Aphrodite

Jump up was a torturous personal experience for me in drum & bass. All the great dramatic build ups led to a queasy and cheesy bass line, and Aphrodite was king. Jump was abandoned quite quickly in favour of a darker and more techno-ish production sound, and I stopped having to listen to Aphrodite (or tracks like his). So it was with great trepidation that I began to listen to "Summer Breeze." "Summer Breeze" features soulful vocals and a melodic theme that makes the track sound like a real winner. Lush sweeping chords begin the track with a low down dirty drum and sample driving the track. Since I figured that Aphrodite is probably the last drum & bass producer alive still putting together jump up tracks, I thought he'd finally joined the present time. I was wrong, dead wrong. There came this lull in the track with vocals, a heavy bass line and no drums. It was heading for a breakdown. The jump up sound takes you by surprise and I guess it's nice to know that Aphrodite still sticks to his trademark sound. "Summer Breeze" is a complete tease. Like any jump track, you always think there's more to it than a sample and repetitive bass line. At least it's a change from the current sound of drum & bass, even if it's a throwback to jump up. Hopefully, the other Aphrodite tracks hold more promise. The remixes by the Stickmen is a welcome addition to the sampler. The main vocal sample is tweaked into some nice booty-shaking house. It's also nice to hear some actual lyrics to the tune. I wouldn't be surprised to hear the house remix warming up the dance floor.