It's raining where I am today -- has been, on and off, for a couple of days now. The sky is gray, the wind is blowing and I've got the perfect album in the CD tray.
System_Upgrade, the sixth release from Dieselboy, is coursing through my headphones. The clickity-clack, dhwump-dhwump of drum 'n' bass hits just right, like the soundtrack to a really good anime flick. A concept album of sorts, System_Upgrade is an aural walk through a cyberenvironment. Take '80s eye-candy film Tron, mix in the early Manga anime of Akira, wrap it with the power of Rage Against the Machine and the depth of DJ Krush's Ki-Oku, and you've got a good starting spot for understanding Dieselboy's latest offering.
It's been three years since Dieselboy (a.k.a. Damian Higgins) released his first album, Drum 'n' Bass Selection USA on the Suburban Base label. His fourth release, last year's A Soldier's Story (for Moonshine Records) carried forward with a similar attempt at a concept: the opening streamed the sounds of an imaginary suit of powered armor coming to life, running through a system check, like something out of John Steakley's novel Armor. Rapid cut from that to the unique mixing ability of Dieselboy, and you're off. The only downside to A Soldier's Story was that it tried too hard to maintain its concept, at times almost becoming cliché. Not so with System.
Dieselboy's takes on the various tracks shift and flow based on the original pieces: Track 2, Ram Trilogy's "Mindscan," is a pure electronic groove, upbeat and fast. Track 13, featuring an encore appearance by Decoder on the song "Dumb," manages to maintain the U.K. band's usual mood-filled, deep, jump-inducing feel. Track 11, Dieselboy's own "Descent (Decoder Remix)," bounces in tempo, with brief cuts of vocals.
There's something unique about Higgins' DJ skills. In a similar vein as his drum 'n' bass colleague Undercover Agent, the Pensylvania native takes hard-core, murky music and mixes up a blend of subtle chaos. His tie with LTJ Bukem for "Best Drum 'n' Bass DJ" at the 1998 Global DJ Mix Awards marked the first time an American was even nominated, much less victorious. His formidable skills are on full display on his latest album. Much less forced than Soldier's Story, System_Upgrade is an amazing stomp through some seriously good drum 'n' bass. It's well worth picking up, either as a nice intro to the genre (and to the artist) or as a great addition to a collection.
Jesse Reisman | April 18, 2000
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