Customer Reviews

Dark Drums 2

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"When we last left our intrepid explorers, they were in search of their lost associate, in the wildest depths of the Congo." Although this is the catchy story on track 2 cd 2 of Tenaglia's Athens GU, it may just be the perfect way to describe the theme of Dark Drums Vol. 2. Lawler doesn't waste any time with poshy mellow intros or cheesy happy melodies. A solid Aaron Carl opens this set with his pulsating Dance Naked (almost a tradition now as this track was also the firestarter of Lawler's first Dark Drums excursion, albeit in different guise). Moving closer to the tribal village, The Chief Warning is a bass gobbling, evil track which reverberates the sound of a male voice and sinister laughs. Then Lawler rolls into Borgo Manero's Darwin's Theory with it's electro-funk catchy vocal echoing over a light drum tap. An effortless swing into more "progressive" territory results in Jair's Shake, an ethereal journey through a repetitive synth coupled with a strange sound mimicking an owl. Thunderclaps dominate the bouncy Shaka and in the background can be heard a xylophone over which plumps a deep, sexy female voice that seems to whisper over a rhythmic percussive suite sprinkled with the occasional trumpet. Java & Jan give the mix a diva-ish motif which sounds more like a circus announcer or parade leader speaking through a megaphone. Together with Menace's Sound of the Floor, Lawler mixes in the acapella of Praying which is intertwined with a rhythmic clap. Marcel's Praying is one of my favourite tracks only because of the one line "I'm praying for the freaks, in the big dark rooms!" Two producers that have been making their way onto notable underground mixes are Jaimy and Kenny D which on this mix, have provided the background percussion to the Praying acapella. Going a bit more retro with his next selection, Lawler spins up a catchy diva-decked When I Fall in Love featuring Miss Felicia Washington. Robert Owens' I'll be Your Friend is a mindbending, low frequency voice which runs almost the entire length of the track (this is the Moonraker acapella) which is a dark and minimalistic drum painting the mix with another coat of throbbing, raw energy. Lawler ends the mix with a groove laden, funky trumpet number which is the continuation of I'll be Your Friend with a very encouraging vocal crescendo.
If you like deep, sexy, raw tribal house, then this is definitely a jewel to add to your collection. You will not hear any of these tracks on any cheesy top 40 bollocks station. Lawler's eclectic mix of deep vocals and throbbing percussive beats will definitely help you tackle your way through any jungle!

Along w/ Sander Kleinenberg, Lawler holds the first spot as my favorite DJ. This mix does NOT disappoint. It's every bit as good as the first Dark Drums release, if not better. Dark, heavily-percussive tribal house with evil-sounding vocal samples and nice accapellas weaved through some of the tracks. THe only thing is that the tracklisting is incorrect. I suspect one of the accapellas was listed as a separate track, when it shouldn't have been. For instance, track #6 Shaka is in reality track #5 on the CD, and track #9 is played at track #8.

Dark and tribal trance/techno like only Steve Lawler can deliver!! A solid cd with great bass and driving beats that keep you interested. Often you see artists have a few good songs but can't be consistent, not Lawler. He consistently brings only the best. Deep dark flow without flaw. Also other great Lawler cds "Nubreed" and lights out vol.1. If you like tribal sound and "DARK" beats grab this cd!!!

Very banging tribal mix from one of the masters!

All of the tracks flow together nicely with lots of tribal drums and tripped out vocals.

He starts things out with the "dance naked" accapella and then immediately turns it out. He ends the assault nicely with the Robert Owen's classic "I'll be Your friend"

great CD!

Some of the people who have baught this cd have given it a bad review becasue it is Dark and Tribal.
He is one of the top 10 DJ's in the world now, he is the greatest at what he does and that is what you are getting on this cd.... Dark Tribal house at its best... I love this cd so much that I have not taken it out of my cd player.... Great DJ's take you on a musical journey...Not just throw a bunch of songs together like an ATB complation and expect it to be good. This cd is on my top 10 list of the year in electronic music.... Steve took me on a journey, the first time that I heard and let me tell you that it was Incredible and this cd diserves nothing less than 5 stars....

