Dieselboy, Master of Drum and Bass

Deiselboy, (real name Damian Higgins) is one of the BEST drum and bass guys out there. (If I say he is the best someone out there is sure to argue....) Here I review the albums that I have:

A Soldiers Story
My favorite album from this guy is: A Soldiers Story (1999). Man, what an album!! Each of his albums have a different themes, and this one is about going to war. In the introduction of the album, you can hear sound effects of different things getting ready for battle. Deiselboy has an amazing ear for detail, because each item sounds different. Then when the music starts, it feels like your are caught up in whatever is going on in the music. During the first cut of the album you are drawn in by infectious beats. (I say cuts because songs have lyrics, as opposed to drum and bass, which have none.) It really is an all out assault to the senses! He keeps up a steady pace to cut number 9, then ups the bass even more just to make sure you're listening. What makes this one of his best albums is the fact that there is so much replay value. Also, it has many sound effects as the music is playing. I have had this CD now for about 5 years and I still listen to it on a weekly basis. I always find something new in each song, so it never gets boring! Each track is around 4 minutes long.

System Upgrade
After the intro, Dieselboy gets into the next song with 43 seconds of percussion with no bass. Then it hits you at 44 seconds, and pace is relentless! This one is much faster than A Soldiers Story. With System Upgrade (2000), the pace in each cut is faster, which means more bass. Seriously, if you have a good stereo at home or in your car, you probably don't want to play this album too loud. While there is a faster tempo in System Upgrade compared to A Soldiers Story, everything sounds quite well together. You will be hard pressed to skip any cuts here! It is almost pure drum and bass in each cut, with less effects than A Soldiers Story. The bass is much deeper in this one. Even so, it is another great album from Dieselboy. Tracks on this album are around 4 minutes as well.

The 6ixth Session
This album was released in 2000. I don't know how he found time to make three albums in three years! And this one is......a double CD?! The 6ixth Session sounds like one of Deiselboy's older albums, but more ambitious. You can hear two tempos at once, in addition to the sound effects! While it may sound confusing to the casual listener, a well seasoned drum and bass head, (like me) can hear everything without having to repeat tracks again. This is one his most technical albums. He uses two tempos, sound effects, and the bass is almost continuous! This is a perfect sounding drum and bass album. It is very hard not to get into the music, but when you do you, you cant help but move your body! The second CD is a remix of some of the music from the first CD. Even so, He does a good job of making each track sound new and fresh. Track times vary from two minutes to around seven minutes.

projectHuman
Everything is put together well here, from the tempo, beats and effects. It is all weaved together seamlessly for another great sounding technical double CD, Project Human (2002). In the early days of drum and bass, all the DJ had to do to make music was simply put together drum and bass sounds. Now, effects play an important part in the scene of drum and bass. And this album is full of effects paired with the beat quite well. Besides that, this one sounds darker compared to his other CD's. A little bit of Darkstep perhaps? The pace here seems to be about the same as it is in System Upgrade: fast. This one also has the most words in it too. Most of his albums have five words total, but here there is about twenty or thirty. I'm not a fan of words in drum and bass, but it is also good to change up the style once in awhile too. While there is bass that can be heard, it kind of blends in with the beat rather than standing out on its own during the first half of the first album. In the second half it can be heard more prominently. The second CD is again, a remix of some songs from the first CD. This is also another album that is hard to sit still to. Track times range from four and a half minutes to seven minutes.

The Dungeonmasters Guide
This album is his darkest one yet. It also sounds like he did a little experimenting with sounds. It also has more vocals than Project Human. He also added more treble as well, so you hear a multitude of sounds. It is quite enjoyable to listen to over and over again. Compared to his other albums, it feels like the bass has also picked up a little speed as well. Although the second CD is once again, remixes of some songs from the first CD, it's just as good. It's hard to find a good drum and bass artist that can make two good Cd's consistently as Dieselboy can. When I read reviews about this album, many people consider it to be one of his best Cd's. Track times range from two minutes to about five minutes.

Substance D
The latest album from Dieselboy, Substance D is quite an ambitious project. It is a very technical sounding CD. He also uses new sounds, so everything sounds fresh. The theme of this album is drugs, and like a drug, this audio CD is very addictive. After the third song, it is very hard for me to not listen to the rest of the tracks. The tempo is very fast in this one, and effects are added perfectly. The second CD sounds just as good as the first one.

Bonus!!!
97 Octane
This is considered his best CD ever by many of his fans. I use to have it a few years ago, but I let a room-mate borrow it and he lost it in his car!! (He kind of made up for it with two Aphex Twin Cd's) All I remember though, is playing that CD over and over again. It was a perfect sounding CD in the world of drum and bass. It is also rare too, so I'm having a hard time finding it again. However, after a long search I finally found it and will include the review as soon as I listen to it. (Again)

This is a rare artist that can actually make you want to get up and dance to his music!! It is pretty hard to dance to drum and bass........ But to actually FEEL his music on each and every album?? That's pretty rare. He also throws in Hardstep, Darkstep, and Techstep in his albums as well. Who-step you say!? No need to get confused, these are sub genres in drum and bass. That's for another lens I will write shorty in the future........ Back to Dieselboy. This guy has been a DJ since the early 90's and he gets better and better. I heard his 97 Octane album, and I was hooked ever since. Seriously, his music is like addicting like a drug!! It draws you in with irresistible beats and rhythms. I have: A Soldiers Story(1999), System Upgrade (2000), The 6ixth Session (2000), projectHUMAN (2002), The Dungeonmasters Guide (2004), and Substance D (2008). I never get bored with listening to them, some times back to back or all day!!

WARNING: This music can be loud and should be listened to with care and consideration for others around you. This music can be addicting as well. Dieselboy usually uses a minimum of 170 beats per minute. This can cause you to get excited easily. Do not listen to drum and bass while driving. It will cause you to drive faster and you will get antsy very quickly. Since the beats per minute are much more that what the average person listens to, your body will react to it. Virtually with any type of music you listen to, it has an effect on your mood instantly. It draws you in, and before you know it, you are hyped up! I personally listen to Dieselboy every time I work out, when I run, and on my bicycle.

There are always naysayers that say, "Drum and Bass is just a lot of noise. Where is the music in that?", or "It's easy to mix tracks that were already made." If they would listen to good d and b they can filter through the 'noise' and find the beat. It takes skill and a really good ear for timing the tempo right, and make a good sounding, interesting song.