Review: The beast has landed! Ram Records' most important releases in recent times, the pioneering label celebrate quarter of a century with this insane collection of 25 seminal cuts and 17 selected reversions. Roots and future all in check, every cut reminds why Ram and its founder Andy C have the status they do in drum & bass. Total Science's tasteful jazz touches on "Cool Down", Metrik's growling Aston Martin style rebuild of "X-Ray", Bladerunner's precision update on "Quest", Shimon's personal update on his and Andy's "Night Flight", Chase & Status's elephantine shake-up of "Valley Of The Shadows". We're just listing perfect remixes for the sake of it now... You already know how big a deal this is.
Review: Yet more proof that 2016 has been the craziest year this century: Culture Shock is on his third release of the year! Having appeared on Ram's 100th release then his "Transit" EP he's back to shut down the year with two more two more signature feels-heavy blazers. "Have It All" takes off where "City Lights" left us - all spaced-out cosmic soul with glistening metallic bass and sensual vocal vapour trails. "Pandemic" shows of his edgier side with a techno-like tightly-plucked riff and rise through the scales into oblivion. Both sides covered, both sides smashed, Culture Shock has been in fine fettle this year.
