Having already proven his production ability on the Devious Methods (1998) and Working With Sound (1999) full-length studio albums, as well as on numerous DJ-orientated singles,
Hive showcases his turntable ability on
Bedlam, an 18-track mix album released by Rockwell. The mix is just as intense and volatile as anything
Hive had released to date, if not more so. Every track represents the tech-step side of drum'n'bass -- for instance, producers Dylan and
Kemal each contribute heavily to the mix -- and
Hive throws them down at a dizzying pace, making these already relentless tracks feel even more merciless as he moves quickly from one to the next. The mix really gains momentum about 20 minutes in when
Hive drops one of his own signature tracks, "Surreal Killer," followed by
Kemal's mix of Dylan's "Possession" and his own mix of Hak's "Glok." The mix continues full steam ahead from here, of course, coming to a grand finale when
Hive concludes with
Kemal's mix of
Dom & Roland's "Imagination," a spacious track with a monolithic bassline lumbering painfully slow beneath an absolutely blinding flurry of manic high-end percussion. When
Hive finally brings the track to an abrupt stop, silence never sounds so serene, a testament to the force and fury of this mix. ~ Jason Birchmeier