Opening with 'Hackney Parrot' is a statement in itself. The track Tessela used to launch his Poly Kicks label in 2013 had been doing the rounds since late 2012 —Jackmaster championed it at Boiler Room before a pressing even existed— and passed through the hands of Addison Groove, Loefah and Skream on its way to becoming common property of the DJ booth. Placing it at slot one of these 41 cuts sets the tone: this is not a new-release radar, it is a genealogy of bass-heavy club music told through its proper names.
The second pillar is DJ Rashad. 'Drop Juke Out' brings back the Teklife co-founder, the Chicago producer who turned footwork into a global lingua franca before his death in 2014, and his 160 BPM legacy stretches over the rest: Djrum's 'Untitled 9' gallops at 163 for over ten minutes —the longest cut of the lot— while Chunky Strapz nails that 160 on 'Horseplay' for Hooversound. Around them, the cast moves through very specific catalogues: Hotflush shows up twice with Mount Kimbie and Untold, Batu signs on Hessle Audio, Randomer on Hemlock, Kryptic Minds on Swamp 81, and Joy O stretches Off The Meds' 'Belter' past the eight-minute mark.
The third axis points elsewhere. Anunaku's 'Stargate' —the alias under which TSVI, an Italian based in London, explores percussion from half the world on Martyn's 3024— acts as a hinge towards the global flank: Florentino and Merca Bae drop to 96 BPM on 'Cucaracha II', WRACK appears via NAAFI, DJ Yirvin and WOST bring changa to Lws's track on TraTraTrax, and Buraka Som Sistema flies the Enchufada flag. Even Skrillex shows up on 'Saint Laurent', two and a half minutes of pure hook and the shortest cut on the entire list.
A separate mention for Stones Taro, the only name signing two originals here: 'Bailey' on Rinse and 'New Mineral' on an imprint bearing his own name. Between veterans with a foundational anthem and producers pressing their own records, that double sums up the thesis of this selection: the names here do not accompany the genre — they hold it up.
Sources: Fact · Wikipedia · EARMILK
