Temple of Breaks volume 1 - Various artists
Still Diggin' Records soon to be release 'Temple of Breaks vol.1', includes 20 tracks of never heard instrumentals from some of Scotland's top producers and it does not dissapoint! There is an amazing array of talent on show in this release that any self respecting music fan should not be without!
Noise Creator Epik starts proceedings with 'War Stars', a beast of a track with it's dirty bass and Battlestar Galactica samples that is reminisant of early Prodigy. Play this loud and you can feel the vibrations rip through your very soul!
The production value continues it's high standards with Kriminal Record's Big Div supplying 'Life and Breath'. This is a more chilled vibe to the title track but is no less enjoyable. It's piano hook draws you in while the horns keep a hold of you. I've personally not heard a track like this from Big Div before with only having heard his more hard edged beats but this is a great track for his already impressive folio.
We get thrown back into the fray with Kon-Tempt's 'Be Quiet' which is nothing like the name suggests. Kon-Tempt who is about to appear on The Game's next release produces a fast, bangin and relentless track that is sure to be a hit in the clubs.
As we reach midway Dema and Nice aka The Freakmenoovers arrive with the amazingly produced multi-layered track 'Repercussions'. You can tell that these two guys have been producing music together for a long time as it shows on every inch of this track. A nice mix of electro hip-hop that DJ Shadow wishes he could still produce.
'Ain't Scared of Death' by Mixmasters of Kung-Fu, who also run Still Diggin' Records, has a fantastic 70's vibe to it that would not go a miss as the title credits roll in from some Blacksplotation movie. I can already see Pam Grier with a gun while this plays in the background. Brilliant!
One of the stand-out tracks for me personnaly is 'UFO' by Whys, one half of the Matchstick Men. Everything from it's fat horn, drums, samples and organ hook is sublime. This was a hard choice as all the tracks on this release are put together with so much love and consideration that it's hard to fault anything. Mistah Bohze, of II Tone and Sentinalez fame, and Hudson Mohawke, aka Itchy of Surface EMP, are also up there as stand-outs!
There are just too many names to mention here but take my word for it, this is a must own release. Anyone who loves music needs to own a copy of 'Temple of Breaks' and every budding producer should take a lesson from this great example.
A Classic!
Review by Chris Torres
You can purchase the album here.
