DJ Reid Speed - Life After Dark (CD)

All Music Guide

Since drum'n'bass fell off the radar for hipsters, it has made a triumphant return to the underground. Turning more chaotic and dark, its favored format has been 12"s issued at the rate of magazines and newspapers. Like the cluttered and overwhelming world of dancehall reggae, compilations are the only way for the non-faithful to expose themselves to this music. Reid Speed's Life After Dark is as good an introduction as any, and considering her gig as DJ on The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, it has a higher profile than any of the competition. Pacing is the key with drum'n'bass, and she gets it. Life After Dark bookends its hyperactive midsection with more serene and trippy moments, kicking off with a Charles Manson sample and concluding with a soulful Foul Play cut. London Elektricity's instant classic "The Great DB Swindle," Infiltrata's quirky "Keep the Crossover," and the reggae-injected "Unholy Grail" from DJ Dara + A-Sides keep the high-velocity middle fierce. - David Jeffries, All Mu...sic Guide Read more Less