Artist: Nubreed
Title: Y4K
Label: Distinctive Records
By: Colin C. | 19 December 2005
Tracklist:

1. Nubreed - The Futuristic Sounds Of Now (Intro)
2. Lusine - Flat (Lusine Mix)
3. Habersham - M.E.H.S.
4. Tipper - Rare And Plentiful
5. Ils - Over My Head
6. Dirty Fours - Machines
7. Stanton Warriors Feat Eska - Still Here
8. Poxy Music - Our Break
9. Toksin - Digital Divine
10. Andy Page & Danny Bonnici - Vermouth
11. Nubreed - Festa
12. Son Of The Electric Ghost - End Of Six
13. Nubreed - The Thing
    Nubreed - Shortkey (Acapella)
14. Si Begg - Turn Up The Volume (FTP VIP Mix)
15. Kilowatts - Learn To Love Loneliness

Nubreed "Y4K"

In January of 2000, Distinctive Records set out to help push the sound of "nu skool breaks" onto the world with the first Y3K compilation mixed by Dj Hyper. From that ground breaking album, the series took off and branched into its Y4K counterpart becoming a large staple in the Distinctive catalog that has seen 13 unique variations from artists such as Tayo, Freq Nasty, Ils, and Evil Nine. The series longevity can be attributed to each of the compiling artists' ability to expand upon the floor plan that Hyper has set up and craft something that isn't just another "DJ Mix", and Nubreed's contribution is no exception.

It's no surprise to find Nubreed grabbing the helm on this latest installment. The Australian based threesome has gained healthy reputations as being a genuine force within the breaks community, as they are known to release strong dance floor oriented work as well as their full-length artist album 'The Original' back in 2003. From the opening atmospherics of their own 'The Futuristic Sounds Of Now' melting into Lusine's 'Flat' it's evident that Nubreed has made the series their own. Moving from the glitch-y stylings of Tipper, the mood of the mix starts to dip into the more floor oriented with the boys' own side project, Dirty Fours 'Machines' slipping into Stanton Warriors vocal anthem 'Still Here' and onwards to Poxymusic's 'Our Break'. Sameer and Ken's track helps pull the mix upwards with its proper floor styled groove and wild 303's.

Not since the earlier mixes has the series seen such a thoughtful, melodic journey. The Nubreed crew carefully crafts an intriguing mix into their world of intelligent yet floor friendly breaks. The second half of this mix kicks off with the choice offering of live bass, vocals and wild breakbeat rhythms from recent Nubreed collaborators Toksin with 'Digital Divine', and then takes the listener into the spastic side of things with the (one of many) stand outs 'Vermouth' from Danny "DB" and fellow Aussie Andy Page which slides effortlessly into Nubreed's own 'Festa', slowly loosing steam and coming to a close with one of my favorite producer's Kilowatts' 'Learn To Love Loneliness'. The mix ends almost as it began, swirling into oblivion and stepping us off with a feeling of fulfillment that only this series can provide.

As an avid follower of the series from the get go, this is definitely one of the stand out mixes of the series, both musically and technically. The whole mix oozes with style and integrity and will definitely make not only fans of the series add it to their collection but make Nubreed fans happy as well.