- With its infectious double bass riff propelling the track through screeching trumpet, jazzy chords and a sexy "You wanna come fly with me?" sample, Zero DB's "Come Party" should—by rights—be up there with "Brown Paper Bag," "Good Times" and "Pulp Fiction" in the Tunes With The Best Basslines In The World Hall Of Fame. But, to be honest, Chris Vogado and Neil Combstock, AKA Zero DB, could actually fill the place many times over. Few producers understand the power of the bassline quite like Zero DB. Most of their tracks boast a deep guttural roar that makes even the fiercest Pendulum tunes sound like pathetic whimpers in comparison.
For some reason, though, Zero DB have never quite attained the success they deserve, despite forging a completely distinctive style that bridges the gaps between broken beats, dubstep, drum & bass and jazz; a sound they distilled most effectively on 2006's Bongos, Bleeps and Basslines for Ninja Tune. Something of a lost classic, that album proved that Zero DB knew that the trick to using jazz effectively was to use it sparingly, not smothering everything in saxophones but rather using the wide-eyed energy apparent in someone like Ornette Coleman's most intense improvisations to add a visceral edge to buzzsaw machine bass.
Those elements can still be found in spades on One Offs, Remixes and B Sides which—as you might have guessed—isn't a new album but rather a retrospective compilation of exactly what it says on the tin. It'll sate the hunger of those eagerly awaiting a follow-up to their debut however, especially as it contains tunes like "The Snare" which were previously only available on limited edition vinyl, alongside their brilliant Gil Scott-Heron sampling "Click" and a host of material and remixes they've put out under different names like Vogado Projects' "Mas Fuerte Que El Sol." A languorous piece of Latin jazz, that track is one of the few moments when Zero DB rein the basslines in a bit—even if they can still be heard hissing threateningly in the distance.
Indeed, if Zero DB have one Achilles heel it's an occasional tendency to stamp over their remixes with those size nine basslines. (Their reworking of Inverse Cinematics' "7x7" is a case in point.) By and large however, they give tracks like Alice Russell's "Universe" and Bonobo's "Nightlife" the kick up the arse they really need, driving home the elephantine basslines and crisp breakbeats that make Zero DB's own original productions bite like a starving Rottweiler. Zero DB might remain unfairly overlooked, but their One Offs, Remixes and B Sides reminds us these underdogs have some pretty big teeth.
TracklistCD 1
01. zero dB - Come Party
02. Alice Russell - Universe (Dave da Gato's F*ck-up The Festivals Bounce)
03. zero dB - A Pomba Girou (Moonstarr Remix)
04. zero dB - Click
05. Vogado Projects - Mas Fuerte Que El Sol
06. Javi p3z Orquesta - El Pinball (Dave da Gato Uno Mas Mix)
07. zero dB - 7x7 (Dave da Gato's Badass Tapas Remix)
08. zero dB - On The 1&3 Vs Know What I'm Saying (Aaron Jerome Mix)
09. Quantic - Life In The Rain (Dave da Gato's Ferile Touch)
10. Frank De JoJo - Turn Off The Lights
11. Brighter Days - Toufe Yen Yen (Dave da Gato Remix)
CD 2
01. zero dB - The Snare
02. John Kong & Moonstarr - Future Vision (zero dB Reconstruction)
03. zero dB - Conga Madness (Seiji Remix)
04. DJ Kentaro - dBeep On (zero dB Reconstruction)
05. Grupo Batuque - E Ruim (zero dB Reconstruction)
06. Hexstatic - Distorted Minds (zero dB Mix)
07. Zzouf - That Drum Track
08. Zzouf - You Not Been Drinkin
09. Dave da Gato - El Diablo
10. Raphael Sebbag feat. Telmary - El Fantasma De La Libertad (zero dB Reconstruction)
11. Rosalia De Souza - Maria Moita (zero dB Mix)
12. Bonobo - Nightlife (zero dB Reconstruction)