material with snippets of forthcoming releases. Code's deft touch in the mix is notable, as the rhythmically busy nature of this sound can quickly sound akin to a pair of marching bands in a head-on collision. Furthermore, Code refuses to insult his listener's intelligence by simply rebundling the tracklisting of the first disc into a mix—the default format for many drum & bass label compilations. Instead he offers a completely different selection, resulting in a great showcase of the Subtle sound across the entire release.
Volume One manages to strike a difficult balance, oscillating between skewed experimentalism and material that may actually work in a dance floor context. There is a genuine sense of craftsmanship that sees Subtle Audio consolidate their position as purveyors of fine wanderings to the outer limits of the drum & bass spectrum. Devotees of the label will have bagged this already, but those with leftist junglist leanings could do far worse than to check out this comprehensive release.
TracklistCD1: Unmixed
01. Naibu - Theme From Harajuku Station
02. Sileni - Bouncing Octagonal Fragments
03. Amplicon - Let Go Of The Release
04. Dissident - Imager
05. Macc & Düffah - Messier 51 (Equinox Remix)
06. Alpha Omega vs. Nubian Minds - Lost Pride
07. Nebula - Visions Of Paradise
08. Senses - All Over
09. Macc & 0=0 - Bridge Over Broken Water
10. Bop - Cogito Ergo Sum
CD2: Mixed By Code
01. Sub - Skadi
02. Jason oS - What Do You Like?
03. Macc & Düffah - Messier 51
04. Dissident - Pleuromeia
05. ASC - Oceanography
06. Cloak & Dagger - Time Travelling
07. Fanu - I Play It Cooler
08. Nebula - Frame Of Reference
09. Polska - Burning Sun
10. Dissident - Universe Eat Universe
11. Alpha Omega - Tribalist
12. Sileni - Failspan
13. Soul Delay - Ustad
14. dgoHn - Man Bith
15. Fracture & Neptune - Apollo
16. Nebula - Chords Of Sorrow