Cold Busted's famed Street Bangerz series has reached its tenth installment, continuing to, in the words of the label, "define the street sound of today." Indoctrinating global beatmakers into Cold Busted's extended family, the series promises nimble sample archeology and breakbeats both funky and soulful, combining flavors from the new and old schools. The Athens, Greece, producer Moderator has been tasked with number ten, and he delivers in a champion fashion. Last year's The World Within album for Cult Classic Records gave a tantalizing taste of what to expect from Moderator as Street Bangerz Volume 10 now rolls onto the scene. Fifteen tracks of bouncing beat-head hotness are introduced by the crucial soul-breaks of "Ain't Nobody Change My Mind" … and it won't take much further than "Trouble"'s Jamaican-style skank in the following track to realize the variety of sounds presented here. "Underground Dopiness" and "Keep On", a couple of classic-themed hip hop tracks featuring Los Angeles rhyme crew Revolutionary Rhythm, and appearances by female emcee Maicee and soulful vocalist Heeni also display Moderator's impressive sonic breadth. But the cohesive thread throughout is Moderator's keen production acumen and solid beats, keeping this edition of Street Bangerz on track for repeated listens and dance floor plays.
Kid Loco - "Top Class. All tracks are ace. He ain't no 'moderator', this guy is the liquidator. Best beats around for a while."
Nightmares On Wax - "Some solid stuff on here … will support through the summer."
Opolopo - "Good stuff!"
All Good Funk Alliance - "Dope beats and tough soul edits."
Fort Knox Five - "Super variety of funky goodness."
The Reflex (G.A.M.M. / Basic Fingers) - "Tastefully done!"
Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s) - "There's lots to get excited about on here."
Ben Mono (Undertones Gang / Plant Music) - "Dope stuff."
Monk-One (Names You Can Trust / Wax Poetics) - "Nice boom bap."
SimonG (Deep South Audio, New Zealand) - "Some scorchin' beats … Cold Busted draw on their army of producers to deliver more funk filled sexiness."
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) - "This is what it's all about … stone solid beats!"
Jamie Topham (CDPool) - "Love this Street Bangerz series and boy are there some on this from Moderator … all killers, no fillers."