3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glorifies Everything Drum n' Bass, from Past to Future, March 18, 2005
This review is from: Fully Automatic: Drum & Bass Mixed By Ak1200 (Audio CD)
With most Drum n' Bass tracks, or virtually any electronic music, there is a sort of artificial, technical aspect to the tracks which hold back the genre as a whole. Each sound is added on top with the same amount of passion as adding a coat of paint. Not AK1200's "Fully Automatic", where the tracks and drums within are molded together as artfully as a sculptor with a lump of clay.
Many thanks have to be given to the astounding track selection of this album. "Inner Light" by Element kicks the CD off with a smooth balance of airy drums and window-blasting bass, the way any true D & B album should. The delicate sound of the drums continues with Brass Wolf's "One", where one can just imagine a car chase or martial arts fight taking place in the background. Dave Minner (AK1200) seems to prefer these more esoteric tracks as shown through the relatively tame track choices of "Mojo Woman", "Mastiff", and Cleveland Lounge's wildly popular "Drowning". Parts of the CD could easily be playing in the background of a bookstore or a library. But for those who desire the more disturbing, darker drum n' bass, not to worry. "Free" by Cold Fusion, and "Nyquest" feature the disturbance in full force, with static distorted sounds permeating both the tracks in full.
The mixing is truly superb. Revolutionary? No. But excellent enough to create one of the smoothest assaults from drum n' bass in history, each track dropping into the next without a hiccup. Only the extraordinarily trained ear could pick out any imperfections. No wonder the assault weapon ban has been lifted. Someone must have heard AK's epic strike.
Highs: Finer selection than a well-stocked winery, smooth mixing from track to track, hard to believe it is techno.
Lows: Not as satisfying to the expert DJ
The Score: A-, The only symphony in drum n' bass history.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely!!!!!!!!, September 10, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Fully Automatic: Drum & Bass Mixed By Ak1200 (Audio CD)
I lve this cd. I love ak. I love it! This cd always makes me happy, especially "drowning". I've see ak1200 so many times and he always ends his set with that song. It just makes my day.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A rock-solid entry to the catalogue, November 19, 2003
This review is from: Fully Automatic: Drum & Bass Mixed By Ak1200 (Audio CD)
Wow. Of all of AK's mixes I have heard, this is by far my favorite, and the only one I still play regularly. The track selection is the big one here. That's not to say the mixing is not solid; for the most part it is, albeit not perfect. But the tracks are HUGE. Even by today's standards, these tracks still sound at once raw, fresh, intellegent, and aggressive, without getting bogged down in excessive processing and fluff. A good album for both the new listener to the genre and the longtime fan, AK successfully bridges the gap between "accessible" and "overly simplistic," and does it here with style that will pull its' weight twenty or so years from now. Own.
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