Even more exciting than hearing the raw, choppy, slowed-down breaks of Caspa & Rusko's CD was hearing the same cuts in person in London's FabricLive club on a recent trip! Little did I know that the same material I was reviewing in the States was keeping the dance floors grooving overseas. Caspa & Rusko's style is related to the British dubstep scene, a pliable mix of dub reggae studio tricks, jungle basslines, strange cut-up samples, and clashy electro sounds. This eclectic grouping had expanded about as much as it could in the past since its origin without falling apart. But lo and behold, this excellent mix by Caspa & Rusko demonstrates that the genre still has some room to grow!
As the first "dubstep" entry in the Fabric series, FabricLive 37 is a milestone for the label and also for the genre. We get to travel to the land of eerie funk with Caspa's "Born to Do It," then to a slightly twisted roots/reggae groove of Uncle Sam's "Round the Way Girls," merging into the creepy dubstep instrumental "Well 'Ard," and then to the cool reggae instrumental "Jahova." All the while the program maintains a fairly consistent flavor without ever sounding tedious. Some tracks are not as hot, like Rusko's "Hammertime" – a wimpy and weird number, and "2 N A Q" - harsh and abrasive and not as distinct. Fortunately, the rest of the 27 quality tracks make up for this small blunder. As ConQuest finishes out the program with the lushly beautiful rockers anthem "Forever," any lapse can be overlooked. This album sounds dynamite broadcast over loud roaring subwoofers!! It is digital bliss….
Only negative comments I can make are that first time listeners may be turned off by the monotonous tide of bass that makes up the meat of this mix. It's also a bit too dark as tracks bleed into one another with no real distinction or memorable discernment with the next track. Some may find that it's an overly focused presentation of tireless low-end material akin to sludge. Ah well, I still kicked ass dancing to it against the stone cold walls of FabricLive!
Released February 5, 2008 on Fabric Records.
