Command Strange – Never Too Much [Chronic]

I will admit that V/ Chronic / Philly Blunt have a special place in my heart. When I first started buying drum and bass way back when, this family of labels was one of my favorites. As the years have passed, their releases have not been as heavy in my rotation of music, but I have always remained a fan and supporter of them. One of my favorite things that Chronic has done that I am fan of is releases its compilations of Chronic Rollers. They have always been a great collection of quality, deeper, almost darker rollers fit for any warehouse party, club, or anywhere requiring rolled out beats and deep textures.

Thanks in large part to his exclusive signings to the V camp, I have really got to know and enjoy Command Strange’s productions. A fare bit of his releases tend to lean more towards the more “liquid” sound, but every now and again he has some straight up dance floor tunes, and with “Never Too Much” he blends the two sounds seamlessly into one energy filled, dripping with vibes roller. It opens up with crisp drums rolling out over slow rising synth and bass lines with pitch bends along the way give way to a deep rolling bass line and synth stabs that create a tough as nails mood. Just as you settle in to that, a slow lush sweep builds that reaches its peak and introduces filtered Rhodes keys and vocal snippets that lighten the mood up, all the while the crisp rolling drums keep the tune moving up. The moods go back and forth through out the song adding some great tension, but not enough to make you loose interest. There are loads of other phenomenal tracks on this huge release as well. With twenty-one tracks in total, there is something for every fan of drum and bass on this album.