High Fidelity: Kasra’s 10 Strands Of That Critical Sound

Ahead of the imminent celebration of 10 Years of Kasra’s Critical imprint this Friday in Room Two we asked Kas if he’d like to do something retrospective for our webspace - nothing epic, just a little something that would help outline the legacy he’ll be leaving if he ever backed away from the business. Considering that the quality of the music he releases is probably the most important thing to Critical we conspired to present a ten point plan to the history of his label, told in his own words and through the majestic portal of YouTube. “Here's a rundown of some of my favourite releases from the Critical back catalogue," Kasra offers. "It’s hard to single these out as I love everything we have released over the years but these tracks really encapsulate the essence of the label.” Calibre - Rockafella “This turned alot of heads when it first came out, up until this time there wasn’t a Calibre tune like it (not that I was aware of anyway) and one that really helped put the label on the map.” Breakage - Staggered Dub “This became one of the biggest releases the label has had to date, a prime slice of raw jungle funk. Come back James, d&b needs you.” Silent Witness - California “D&b with guitars, but hold up; its not Pendulum. Futuristic road trip music.” Icicle - Lost Hours “Before he did his top button up and started playinh techno, Icey was making incredible minimalistic two step roll outs. To be fair he still does but, for me, this is one of his best.” Stray - Timbre “I don’t know where this came from but Christ alive, a breath of fresh air. It’s like dystopian warehouse jungle or something. Whatever it is its amazing.” Spectrasoul - Organiser “Bit of a Critical anthem this one, the Spectrasoul boys are one of my favourite production outfits and I was very proud when we were able to get this one on the books.” Rockwell - Aria “When I first heard this it blew me away. It doesn’t ‘go off’, it’s a bitch to mix and it sounds like nothing else. It’s fucking perfect.” Enei, Eastcolors & Noel - Cracker “Enei is hands down one of the most exciting producers in d&b today and this collab with two of his Russian counterparts really set the tone for what he’s doing now. Loved by all. BANG, in your face. Sabre, Stray & Halogenix Feat Frank Carter III- Oblique “Just a beautiful piece of music, sublime.” Dub Phizix Feat Fox - Never Been “Dub Phizix has been a breath of fresh air for d&b, bringing his Manchester cohorts for a healthy dose of raw bass and an much needed injection of fun. Dancehall at 174bpm.” Catch Kasra celebrating a decade of Critical in Room Two this Friday. Title photo: Sarah Ginn