calibre is without a shadow of a doubt one of, if not the, most prolific and consistantly brilliant producers in drum & bass history. loved and admired by the whole spectrum of drum & bass fans, setting out to do this top 10 was a daunting task as his career has spanned over 10 years and the number of tracks to his name is staggering. it must be said that the 'classic' calibre sound and forumula is a simple one but it is devastatingly effective and despite his huge number of releases the quality has never dropped. im sure that this list will be contentious such is the strength of feeling toward his music, but heres is the edj selection of the top 10 calibre tracks (not in any paticular order). drop a comment if you agree or disagree with any of the choices (im sure you will...)
1. Carry Me Away [Signature, 2006]
My personal favourite. A crisp, rolling intro that mixes into almost anything and the subtle drop into a lush warm bass and haunting piano sample captures what the man’s all about. Divine
2. Mr Maverick [Signature, 2004]
The perfect dancefloor track, 6 years on it still destroys the place every time its played.
3. Diamonds & Pearls (w/ Beta 2 & Zero T) [Advanced, 2005]
Click To Watch
With long time cohorts Beta 2 & Zero T, the rolling bassline perfectly compliments the smooth vocal. lushness
4. Two Drop [Deep Kut, 2009]
His most recent effort in the list - a slightly darker affair than most of his tunes and its simplicity is its best feature - crisp drums + growling bass is a deadly combination
5. Britflick [Signature, 2006]
One of his darkest tunes taken from the brilliant 'Late Night Squeeze EP', it proves he is as adept at crafting brooding, menacing beats as he his the more soulful liquid vibes.
6. What I Feel (w/ Zero T) [Signature, 2007]
Another colab with Zero T with the sublime vocals of merci a perfect counter point to the emotive strings.
7. Got A Thing [Signature, 2005]
Taken from the absolutely sublime 'Second Sun' LP which is generally agereed to be his finest piece of work. I could have chose any number of tracks from this (All The While is another personal favourite) but in my opinion this is the pick of the bunch.
8. Run Again [Creative Source, 2001]
Click To Listen
From his debut album 'Musique Concrete' on Creative Source which is what really pushed him into the d&b conciousness. This song is a paticular favourite of mine as it was featured on a live recording of Fabio & Grooverider live @ Leicester University and it was this set that really cemented my love for d&b.
9. Behind The Sun [C.I.A, 2001]
A proper heavyweight dancefloor track taken from the criminally under-rated 'Tuned In' LP
10. Cold Heart [C.I.A, 2005]
Again, another classic calibre tune - melodic keys, warm bass and a crisp drum break. As mentioned in the blurb at the top the formula is simple but when the results are this good, who cares?
*Bonus Picks*
This man just has too many good tracks. Although its meant to be a top 10, I couldnt not give these a mention.
Badmarsh & Shri - Signs [Calibre Remix]
Deranged
Fire & Water
Corner Dance
Like It Is
Into The Groove
These Few - his non d&b output is easily as stunning as his 170bpm tracks.
http://www.myspace.com/sigrecs1
5 comments:
Photo by Cansoe - http://www.flickr.com/photos/eiersalat/2370688255/
nice post :D
I think your missing Mr Majestic from that list!
but I suppose its Calibre AND High Contrast!
still a wicked wicked tune!
Two that I feel definitely need to be noted are his remixes of Enigma by Break and Everything's Different.
Both are distinctly a version of the original tune, but given a healthy dollop of Calibre's inimitable sound.
The interplay between the keys and bassline in the Enigma remix is particularly beautiful.
Not many would agree with me but Calibre - Feelin is my all time favourite. I believe it was his first ever release on Creative Source back in 2G. Quite upbeat and trumpety, it takes me back to my yoot and first ever Liquid 12". Some of his singy stuff is pretty hot these days as well.
Great post though sir, made my morning.
Calibre - Feelin
Post a Comment