| While the first mix in the Progression Sessions series showcased the development of LTJ Bukem's jazzy atmospheric dnb sound with threads of future jazz and downtempo, Progression Sessions 2 sounds deeper, more technical, and more atmospheric. Progression Sessions 2 is an solid compilation on it's own, where you can hear many different stylistic influences from this 1997-1998 period of drum and bass. You get a taste of the jazzy atmospheric dnb, sample-forward sound that had matured by this time, but this time it's in the context of a more future jazz / atmospheric dnb sound that hints darker, but still soulful. I like Blame's mix here. I think it's more tightly mixed than the first Progression Sessions, and explores some original ideas that haven't really been explored much since, as this compilation seems to take place at the end of one wave and the beginning of a new wave in drum and bass. rI find DRS' vocals to be kind of hit or miss depending on which of his stylistic phases the particular compilation takes place in, so I usually listen to the instrumental mix of these compilations, but I found myself enjoying the vocal mix on this one. In this mix it seems like DRS has new ideas for flows, maybe starting to be influenced more by American hip hop, and his bars are getting more cerebral than mystical. It gives it a more experimental vibe than the first Progression Sessions. r |
