Customer Reviews

Ultra-Obscene

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On paper this sounds really promising--DJ Die (jungle phenom), Roni Size (junglist with shrewd pop/jazz sensibilities), and Leonie Laws (a brooding, forthright singer in vain of Shirley Manson of Garbage). In fact that is what "Ultra-Obscene" (which it is not really that obscene) sounds like--crossing jungle with the vocal stylings and lyrics of Garbage. Leonie has the perfect pop/alt cadence to sing over jungle, and her style is a welcome contrast to the typical diva-esque crooning over atmospheric drum 'n bass. Most of the time, it works wonderfully. However, the longlasting influence may from the catchiness of Size's and Die's stark and rich beats programming, that may seap into the mainstream music conscious.

Any album, which contains songs that send shivers of pure delight through your body must be amazing. ULTRA-OBSCENE by Break Beat Era does just that. Oh my gosh, one second your being pulverized by the phattest breaks on earth while in the next your mind goes into sensory overload upon hearing the Ultra-obscenely awesome vocals of Leonie Laws accompanied by some of the most innovative D&B Bass lines ever! If you even mildly like DrumandBass, BUY THIS ALBUM. And if you don't like DrumandBass you will after hearing this.

I'm surprised I had not heard of this album before, being a fan of Roni Size and most of the well known Bristol UK musicians. I was reading a critic's review of Roni's new 'Return to V' CD on another website and it mention this side project, Breakbeat Era as being arguably the best CD to feature Drum & Bass plus female vocals, even better than LAMB.

So I thought, no way, who can be better than LAMB, I mean who can top the drum assult on 'Cotton Wool'. So I decided to check this out. While there is no 'Cotton Wool' in Ultra -Obscene, and Lamb's Louise Rhondes' voice is far more lovely than Leonie Laws', I still enjoy listening and moving to this CD. What Breakbeat Era has over Lamb is character and attitude.

Programming by Roni Size and DJ Die is tight, with mysterious jazz basslines and jungle beats on all tracks, changing momentum and effects at the right moments. Leonie Laws comes across like a Femme Fatale, ready to kick butt and take on the world. She does not scream and nash her teeth, but states with conviction in 'Anti-Everything' that she was "..Raised a double agent" and "I'm ah walking Animal Machine and you ain't safe with Me" in 'Animal Machine'.
Her delivery reminds me of the commanding voice of Toni Halliday, the singer for Curve.

Spinning this CD is like watching an episode of Alias, or watching Brain De Palmer's 'Femme Fatale' or La Femme Nikita.

If you want attitude with your drum n' bass (or drum n bass with your attitude) then check out Breakbeat Era: Ultra -Obscene, which does not let up, straight up DnB, unlike Lamb who mellows occasionally. Though I still have a soft spot for LAMB, which I think is better that Breakbeat Era over all, because Louise is an awesome singer.

Breakbeat Era is a more exciting ride.

This has been one of the most interesting CD's that I have purchased this year. I'm not usually too into Drum and Bass because I find it too repetitive, and it doesn't seem to go anywhere. I usually listen to artists like orbital, aphex twin, and others in those categories, but bought this CD because of the recommendation of a friend. The vocals went perfectly with the music. The album has a very unique style. It is definitely worth the money.

I discovered DnB about 4 months ago, but this is the first Roni Size-related album I've purchased. I will be looking for more. I've been listening to the likes of Photek, Aphex Twin, and Squarepusher. I would say it's a DnB version of Death In Vegas, but this is so much more. The vocals are great, and fit the music perfectly, almost like sung beat poetry. This is an album I'll probably be listening to in a couple years, which is my mark of good music. I need a bigger stereo.

If I had to find something wrong with this album, I'd say that Lonie Law's use of slang when she sings.

This album is simply amazing. Its not for the dark steppers though. This is no "wormhole" if you know what i am saying but the tunes are fabulous. Leonie Laws vocals are flawless, and to believe that she came from a punk band! Size and Die prove that reprazent is still alive and well. The self titled song on this CD is a classic, the live bass feel adds something that is missing in the more popular dark drum and bass of the present. Buy it, and its cheap, its manufactured and shipped in the US as well as Britain so there is no need for importing!

A great cd for fans who love strong deep vocals mix with down tempo drum'n' bass, with a jazz twist. Lenny Laws, Roni Size, and Dj Die are the trio behind this album. If you like Tricky and Portishead, then pick this cd up.

Breakbeat Era consists of Leonie Laws, DJ Die, and Roni Size. The CD mixes surprisingly detailed drum n bass beats with female vocals. The tracks are as good as Goldies, the fact that they have a female singer complimenting the beats makes it more open to a wider range of audiences. Instead of pure drum n' bass CDs, it doesn't get tedious once it hits the halfway mark. All three of the musicians compliment each other immaculately. DJ Die is typically an okay musician on his own, so is Roni, but when all three colab, all of their individual styles are audible in the conglomerate of cadance, and they all mesh so well.
The only, and I mean *only*, problem I have with the CD is something that cant really be helped - Leonie's voice. She has a really attractive and ear-catching voice, really. But after hearing the voice for tracks on end, it can become a little annoying. It has the spark of billy corrigan's but gets somewhat distracting close to the later portion of the LP. This really deserves 4.5/5 just because it's such a minor infraction, but since it's something so negligible, the decimal should just be rounded up. It's one of the better d n b CDs and groups I've heard in a while.

Breakbeat Era was one of the first electronically oriented bands I paid attention to in the world of Modern rock. The song, "Breakbeat Era" is the most well written song on the CD. This song is very tight and jazzy-sounding. The group could have gone many directions. I believe that this was their first full length CD as a band. Worthy effort and decent spin.

There are very few albums i have (and i have 400+), that you can listen to all the way through and not skip a track but BB-ERA is one of those few albums.

I am a fan of most of Roni Size's work and i love the way he is so varied combining Acid Jazz, Intelligent D'n'B, Hip-Hop, Breakbeat and Jungle into his albums. I fully recommend Both of his albums as well as his Through the Eyes compilation.

For me, this was a very highly anticipated album, but it fully lived up to my expectations (and then some). The best tracks on this brilliant album are tracks 1, 4, 6, 7, 13 and 15. Track 7 bucks the trend and is an out and out jungle track, (in fact one of the best i've heard). Apart from tracks 1 and 7, the rest all have vocals provided by Law. They, like Portisheads Beth Gibbons are a acquired taste, but i feel they blend in beautifully with the background music.

The music sounds very grimy, almost industrial and verge's on the darker side. I've heard complaints about the album being to similar but i like that there is a familiarity about it. I just can't wait for news on a new release. Its been 2 years.

I fully recommend this album, along with Lamb, Portishead, Dillinja and Aphrodite.