Global Communication is a collaboration between the UK's Rubik Records run by Steve Jeffrey and Doug E Ross, and the USA's Devout Artists headed up by Joey and Laurie Davis. Devout 2 carries on in the tradition of the original by bringing you the best Electronic Dance Music made by believers from around the world. While the original had multiple Drum & Bass tracks, it's focus seemed to be on Progressive, and while the sequel has some nice Progressive, it seems to focus more on Drum & Bass, with some UK Garage and Breaks for some extra seasoning. Shiloh is the perfect choice to start things off with, "Dream On" which features some killer vocals and rippin' Progressive riffs. They are making huge waves in the scene with people like Sasha, Blim & Meat Katie, and Ronnie Pilgrem dropping their tracks regularly, as well as showing up frequently on the Balance Promote Chart. They've brought a whole new level of class to Progressive Breaks, and this track is no exception...it's a must have for those who require perfection in their sets. Funk'n'Flex follows with the Drum & Bass track "Flow With Me." The music bed is rich in texture and pretty sounds, while the beats are fast and furious. Similar sounds have come from Faith Massive, Cedar, and LTJ Bukem, but what makes this track stand out from the crowd are the superbly smooth male vocals. The Masked Mullet brings on some Breaks from the UK with "Breakout". It is my favorite track off the project, and it has a black preacher (sounds like the one from Scott Blackwell's "My King") screaming "Death couldn't have him, and the grave couldn't hold him" while the bass thunders down on you like a stampede and the breaks split you asunder! This is an ESSENTIAL tune for Breaks DJs. Tru Funktion is next with, "Keep On Lovin" which is a UK Garage styled tune that would inspire Daniel Bedingfield. The sound is very accessible for fans of Pop music, and it has a nice dance beat behind it with some groovy vocals, but the best part are the lyrics. The song is brutally honest about falling for an unsaved girl when trying to witness to her, and how loving Jesus is more important. It's amazingly honest about how she replaces God in his life for a time, and while the song does have a happy ending, it doesn't pull any punches about all the feelings wrapped up in the situation. J.Davis, aka Joey Davis of Faith Massive fame, serves up some of the Intelligent Drum & Bass he is famous for with "Sao Paulo." Awesome bassline, dreamy atmosphere, gorgeous female vox...Beautiful. Just beautiful. Doug E Ross and Steve Jeffrey aka Kubiks & Bcee serve up some smooth yet peppy Drum & Bass I have not heard the likes of in a long while with, "Lifechanges." It picks right up with a fast and furious beat of a relentlessly pounding bass drum to help you get your groove on, and has some dreamy atmospheric synths that wash over you. Some airy female vox echo gorgeously over the trippy drum loops. It sounds very much like the pretty stuff on Trip "Cultural Shift", and while it has a much more up to date sound, it seems as if it were a missing track from that album. This track is sheer beauty in musical form, and also reminds me a lot of "The Gate Beautiful by Cloud2Ground that had everyone singing, "I wanna walk in love a few years ago. The vocals sing, "Take me out of my life, into the light and echo strongly with the beat crashing through. This track is pure energy and passion with a finesse that makes you feel as if you are in a four star restaurant. Doug Ross hammers you with "Blinded" next, which is a really classy Progressive styled tune that would fit in really well on Andy Hunter's "Exodus" project. It's that good and smooth, and the vocals stick in your head while the music grooves you. Doug is an incredibly talented producer in that he can do Drum & Bass, Breaks, Progressive, or Trance and excel in any of them as if it were his speciality. Dallas Holloway contributes some moody styled Breaks with the mellow "Forgive", while Hi Jinx delivers some harder Drum & Bass with the seriously rockin' "All Good Now." Faith Massive defies all his stereotypes with hard riffs and heavy bass over a Dark and eerie atmosphere on "Wasteland." The electronics really play a large role in this one with some very distorted sounds, as well as some crazy fast synth riffs. The whole track screams energy as it rockets along with thundering bass, and a screech that sounds like an electronic hawk comes in at different spots adding the finishing touches to a really scary track. Dallas Holloway smoothes things back out with the richly instrumented "Sleep", which is the perfect set up for the closing Worship track, "Headspace" by Lee Jackson and Tim Hewitt. While the music mesmerizes you, words are spoken, "Don't do anything. Just Listen. Be Still. Be Quiet. In the stillness cut out the noise of the world. Be still and know that I am God. Can You Hear the call? In the stillness let God speak to you." This is the best compilation I have heard in a long while, and I highly recommend it to fans of Drum & Bass, Breaks, Progressive, and just plain good music.
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.devout-artists.comTrack List:
1. Shiloh - Dream On
2. Funk'n'Flex - Flow With Me
3. Masked Mullet - Breakout
4. Tru Funktion - Keep On Lovin'
5. J.Davis - Sao Paulo
6. Kubiks & BCee - LifeChanges
7. Doug Ross - Blinded
8. Dallas Holloway - Forgive
9. Hi Jinx - All Good Now
10. Faith Massive - Wasteland
11. Dallas Holloway - Sleep
12. Lee Jackson & Tim Hewitt - Headspace
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