I think we've been occasionally vocal about our less-than-positive take on greatest hits albums. And most of the time, we've been right in saying that they're a waste of money for fans of more popular acts. But for the likes of Bass Lo-Ryders, who is certainly not in the mainstream eye, it's actually a good idea as it puts a lot of their best tracks all in one package, painting an excellent portrait of the act.

Referred to as Electro Bass, Bass Lo-Ryder's style is all about thunderous undertone of bass beats, layered with crisp high-end electronica. But rather falling into tedious oversynthed stereotypes, Bass Lo-Ryder does infuse a lot of outside influences to give each track a certain flavor or feel. There certainly are strong jazz and funk influences and from time to time you'll even hear more South Florida and Reggae mannerisms in their tracks.

Having already reviewed Ryder Style, a number of these tracks were already familiar to me. But that's not really a problem as the tracks featured here were easily the best ones from that album. Having another CD with the excellent Take A Low Ride is absolutely of no problem to me as it's a wonderfully playful song, heavy with bass and jazz influence. Also from that album is Speakerblower, All Your Bass Are Belong To Us, Caught In A Bass Trap, and Our God In A Way Is Bass. Each of these tracks represents the original album while providing a sizable range of styles.

Nyte Ryders features five tracks from the 1999 release, Strictly For Da Bassheadz. The opening track of the album, Come Wit It Mon is heavy with Reggae tone and feels as though it would fit well in the soundtrack from Grand Theft Auto 3 (if you've heard the Reggae channel, you know what I mean). With the heavy funk feel of Summer Beats it's obvious that the original album wasn't single minded in influence. Boomin DA Bass Bins is a solid track that thumps at the listener, showing signs of 80's era rap in it's presentation. Boom Attack is certainly a pounding track with more of the Reggae influence. Funky Breaks plays like a signature track, showing off all the deep tone progressions that Bass Lo-Ryders has in their repertoire.

From the 2000 release Lo Bouncing Bass are five more tracks, including the awesome Aphrodisiac, which features a lot of high energy and feels ripped straight out of the soundtrack of Jet Set Radio Future. 10 PM is high energy house techno layers over some speedy deep bass. The Beat Kicks and I Start Rockin' is a solid house techno track that is good on it's own but next to some of these other tracks doesn't seem nearly as good. Interface shows some more timid elements to it's presentation and even feels a good bit laid back. The Perfect Beat certainly gives the listener a taste of a more rock influenced feel to the music.

In terms of Neurodisc's catalog of heavy-bass electronica acts, Bass Lo-Ryders is probably the most interesting, offering a great range of influences in their works. This "best of" is certainly an excellent offering that people interested in the genre should certainly check out.

For more information, check out the record label's website.

- - Vane