Y4K: Next Level Breaks

by John BushNot just grabbing the baton from Koma & Bones -- who ran the second leg of the Y4K series -- but positively sprinting away from all competitors, Freq Nasty turned in a mix album that proves up to the level of innovation in the title. First of all, he forswears the usual cast of breaks specialists (only Total Fusion, Tayo, Almighty Beatfreakz, and Phil Kieran get the nod). Second, he makes the mix his own -- actually playing the DJ instead of just the selector -- by heavily layering the inclusions, whether doubled-up tracks, a cappella versions, or his own remixes. And he paces the mix impeccably, dropping just enough off-tempo tracks to keep listeners attention. Every track sounds like a highlight in context, and, just as it should be, Freq Nasty himself wins honors with his "Amped (Dub)" -- which wins additional points for breaking into an a cappella of Public Enemy's "Bring tha Noise" midway through. Breaking out from the increasingly samey, track-after-track boredom of many mixes, Freq Nasty engineered a mix on par with breaks paragon Adam Freeland.