a producer? Well, he may not release much other than mix albums (exceptions being the soundtrack and scattered singles), but and once formed one of the most highly touted remixing teams in dance music -- though is now known to British teenagers strictly as a label, not a sound aesthetic. So when a man who's not only the biggest DJ on earth but the producer of one of the greatest LPs of the '90s ( ' ) finally decides to turn in a full production LP, notice must be paid. Unfortunately, isn't much of a pioneer any more, and though it's clear his ear for a solid production hasn't deserted him, sees him following the trends instead of pushing them. With a new partner, , shows often that he has the production gloss all taken care of, but track after track here tries, and fails, to capitalize on a familiar sound or a style, from stylish big-beat pastiche ( ) to robotic experimentalism a la ( with ) to evocative female singer/songwriter ). A pair of tracks, the sublime 's hardcore are great productions, but and the spoken-word feature are potted examples of the very blandest ethnic fusion. With so much attention being paid to the production, the songs, unfortunately, just can't compete. ~ John Bush