With the fantastic tools that this age of electronic wizardry, internet fridges, software synthesisers and myspace brings to the electronic music producer, a release like Beat Dimensions is an inevitable result. The release and associated promotional material identifies itself with the so called “Beat Generation” of writers such as Ginsberg and Kerouac, and the non-conformist nature of their work. Combining their powers under the Rush Hour banner, Cinnaman and Jay Scarlett serve up a complex, intriguing offering from their home base in Amsterdam, intended to show some of the new avenues being explored in electronic production by a wide ranging selection of beatsmiths and producers.

With such an experimental, exploratory spirit present throughout this release, many tracks will take more than one go to fully wrap your cranium around them in their entirety. ‘The Night’ by J Todd is an early killer track with large bass grooves and jazzy synths that melt in your ears. The mind bending electro-chicanery of Up Hygh’s ‘Acid’ is one of those cranium busters to listen out for - and there’s a lot more where that came from. Things calm down a bit in the smooth and silky ‘Dabz Beat’ by Morgan Spacek, an ethereal, calming track that serves as a soothing tonic and allows you to catch your breath for a few moments.

It’s impossible to try and define a general sound for Beat Dimensions, as there isn’t really a definite trend to follow. The two most prevalent elements are drawn from electro and hip hop, but that’s about as specific as you can be without having to make up new words. The difficulty in pigeonholing these sounds would be a definite hook for some, however others may find the more experimental, minimalist sections of the CD quite a challenge to listen to – ‘Reign’ by Dyno being a case in point. Thankfully these don’t last too long, and are soon followed by gems such as Flyamsam’s “Green Tea Power’ and Simon Muschinsky’s ‘Activate’, which will likely have you pop-locking like a malfunctioning robot from the 1980s.

If your idea of heaven is lashings of electro served with a side of freshly baked hip hop phatness, then Beat Dimensions will appeal. It is very much a product of its time – made by a group of producers and musos with a love for the electronic who throw the rulebook out the window, using the powerful collaborative tools of the internet and myspace to achieve their goal. Certain songs may frustrate listeners with their obtuse beats and lack of melody, but every experiment has its failures now and then. If you ever wonder what directions electronic music will take over the next decade, then this is an ideal place to begin looking.

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Tracklist:
1. Searching It - Dimlite & Ill Dubio
2. Night - J Todd
3. Acid - Acid
4. Un Joder Suave - Mweslee
5. Push Up - Pursuit Grooves
6. Dabz Beat - Spacek, Morgan
7. Riding Chrome - Mohawke, Hudson
8. Parker - Cinnaman
9. Reign - Dyno
10. Cosmic Travelling - Byron & Onra
11. Fluogreen Legged Gangster - Trago, Tom
12. Figz - Hearin' Aid
13. Green Tea Power - Flyamsam
14. Activate - Muschinsky, Simon
15. Road - Black Pocket
16. No More - Veebeeo
17. Smoke Collage - Super Smoky Soul
18. Keepin' It Real - Waajeed
19. Sky Blue - Tibbert, Mike
20. Castlevania - Slumgullion
21. Nose - Aardvarck
22. Hoerenjong - O-Boogie
23. Measured Amount - Sepalot
24. Love Music - Scarlett, Jay