Freshtraxxx 3

By: Various Artists mixed by Utah Saints
Label: Fingerlickin
Written by: BenGomori
Rating: 9/10


Fingerlickin’ serve up the third volume of their Freshtraxxx compilation here, mixing up recent label highlights with a load of other hot breakbeats – this time with the recently rejuvenated force of Utah Saints at the helm.
 
Kicking off with some of that tasty A-Skillz gear that falls neatly between hip-hop and breaks in both tempo and content, the Saints mash up his Simple Things acapellas with their Beatvandals Simply Playing electro-driven jam for a summery starter, moving into the old skool meets nu skool breaks ‘n’ rap combo of his remix of Fingerlickin’ Allstatrs 2 Da Break.
 
Men-of-the-moment Twocker get their gnarly, computer-overload remix of Slyde’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang fed through Beatvandals’ stomping breakbeat machine, before Drumattic Twins bring on a harder beat for their stomping half-time bleepfest Can’t Give You Up, laden with gross techy bass and a classic soul sample. Breakspoll Single Of The Year, Plump DJs’ System Addict makes a very necessary appearance, cutting a swathe through this mix with its huge, crashing percussive fills and loops and larger-than-life bass & synth lead combo, with Alex Metric’s heady, anthemic, Freelance Hellraiser-esque In Your Machine keeping the ball rolling very nicely after Brothers Bud’s The Sting drops the pace slightly. So far, so heavy, with the mix progressing very nicely – and rather slow pace setting it apart from your usual breaks mix.
 
Plumps’ Torque Of The Devil smacks its way into the mix with its howling, metallic feedback and raucous tones, before PJ’s Mix of Unison’s Electrogirl presents itself like a Human League intro on steroids. Evil Nine’s classic, euphoric, sunshine-filled remix of Alex Dolby’s Hazy Way still sounds exquisite – a triumphant, blissed-out respite from the filth that precedes it in this mix. The tempo then effortlessly glides up to 170BPM+ for a final section of uplifting, melodic drum ‘n’ bass, with euphoric vocals on Matrix & Futurebound’s gorgeous Coast To Coast, and cheesy pianos abounding on High Contrast’s cheeky remix of the Saints’ very own Something Good.
 
An excellent compilation regardless of genre that’s sequenced and mixed perfectly – refreshing, invigorating and phat throughout. A great summer purchase.