Dieselboy

Roni Size and Goldie may have the celebrity market cornered, but it is Dieselboy who has the hardcore following. On his eighth mixed CD, The Dungeonmaster's Guide, the jungle master pursues a fantasy theme with an adventure narrated by Peter Cullen, the voice behind Venger from the animated series Dungeons & Dragons (as well as Optimus Prime from Transformers). He commissions exclusive remixes of tracks from other styles of dance music as well as classic drum and bass tunes. Among those given this treatment are Sasha (whose tune "Immortal" gets a standout remix by Kaos and Karl K), Tiësto ("Flight 643"), BT ("Knowledge of Self"), and Josh Wink ("Evil Acid"). Dieselboy even takes a hand to two of the tracks himself (primarily with the help of Kaos and Karl K): Dom and Kemal's "Moulin Rouge" and, under the Weapon guise, Decorum's "Contrax," which yields a notable reworking.

Although it's flawlessly assembled and mixed by Dieselboy, listening to Dungeonmaster is hard work. Colored with a synth-heavy, trancey tint -- as to be expected -- it is composed using the harshest and darkest of sounds. Should you take time to process this aggressive material with a discerning ear, however, you will appreciate the painstaking capabilities of its producers.