SUBSTANZ T TRIPPED EXPERIENCES ALBUM HYMEN RELEASE: FEBRUARY 8, 2001 REVIEW: APRIL 2, 2001

Substanz T are a new acquaintance for me, and they make the kind of music I have been longing to hear for some time: An atmospheric, ambient, minimalistic, jazzy, laid-back and groovy kind of drum'n'bass. And although lots of artists do just that, not many do it with this kind of finesse. The sounds are really fresh and Substanz T almost always manage to stay away from the common break beat loops that have been sampled to death. Substanz T are really good at manipulating their equipment, and there are sweeps, bleeps and samples all over the place.
Some of the tracks have vocals, which mostly are unobtrusive. But sometimes they take the centre stage and become the driving force of its piece. This happens in "Was It Good". Here the vocals consist of monotonous rapping, and I think the music would have been better without it. I also feel that some tracks never kicks off. Somehow, they just sneak around without getting to the point, but perhaps that is the point.
It is hard to find standout tracks on this record, because they all blend together very nicely. But if I had to do it I would probably pick "Solution" and "Unite", as those are a little more focused. I was pleasantly surprised with this effort, and if you like similar music, give it a try.

JOHAN CARLSSON