If the success of MT's long-running series On The Beat was proof of anything it was how much the programming of an effective drum track is still regarded as a black art by many people. It would also explain the continuing domination of the sample CD market by drum and percussion-based titles. Time + Space's latest offering in this department - Groove Construction - not only provides you with sampleable grooves in all the current dance flavours - techno/euro, rave/hardcore/ragga, house/garage/nu disco, hip hop/rap, street soul, funk and new jack swing - it is also intended as an aid to better programming through the inclusion of an ST or Mac disk containing Standard MIDI Files of each of the patterns.

The claim is that by analysing the grooves from the comfort of your own sequencer, you'll come to understand how techno differs from rave, what separates house from garage, and what kind of sounds you need for a hot street soul rhythm. However, the real value of the disc (particularly for those without timestretch facilities), is that by sampling sounds individually and then triggering them via a sequencer, the usual problems associated with tempo and pitch changes don't apply. And of course, it's also possible to change sounds more easily and re-structure patterns to fit a rhythm track precisely.

The idea isn't new; a number of titles have emerged recently with MIDI File support for CDs. But it's certainly something I can see growing in popularity. The added flexibility really does make life easier for those without state-of-the-art machines, and it also helps promote individuality amongst sample users - something many accuse sample CDs of taking away.

All well and good. But are the rhythms themselves up to scratch? Well, you don't produce the kind of samples Time + Space have over the years without learning a thing or two about grooving loops - or is that looping grooves? No matter, this is a, er... looptastic collection and certainly well up to T+S's usual standard. That said, there are no instant songs here. These are drum loops pure and simple: dry with little or no added ambience. This, no doubt, is designed to facilitate easier sampling of the individual sounds, and make it easier to add reverb/FX subsequently.

It's certainly a well-organised collection - and superbly documented with BPM figures, a full drum map, copious sampling tips and a set of index tables for each of the seven dance styles covered. These show individual sample ID numbers, the key to which they are assigned, the General MIDI note number of that key, the sample names, the name of the track where the MIDI data would be found in a given MIDI file, the component parts of each loop and the pan positions.

It's all designed to make the putting together of rhythm tracks more of a learning experience and less an exercise in straightforward sampling. This, by and large, it succeeds in doing, though I think stylistically it might have covered a slightly broader spectrum. Perhaps T+S have this in mind for volume two. Whatever, if you're looking for a set of dance sample loops with which you can mess around and leave something of your own identity, this is definitely the CD for you.

Price: £39.95 inc VAT and P&P (UK only)

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