Misstress Barbara — Relentless Beats Vol.2

Misstress Barbara is the reigning queen of slamming beats. Live, the Montreal-based DJ commands a powerful presence behind her decks, banging her head like the lost fifth member of Slayer. Her mixes may not reach the intensity (or BPMs) of some of her hardcore cronies, but the hard techno and tech-house ditties she spins are a high-octane brand of their own. She didn't live up to her live reputation on her first Relentless Beats volume, but thankfully she's upped the ante on this second volume (she acknowledges as much in the disc's liner notes). She starts the set off with funky high energy beats, adds a bit of Latin flava along the way, goes heavy into tech territory mid-set and then pulls back to more groove-oriented beats. Of course, "groove" is a relative term here, as many would argue that Misstress Barbara's sets are all about energy and very little about groove. One-dimensional as she may be, these intense beats could get even Joe Clark shaking a leg.