French II

When the Get a Grip crew takes over in Tilburg, you expect weight, and French II delivers a breakbeat and bass sermon of the highest order. This is for us, the ones who still believe the best drops are the ones that don't come with a countdown. The vibe is dark, sweaty, and utterly committed, a room united by the sub-bass frequency. Technically, this is a masterclass in powerful, minimal sound design operating at a punishing 139.5 BPM average, with French II spending most of the set in the harmonically rich and driving 12A key.

The energy arc is a slow, relentless build, with that staggering 0.91 low-frequency average meaning the kick and sub are essentially one terrifying, omnipresent entity. The high-end is used so sparingly it feels like a luxury, making every hi-hat and synth sting land with devastating impact. The tracklist is a murderers' row of low-end specialists. Opening with Meku's 'Duck!dem' is a brutal and effective calling card.

Henry Greenleaf's 'Ghost Town' is a masterpiece of atmospheric dread, while the inclusion of Commodo & Gantz's 'Left Hand Path' is a deep-cut dubstep nod that sends a shudder through any knowledgeable crowd. Throwing in Alice Deejay's 'Better Off Alone' as a melodic reprieve is a stroke of genius, making the eventual hammer drop of Jeff Mills' 'The Bells' feel even more apocalyptic. The journey is a perfectly weighted descent: from the opening skank of 'Duck!dem', through the ethereal pressure of Synkro's 'No Escape', to the timeless, screaming synth of 'The Bells' as the final, definitive word.