There's two things you should know about Chase & Status right off the bat: 1) they're Jay-Z and Pharell's favorite d&b superstars, and 2) they didn't always use to sound like this. Now this might seem like a strange introduction, but it'll serve its purpose in just a moment. Saul “Chase” Milton and Will “Status” Kennard have done pretty well for themselves in the relatively short time that they've been crafting beats. Following a steady stream of double A-sides and ep's that did the job of making the two lads a respectable force to be reckoned with, a debut album in the form of More Than Alot was released. Dubious grammar aside, the album did well for itself, very well in fact. And you don't need to be a mathematics whiz to see why; their take on drum and bass was on an accessible level not seen since Rob Swire and the rest of his Pendulum troubadours decided electric guitars were a great idea. Strangely though, the comparisons to Australia's biggest (and to date, only) dance rock outfit were off the mark by a fair bit; yes, both outfits strove to open up the rusty hinged doors of d&b to a wider audience, but both went about it in completely different ways. Whereas Pendulum were busying themselves with the idea that transforming themselves into the nu metal of the electronic world was a smart one, Chase & Status were sticking to their roots, just dressing everything up a little bit. Despite one or two bumps in the road, More Than Alot was by-the-numbers drum and bass, just given larger hooks and put out in the sun for a few hours. Depending on how you look at it, it was a great idea. Commercial appeal, and subsequent acclaim, and no credibility lost. And on top of that, it was just damn fun. It won't be remembered in five years time, but that's besides the point; for its time (and even up until the present day) it's still working its magic. It was the perfect display for their semi urban grit and not-so-subtle dance hooks, and before you could say “crossover success”, the stars came calling. Remember Rihanna's Rated R album? Co-producer credit. Remember The Prodigy's Invaders Must Die? Official remix. So that explains the superstar love. As for my second point; well, at the time the comparisons to Pendulum were something of a head scratcher. No More Idols sadly reveals all those faceless commentators to be more or less, delayed prophets.