Album Review: Calyx & TeeBee – All Or Nothing

D&B fans around the world will no doubt already associate the names Calyx & TeeBee with the highest quality, expertly produced and crafted music sounds throughout the years, and that association rings true here again as the veteran beat makers and long-term friends are back with a bang.

The two London producers, in collaboration since 2004, have found common ground before to produce an aggressive brand of Drum & Bass that became instantly recognizable. Their first album, 2007’s ‘Anatomy’, showcased a midrange-heavy take on tech-step, and ‘All Or Nothing’ certainly reinforces this in parts. It is not only about the big hitters in this new album though, as we see with a variation of tunes, that couples in all of their musical expertise and presence, with contrasting and differing styles throughout.

Right from the off, it is clear, through ‘Heroes & Villains’, and the previously reviewed and remixed single ‘Pure Gold’, that Calyx & TeeBee have pulled out all the stops. The D&B, Jazz/Funk mix of ‘Pure Gold’ ft. Kemo, contrasts beautifully with the vocal-led minimalism of ‘Strung Out’, with its Roots Manuva-esque vibe really gets about as cool as they come. There’s the Hip-Hop excellence of ‘We Become One’: a collaboration with UK trio Foreign Beggars and DJ Craze. This has a certain flow and rhythm that you don’t want to end at all.

Then to keeping with tradition, what the fans have been waiting five years for, the downright filthy. Turn the volume right up to ‘Skank’, and the brilliance of ‘You’ll Never Take Me Alive’ featuring Beardyman, which provides yet another inspired piece of deliciously different Drum & Bass, and you know that no-one is going home empty handed.

Throw in the griminess of ‘Back & Forth’ and the final tune on the album ‘Nothing I Can Say’, and you really are in for a mixture of sounds that is not seen in most albums, and certainly not of this particular genre.

By far the best track is ‘Elevate This Sound’, which showcases a calm, free flowing sound, with beautiful vocals to follow it up.

Released on Andy C’s Ram Records, this marks their most prominent work yet. ‘All Or Nothing’, featuring production with some top draw collaborators throughout, means that the release date for the album cannot come round fast enough.
Some might say that previous albums like this have been quite tedious, but for those people who have or have not said this before, and for fans or not, everyone should give it a listen. While ‘All Or Nothing’ is packed with standout moments, it’s the album as a whole that becomes something far more exciting than the sum of its parts.

Calyx & Teebee’s ‘All Or Nothing’ will be released worldwide on 5th November 2012 through RAM Records.

By Duncan Robinson

Check out the BBMLive Dance Music Podcast mixed by So Called Scumbags.