After checking out the first in the series it seems only right and proper to cover the next 2 instalments from Luke Vibert's latest drum & bass incarnation…

The first track on this volume 'DX' lulls you into a false sense of security with some jungle style noises, but before you know it you're caught in an almost incomprehensible beat pattern that seems to have a mind of its own. Luke Vibert's talent for making drastic changes in mood sound effortless is evident on this track as it flows from pure amens to bouncy synth hooks.

A cheekily timestretched "...F**kin' shiiiiiiiiit" can't fail to raise a smile but 'Blomen' gets a whole lot more serious when the ferocious drum programming kicks in. Classic jungle samples and distinctive Vibert sounds are melted down and forged into something fresh and beautiful.

The same can be said for 'Amen Renegade' - only Luke Vibert could get away with putting a sea-side organ next to "Original rudeboy…" samples and a beat this twisted! As its title suggests this track has torn down all boundaries for the amen break. If Luke was sticking to a more traditional DnB formula for Vol. 01, he has scrapped that for this release and he's making up his own rules.

Luke Vibert has put his heart and soul, and everything else he could find into the AA side 'Junglebunny'. Heaps of samples (including distorted mentasm screeches and that unmistakable jungle alarm sound) swarm over the gnarled bassline and a barely audible reggae break. There's almost too much going on in this frenzied track, its redeeming feature is the faultless moment when the immortal words "Get mashup" ring out to signal the first drop.

With its rave stabs and a cleverly chopped up vocal sample 'Babylon' pulls together a variety of elements more coherently than 'Junglebunny'. Although the bassline is unexceptional, Vibert's originality is evident in the rhythm section where he's added tinkling noises and congas.

Hiding at the end of the A side, the epic 'Thameslick' provides the perfect antidote to previous chaos. Every aspect of this track has been impeccably executed, from the strikingly original amen reconstruction to the perfect vocal sample and darkcore stabs.

If each release in the series had to be summed up in just one word, for Vol 01 it would be "rude", 02 "twisted" and for this volume has to be "frantic".

All this leaves us none the wiser as to what Luke Vibert's got up his sleeve for the last 2 EPs in the series. There's something indefinably inimitable about Luke Vibert's style. Impressively, he's managed to innovate while using an array of familiar samples and one of the most commonly used breaks in dance music.

By Suzie.

www.rephlex.com

You can buy Vol 02 from Warpmart and Boomkat.