seven

I have been listening to this album on and off for a couple of months now. this is a look back at the early releases that started off position chrome and placed it among the legendary "classic" drum&bass labels with its distinctive style varying between heavy techstep and dark moody drum&bass. most of the tracks were taken off first panacea releases, early disorder material (panacea & problem child collaboration), problem child earlier work as well as a single track by current value.

most of the tracks are mixed together and flow into each other creating one solid percussion storm backed by heavy basslines. raw power and force was what always attracted me in early panacea, this attitude shows in all its brilliance throughout all his tracks on this cd. abrasive noises, massive breaks, and drops of percussion; most if the tracks are almost "groovy" and a couple have a repeating hip-hop sample that actually works out pretty nicely. at the same time there's a few melodic elements present with nice strings twisted synthlines contrasting the energy of the percussion.

I still very much appreciate this sound, and I cannot say that I regret panacea's move into more futuristic world of minimal soundscapes, as long as he keeps collaborating with the likes of problem child and dj scud, bringing back something that might not be as avant-garde, but definitely strong and appealing. this compilation still sounds strong without any "dated" feel and I could only recommend it to any fan of heavy drum&bass.