Minus 8

By the end of the '90s, Minus 8 producer Robert Jan Meyer had developed a diverse, unique style of beat-driven jazzy dance music that won him much acclaim. His late-'90s drum'n'bass-influenced recordings for Inflamable and Higher Ground had been successful, but Meyer's work for Compost took him to another level alongside similarly adventurous beatmakers as <a href="spotify:artist:0nTErwSOllrcUWt3knOG2T">Jazzanova</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:04WBarCWtSEs8ESWnYPlm5">the Trüby Trio</a>. Like these producers, Meyer crossed all boundaries as Minus 8, at times making music that's jazz-inflected, other times making music with a strong Latin feel. His work for Compost also distanced him from the drum'n'bass scene and moved him closer toward the burgeoning nu-beat scene of the early 2000s. In addition to his best-known work for Compost, which includes full-length albums, the Swiss producer also compiled CDs for Mole and remixed many of his peers.

Bringing together drum'n'bass-style breakbeat percussion, a down-tempo sense of Latin rhythm, a jazz approach to arrangement, and a deep dose of funk, Robert Jan Meyer's Minus 8 project originally resulted from his years as a bass player in funk bands. Perhaps more notably, though, his music resulted from his urge to present an alternative to the sped-up "plus eight" style of dance music sweeping across Europe during the early '90s (a reference to the positive and negative pitch adjustment on turntables). Meyer first made a name for himself as a DJ, touring with many of the U.K.'s drum'n'bass elite: <a href="spotify:artist:65g8RO3JqCUTigI7YR3dAw">Grooverider</a>, Bad Company, <a href="spotify:artist:2SYqJ3uDLLXZNyZdLKBy4M">Goldie</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6WPeOlm3f3UGoO1l6OPOUO">Krust</a>, among others. <a href="spotify:artist:1hwAhXzyuEUjug2pyNVSvg">DJ Cam</a> then released Meyer's first Minus 8 productions on his Paris-based Inflammable label. The second Minus 8 full-length, Beyond Beyond, appeared on the U.K.-based Higher Ground label, and the prominent Munich, Germany, label Compost released Elysian Fields, the third and most celebrated Minus 8 album to date. His second release for Compost, Minuit, confirmed his move away from the drum'n'bass motifs that had characterized his late-'90s work. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi