High Society

People talk of taking things to the next level. FINALLY, SOMEONE ACTUALLY DOES IT! The 2nd album from High Contrast is perhaps the most highly-anticipated d&b artist release this year. Following the runaway succes of his debut set True Colours in 2002, High Contrast has gone on to establish himself as one of the leading A-list producer/djs on the international scene. Over this 2 year period, Lincoln has dj-ed in about every outernational territory from Korea to Canada, and last year remixed his way through such heavyweight names as THE STREETS, DKAY and ADAM F. His one solo vinyl release was one of the biggest tunes in 2003, The Basement Track, which keeps on selling buckets over a year later. High Society once again raises the quality threshold in drum & bass : from dancefloor smashers like Racing Green, TUTTI FRUTTI and THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY to genre-bending nuggets like ONLY TWO CAN PLAY with dancehall-soulboy Spoonface, and the future-classic Angels and Fly featuring up & coming grime star vocalist Nolay. This album pulls no punches. Trust us, there is only one High Contrast!

In '04, after a year of stellar remix work, Contrast (aka Welshman Lincoln Barrett) returns with High Society, a remarkable statement-maker that drops its share of can't-miss dancefloor moments, but also revels in posing hyperkinetic percussion against gently swelling, almost melancholic basslines. This dynamic in the emotions and music makes Society as much an album as Contrast's first recording was, but also highlights where he's grown. Grime-hopeful Nolay spits hollow-point bullets over the snare reports, snyth cues, and bass pulses of "Angels and Fly" -- it sounds like Future Sound of London backing the boastful, malevolent transmissions of a pirate radio MC. But "Angels"' post-millennial tension is at sharp angles to "Just Say," a collaboration crossing Contrast's usual percussion slap with sunny guitar drop-ins, dubby horn samples, and the soulful patois of garage/dancehall vocalist Spoonface.