VARIOUS ARTISTS
Avantgardism Vols. 1 & 2 (Unitone)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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Advantgardism is the leadoff hitter in Law & Auder's series of CDs of electronica that also includes the East-Westercism discs. Ask most club undergrounders and you'll probably hear that the two Advantgardism sets, Drum & Bass collections with tracks by Doppler 20:20, Plug, Fluid, Ajax Disco Spanner, Bedouin Ascent, DJ Hustler, Pearl and others is the superior series. I've read several articles lately that go so far as to call it groundbreaking. I'm not an expert in the field of Drum & Bass, and in fact I prefer the East-Westercism pair because there is so much more happening, musically, but I have heard enough drum and bass to at least wonder out loud... what's so groundbreaking here? The drum machines are playing at the same unrealistic pace, the bass is searching out grooves here and there, an occasional keyboard tosses a texture out like a life preserver (to a man drowning in a foot-deep lake) and I've heard that before. Again and again. If I missed something revolutionary, please feel free to point it out to me. I love to be educated.

Track Lists:

Avantgardism: Drums n' Bass Volume One

Avant-Gardist Stephenson (Doppler 20:20) * Sea of Chaos Mackay (Force Of Angels) * Dark Fader (Friends, Lovers & Family) * Dust Dancing (Fluid) * Method to My Madness (Force Of Angels) * Cat Can Blow (Bedouin Ascent) * Still Not Smokin Noakes (A.R.K.) * G'et DJ Hustler (DJ Hustler) * New Life Earle (Pearl)

Avantardism 2: One Giant Bleep For Mankind

Lunar Laugh (Plug) * Crashed (Fluid) * Depth Charge (Pearl) * Night Moves (Stone Drive) * Me & Mr Jones (Plug) * Bullet Deluxe (Revolvo) * Great Western (Ajax Disco Spanner) * Stasis (Force Of Angels) * Weepholograph (Reverbaphon) * Casual Man (Dan Gulburry)

© 2001 - DJ Johnson