Shapeshifter - Soulstice (Mum's the Word 2008)

Shapeshifter – Soulstice

More Antipodean drum’n’bass from under the equator as New Zealanders Shapeshifter follow in the crossover footsteps (surely a Strictly Come Dancing move) of Pendulum and unleash their drum’n’bass lite take on the world. This is warm melodic stuff that doesn’t fear straying into heavy duty dnb while straying into worlds of soul, reggae, funk, rock and of course drum and bass, Like Chase’n’Status, variety is their conduit for giving drum’n’bass a global platform. The slightly negative effects of this are that too much genre-crossing tends to dilute the beats and the hard breakneck edge of a powerful band. However, the positives are in abundance as the band manages to do what Hospitality Records has done, write proper songs with the genre and make them follow structures that build and takeaway, move your mind and your feet, often in tandem. Though sprawling over two vast records, there is enough variety in here to sate the most dnb head and the interested parties who like a bit of versatility in their dance music. There are warm moments, dancey moments, moments where you can feel the tide washing your toes on an Ibizan beach, others where you can feel the sweat dripping off the ceilings plastering your already wet hair as you hurl yourself into the oblivion of the dance. While this album of 2 sides could have used an editor, there is definitely set of 14 strong songs on here that pulse and vibrate with the best of them.

www.myspace.com/shapeshifterlive