DJ Fresh - Nextlevelism Album Review
rating: 4.5
DJ Fresh is a Dubstep and Drum n' Bass producer who is the only artist to have both a Dubstep and DnB single go to number 1. That is quite an achievement. He has released two albums prior to Nextlevelism called Kryptonite and Escape from Planet Monday. So far there have been four singles released from this third instalment from Fresh and there might be even more to come. Unless you have been under a rock in a hole with no access to sound for the past year and a bit, you will know his tracks called Louder, Hot Right Now, The Power and The Feeling. These were oddly enough his first four singles from this album. Hot Right Now was the catapult for Rita Ora to be noticed after she did the vocals for Fresh on his second single. The Power features Dizzee Rascal rapping, which isn't to my taste but I'm sure there is a market for it somewhere. So for this review we'll concentrate on the tracks that you might not know... Skyhighatrist features the all infamous Rizzle Kicks. They were good live when I saw them, and they add to this DnB track overall. The Edge is a great Dubstep floor filler for a more commercial audience. It's not the Skrillex style Dubstep that some people can't live without, yet it isn't too soft. It is fairly soft and quite commercial in its sounds but that is what appeals to the masses. Great vocals from Ayah Marar make this track even better in all honesty. Turn It Up has a rather peculiar synth that echoes and dominates the track. Personally it sounds slightly off to me, but in the environment that this is meant to be played in (i.e. a decent club) no one will mind! Gold Dust is a song from his previous album Kryptonite and before that a 12" single. The original was just an instrumental, then on Kryptonite it featured Ce'Cile on vocals, and for its third incarnation it has gained Ms. Dynamite as the vocalist. Still a fabulous song some four years on from when it was first created. Don't Tell Me is a great DnB/Dub track slotted in near the end of the album. A more classic DnB feel with some bigger synths will hopefully make everyone love it. Fire Over Water is my second favourite from this album. Interesting concept with fire being in water, slightly impossible for an everyday scenario, but the track has a great sound aura that follows it through and has great drops throughout. See You Again is my favourite from this release as it has everything. Great vocals, a great collaborator in Adam F, and it is so well put together. It merges acoustic guitar into a massive DnB drop most artists dream for. Fresh & Adam F have done wonders on this. It isn't what you would describe as commercial as this is designed to please the proper DnB heads. Forever More sees an unusual combination of artists come together to produce an all round excellent Dubstep song. The slightly shouty vocals from The Fray compliment Pro Green's subtle rapping and it really works. The big powerful beats in the background are separated by piano interludes which again sound strange in type but really work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bBTIWZxkuI If you chose to buy the Deluxe Edition you gain an extra eight tracks. The first three are live versions of Louder, Hot Right Now and The Power. Again nothing new there. The next four are remixes. The first being the Shy FX remix of Gold Dust, second we have Camo & Krooked's take on Hot Right Now, third we have Andy C's rework of The Power and fourthly the brilliant Doctor P & Flux Pavilion remix of Louder. Finally there is a bonus track called Godzilla. An unusual song featuring Dubstep riffs over a DnB beat pallet. Definitely one for the more hardcore fan. So overall a great collection of hits, DnB and Dubstep. It has some more commercial tracks to keep the masses happy, yet it manages to explore the genres as well. Overall I give it 4.5/5.