Drop The Lime – We Never Sleep (Tigerbeat6/Valve)

NYC native Drop The Lime (real name Luca Venezia) has certainly become the toast of that city’s breakcore scene since the release of his debut album “This Means Forever’ on Tigerbeat6 last year, and this highly anticipated follow-up comes across as slightly less furious than its predecessor (though that’s a term being used relatively here). Swinging between electro-cabaret pop and furious hard-edged club bangers, “We Never Sleep’ certainly seems infused with same sort of visceral rave atmospheres recently paid tribute to by compatriot Kid606, but in this case there’s a level of attention to catchy hooks that ensures repeat listening well after the clubs have closed. While the incorporation of some of the grime elements comes across as slightly unwieldy and self-consciously cool, some of the biggest thrills come towards the middle section of this disc, where Venezia really loses himself in the hedonistic pleasures of the dancefloor – as in the case of the rattling, conga-laden “Hot Sauce Grillz.’ There will undoubtably be some out there disappointed that Venezia’s slightly mellowed his tone on this second album, but in this case the increased variety of exploration has certainly resulted in a more interesting “whole album’ listen.