“Robo Bass HiFi celebrates the latest electro-reggae sound in all its facets. Starting with roots and Dub of Dubstep / drumstep up to Future Jungle, UK-DIGITAL and D'n'B, everything can be found in their repertoire ”- so the info text on the new project by Fluxer M. aka Markus Kammann aka Robo Bass HiFi. Uff, you have to be able to follow that first. What is meant is a rather hybrid sound, which in my opinion is somewhere between Major Lazer and Jungle, with occasional breaks (filled with reggae offbeats) and sprinkled sampled vocals from Cutty Ranks or Bounty Killer over them. The first album with this sound is now available: Robo Bass HiFi, "16 Bit Skanks" (Select cuts). The whole thing is very energetic and full of crazy ideas. Unless you are in a state of ecstatic rapture and are able to consciously listen to the musical fireworks, you can only marvel at the countless layers of sounds that lie on top of each other here in the Dub-Mix constantly alternate; and whenever you think you know what is being played, you will be surprised again. When Dub-Puristically, this musical inferno can be considered overproduced - I think it's exciting and even appreciate it very much, after consuming the bass avalanches of others Dub-Productions to get your ears puffed through with fast beats.
Incidentally, after the first six tracks on the album, the sound changes considerably. The Sturm und Drang of the first part evaporates in favor of more classic reggae beats, because tracks 7 to 14 are remixes of pieces from the Echo Beach back catalog. So experienced z. B. Dubmatix, Groove Corporation or DubThe Robo Bass Treatment is blestandart, which - and this has to be said - is a bit of a mess. Interspersed Schranz passages, distorted basslines and brutal FX do not fit particularly harmoniously into the existing, very good productions - but on the other hand they do not transform them into new creations. It seems kind of half-hearted to me.
Incidentally, Markus Kammann, the creative spirit behind this project, has an exciting biography: in 1988 he founded the legendary Wuppertal Beatbox and then in 1990 Groove Attack. I am very curious whether the Robo Bass HiFi sound system will also be such a success story.
My verdict: A hybrid sound somewhere between Major Lazer and Jungle with lots of reggae-offbeats - always changing, always surprising, always full of ideas. The second half of the album looses it's power.
my rating: 8 (out of 10)
Check it out: Juno