Blackout have just released their latest compilation in the Evolutions series, featuring tracks by Synergy, Cruk, Kolt, Fre4knc & Corteks, Disprove & Merikan and Ordure. The EP-length compilation brings the classic label sound that fans have come to expect, with fast, grimy basslines and evil samples.

The EP opens with Overdose by Synergy, a track which tricks the listener into thinking that it will be lighthearted and on the techno side, but the drop makes quick work of that. With a surprising sample from Method Man and Redman’s How High, the bass and synths kick in with brain-scrambling speed and accuracy. Said synths and some of the breaks in this track are reminiscent of earlier techstep, ca. 2003. With lashings of techno keyboards and the heavy drops, this track merges old and new in a fun, definitely Blackout-style way.

The album closer, Strike by Odure, is not nearly the amalgam that Overdose is, with hard-hitting drums, an alien-style synth track and little else, but it’s aggressive and fast-paced and once again shows the range of Blackout artists and styles. The rest of the tracks also showcase this diversity. Triet Munt by Fre4knc and Corteks starts out with an industrial-sounding intro but then smoothly merges into a tight neuro drum track. Cruk’s Full Tilt is much more techy with old rave samples, while Kolt’s Bloodsport is theatrical and warm, even featuring MC work by Coppa. Last but not least, Circle of Confusion by Disprove and Merikan is another highly syncopated grinder.

The Evolutions series, seems to be intent on bringing the characteristic Blackout sound, interpreted by different producers. This compilation, as is always the case with Blackout, brings the most technically strong production work in drum and bass today. Evolutions Vol. 4 can be streamed on the Blackout Soundcloud page or purchased on the label’s website.

Written by Layla Marino

Blog: (Dropping) Weird Science
Twitter/IG: @dropweirdsci