Shitmat - Grooverider

Dance music's answer to Slipknot returns once again to promote his 220bpm sonic philosophy with a rollercoaster ride through grinding breakbeats, deranged snares and a collage of cut-and-paste samples. With the majority of the electric blue cover taken up by a pendulous set of breasts, and track titles like '94 Abyss and More Fire ('93 Ting Mix), Grooverider is a fanboy's rendition of the previous decade's rave and jungle scenes. However, jungle, post-jungle, and all the rest of that stuff that Human Traffic pretended to have a clue about, was inherently laughable anyway. With E is for Evildarkshadowsthatlurkonthedancefloor, Shitmat doesn't really know whether he's imitating, praising, mocking or just confused. It's only through the inventive use of samples that he manages to move beyond the generic posturing and boneheaded attitude that permeates Grooverider; the ragga vocals are sparingly used, in favour of quotes from the Wizard Of Oz, police radios and amazingly, Britney Spears' Toxic. Never quite reaching the delirious levels of madness that Kid 606 or Aaron Funk achieve, Grooverider is nonetheless an entertainingly violent trip. [Liam Arnold]