Various Artists Drum & Bass Essentials: Mixed by DJ Hype

• Words: Rachel Shimp
• Label: Warner Dance

Shotter, hitter, serial killer! There couldn't be a more definitive opener for this three-disc set of hardstep monsters than Pendulum & Fresh's "Tarantula," where $pyda and Tenor Fly promise to visit the grave they put you in-if only to kick dirt on it, hug your mama, and hit on your sister. Similar aggression from Dilinja, Total Science, and Shy FX jabs at skanky vibes from Top Cat's "Original Ses (Police in Helicopter)" to the Logistics remix of Leviticus' "Big, Bad & Heavy." One gripe: Hype's turntablism and ID'ing ruins out-of-place cuts like Cyantific's "Don‘t Follow," which probably sound less ridiculous on the dancefloor at his Fabric residency than they do on this piece of plastic.