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This is the 19th edition of the Rinse label's compilation series, mixed by Icicle -- hugely respected by both dubstep and D&B heads through his output on Shogun Audio, Med School, Critical Recordings, Soul-r and Renegade Hardware. His productions are supported by the likes of Youngsta, Distance, J:Kenzo, N-Type, Plastician and more. Known to Rinse FM listeners as the host of the Shogun Audio show. Lately, UK dancefloors have become spaces where genres collide. It's become commonplace to DJs to refuse to be confined within any particular bracket, making for club sets that frequently veer wildly from one genre to the next. It's impressive how swiftly dancers have become used to that level of openness. It has taken DJs and producers with enough imagination and skill -- many, like Kode9, Oneman and Ben UFO, all closely associated with Rinse FM -- to highlight the shared ground between all these disparate sounds. Jeroen Snik aka Icicle is another such explorer. Starting out as a drum 'n' bass DJ and producer in his native Holland, his move to London and helming of Shogun Audio's Rinse FM show gradually drew him deeper into the ever-evolving sounds of dubstep. A long-time techno fan, he found in dubstep's wide-open spaces and rolling momentum the link between techno and the drum 'n' bass he had been producing and spinning. Attracted to the elements that all three shared, he began to include more dubstep in his sets, slowing the tempo down from 170 bpm while keeping the mood dark and contemplative. It's that same open-minded attitude that informs the slowly-shifting nature of Icicle's Rinse: 19 mix. It's appropriate, too, as it perfectly reflects Rinse FM's own refusal to remain limited within any one space. Beginning with the slower, techno-infused moves of his own "Deep Tech" and Locked Groove's "Centraal," Rinse: 19 mutates through ocean-deep halfstep into thrashy, ultra-percussive dubstep, before exploding into intricate, melodic drum 'n' bass. Throughout, the mix's anchoring rhythms remain constantly in flux, shifting seamlessly between four-to-the-floor and broken variants. The mood, however, remains consistent throughout. Artists include: Locked Groove, Distance, Spinline, J. Robinson, Proxima, Sleeper & District, Youngsta, Killawatt, Clarity, Rockwell and Sabre.
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