The Scene

Music Notes: "Weapon Of Tomorrow"

Grade: C

11/5/07

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AK1200
"Weapon Of Tomorrow"
Sounds like: Your washing machine is stuck on a sped-up rinse cycle.

AK1200 is a pioneer of the U.S. drum-and-bass scene. In 2000, he started the seminal Planet Of The Drums tour, with two other U.S. drum-and-bass stalwarts: Dieselboy and DJ Dara. The tour has been a success and the longest-running electronica tour to date.

A prominent U.S. artist who has also had success in the U.K. jungle scene, AK1200 has released a good number of mix CDs. "Weapon of Tomorrow" is his latest effort, featuring only U.S.-based drum-and-bass artists such as Cubik and Gabriel & Gamet. Unfortunately, there is nothing outstanding about it. The songs are incredibly repetitive - and no, this is not a to-be-expected malaise endemic to drum-and-bass in general.

The beats are frenetic, but there is no melody, nor are there any tracks of varied drum-and-bass styles like liquid funk or jungle, a surprising omission, especially for someone like AK1200, who has been involved so heavily in the jungle scene. Unlike some U.K. drum-and-bass - marked by a dark, sinister big-beat sound - the beats are very mechanical and sound like ultra-sped-up synthetic computer noodlings. There are no vocals of note on any of the songs, nor is there any rapping.

For a drum-and-bass release, this is one snoozer of a record. While the tracks are well-mixed, considering how humdrum and blasé the songs are, the mixing is a welcome, if small, relief. In short, "Weapon Of Tomorrow" is not one of the better releases in AK1200's arsenal.

-ANTOANETA TILEVA

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dave minner

posted 11/19/07 @ 3:36 AM EST

ummm i think you missed the point of the cd. maybe you missed it in the press kit or liner notes, but the concept of the cd was to use brand new undiscovered artists who represent the future of dnb, and they are not all US based, there are alot of uk artists as well, also one from australia, one from finland, one from venezuela, and one from bulgaria. (Continued…)