The third installment of this drum and bass mix CD series is presented by producer and DJ legend Klute. With its collection of exclusive tracks and hot artists, "Exercise.03" is poised to perform at the top of its class. A... more »rtists include Break, Hive & Tejada, Klute, Amit, Silent Witness, Concord Dawn, Zero Tolerance, and more.« less
The third installment of this drum and bass mix CD series is presented by producer and DJ legend Klute. With its collection of exclusive tracks and hot artists, "Exercise.03" is poised to perform at the top of its class. Artists include Break, Hive & Tejada, Klute, Amit, Silent Witness, Concord Dawn, Zero Tolerance, and more.
S. L. Winant | Seattle, WA United States | 06/15/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"He holds it tight/Tells me that no matter what/D&B will be alright.He'll kiss me, smack me up, and kiss me again. Something like that seems to be what's on Klute's mind anyhow; in the notes he says, "It's such a bitch out there in the big bad world right now, but I've been warned to keep it down, so just remember...humans are also quite capable of being wonderful beings. Love them and be loved back." That tension seems to define the sequence of this mix. "Positive/Negative" starts gently, but a hard drop sneaks up on you like a car bomb. Klute carefully lightens the otherwise devastating beats with melodic moments: Calibre's "What We Give," the high-voltage dub of Amit's "Roots" (this man clearly needs his own long player). The heavy tracks hint towards current events: Silent Witness' "The Sands" and Amit's "Snake Pit" subtly conjure Iraq. Concord Dawn's anthemic "Take Me Away" becomes contextualized as a plea for safety from war and Invincible's "Mean Streets." "Undercover Dub" is modern paranoia. "Soul Good" gives us hope again, but in the end "Big Boss" (Dubya?) leaves us with the balance of love and fear. The modern world via drum'n'bass...not futurism, but our troubled present.What I like about Klute...He'll make my floor rumble but leave me thinking, and leave me waiting for his next round of creativity."
Clean, powerful, creative
S. L. Winant | 06/13/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Klute has ears! This is absolutely on a par with the best from Dieselboy and Dara (in my humble opinion). Like the latest from Dieselboy, the ideas are adventurous and expansive and the sounds are drawn from an enormously rich palette. Unlike Dungeonmaster's guide, the sounds are not cluttered or muddy.
And this is absolutely key: Klute has preserved independence of the different tonal registers, thereby avoiding collapse into the old "wall-of-sound" gestalt (which too often obscures moments of inspiration on some d'n'b). The other really cool aspect of this record is in the sensitive management of the transitions. Rather than a coerced juxtoposition marked by dissonance and rigid coexistence of sonic ideas, we have a deliberately navigated musical moment. The cuts themselves are beautiful and clean, and when they are shaking my house i'm a happy man. And the price is RIDICULOUS."
My Favorite Exercise
t3chn012 | Colorado | 01/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Out of all the Breakbeat Exercises' released under the label as 8 dollar CD's - Klute's mix 003 has more element and flow than many of the regular priced drum n bass compilations out lately.
Starting out with The Break's 'Positive/Negative' with its booming and constantly changing patterns it sets a driving mood into you. After quicky riding through 'Air Raid' you hear Klute dropping his first artist featured remix of 'Passport' and melodies quickly start take off. It gets a little funky in 'What We Give' then another Klute cut 'Galaxian' - heats up the speed even more and gives us strung melodies over ambient voices. Things get into tribal nastiness through 'Roots' and 'The Sands' when Klute drops a big track from Concorde Dawn in 04' signifying a new turning point in the mix. Next up are some of the hardest hitting tracks ive heard in a while. From 'Mean Streets' all the way through 'Growl' - Klute's best from this CD. In the middle of the song the drum skittering pattern keeps intensifying until it merges into 'Ransom' and makes you want dance like crazy! Klute then warms you up with 'Soul Good' and 'Big Boss' with some great tunes to play anytime. Overall i can't find a bad part of the CD that doesnt have enough filler to keep me occupied after a few listens.
You wont regret buying this CD!"
Leaving you wanting more
MgiB | Slc, UT | 09/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I never heard much about klute before this cd was purchased, but now i am wanting to check him out more. this mix is really good, and most of the songs have a high playback value. unlike most dnb mixes there are only a few. worth checkin out"
Mr. Whithers @ it again
C. Fitzgerald | ft lauderdale | 07/05/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is Klute as I know him--droppin the ruffest sh** around. Right off the bat--"Pos/Neg" by Break is insane (1st listen--it blew my car speakers to all hell). As we move along thru more rude D&B--all nice, we arrive @ Mr. Amit ("Roots"), which I don't know what to call, other than absolutely sick (when I have this song playin' on my "new" car speakers, I have everyone pullin up aside me--from ghetto ruffnecks--to yuppy white men-to--Jamaican rude boys--askin me "what in the hell is that nastiness?!"). A couple of trax later we have Concord Dawn ("Take Me Away"), which either makes me suicidal or extremely happy, no in between (and no, I am not manic-depressive [that's what my shrink tells me anyway]). This is jungle music at its purest, and I'll always trust Klute to give it to me."