Zero-G
Jan 1, 2001 12:00 PM, James Rotondi
Total Drum & Bass Drum 'n' bass sample CDs usually leave me cold. They rarely have enough truly usable (read: not hopelessly cliched or tone-deaf) breaks, and too few plumb the kind of organic, jazzy groove depths that cats like Photek and Amon Tobin go for. Enter Zero-G, whose Total House claimed "classic" status just a few years ago and whose new Total Drum & Bass (two audio CDs and one WAV CD, $99.95) - including loops, guitars, keys, and pads - stands poised for the same accolades. It isn't just the clarity and loopability of the set's 620 (!) beats that make them so happening, it's the variety: toonky snares, synthetic cymbals, 909 kicks, you name it - in a variety of grooves ranging from house-leaning to fusion-approved.
Sure, you've heard plenty of similar breaks before: lots of the material here suggests everyone from Grooverider to Source Direct. But in beats ranging from 150 to 170 bpm, Zero-G has put the accent on flava, and they haven't dumbed down this sampler for the dance-floor-only crowd. I used some of these breaks in a jazz session and consistently got oohs and aahs every time I trotted one out. The CD offers killer stuttering kick-drums, syncopated snare flourishes, and some subtle processing that contours certain beats perfectly. DJs will love the easy loop-point accessibility and danceability of these breaks, while producers and musos will dig the clear, woody, natural sound and uncorrupted sonics.
Disc 2 (disc 3 is the set's WAV-file collection) includes toney upright bass lines and loops, an ungodly selection of analog and digital synth pads that would make LTJ blush, synth and upright bass drops, and loads of guitars - from twangy Hawaiian-style and lounge to Hendrix-y space-jazz and creamy distortion washes. The Rhodes piano samples are a huge plus, as are the genuine string samples, which recall the long preambient chamber tones of Samuel Barber and Gavin Bryars (the MIDI string samples should die, as should all MIDI strings - yuck). The 70 snare hits, 60 kick hits, and shakers, hi-hats, and percussion round out an almost decadent abundance of usable sounds and groove templates.
Will Total Drum & Bass become an instant classic, like Total House? Judging by its astonishingly good selection and sheer volume of options, it should. Like, totally.
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