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Records: Various Artists' V Classic vol. 1Check out V Classic vol. 1 sound clips atThe Planet of Sound. By Karen Rosenberg Drum `n' bass, a.k.a. jungle, isn't just the latest beat emanating from the supercharged London scene. Nor is it simply the techno genre du jour. In fact, there are many signs that the sound will take root in dance culture for years to come. More varied than the insistent strains of house and more lively than the hazy soundscapes of trip-hop, drum `n' bass maintains close ties to hip-hop, and even ventures into jazz and funk territory. It samples influences more often than whole cuts, weaving strands of different rhythms into a propulsive sound. It is constantly evolving, twisting a beat into odd contortions while allowing you to trace it on the dance floor.Konkrete Jungle, a small label spawned from a longstanding weekly jungle event in New York, has compiled some of the most recent and innovative drum `n' bass tracks on V Classic Vol I. The album plays like a collage of translucent grooves, whose intersections and overlaps are a constant, welcome challenge. Hot on the tail of his New Forms, Roni Size is well-Reprazented. As two of his three titles, "It's Jazzy" and "It's a Jazz Thing," emphasize, he keeps one of jungle's forefathers strong in his basslines. DJ Krust strengthens the jazz connection with "Maintain," in which a fluid, mellow vocal dominates over the percussion. In some tracks, like Ray Keith's "Reckoning," the drum takes charge; in others, like Roni's "Only a Dream," the bassline subverts rhythmic control. Tracks like Goldie's eerie remix of "The Calling" and Dillinjah's fast-breaking "Unexplored Terrain" hint at the infinite range of possiblilites for a genre still beyond the scope of critical definition. The deceptively straightforward term "drum `n' bass" fails to describe the sonic experiments on this album. Ambient noise, dancehall, saxophones, and soulful voices find their way into the mix without missing a beat. Play this album if you crave the intellectual stimulation of an amalgam of grooves. But don't even think of sitting still. (Konkrete Jungle/Ultra Records)
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