From Here to There

Despite the trancy head music Dara tosses into the first few minutes of his fourth studio record, this is mostly classic minimalist drum & bass, served cold and relentless. The dark melodicism of the genre reigns throughout, with booming dub bass grooves adding color to haunting layers of rhythmic frosting. The production here is spotless, and the mix is clean and accomplished. Dara fuses his hyperanthems with occasional touches of house, most effectively in songs such as Future Cut's "Whiplash," and does provide intermittent pauses for a deep breath or two. Still, the tracks here can be inflexible, staying in a too-solid groove throughout those seamless transitions. While Dara ventures into some clever mix choices and inventive beat arrangements towards the end of the record, his efforts to make an ultrabright-sounding mix occasionally overshadow his creative impulses. Still, there are pleasures galore here for even a casual drum & bass fan, as well as abundant signs of a DJ's passion and growing turntable talents. --Matthew Cooke