ALBUM REVIEW: THE FUTURE SOUND OF RUSSIA

Artist: Various
Title: The Future Sound of Russia
Label: Hospital
Format: 2x12” vinyl / CD
Released: November 18

You might imagine, with the help of some lazy national stereotyping, that a stroll through the Russian drum and bass scene might be a fairly forbidding sonic experience.

Indeed, you’d expect to see a compilation like this emerge on a label that leans more toward gnarly industrial strength like Renegade Hardware or Tech Itch rather than Hospital, who’ve consistently brought us the more melodic side of the music via London Elektricity, High Contrast, Logistics and many others.

The truth is that Russia has a long established d&b scene and the sounds here are as varied as if you’d picked Newcastle or Plymouth as its common factor. Artists like Subwave, who has been known for producing some fairly gritty, caustic dance floor productions in the past, are definitely in ‘Hospital’ mode here, his two contributions ‘I Need You‘ and ‘Stars Get Down‘ both being sturdy in the beats department but topped off with soulful vocals. Even the tougher moments, like the impressive ‘Breath’ by Mendelayev, offset their techstep muscle and plunging basslines with a hint of soul.

Other highlights include Nothing’s ’Moonlift’, which echoes the early Certificate 18 output from Photek, Source Direct and Klute with complex arpeggios and soaring strings, and the appearance of Freakpower singer Ashley Slater on Electrosoul System’s ’Sunshine’. Overall, this is proof perhaps that Russia can hold its own in the d&b stakes rather than radically turning the genre on its head, but those already fans of the Hospital sound will definitely approve.

7/10