DJ Friction is one of the most formidable DJing talents on the worldwide drum and bass circuit and his latest collection of tunes from Shogun Audio is something he can be proud of.

Friction started his Shogun empire just over three years ago, with twenty releases to date from some of the best producers in the industry including Teebee, Commix, State of Mind and Alix Perez, to name but a few, Shogun Audio is definitely leaving it’s mark.

This compilation, aptly named The Shogun Assassins, offers a comprehensive overview of the past, present and future of Shogun Audio as Friction effortlessly escorts you through the tunes that have, and will, be played by the biggest and baddest drum and bass DJs in the world.

Those who appreciate the full spectrum of drum and bass will, no doubt, be impressed with the variety of tunes on the compilation. Soon to be released tracks from Alix Perez, Spectrasoul and Lynx cater for the deeper side of things while Logistics’ remix of Shockone’s ‘Falling Away From Me’ and State of Mind’s VIP of ‘Back To The Jungle’ will satisfy even the most discerning drum and bass enthusiast.

It appears Friction is a man on a mission who is intent on releasing music based on a qualitative level, instead of trying to please the masses and sell as many 12” pieces of plastic as possible, which explains the diversity and depth of music released on Shogun Audio.

Friction says he started the Shogun imprint with the purpose of releasing ‘beautiful’ music that expressed his musical soul and if The Shogun Assassins is a reflection of what drives Friction musically then we can look forward to a lot more from Shogun Audio in the future.

If you prefer Friction’s damaging and dance floor friendly material then perhaps this won’t live up to your expectations, but in saying this Shogun Assassins is definitely worth the purchase price.

Rating: 4 samurai swords out of five.

For comments on this review go to:
http://www.teknoscape.com.au/forums/showthread.php?p=1674561

Tracklist:
1.  Alix Perez & Icicle - Alliance 
2.  Alix Perez - The Resolution 
3.  Klute - Revolution 
4.  Break - Let It Happen 
5.  Break - Chaos Theory 
6.  Stakka, Skynet & Friction - Altitude (Dom & Gridlok Remix) 
7.  Shock One - Further Away From Me (Logistics Remix) 
8.  Survival - Contact 
9.  State Of Mind - Back To The Jungle (Vip) 
10.  Icicle & Nymfo - Running Scared 
11.  Noisia - Brainstitch (Break Remix) 
12.  Jonny L - Back To Your Roots (Friction & K-tee Remix) 
13.  D-bridge - Kismet 
14.  Icicle - Time To Remember 
15.  Survival - Gem 
16.  Icicle & Spectrasoul - Wounded 
17.  Alix Perez - Vanguard 
18.  Spirit - Mind 2 Mind 
19.  Zero Tolerance - Goes Around 
20.  Alix Perez - Down The Line 
21.  Commix - Faceless (Marcus Intalex Remix)