Dubstep and the more grinding side of EDM are the focuses of this Universal compilation, so expect major-label licensing muscle and a more "pop" outlook on the genres, starting right from the opening "Blind Faith" from
Chase & Status. That glitzy monster is a whirlwind of gospel, diva house, ragga, and the most wobbly of dubstep, while later there are video game noises, rave samples, and bright Euro melodies from hitmaker
Rusko and his great single "Everyday." "Fire" from
Magnetic Man and
Ms. Dynamite is the big underground tune from disc one, with dubstep/2-step/garage scene giants like
Flux Pavilion,
Skrillex, and
MJ Cole showing up as remixers before you reach for disc two. This second slice of club tracks goes off topic a bit with
Afrojack's still-quite-house remix of
Duck Sauce's "Barbara Streisand" being the one to jettison once the "dubstep or die" crew come over with their purist attitudes. Still,
Bassnectar's remix treatment of
Ellie Goulding's "Lights" roughs the track up nicely, and if
Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend" has forever been lost to the twee set at school, the remix here reclaims it for woofers, sub-woofers, and -- if there is such a thing -- sub-sub-woofers. Well done and with big tunes -- just keep in mind that this one casts a wide net, and throws it right at the charts. ~ David Jeffries