This is the first volume of Dark Drums that I've listened to. I am tracking down a lot of Steve Lawler's older releases as I love the genre of electronica that he tends to play. Picking up where Danny Tenaglia left off. Tribal House (albeit, Lawler likes the darker tones).

I was excited when I first listened to this album as the first couple of tracks were exactly what I was hoping the whole set would sound like. Unfortunately, Lawler chose to mix mostly tracks with vocals. I have no problem with vocals, but with Tribal House they can't be so overly dominating that they even drown out the all-essential drums (it is Dark Drums after all, right?)! This occurs for the majority of the remaining tracks. Couple this with the vocals' lyrics frequently being cheesy, and album becomes much less enjoyable for this reviewer despite its excellent tribal drum loops.

3.5/5 stars

...and have it sound so good.

I had a copy of this CD for a long time and tried several times to listen to it. With nothing but drums for the first few minutes I never listened beyond. Comfortable with some other DJs, this sounded dull. After a while, I was looking for something new and put this on during a long drive. Oh my...

The drums that open the mix are there to get you into the groove. It builds and builds and reels you in. Right around thirteen minutes or so in Mr. Lawler drops a wicked bass line and the party begins. From this point on, he drops in more and more, tossing in some vocals here, some sound effects here, finally ending with some trumpets, all with some funky drumming that isn't that monotonous 98 BPM that carries many mixes (and gives you a headache after a while).

I don't know much about the styles and all the various kinds of electronica that purists seem to get off on, I just know what sounds good. And this sounds gooood. I hesitate at the fifth star because it just didn't have that something that makes me go wild for a mix. But it's almost there. Not being able to see any of these DJs live in the heart of the Midwest in the U.S., CDs and such are all we get. I'm hunting down his other stuff as we speak.

A good break from the hodgepodge of mixes out there.

...forget the negative comments... Do you like DARK PROGRESSIVE TRIBAL HOUSE? Then, this CD is for you. Steve Lawler is by far the BEST DJ in this realm of house music. Other Lawler CD's to consider: Dark Drums Vol. 1 - Lights Out 1 - Lights Out 2 - Lights Out 3 - GU 3 NuBreed: Steve Lawler - Viva - Homelands - Home

...anticipating the return of "Lights Out (4)"

I bought this off of amazon and the first listen was downright terrible so i put it up and did not touch it for a month, i just wrote it off as another cd i wish i could have listened to before i bought it. A month went by and same result.

One day i was messin' 'round with my cd tables and i was listening to some funky azz breaks and i decided to mix some house on top of it so i picked this one to add another layer of funkieness because i remembered this to be drum heavy........and......oh......my....God!!!!! I discovered the hidden treasure that i call this cd. I dont know what it was the breaks with it or what but it just 'clicked'. This cd is noww in my heavy rotation and it is like 4-5 years old. If you dont like this after a few listens just put it away and forget about it for a month or so and try picking it up in a diferent mindset.

I am 'VERY' picky and i now call this purchase a success. It is not quite as Dark and the title would suggest, it has some.....
....dare i say 'fun' moments.

Steve, once again delivers the goods!
After Dark Drums and Nu Breed Dark Drums 2 showcases why Steve Lawler is arguably the hottest DJ on the planet at the moment.
From Steve`s own edited version of Aaron Carl`s `Dance Naked` via the precussive pounding that is Frankie Carbone`s`Everybody`to the futuristic re rub of `I`ll Be Your Friend`this CD never fails to deliver
Lawler is a class act! In the saturated world of house compalations Dark Drums 2 stands out like a beacon from the rest. An essential purchase for lovers of all things tribal. Enjoy!