Commix / Various

Maybe sometimes you ask yourself: whatever happened to drum & bass? Well, while one part of the scene gentrified towards selling coffee-shop ambiance, another more hardcore contingent buried itself so deeply in the underground that few knew it was there at all. And after grime and dubstep took over as ambassadors of UK bass music, who could be bothered to pay attention? Luckily Cambridge duo Commix have used this Fabriclive mix to pull drum & bass out from its murky depths to show the rest of the world what it's been missing. The result is a lean and minimal version of the genre, one that drops the more machismo, junglist influences for the clubbier and more soulful brand of drum & bass that labels such as Soul:r and Hospital have been releasing. Highlights include tracks by Calibre, Alix Perez, Lynx and a host of other next-generation producers who've absorbed the influence of forebears like Johnny L and Photek, both of whom are also featured here.