- The winner of the 2003 Knowledge D&B Awards for best label, Renegade Hardware is primarily known as the evil twisted side to the Trouble On Vinyl music group and the leaders in dark menacing drum'n'bass - the label being home to the likes of Usual Suspects, Loxy, Dylan and Konflict and artists like Concord Dawn, Drumsound & Simon Bassline Smith and Cause 4 Concern finding a suitable outlet for their releases as well. The label has also put out seminal compilation releases all of which confirmed Renegade Hardware's status in the scene such as the 7piece vinyl/3CD "Aftermath - Essential Rewindz" and the "Armageddon" series. Skool Of Hard Knocks is Hardware's return to the compilation market and this time they've invited the baddest of companies, Bad Company, to pull off a live mix of 25 storming upfront drum'n'bass tunes.
The mix starts off with Drumsound & Simon Bassline Smith's synth-led Bandsaw setting the tone with an eerie movie sample, a really dark and heavy bassline accompanied by some charged up rolling beats. Comin' Through by Universal Project increases the aggression level even more with deep monotonic bass and crew shouts sampled through it.
Loxy & Keaton bring out some heavy hip hop influences with their gangsta rap sampling Haters featuring a filthy bassline and orchestral synth hooks, only to be made even more violent with Raiden's 44 Calibre Killer featuring a dirty bassline, millitant drumbeats and a sample of a gun cocking the hammer back being used throughout the track.
NZ's Concord Dawn team up with Ill Skillz for Unreal featuring a twisted bassline and manic breakbeats chopped up in a jungle stylee. Ego by Digital brings out some horror movie screams to the mix piercing eardrums with high pitched wails.
Bad Company include one of their own tunes Antrim with Verse with a bass line that sounds akin to an alarm clock - buzzing at regular intervals - setting a precursor to Universal Projects' hip hop sampling Ultra Violence before settling into resident Hardware boys Loxy & Ink's Dutty Rock and finally closing off with Keaton's Skool Of Hard Knocks giving us a true flavour of the Hardware sound.
CD2 or should I say DVD features interviews with label owners Loxy and Keaton with footage of the massive crew all decked out in their gangsta threads. Footage of the Hardware nights is definitely one thing to look out for amassed with heads all in support for the Hardware sound.
Whoa... this is the sound of the UK drum'n'bass underground played by the top drum'n'bass DJ's at 2am - bassbins rumbling, beats pounding and walls shaking and in many ways migraine inducing (not always a bad thing!) - don't make the mistake of listening to this at work like I did, instead reserve it for the car audio system and pump it up loud, especially if road rage plays a part in your driving style. Being mixed by Bad Company makes this compilation sound like an hour long version of Planet Dust - big sounding synth bass lines, rolling breaks and aggressive moods all the way through with little or no changes in mood throughout.
Recommended for those who love their D&B sick, dark, twisted and unapologetic.