Riders Zone

After a mix album contract went down the tubes with the dissolution of Sm:)e Recordings, DJ Reid Speed finally debuted with 2002's Resonance, a potent set for Breakbeat Science. A DJ who came up in the late '90s (just as drum'n'bass was descending into formulaic dark tracks), Reid Speed focuses her skills on creating a challenging, danceable set, seemingly unconcerned about regurgitating the latest sound. Resonance is as swift and tempo-driven as those by British mixers like Krust or DJ SS, but less concerned with the dark side of jungle. Speed grabs tracks from U.K. and U.S. labels, but makes them sound good together; midway, she throws in a solid mini-set of old-school hardcore, beginning with Skeptic's "Tear." She certainly ends on a great note too, with the double-teaming of T.Power and Shy FX on Agent Blk's "Feel Good."