Joshua 'Herve' Harvey, following in the footsteps of Boys Noize Records and Turbo, to name but two, has put together a compilation of his label's finest and most promising acts. For a label that deals in big-bass-balls-out electro and the dying genre of 'fidget', it was always going to be a tough job to impress the current musical hierarchy. With the dance scene moving more towards all things techno, and electro being resigned to the kids who don't know any better, producers like Herve have had to stay on their toes to keep things fresh – well, the proof is in the pudding.
Sadly, a disproportionate amount of the artists are in fact Herve himself under various pseudonyms. The Count, Action Man, Speaker Junk and Herve the vocalist all appear on the 2 CD compilation; CD1 being a 16 track un-mixed collection, CD2, a 19 track bonanza mixed by, none other than, Herve himself. First up, Jack Beats presents his new banger, U.F.O., with all the throbbing bass we have become used to from the Scratch Perverts man. It is not his best work but it fits in with what the compilation is trying to say – that in these troublesome times where minimal synths and tribal beats threaten everything bass-heavy, Cheap Thrills will keep you on the straight and narrow. The appearance of Fake Blood's Mars on CD1 suggests Herve can not dare let go of such a popular track, regardless of how fresh he's meant to be keeping it. The Count's remix of old school wobbler Organ Grinder again suggests that Cheap Thrills does not in fact have anything new up their sleeve.
Herve's various aliases serve up worn out fidget-house of no particular interest whilst The Bloody Beetroots and Kissy Sell Out are drafted in to give added 'banger' credibility to the mix. Young dub-step pioneer, High Rankin offers much needed variety, as American duo, The Glamour demonstrate what the first band signed to Cheap Thrills can do; not a huge amount. Fake Blood, a success by his own rights steals the show with his recently released party piece, Fix Your Accent, but other than that there is not much to become particularly excited about.
CD2 presents much the same tracklist only in a mixed format – a symptom of Cheap Thrills' struggled to present a double CD of new and exciting work. Many of these tracks would get crowds moving in clubs, however, when listened to at home, sober, they do little to excite. Had Herve not used the compilation as a little self-indulgent treat, there may have been genuine cause for interest. As it is, compared to the likes of Turbo, this is disappointing.
Disc 1: Unmixed
Jack Beats-U.F.O
Fake Blood-Fix Your Accent
Project Bassline-Drop The Pressure (Original V Jack Beats Remix blended by Hervé)
Trevor Loveys-Organ Grinder (The Count's Big B Morgan Remix)
Action Man-Zombie Dance
Fake Blood-Mars
Hervé & Kissy Sell Out-Rikkalicious
High Rankin-No Money For Guns
Hervé feat Marina Gasolina-Baseball Bat
Speaker Junk-Outside
Hervé & Jack Beats-Rainstick (Hervé's Monsoon Mix)
His Majesty André feat Bloody Beetroots-Puppets
The Glamour-Rubbin And Bumpin
Max Morrell-Seelekio
Hervé & Kissy Sell Out-Everybody
High Rankin-Clarence Baskerville 2
Disc 2: Mixed By Herve
Jack Beats-Labyrinth
Max Morrell-Seelekio
Hervé & Jack Beats-Rainstick (Bushfire Mix)
Max Morrell-Back Yard Riddim
His Majesty André feat Bloody Beetroots-Puppets
Fake Blood-Fix Your Accent
Gigi Borocco-The Rhythm
Speaker Junk-Outside
Detboi-Get Low
Fake Blood-The Dozens
Trevor Loveys-Organ Grinder (The Count's Big B Morgan Remix)
Jack Beats-U.F.O
Martello feat Hervé-Wasted
Action Man-Zombie Dance
High Rankin-No Money For Guns
Project Bassline-Drop The Pressure (Original V Jack Beats Remix blended by Hervé)
High Rankin feat. Gyto-Bubble & Squeak
Dub Frequency-Felton Skank (Dub)
Trevor Loveys-Organ Grinder (High Rankin VIP Remix)