by John Bush
Make no mistake -- Stanton Warriors aren't garage/2-step producers. True, the pair first earned wide notice for tough remixes of a 2-step hit ("Bring Me Down" by Zack Toms), and it's very convenient for both a record label and the major press to pigeonhole an act into the hottest dance sound of the moment. But as their debut, The Stanton Session, illustrates perfectly, this production duo bridges so many gaps in the dance world that it's fruitless to use just one tag to describe them. Stanton Warriors' productions/remixes/mix dates are as energetic and fun as Basement Jaxx, as tough and inventive as Adam Freeland or any in the nu breaks crowd, and at least as irresistible as Zed Bias or any in the ragga end of 2-step. Jumping out of the gate with their powerful remix of "Jump 'N' Shout" by Basement Jaxx, Stanton Warriors work their way -- on successive tracks -- from big beat to up-tempo hip-hop to acid house and on into ragga 2-step without losing their concentration or the groove. Their own tracks ("Da Virus," "Right Here," "Da Antidote") are smooth, mechanical tech-house burners with plenty of energy and a little old-school attitude, perfect as lead-ups to the peak -- PMT's paranoid monster "Gyromancer." Showing the way for uncompromising, unelitist, and utterly fun dance music for years to come, The Stanton Session is an electronica tour de force.