Kode 9's DJ Kicks

As if to further prove the point about DJ mix records still being strong, Kode 9's mix for the legendary series, DJ Kicks only further proves the point. This Don of Dubstep takes a, err, step back and serves up a set of music that crosses genre's, boundaries, and sounds as only someone who runs a label, does A&R, DJ's, produces his own material could. It's an earth shattering set that covers that last decade of dubstep, broken beat, grime and even a smattering of R&B; it's as if Kode 9 has taken all that he knows and crammed it on to this 77 minute disc of danceable delights.

Kode 9 has become a figurehead in the UK dance community over the years through persistence, single-mindedness, and a work ethic that sees this guy so constantly swamped that it's truly amazing he even found the time to put together a set for DJ Kicks. Yet here he is in all his glory unleashing a set for the ages with beats scattering around, new material bumping next to old material, bass waves caressing across broken snares. It's frenetic, fast paced stuff that's so far from being a stereotypical dubstep rager that it will probably shock most fans. That, quite honestly, is the joy of this record; so many of the tunes that Kode 9 drops in this set slap you across the face as if to say...we're proudly NOT dubstep. From the relatively ancient, "Revo," to the slow klang of J.Davey's, "Mr. Mister," it's a smorgasboard of tracks and tricks that never sits still for very long.

With a heady mix of old tunes and upfront brand new bangers, Kode 9 brings it all around and back again. His DJ Kicks record has songs that are eight or nine years old on it sidling right next to songs that are so new the artists don't even know they released them yet. Sounding like a series of Daleks and Cybermen on patrol and chasing after the Doctor, Kode 9 fuses beats and bleeps like a master welder and just when you figure it can't get any crazier, he slows it all down to a snail’s pace and unleashes a bit of a slow jam. The guy is crazy and such a forward thinker that this record will confuse as many as it will enthrall. Completely entertaining and left field while being right field, Kode 9 whips up one heck of a record for his turn behind the DJ Kicks wheel. This is an insane, frenzied, all over the place record that will keep you guessing and while it might not be banger after banger this is one record that will keep you on the edge of your chair or your feet nervously shuffling.