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So it's now been just over five years since I created this thread. Five years in dance music may as well be an eternity, so I decided to give us a bit of a makeover. Once again I like to welcome you to the UK Bass thread! Five years ago I said UK Bass wasn't exactly a genre in itself, rather more a describing term for a series of genres that have contributed to/spawned out of the whole 'UK Hardcore Continuum' (Google it). Of course like I mentioned things change quickly in dance music and the term 'Bass' has become a genre in it's own right, with many tunes described as such occupying a wonderful no-man's land between the likes of Dubstep, Grime, House and Techno, with some songs able to fit into any/all of those genres and more! Of course that doesn't mean that a lot of the individual genres I mentioned in the past have ceased to exist, oh no. Though some like Bassline and UK Funky are pretty much dead by this point, though their influence carries on! So why don't we take a look at the state of the scene as of mid-2016.  As I mentioned 'Bass' has become a genre in it's own right. Acting as an umbrella term for artists who aren't that easy to categorise, with many artists taking influence from every sound under the sun and producing bodies of work that could equally be classed under several genres, be it Dubstep, Techno. It could be a dark sound or light sounding track, it could have perfect heavenly vocals. Whatever! The one common link they all share however is in the name. Massive amounts of bass! Kowton – Scido Pearson Sound – Thaw Cycle Jessy Lanza – It Means I Love You Lone – Alpha Wheel MssingNo – Scope FaltyDL – Rich Prick Poor Dick  Dubstep is often thought of as the brother of Grime. Again developed out of UK Garage, Dubstep took the generally darker instrumental side of the 2-Step sound which was pioneered by the likes of El-B, Zed Bias, Darqwan and Horsepower Productions and added even more bass and giving the sound more space to breath, develop and do it's own thing, something that - at the time - was very lacking in other sounds like Drum & Bass. Despite what people commonly think Dubstep is not just about having the snare on 1 and 3. This beat is called half-step and just happened to be one of the most common sound when Dubstep first blew up worldwide. Since then many people sadly assume that that is how all Dubstep must be, leading to a very constrictive framework which has resulted in many formulaic tunes. Originally Dubstep was simply characterised by it's massive sub-bass and a tempo generally in the area of 140bpm. It was this original open ideal that would help develop the UK Bass scene as we know it today. Dubstep has had a rough couple of years (read half decade or so), so please be kind to it! Skream - Midnight Request Line Digital Mystikz - Anti-War Dub Benga & Coki – Night Ishan Sound – Namkha Jack Sparrow – Hold and Pull Kahn & Neek – Got My Ting  This sound developed out of 2-Step. Around the start of the millennium the sound of UK Garage started to mutate again. Slowly there began to be a increase in MCs and Crews in the scene, dominating the raves with their skilful, sometimes venomous and occasionally violent lyrical abilities. As the MC began to become the centre of the action, the actual music followed suit, becoming more stripped down, minimal and punchy in order to showcase the MC. Often Grime instrumentals can be mistaken for Dubstep. While closely related sound-wise, Grime music production generally features a fast attack, with no long stretched out pads or other flourishes in order to not take away from the vocals. Like a boxing match Grime is characterised by it's short, sharp punch, speed and ferocity. Recently – after many years in the wilderness – Grime has retaken the world by storm, with the likes of Skepta and Stormzy leading the way. And by that I mean only really the UK, though Drake does love BBK. Instrumental Grime has also become more of a thing over the past few years, with the likes of Mumdance and Logos pioneering their own style, though sadly weirdos have been trying to apply the term 'Weightless Grime' to that kind of thing. I'm not having none of it though! Big Narstie should also get some credit for A) Bringing Craig David back into the limelight, and B) entertaining us all with his Uncle Pain Youtube vids. Dizzee Rascal - I Luv U Wiley - Wot Du U Call It? Tempa T - Next Hype Stormzy – Shut Up Skepta – Man Novelist – Endz  This sound rose from the depths of Chicago to become one of the most trendiest sounds throughout the world, with the original Chicago DJs and producers spearheading the invasion (when they aren't busy being robbed or involved in car crashes). The past few years have seen a lot of UK/European artists jumping on the bandwagon, bringing their own unique twist on the sound. Special thanks to the likes of air- and Ivan Prisypkin for pointing to the newer stuff. Truthfully it's not a genre I'm personally super familiar of, but plenty of folk here know all about it so feel free to ask! Traxman - Were Your Gone Run Too Rashad - I Don't Give A gently caress RP Boo – Steamidity DJ Taye feat. DJ Paypal – Go Away RP Boo – Bangin' on King Street DJ Spinn – Off That Load  This sound was largely built off the back of Jungle pioneers 4Hero's fantastic sound, as well as the Acid Jazz and Nu-Jazz scenes of the 90s (not to mention a healthy dollop of House & Hip-Hop). This music generally features a more jazzy, soulful or funky sound with a heavily syncopated rhythm that gives the genre it's name. Broken Beat could be thought of as a prototype to the current scene, made up of many different types of artists who intitially came from a wide variety of scenes, from Jungle, UK garage, House, Acid Jazz and Hip-Hop. Each bringing their own tastes and knowledge into the sound and producing