Devious Methods

Great major release by the dreadlocked, LA hiphop and drum and bass producer/DJ/label runner (Violence Recordings) -- Hive.

Devious Method is more of a drum-centered album (with very fast, technical drum patterns), instead of a bass-focused album.

The album, also, utilizes a lot of guitar and vocal samples, and some synths.
It is also cool because there are a couple of samples from the classic, old scifi movie - Flash Gordon.

Of course, most people have heard of DJ Hive through his track (on this album) "Ultrasonic Sound", which was on the first Matrix soundtrack and was used as the music for the Fox Channel's Sunday football broadcasts. (That seemed really weird.)

Also, the artwork is done by the famous graffiti artist Mear One, who has also done the artwork for artist like Freestyle Fellowship, Limp Bizkit (:( ), Busdriver, Abstract Rude, etc.

I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys technical drumming in thier DnB.
And I would encourage anyone, who likes this album and ownes a turntable to check out some of his other material at his record label's website.

I like: realistic sounding snares, jazzy backbeats, upbeat tempos, distortion, witty vocal samples, dark melodies, hip-hop, drum-n-bass, hardcore, industrial, trip hop, and electronica. I hate: happy music, poppy hooks, country & western, stupid lyrics, love songs, R&B, Kid Rock, and "Dubya". I make beats and write ryhmes, engineer tracks, work with other engineers, program beats with a band, perform with all these beats regularly, etc. So, my point is that Hive is no joke. He is not to be underestimated by any means. He's a dangerous phsycopathic drum murderer. I kid you not when I say that he will split your mortal corpse in two with split second beat changes while slowly injecting you with the ghost serum. Do not tamper with this if your are planning on taking a danty waltz through the feilds of PLUR-ness. This is not happy music. You could play this at a rap party, a rock party, a sick rave, a goth party, or even over a violent game of shuffle board. However, I want to warn you: Don't expect the rock guitars of Ultrasonic Sound to resurface anywhere in this album because that was just one idea he had. You can however expect hardcore drum-n-bass with gritty break beats mixed in, and a constant reoccurance of theme-oriented vocal samples (many from Flash Gordan). Bottom line: putting down the paxil + picking up Devious Methods = you getting a life!!!!!!!!!!

The album 'Devious Methods' by California's "Hive" is an amazingly complex album. It creates a swirling frantic atmosphere that you don't want to leave until the cd is over. He uses samples that defy conventional drum and bass (like using sampled guitars from Bad Brains "Re-ignition" on the Song 'Ultrasonic Sound' and using quotes from the movie "Cheech and Chong - Up in smoke" on the song Devious Methods. This is one drum and bass album that never gets repetitive, and you can listen to it over and over. It is a solid album from an amazing new drum and bass talent, content in his own loud, frantic electronic world. Buy this cd if you like Meat beat manifesto, photek, or even the Juno Reactor.