Breakbeat Science: Exercise 5

Pitchfork Media
7.2 Rating

Supports all the breathless prose I've devoted to the d'n'b revival in the past 12 months.

Product Description
Breakbeat Science, the premier US label for Drum & Bass, continues its prestigious Exercise mixtape series. The fifth installment boasts the selections and mixing of DJ Clever, long time BBS employee and Offshore Recordings label boss. In the wake of such greats as Dara, Juju, Klute and DB, Clever joins the legacy with an upfront selection and his keen musical sensibility.

Last year's Troubled Waters established Clever as a halcyon in the current state of Drum & Bass. It gained praise from such music critics as Simon Reynolds, who deemed it "refreshing" and "the best drum 'n' bass mix CD I've heard in probably six and a half years." This interest along with it's 7.9 ranking from PItchfork Media spawned an intense blogger and music aficionado following for Clever and his Offshore imprint- which still runs rampant.

Continued touring and press along with a healthy output of stellar music on Offshore Recordings bring Clever to his Exercise 5 mix CD. He pools together forthcoming dubplates, current favorites and even a few classics. The result is the perfect bridge: dancefloor enough for the ravers, edgy enough for the chin strokers and evocative enough to bring back those who may have given up on Drum & Bass.

Exercise 5 sets off with the blaring horn and cracking break of Endemic Void's dynamic return, "Off the Market". The mix twists and turns from start to finish, never letting the mind or body wander. Highlights include:

-Warp Records artist Beans with his first ever venture into Drum & Bass territory, a futuristic robotic vocal anthem aptly coined "I Am Metal"

-Deep Blue (of Moving Shadow and Helicopter Tune fame) gets remixed by DB and Stakka on "Do You Voodoo?" and by Spirit on "Coral". He also remixes Black Rain's "Uptempo"

-Klute and Pieter K, both members of the Breakbeat Science family, showcase progressive beats.

-Clever even makes a production appearance in the form of Tundra, he and Morgan Packard, with a warm analog rhythm titled "Deep Sleep".

After delivering what many critics agreed was one of the best electronic albums of 2004, Clever once again raises the bar in 2005 with Exercise 5.

Breakbeat Science: Exercise 5

Tracks:

Off The Market - Endemic Void
Time Traveler - Cujo
I Am Metal (Vocal Mix) - Graphic
The Tubes - Mav And Twister
Do You Voodoo? (Ror-Shak Remix) - Deep Blue
Oshima - Klute
Hi-Fi - Resound
Uptempo (Strobe Mix) - Black Rain
Motherland - Amit
Sequence - Pieter K
Smoking Man - Controlled Substance
Steel - Seba
Love Session (Graphic Remix) - Ezekiel Honig
Deep Sleep - Tundra
Coral (Spirit Remix) - Deep Blue

Album Description

Breakbeat Science, the premier US label for Drum & Bass, continues its prestigious Exercise mixtape series. The fifth installment boasts the selections and mixing of DJ Clever, long time BBS employee and Offshore Recordings label boss. In the wake of such greats as Dara, Juju, Klute and DB, Clever joins the legacy with an upfront selection and his keen musical sensibility.

-Warp Records artist Beans with his first ever venture into Drum & Bass territory, a futuristic robotic vocal anthem aptly coined "I Am Metal"

-Deep Blue (of Moving Shadow and Helicopter Tune fame) gets remixed by DB and Stakka on "Do You Voodoo?" and by Spirit on "Coral". He also remixes Black Rain's "Uptempo"

-Klute and Pieter K, both members of the Breakbeat Science family, showcase progressive beats.

-Clever even makes a production appearance in the form of Tundra, he and Morgan Packard, with a warm analog rhythm titled "Deep Sleep".

After delivering what many critics agreed was one of the best electronic albums of 2004, Clever once again raises the bar in 2005 with Exercise 5.

Customer Reviews:

Not a Bad Track in This Mix.......2006-08-14

As being a huge fan of Clever, I always appreciate his thought process that goes into track selections for a mix, as well as the mix itself. However, Breakbeat Science: Exercise 5 was a little awkward for me. I thought the tracks overall were pretty good, but the mix itself was where I was having trouble. At times it felt too rushed & really good songs went by too fast & the mediocre ones were hanging around too long. I would though (in the end), recommend this mix; if you played this for anyone who had never heard Clever before, they would definetly ask who it is...you know? Check out Troubled Waters & a June issue of "Knowledge" magazine (there's a FREE Clever mix with that issue & it's solid).

Underappreciated.......2006-04-15

Unlike that guy a few reviews down, I tend to get excited over anything Clever. After all, the Offshore compilation is one of my favorite Drum n' Bass mixes ever (and partially due to Clever's spectacular mixing). When I found out about this mix last year, I definitely waited with baited breath for its release. What I got out of the mix wasn't quite as strong as his Offshore mix (but then again, that source material also coming into play), but definitely a solid, left field drum n' bass mix.

Immediately noticable about this over his previous mix is that it seems to be much more dance floor aimed this time around. Not so much that you'll hear farty bass blasts or space-age rave synths (both not bad thing mind you) but its certainly more straightforward this time around. Clever starts things off on the right foot with with majestic aggressor Off the Market, another strong showing for his label. Cujo's contribution is more straightforward in its structure, but its techno derived synths and punchy bass make it a worthwhile track. Infact, the first half or so of the disc is outstanding. Graphic, Mav & Twister, and DB & Stakka (as Ror-Shak) all make stunningly original and quality tracks. Its just somewhere in the middle, the mix seems to loose some of its weight. I'm still not a huge fan of the Deep Blue/Omni Trio track (Black Rain). Amit, despite some neat vibe, also feels a bit light weight. And while normally I love Pieter K, his contribution here, well I just don't care for it really. However, Clever picks things up again with Controlled Substance and intro-ing it into the can't miss combination of Seba and Robert Manos, in one of their most emtionally profound tracks yet. From their, Clever brings the mix back down again into more ambient territory. This time with some stronger tracks (the Tundra and Coral remix are really good). But while the selection this time around isn't quite as strong, Clever still nevertheless stiches everthing together seemlessly. There are some terrifc blends that seemingly last for ages but feel so natural in their placement. Clever most definitely has the skills to pay the bills.

To basically sum everything up. Great begining. Good end. Soggy middle. But terrific mixing all the way around. And you can't go wrong with that price (or artwork for that matter).

not typical.......2006-04-10

Its not your typical dnb cd, which i respect, it has more of an Aphex twin style to it, I dont know whether to say yeh or naw, its got its up and downs in my book. unique styling though, grungy and kinda hard, ive heard better mixes from clever though....

Tight as hell!.......2006-01-05

Right when i popped this cd in I sensed a very futuristic feel to this album. Although this CD from Clever features many basic 2-step patterns in the beats, there is much filler through quick mixing and a showcase of many styles. It all still had a futuristic feel with some of my favorite cuts like - the static 2-step beats of 'Time Traveller', the space-like acid twitter melodies of 'The Tubes', the free feeling melody of 'Oshima', and the heat of 'Smoking Man' and its quick shuffles into 'Steel' with its Rastafarian vocal and changing hats. The ending is amazing through the last three cuts with some IDM/DnB in 'Love Session' to calming synths of 'Deep Sleep' and the abrasive yet funky basslines of 'Coral'. This CD is very relaxed in a way with lots of melody and easy-going beats with lots of FX over them. You still will want to nod your head when listening though. A good Buy!

boring.......2005-08-13