DJ Hype! In New York! On Thursday! When I saw the poster I was very excited... for about eight seconds. Then thought: "Nah. Bound to be crap". The Hype of 2004 is not going to be anything like the Hype of Subplates and "Roll Da Beatz", or even the Hype of Ganja Kru. (Do orrrrrignal soljas still in the game, like Hype or Andy C, actually understand that the music they're involved with now has almost no sonic or rhythmic relationship with what they started from a dozen years ago?)

I actually went to a drum 'n' bass event a month ago, believe it or not (the Dieselboy tour). Flushed up on post-Troubled Waters euphoria, and just curious. Big mistake. The irony that impressed itself upon me: there are few genres doing less interesting things with drums, and less interesting things with bass, than drum'n'bass in 2004.