Growing up and helping out on his father's sound systems, Steve Carr (aka Digital) became a precocious bass fanatic.
After spinning some reggae with pops, he turned his hand to the emerging jungle scene in the early nineties, coming up with his first outing, 'Touch Me', on Timeless in 1992.
He joined the Metalheadz crew in the mid nineties and more recently has been producing for Timeless and Function among others.
This debut then, is not from a newcomer. Shaped by the hands of a veteran on the scene, it will also do nothing to change perceptions of it's author as a dub obsesssed renegade junglist. Opening with 'Warped 2' - an evilous follow up to his killer Warped released last year - Digital warns heads right off that this will not be a journey illuminated by oceanic fluffiness or light-hearted jazz/soul noodling.
Rather, the routes that 'Dubzilla' travels down are a confusion of subterranean mazes, full of purple haze, bottomless pits of sub-bass and vertiginous beat climbs.
Though underscored by a consistent amalgam of rolling old skool breaks and bombastic basslines (through which can be seen Jamaica's massive influence on d & b), Digital's arrangements here highlight his talent for pushing the sound in various directions.
Over eleven tracks, the producer proves he has the artistic stamina to spread his sound out, coming with flitting vocal samples ('True Natty'), brooding cinematics ('Daylight Robery') and chaotic congos on the intense 'Dirty Money'.
Dillinja also reminds us of his role in the recent hard-core/rave revival with old skool licks like 'Red Head' and 'Love Is Love'. There's pure dublove on the pulsing 'Skyline', doubled up hip hop flava on 'Champion Bubbler' and plenty of rumble on 'Street Biz'. A riotous, ruffneck album from one of jungle's most dedicated protagonists.
