RHYTHM & QUAD 166 Vol. 1

(EastWest)

Once a year or so Atlanta's bass scene provides some ridiculous, inescapable, wonderful hit -- "Dazzey Duks," "C'mon and Ride It (The Train)." But that's only the public face of a mini-industry that's always cranking out woofer-taxing tracks that are huge in the Deep South and mostly ignored elsewhere. Rhythm & Quad collects singles from bass up-and-comers, and though it's got the sound for the cars that go boom, it's a little disappointing, mostly because it's not quite crass enough.

It's a given that bass records are going to be made according to a specific formula -- the basic beat hasn't changed since "Planet Rock," because that's what makes the asses shake -- but the ones that are the most fun are usually the dumbest and dirtiest, too. The majority of these tracks come across as some kind of crossover attempt, but the singing and rapping aren't quite interesting enough on their own to break free of the big boom's gravitational pull. There are a few exceptions. B.M.E.'s "Kissable Spot" adapts smooth harmony R&B to bass; "Stationwagonpimpin'," from Sammy Sam and Skinny Man, is as insistent as "MyBabyDaddy" if not as clever. And the skit "MC Foul-Mouth" neatly tweaks the style's reflexive cussing.

-- Douglas Wolk