Stanton Warriors "Stanton Sessions Volume III"

The Stanton Warriors have been one of, if not the leading name in the world of breakbeat for almost a decade now. From the moment the first installment of their seminal “Stanton Sessions” hit in 2001, they´ve held the best breaks DJ crown and haven´t let go. Now volume three is ready to be unleashed and it´s packed with an arsenal of exclusive Stanton reworks and original productions all mixed up as only the Warriors can.

Exclusive opening cut “Club Action” by the Yo Majesty sees the Stanton´s doing just that by dropping some bass heavy, Miami break beats. Yo Majesty have an old-school hip-hop sound about them anyway and the Stanton´s play up on that. An early highlight follows with the Stanton´s massive remix of “Shifting Gears” by the Plump Djs. This is one of the phatest breaks tunes to hit the scene in years and it quickly kicks the mix into the next gear so speak. Next is the first Stanton´s original, “Raw Meat” and it´s as nasty as its name. A grimy bassline bounces over filthy breaks that will have all the heads nodding. But then the Warriors throw the “Hands Up” loop from the previous track over it and its breaks euphoria. The vibe continues with a killer combo of Hysterix´s “Talk to Me” remixed by none other than Mr “Invol2ver” himself. Thrown together with Miami breaks heavyweight, DJ Icey, these two are seemingly made for each other.

As we approach the belly of the beast, Timebox´s “Begging” drops a vintage folk rock vocal sample that lulls you into submission before beats drop so hard you´d think it was an air raid. Given the Stanton treatment, “Begging” might boast the biggest bassline breaks has seen in years. An electro-heavy Basement Jaxx/Plump DJs mash-up follows and continues to push the mix forwards. New single “Get Wild” appears in its Bassbin Twin remix form but I would have preferred to hear the original here. It would have sounded much better going into their remix of The BPA´s “Toe Jam”, featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal of all people. All stirred up in a Stanton stew, this tune is another highlight and should be tracked down immediately. After that, Alan Braxe´s huge “Nightwatcher” never sounded better than over some booming Stanton break beats.

As the mix heads into the home stretch, Digitalism´s “Zdarlight” sees the Stanton´s channel their inner Daft Punk. By bouncing a rubbery break underneath, it gives the tune a whole new life. The Stanton´s then mash their powers with Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk on the following cut “Signatune” which absolutely sends this mix soaring into the stratosphere. Closing it out in style with the Chemical Brother´s recent “Saturate,” topped off with new Stanton beats and the acapella from their song “Hope Time”, it´s an inspiringly proper as well as political way to go out.

Fresh for 2008 and the best entry in the “Stanton Sessions” mixes yet, the Warriors clearly keep their crown. This series has become the break beat equivalent of Sasha´s “Involver” and deserves just as much praise. With breaks becoming a dirty word in the dance scene in the last few years, not only is this 2008´s clear-cut best break beat compilation but it´s also one of the best electronic compilations of the year period.