3 out of 5

Label: Rephlex Records

Produced by: Luke Vibert

This will be make or break based on your appreciation for Luke Vibert’s style in general, though his Amen Andrews persona leans more heavily on drum and bass, and specific used of the Amen break, hence (in part) the name.

I tend to fall more towards break with Vibert; I appreciate what he does, it just favors style over substance to me quite often, and this series of EPs – which lists the BPM next to all tracks – triggers that same vibe as well, since it really just provides one shtick over and over. It’s an impressive shtick, and offers a lot more variability than I’m suggesting, as Vibert throws insane drum fills and heartstop breaks into every mix, and digs up funny samples and really grinds on the bassline, but it’s a shtick nonetheless. And sample aside, each one of these tunes, in passing, could be swapped for another.

Of course, the flipside of ‘break’ is when this works for a listener: in that case, this dialed in dose of Vibert’s most intensely drilling beats will probably be quite ideal, and delivering it in these 3- / 4-song EP shots helps to break the experience up.

If I’m highlighting anything, I’d say the slightly slower ‘Amen Renegade’ on the B-side (at a slacking 173 BPM) provides a bit more space for the beats to groove, making it not wholly reliant on just whizzing past you with impressive speed.