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As if they hadn't already amassed enough projects between the two of them, the prolific John Sellekaers and C-Drik have teamed up again, this time to form Ammo, which puts a new spin on dark and heavy drum 'n' bass stylings. The two have worked together previously as Ambre, with Olivier Moreau of Imminent, a more ambient project representing the other end of their musical talents.

With Gun Music's second release, from Railgun, the firearm theme seemed somewhat coincidental. With The Age of Terminal Irony, however, I wouldn't be surprised if I heard that Ammo was nominated official soundtrack of the NRA! The theme of the label and band name is complemented by track titles such as "Sniper Syndrome" and "Psychoville"... and we all know what happens with the gun under the pillow when "An Unexpected Guest" turns up in the middle of the night. To top it all off the slick cover art is adorned with pics of clips, shells and hand guns.

Trigger-happy overtones aside though, you definitely don't need to be a gun fanatic in order to appreciate this release. Though the smooth, complex rhythm patterns may drive the music, there is far more to these tracks than a catchy beat. Layers of textured, high energy programming fill out the mix, and considering Gun Music's vehement opposition to raves and DJ culture it's no surprise that this layered fusion of elements is more than enough to engage your ears and mind without a dance floor.

Some of the four straight up Ammo tracks that open the disc take on a high quality, no frills techno sound, with relentless strains of magnetic drum 'n' bass percussion leading the way. With this source material in the hands of a stellar roster of remixers that round out the rest of the disc, the overall outcome has a wonderful range of input.

"The Sniper Syndrome" is the most popular track on the disc, with three mixes from Implant, Silk Saw and Gridlock side project Dryft. Implant tweaks the deep bass lines and driving beats, retaining the same hard pounding grooves. Silk Saw focuses on what they're good at: persistent, uneven beats swimming in a slightly chaotic brew of textures and noises. Dryft's style is far more simplistic, which is reflected in their take on the track. It opens with their trademark, drifting soundscapes, and then continues with the same deep bass and a new set of higher pitched break beats that add a new flavor to the song.

The only crack at "An Unexpected Guest" has enough of Takshaka's style injected into the atmospheres and beats to make it recognizable as their remix, including a mandatory female voice sample. Imminent has the last word with his 'USA-mix' of "Psychoville," exclusive to the North American version of the disc. Here Moreau shells out a scattered, frenetic mix of tumbling breaks, bassy moans and melodic samples that cap things off in a frenzy.

There are a couple different versions of this glorified EP floating around, depending on what side of the Atlantic you're on. I got my hands on the North American release, but Ant-Zen also released it overseas on their Flyco imprint, with some alternate tracks and remixes, and as a stripped down 4 song LP for the vinyl collectors out there. An mp3 sample is available at the Gun Music website.