Drum & Bass for the Masses

Description

Drum & Bass for the Masses is the debut album by the American techno/drum & bass group Faith Massive (Joey Davis and DJ Seven, a.k.a. Jamey Wright), released on N*Soul Music in 1998, distributed in the US by Diamante Music Group. Also marketed and distributed in Europe by Alliance Music. All tracks written and produced by the group.

It’s often difficult to find any sort of historical information about Christian musicians toiling on the edges of the Christian music industry during the ’80s and ’90s. I’ve written about this in the past, but these artists often seemed to be toiling in some parallel universe that left little trace of its existence, relatively speaking. That’s even more so, I’ve found, for Christian dance and techno musicians of that era, who seemed to be operating in an even more rarified world all their own.

As a result, I haven’t found much about Joey Davis, the producer behind Faith Massive. According to Discogs, he released four Faith Massive albums, with the latest being 2015’s Life Is Beautiful. And according to a sparsely populated Facebook page, he has a side project called Ginger Giant that dropped an EP in August 2025. But I do know this: Drum & Bass For the Masses is precisely what it says on the tin, an album of intricate rhythmic patterns set against soulful vocals and moody atmospherics on songs like «The Beginning» and «X-Plora».

I can already hear the genre purists out there. What about Roni Size? Goldie? Deep Blue? LTJ Bukem? Photek? No disrespect to those artists, who helped break new ground in the realm of electronic music, using shuffling breakbeats, undulating basslines, and atmospheric synth pads to get bodies shaking and minds expanding. But more often than not, when I want a dose of breakbeats, I reach for Faith Massive’s 1998 debut. [Jason Morehead, Opus, February 2, 2026]

CD tracklist:

01. The Beginning [165 bpm]
02. X-Plora [159 bpm]
03. Jon’s Dream (Take It Higher) [168 bpm] (feat. Linda Wright)
04. Perfect Love [160 bpm] (feat. Miles Taylor)
05. Dubconscious [105 bpm]
06. Absolution (Jazz Step Mix) [166 bpm]
07. Dawntreader [162 bpm]
08. Deep Blue [160 bpm]
09.1 Soulstep [165 bpm]
09.2 Untitled (Prayer by DJ Bluesky)

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by N*Soul Records. Track 9 contains a hidden track (track 9.2). Track 9.1 lasts for 6:10 before a period of silence. Track 9 has a total duration of 10:32.