From the May 20 – May 26, 2004 issue

Music

beatseeking missives PLANET OF THE DRUMS TOUR

by Dave Segal

The annual Planet of the Drums tour (now in its fifth year) strives to "spread the gospel of drum 'n' bass as far and wide as possible," proclaims Dieselboy, American drum 'n' bass' most recognizable face outside of DJ Rap. Never has drum 'n' bass (AKA jungle) needed a stronger evangelical boost. While true believers like Dieselboy (Philadelphia DJ/producer Damian Higgins), DJ Dara, and AK 1200 view the genre as robust, skeptics like Data Breaker think it's been at best stagnant since 1997-'98, although subgenres like grime show revitalizing promise.

Dieselboy's new mix disc, The Dungeonmaster's Guide (HUMAN/System), points to d 'n' b's current stasis. It's initially as exciting as a futuristic action flick filmed at warp speed. But after a while, the 160+ bpms, steroidal bass dirges, and hammy-horror-film synth tones numb you. Rhythms rarely vary from the kick/snare/snare/snare/kick pattern; a sullen predictability sets in. The disc seems to be aimed at teenage boys into shooter video games, with all the lack of subtlety that that implies. It's a far cry from the more intricate rhythm matrices forged by mid-'90s brainiacs like Photek, 4 Hero, Plug, and Doc Scott.

Dieselboy refutes my point. "It definitely did not peak [in the mid-'90s]," he argues. "I disagree with the view that it has been in decline ever since. Year after year, there have been amazing songs, amazing new producers, and amazing drum 'n' bass events. I am playing to crowds that are equally as large as those six to eight years ago, and the enthusiasm is just as strong."

But isn't it strange that Dieselboy inserts tracks by non-junglists like Tiësto, BT, Wink, and Sasha into Dungeonmaster's mix? This suggests a dearth of talent, though to be fair, greats like Teebee and Tech Itch also appear here. What's going on?

"With every mix CD I have tried to 'raise the bar' in terms of ideas and sounds and concept," Dieselboy says. "For The Dungeonmaster's Guide, I wanted to incorporate more remixes of non-drum-'n'-bass tracks because I felt that the sounds used in those tracks would be interesting if placed in a d 'n' b context. Also, I felt that it would give the CD a much more varied sound and that it might attract the attention of people outside of the drum 'n' bass scene. It was an experiment to come up with some fresh music. I think that the new CD is as good if not better than my previous CDs!"

I had high hopes for POTD main-stager DJ Dara's new album, The Antidote (Breakbeat Science). The mix picks up steam after a sluggish start, but it's not quite as heavy as Dieselboy's disc, nor more rhythmically complex. He's definitely done better sets (track down 2000's From Here to There for proof).

Despite my grumbling, drum 'n' bass is best experienced in the sweaty flesh, not in your pad. Planet of the Drums is junglists' Olympics; have you done your training? DAVE SEGAL

With Dieselboy, DJ Dara, AK 1200, J-Messinian, Zacharia, Aaron Simpson, and others. Fri May 21 at Studio B, 333 Elliott Ave W, www.uscevents.com, 10 pm-4 am, $20 adv.

segal@thestranger.com

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