Customer Reviews

Lock & Roll: A Drum & Bass DJ Mix

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

 

 

An amazing combonation of D&B with hiphop. The beginning was obviously designed to entice one who loves hiphop into drum and bass. If you like hiphop and/or drum and bass (preferably both), than this CD is a must. The drum and bass is just sickly good. The last track by UFO is amazing, even though the bassline is cut off. Plus, Tribe Called Quest raps with the ak. GET THIS CD!

The first time i ever heard this CD was from a friend that had it.. and let me tell you... it is PHAT! Ive listened to it hundreds of times by now and im still not sick of it... although "drowning" from Fully Automatic is my favorite track of his.. this is by far the best CD he has out yet... * i havent heard Prepare for Assault yet... but i cant wait to get it :))* anywayZ.. the end :))

a masterpiece of d&b. starts off with a crazy hip-hop style and ends with some technical and crazy d&b. guaranteed to blow your mind. ak once again shows others how it is done.

I'm going to have to agree with Fatso (<-- hehe!) that the first track on "Lock & Roll" is kind of weak; I mean, it doesn't really fit. We already have a DJ that plays stuff like this. His name is Funkmaster Flex. Same kind of goes for the Tribe track, the beginning at least. But once the D&B kicks in on "1nce Again", it starts rollin' and becomes the best joint on the album. I mean, Tip rapping over a D&B track? You know it's got to be good. Unfortunately, AK didn't (or couldn't) mix out that annoying female vocal. Oh well.

Track 3 is when the serious D&B starts and it can be pretty slammin'... But, sometimes his choice in samples can really kill the momentum. For instance, although I love Chuck D., and respect KRS-1, I didn't feel like the P.E. and BDP samples worked that well within the mix on tracks 3 and 4. Alternatively, I really like the dancehall sample on track 5; kind of reminds me of a live show with a ragga MC. Unfortunately, track 5 lasts less than two minutes. Doh!

So, up until this point it sounds like he's trying to cop Aphrodite. At about track 6 or 7, he stops sampling the hip hop canon and leads us into darker territories. Female vocals seductively intone "come with me" as a diabolical cackle drifts in and out of the mix. Unfortunately, although it gets significantly more evil from track 7 on, which I like, it's definitely less entertaining. It's not exactly paint-by-the-numbers, I mean AK1200 has some serious talent, but it just doesn't really move me. In fact, I fade out pretty quickly after a track or two and they all start sounding the same.

Keep in mind that "Lock & Roll" is already over two years old, a significant period of time in the fast-paced world of electronic dance music. Don't buy it expecting to relive the same experience you had in the club last week. I don't have anything against it just because it's aged a little; good music should be timeless. I just think there's better stuff out there, old and new. For instance, almost all of Dieselboy's albums are good. DJ Raymond Roker's "Altered States of Drum 'n' Bass" is slammin'. But, if you're really looking for some sick, creative, edgy D&B music, you have to get off the beaten path. I.e., you can't be shopping for it at Amazon (sorry Amazon - I love you!)

The true test of how good a DJ mix is: can you stop playing it without going into serious withdrawal? Answer (for me): "Where's the 'eject' button?"

This is the best ak 1200 cd. I was in atlanta, taking y2k's and it the fir marshal shut it down. it was that packet. that what he was playing, i was there. the best

truely, it isn't good. simplistic and tedious. for good stuff tune into Roni Size and Dara.

I liked it. If your a Drum and Bass Freak like me you will love this CD. No cheesy stuff here.

AK1200 has talent. He really does. It just doesn't really show on this disc. It starts out as an old-skool hip-hop D&B jumble. I'm all for hip-hop, but his track selection is pretty weak. Considering the some of the big names that were on the tracks, it should have been better. AK demonstrates some pretty basic scratching here as well, but let's face it, the man is no turntableist. I REALLY hate female vocals in D&B, and there are more than enough to turn my stomach in the first couple tracks.

Towards the middle of the mix, the tone shifts a little closer to harder jungle. By the end of the CD it is full on AK jungle, although at times it sounds a little closer to Dieselboy.

Overall, if you like hip-hop, chances are you will enjoy the first few tracks. If not, suffer through them and you will eventually hear some pretty good D&B, but it ain't anything special.

A friend of mine suggested I get this, and I must say to him, Ryan, you are the man! This CD isn't liked by too many Drum N' Bass enthusiasts, because the tone is very ol' skool Drum N' Bass. There is a difference between what AK1200 plays now, and this CD, so if you're looking for more up-to-date stuff, go with Mixed Live, or Prepare for Assault. However, I myself have been missing the tech-hard step sounds which were indigenous to early Drum N' Bass, right after it moved out of the Jungle/Ragga phase. The basslines are VERY techy and hard as hell, and the beatz themselves are pretty simplistic, but are PERFECT for dancing, or in a car, on a good system. Honestly, I don't like the Mix from about track 3 to track 9, but after that, the rest of the Mix TOTALLY makes up for it! Oh my God, track 12 and 13 are just sweet. So, I suggest that anyone who is a junglist into Deep, older Drum N' Bass. This CD is the best sound to represent the US Drum N' Bass sound of its time...very nice alternative to UK Drum N' Bass (even though I love UK D&B).

Although the beginning song was an absolute joke, the rest of the album was very cool. I particularly liked track 2 with tribe called quest on it. Later on, the independance day samples were cool on some of the other tracks. I thought Fully Automatic was better, but this is still a good album.