The Vitals:

Label: Deeplife Records
Genre: Drum and Bass
Number of Tracks: 6
How to Obtain: www.beatport.com

Factor Scores:

Production Quality: 7.0
Programming and Arrangement: 8.5
Entertainment Quality: 7.5
Total: 7.7 - Good

Dual Core's Take:

At first glance, Dunamis' Revelations EP (Deeplife, 2006) brought to mind another drum n' bass record that I quite like: the hard, dark compilation The Horsemen Present: Apocalypse LP (Renegade Hardware, 2005). Both records are obviously apocalypse-themed and, in a general sense, of the same style. Both come from the hard, less R&B and hip-hop influenced side of drum n' bass.

Revelations, however, is not as dark as Apocalypse, stopping short of the hardstep/techstep/darkstep realm. Unlike several producers on Apocalypse, Dunamis keeps the mix entirely instrumental. Only the last track, "Tribulation," has any vocals at all--a single syllable used as punctuation. Clearly, Dunamis is up to something a little different.

The EP starts out a bit too tame with "Age Of Grace" and "Last Days." I like my DnB to give me a decisive slap. I had to wait for track three, "Armageddon," to get that. The sounds Dunamis employs, which are Revelations' strongest element, are just as good on the two openers, but they lack the power of the rest of the record and just didn't move me much.

"Armageddon" and the three songs that follow it are the ones that put a smile on my face. On these tracks, Dunamis' editing, arranging, effects, and sound choices really come together. A combination of additional noise, power, and tonal complexity makes these four very strong tracks. The drums and melodic elements change, drop out, and layer in interesting, surprising, and clever ways.

It is pretty common for an artist to be credited with excellence after producing something good that deviates from its genre--rock records with jazz elements, drum n' bass records with IDM elements, for example. On Revelations, Dunamis doesn't deviate from the drum n' bass formula but exploits it. I would argue this is actually harder than making an interesting record by pulling in ideas foreign to the genre. Rhythmically, Revelations is all about syncopation and brisk tempo, two defining elements of drum n' bass. Within that driving rhythmic structure, Dunamis swaps one interesting sound for another, keeping everything moving and changing without loosing momentum or letting anything sound chaotic or accidental. Many try. Dunamis succeeds.

This record is not consistently great, but at its best, it is quite good. The arranging and programming of the latter two thirds of the EP show what a clever producer can do within the boundaries of drum n' bass. Just like you don't need to hire an orchestra to make a great rock record, you don't have to mine other genres for ideas to prop up a DnB production. I only wish Dunamis had come out swinging right away.