Kobra Kai is the debut full-length from the Sydney breakbeat/dance/drum n bass act of the same name. Having honed their skills on the live circuit alongside and supporting acts such as Sneaky Sound System, Bliss n Eso, Roni Size, Skrillex (as well as being the resident band for Home Nightclub in Sydney), Kobra Kai have been hard at work since 2005 and their debut shows it. The road to the release of this debut has been long but fans of the group should be more than impressed with what they have to offer.

Kobra Kai, while danceable and catchy, is an experimental record in more ways than one. The band delve into and explore a number of different sounds; employing elements of drum ‘n bass (‘The Mission’, ‘Equinox’, ‘Breathless’), dubstep (‘Download’), hip hop (‘B Drive’, ‘Stepping In’), ambient instrumentals (‘Kinetic’) and blending these together over the course of the album to create a stellar electro record.

The fusion of genres and grooves held together with tight vocal work from Slice, D-Tech and SPex make for a fast-paced, (at times) frantic and impressive debut from Kobra Kai. There is a constant, almost live energy that echoes throughout the album which can be attributed to Kobra Kai, unlike most electronic artists/bands, having crafted the songs in a live setting before arranging them in the studio.

Be sure to catch them on their ‘Mind on the Ceiling’ tour throughout November and December on the east coast of Australia.

Review Score: 7/10