Legally Stoned

Sorry for the delay between posts (if anyone even noticed), but we’re back in the swing of things…

Despite the thinly veiled attempt at pot humor puns, Legally Stoned – A New High In Drum & Bass Volume 1 was a double-CD compilation/mix that was another of my favorite purchases in the 90s. Originally released in the UK under the Higher Limits imprint in 1996, it was re-released stateside in 1997 by the now-defunct Mutant Sound System label (great fucking name, btw). As far as I know, the vinyl version of the comp was only released in the UK, but might’ve been made available in the US as an import.

The “Mixed” CD was done by Slipmaster J, owner of the ground-breaking Dee Jay and Lucky Spin Recordings, who also produced tracks under the Code Blue moniker. The mix is seamless. For years I had no idea where one tune came to an end and another began, because everything was woven together so well. The highlight of the mix is Nookie’s “Funk Be The Flavour” into Shifty’s “Jazz Ass” (another great fucking name), then Voyager’s “Hypersleep” (best known for it’s Aliens sample). The transition from “Jazz Ass” to “Hypersleep” still gives me chills and can put me in a better mood instantaneously.

I’d lost the “Unmixed” disk a long time ago but re-discovered it after my buddy Scotty brought it with him to a party in an ancient CD case. It contains the aforementioned “Jazz Ass” (I love saying that), a dub version of PFM’s “Western”, and an early jazz-step tune from DJ Trace called “Miles High.” The only unfortunate thing about the unmixed version is that it doesn’t have Fokus’ “On Line (Dub Mix)” as a separate track. I (over)paid $50 for a repress of that record in the early 00′s, and it’s the only one I kept after selling every other record I owned.

Both disks are encoded at 320k and sound pristine. Enjoy.

Tracklist

Legally Stoned – A New High In Drum & Bass Volume 1

Sound Quality: excellent
Filetype: zip/mp3
Size: 297mb
Bitrate: 320k