Few would argue that Drum & Bass is one of the most continuously innovative styles of pop music in the past, post-rave decade. But let's face it, the last few years have seen little progress and few new artists.

Instead, hot new splinter-strains like Broken-Beat and UK Garage have sexed-up the sound and shown there is life after Techstep. So just when I was convinced the whole thing was over, High Contrast, Dieselboy and yes, even the Don himself, Roni Size come to the rescue, delivering three epic works to round out '04. These three albums each blaze new trails and show that D&B has plenty of ammo left: Size evolves his live megamix style, vocals and sawtooth hums, High Contrast crafts soulful house-influenced tracks (no, wait, songs) that will keep your iPod on shuffle for weeks, while Dieselboy jacks your wetware with the most tightly mixed Techstep masterpiece I've ever experienced.

If you haven't been keeping up, now's the time.