[Demo Copy] by: Visionary Underground

Tracks:

1. Jungle Breakz
2. Militant
3. Unda Ya Turban
4. Countries At War
5. Ekta
6. Freedom
7. Now Is The Time
8. Sonic Solution
9. Firewall
10. Falling by Nitin Sawhney (VU Remix)

More about this Artist

Review:

Slick beats and hot production. That's what you'll find on Visionary Underground's new, yet unnamed, album. Visionary Underground is a group of artists including DJ Feelfree, Coco, Sonia Mehta, Bref Durvesh and collaborators including Dr. Das (Asian Dub Foundation), jungle's Godfather MC Navigator, MC Spyda, and have done remixes for artists like Nitin Swanhey.

The beats on this album are fast, many around 160 BPM. The tracks vary from ragga dub to Indian influenced tunes reminiscent of Talvin Singh or Karsh Kale. While release on vinyl is uncertain, Djs using CD players should find the tracks on the album very mixable; the kids on the dance floor won't be able to stand still.

The album opens with a speedy drum n' bass tune which combines a classic jungle break beat and wobbly synthesizers making this one for the dance floor. The next tune on the album packs even more fury and an even more drum n' bass sensibility, while it stands out with beautiful Indian vocals, both male and female. This will make it a track to include in any drum n' bass mix. The third track on the album,Under Ya Turban, begins with some sitar strumming and laye red vocals. Then a nice break beat drops in and the vocals continue. After the intro, the track picks up with a booming bass line that carries the tune far; it progresses as it continues, keeping it lively for the dance floor and interesting for the at-home listener. Track four is a funky track, with some strange sounds and layered vocals. Its tune exemplifies the ability of these producers to use funky breaks in fresh new ways. The fifth track is yet another tune featuring some soulful, beautiful vocals, following a similar format as the rest of the album. Tablas compliment a slowed down drum n' bass break.

Here, to not sound redundant, lets just say that the album goes on with a total of twelve tracks.

Overall, it's not very exciting. The tracks seem very repetitive and don't vary much. The beats are all almost identical and there just isn't any one tune that jumps out as a dance floor smasher. That's coming from a DJs prospective. From a listeners prospective, or a radio prospective, that tunes have merit, but aren't going to burn up any charts. However, what makes this a good album is that it can appeal to many different groups of listeners.

Ultimately, make sure to buy this cd or album (if it's released on vinyl) since you may find yourself spinning some tracks off it at your next party. If not that, then atleast for the artwork since the whole point of Visionary Underground is to combine visual and audio experimentation. The whole package is definitly going to be good.