Bomb The Bass

Over two decades have passed since the legendary "Beat Dis” put Bomb the Bass on the map, firmly cemented the smiley face as the symbol of UK rave culture, with its blood stained cover art, and heralded the second "summer of love,” with the uprising of acid house. After much online speculation and indications of a completed new album, as far back as 2006, Future Chaos has finally come to fruition and Tim Simenon takes on a very different sound to their ’80s sample-heavy production, tying the album together with the use of an analogue mini-Moog throughout. Consequently, the nine-track album flows seamlessly and despite the number of vocalists involved maintains continuity with a similar sombre tone and texture for every track. A little nostalgic at times, harkening back to sentiments of Depeche Mode and early ’90s trip-hop, there’s still something fresh and unique about the sound in its instrumental constructions, and therein lies the charm of the album. Although it’s unlikely to go down in the annals of history with their pioneering 1987 chart hit, it is certainly one of the better albums to be released this year, 21 years on.