The drum 'n' bass half of this set, Lie, Cheat & Steal, shows Withers in his established element. Knowing full well what sort of hyperactive beats and subsonic bass lines work for home listening, he keeps the low end soft and the ambient synth melodies in a minor key for tracks like "Candy Ass" and "Ambient Hell." You Should Be Ashamed is Withers' foray into techno and slower breakbeat-oriented material, and is by far the funkier and more dance-floor-friendly disc. "Machines Can Do the Work" should inspire many a low-down maneuver in the clubs, thanks to an insistent midtempo groove. Meanwhile, "Music for Doubles" and "Overchoice" are minimal, club-ready techno tracks that provide a nice contrast to more eccentric downtempo numbers like "Ultralo."
With his latest opus, Withers' genre-juggling has shown that he can do more than make a drum 'n' bass DJ happy. Big deal, right? Well, for drum 'n' bass it is, but since the style no longer gets the respect it once did, that may only mean so much. Nevertheless, the most formidable contenders in any game are those with something to prove, and given the current state of affairs, Tom Withers has his work cut out for him.
