- What would happen if all of Hospital Records’ best and brightest drum ‘n bass all-stars were forced to duke it out in a winner-takes-all cage match of Thunderdome-like proportions? ‘Hospital Mix 5’, that’s what – or to give it a more appropriate title, ‘Hospital Hits Megamix 5000!’ Label founder Tony “London Elektricity” Colman takes the Tina Turner role as maestro of mayhem, pitting thirty tracks against each other in just over an hour’s time. So enough with the ‘Mad Max’ allusions, what does it sound like? Not good.
It’s not for lack of quality on the tracks’ part. Colman has chosen most of Hospital’s top output from the last year (his own ‘Hanging Rock’, Danny Byrd’s ‘Soul Function’) and peppered them with some brand-new and unreleased material (High Contrast’s ‘Everything is Different’, Nu:Tone’s ‘Goofy’). But in a vain effort to give his mix an extra oomph of manic energy, Colman mixes every one or two minutes, with tracks often double dropped (laying one directly over another). It’s an ADD-addled kid’s dream, but a discerning Hospital fan’s worst nightmare.
Occasionally it works, like when High Contrast’s stuttering ‘Green Screen’ melody double drops into the shuddering bass break in Nu:Tone’s ‘Missing Link’. But most of the time it’s too fast and furious, like when stellar album opener ‘Under the Sea’ by Danny Byrd gets t-boned by ‘Computer Love’ by Q-Project after less than a minute of play. Or when Logistics’ ‘Falling For You’ gets dumped over Q-Project’s ‘Living with Beaker (Total Science Remix)’, and then yanked through the Dkay remix of London Elektricity’s ‘Out of this World’. It might be polyphonic, Mr. Colman, but it’s sure not pretty.
On track twenty, London Elektricity finally throws down the mighty Makoto remix of his classic ‘Rewind’, the best remix of a Hospital track yet, given proper justice with a gorgeous transition into Logistics’ haunting ‘City Life’. Follow that with Sonic’s robotronic ‘Electrosound’, and ‘Hospital Mix Five’ suddenly has a second life: the track selection improves and the beats can finally breathe. Colman’s saved some of the best for last, as well: Bungle & Index’s blistering ‘Forgotten Souls’ and Logistics’ proggy ‘Girl From Mars’ being the highlights of the final act.
Seba & Paradox’s ‘Move On’ gets a whopping five and-a-half minutes to finish things up; a shame since it’s one of the mix’s worst additions. The production is tops, but the wussy male vocals are cringe-worthy, making for a mediocre end to a mediocre mix. Even at five pounds, you’re better off buying last year’s still solid three-disc ‘Hospitalised’ set over 'Hospital Mix 5' any day. For the most part, it’s a big, ugly mix of big, beautiful tracks that deserve more respect than they get.
Tracklist1 Danny Byrd - Under The Sea
2 Q Project - Computer Love
3 Logistics - Blackout
4 Cyantific - Cover Story
5 London Elektricity - Vapour Trails
6 Logistics - Haunted By Her Yesterdays
7 High Contrast - Green Screen
8 Nu:Tone - Missing Link
9 Q Project - Living With Beaker (Total Science Remix)
10 Logistics - Falling For You
11 London Elektricity - Out Of This World (D. Kay Remix)
12 Logistics - Spacejam (Cyantific Remix)
13 Q Project - Bovey Pay
14 High Contrast - Everything Is Different
15 Danny Byrd - Soul Function
16 London Elektricity - The Great Drum & Bass Swindle
17 Logistics - Shooting Star
18 Logistics - Never Ending Story
19 The Cambridge Four - When Pilots Eject
20 London Elektricity - Rewind (Makoto Remix)
21 Logistics - City Life
22 Sonic - Electrosound
23 London Elektricity - Hanging Rock
24 London Elektricity - Remember The Future (High Contrast Remix)
25 Nu:Tone - Goofy
26 Logistics - Colourwheel
27 Bungle & Index - Forgotten Souls
28 Logistics - Girl From Mars
29 Nu:Tone - Beatnik
30 Seba & Paradox - Move On