Producers are simply not going to use the 'soft' kicks of '99 classics anymore....i think you need a bit more 'oomph' nowadays so a producers track can mix with modern stuff,even though they are producing in a classic style
To clarify, it's not the oomph that is the issue, it's the loudness combined with the modern steroid feel. Plenty of underground tracks have huge kicks and modern beats. I don't want to overstate the issue on this album, because mostly the kicks sound good, but not great. Its borderline steriod, too plastic, compressed, unnatural. I don't know how to describe it. The underground guys have less of an issue with this, and the old-school guys not at all. Listen to tracks from 2006, it was loud but more organic and balanced.