Track Listing

1. Return Of Forever
2. True Colors
3. Global Love
4. Expose
5. Passion
6. Make It Tonight
7. Music Is Everything
8. Remember When
9. Savoir Faire
10. Mermaid Scar

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81380 in Music
• Released on: 2002-10-28
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

A Promising Debut
High Contrast is an appropriate term for the music on this album, as it triumphs in bridging the gap between the lush, melodic drum and bass typical of the LTJ Bukem sound, with harder basslines more associated with John B or DJ Zinc.

This is a highly listenable album, perfect for the car or at home, whilst not detracting from the dancefloor-friendly nature of most of the tunes. High Contrast's production style combines lush string textures, female vocals, brass swells and crisp breakbeats with snaking sub-bass riffs and filtered synths. This is well trodden ground for many drum & bass acts who have released CD albums, but High Contrast succeeds in maintaining interest and clarity throughout the duration of the album, where artists like Alex Reece and Goldie have previously failed to deliver.

Standout tracks include the hypnotic opener, "Return Of Forever", with its anthemic builds and 80's style synth bass, and the lush roller "Make It Tonight" which loops a filtered female vocal and swirling synth pads over a chugging bass and trademark beats.

If you are new to the sound of drum & bass and would like to test the water, this would be an excellent place to start. Overall, 'True Colours' successfully evolves the genre from the sound of EZ Rollers and Peshay, disposing of the noodly jazz elements and taking a subtle influence from the UK garage sound.

There is more than enough melody and flow to hold the interest of the passive listener, whilst still delivering hard and satisfying rhythms capable of cutting it at loud parties. On the whole, this is quite a tame album by drum and bass standards, if only because it doesn't attempt anything pretentious or new. Nor does High Contrast cater for the darker, moodier elements favoured by artists like Grooverider or Ed Rush. It's definitely a 'listeners' album, rather than something that would appeal to a die-hard drum & bass trainspotter. It is probably for this reason that 'True Colours' succeeds so well. If you like this album, you may also like to try some of the more recent compilations on Hospital Records.

Definite Classic!
This album boasts high quality production with clever use of sampling! It has many sides with plenty of moods! The balance of Soul/Funk/Jazz and (Drama) is amazing, it really 'Contrasts'! Link Barrat has earn't himself well deserved Respect for this! Catch him weekly in Moloko, Cardiff (Thurs)!

Stunning. The welshman delivers an album beyond his years
One of my favourites of 2002 this one. Faultless from start to finish. The amount of soul and warmth he generates whilst remaining true to the junglist faith is quite some feat.
One of the best debut albums I've heard in a long while, I can't believe he's so young and yet produced an album of such maturity. And if his recent collaboration with MIST on '3am' and his remix of FSOLs 'Papua New Guinea' are anything to go by, the future looks rosy for us and him. Big Up yourself Lincoln.