some unique music. Over the past few years the Broken Beat scene (you'll also find the term Bruk floating about to describe these kind of tracks) has received an amazing regeneration, with the likes of Eglo Records, Ninja Tune, Rhythm Section International and a revived 2000Black amongst others really bringing new life to the genre as well as giving it a modern twist! Personally I've been in a near constant state of ecstasy with the amount of amazing releases that have been released over the past 1-2 years. Dego - Dumped Funk 4Hero - Ways Of Thought (Restless Soul Mix) Bugz In The Attic - Move Aside Floating Points – King Bromeliad Henry Wu – Croydon Depot Max Graef & Glenn Astro – Magic Johnson  Yes I've slyly introduced House & Techno here too. Why? Well to be technical with the amount of overlap in the scenes I just think it makes sense. Plus to be honest the dedicated House and Techno threads both kinda suck and just plain ain't groovy and I'd quite like a cool place to talk about cool music. This ain't a place for shite Techno, IDM, Prog House, Electro-House or any of that pish. If you can't buy it on a vinyl record it's probably not for here. Use yer head! Seb Wildblood – U Mall Grab – French Girls HNNY – Tears Tessela – Bottom Out[/utl] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8_UAZ4ZjfQ]Blawan – Say What You Want To Say Differ-Ent – M.O.M.  The majority of UK Bass music can still be had on physical format on Vinyl and CD, while if you really want to download I suggest avoiding horrible places like iTunes or Beatport (the HMV/Virgin Megastores of the digital world) and instead go to proper, independent download stores like Juno, Boomkat, Bleep or Hard Wax. But don't forget to check your local record store too in case they have what you want in stock. Support the independents! Juno and Juno Download Boomkat Bleep Redeye Records Rubadub Hardwax OYE-Records Rush Hour Clone Know of any other cool record shops? Let me know and I'll add them here!  For those of you interested in the history of UK Bass music I urge you to take a look at my Rough Guide To UK Bass History. Part of a continuing series, so here's what has been covered so far...         
28 Gun Bad Boy fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Jul 22, 2016 |
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Welcome to the first part of my UK Bass history guide. I intend this to be a rough guide to the history of the current UK dance music scene. An attempt to educate and show people what came before. It's not meant to be a completely 100% accurate in-depth report of the sound and scene at the time, but is hopefully good enough that people will be able to understand and form the links in what has turned out to be a 20+ year old musical progression. First before I start I'd like to explain the genres what I currently call the UK Bass scene. UK Bass could be said to currently comprise of: Dubstep, Grime, Wonky(do people still call it that?), UK Funky/UK House and UK Garage/Future Garage(have I left anything out now?). If you listen to any of these genres then this may prove useful and interesting to you. Anyway without further ado...   Time Scale: Late 1989-Early 1992 Key Labels: Warp Records, Network Records, Bassic, Chill, Outer Rhythm Summer 1988. The Second Summer Of Love. After years bubbling away in the underground, House music(in particular the Roland TB-303 warped Acid style) exploded into the mainstream in the UK. Suddenly everyone - no matter their social class or the colour of their skin - seemed to be raving together, getting off their tits on Ecstasy and dancing the night away in old warehouses. The music played was generally American imports from Chicago, New York and Detroit. Indigenous UK-produced tracks were also around and sometimes just as big as their American counterparts, but at the time were fewer in number and never seemed quite as well put together as their American counterparts and were all-together more cheesy sounding. However what applies to the UK as a country also applies to its music scenes. That is; the ability to nick whatever they like the sound of, incorporate it with other foreign and homegrown elements and call it their own. This unique ability to smash and grab, then re-mould a vast array of different sounds and vibes continues to this day, in what is now called the Hardcore Continuum and UK Bass music. But all great lineages always have a starting point. In the case of the Hardcore Continuum/UK Bass scene it could be said that it's starting point was in 1989, in the North of England, in a towns such as Sheffield, Leeds and Bradford. This is Bleep 'n' Bass. But how did Bleep 'n' Bass as a unique genre begin? As mentioned above It's fairly simple. Obviously the U.S. House and Techno scene provides the biggest influence, but unlike those very 'purist' music scenes, we British have no problems incorporating other musical styles into the mix. In this case we added the breakbeat elements of Hip-Hop(which was massive in Britain in the 80s) as well as the bass weight and sonic space that features in the Jamaican Reggae and Dub scenes, the sound of which was initially brought over by Caribbean immigrants post-WW2. This mix of Chicago Acid House and Detroit Techno, Hip-Hop and Reggae/Dub has proved enduring and adaptable enough to survive in various forms into the present day. I think it's also important to point out the effect our superior independent record distribution network had on spreading and selling this new sound, with distros such as Rough Trade, Pinnacle, Spartan and then new kid on the block SRD having the financial depth, muscle and expertise to really make a proper sales chart impact. This wasn't a scene where selling just 500 or a 1000 copies was considered a success, instead acts like LFO were regularly selling into the five and even six digits mark. The reverberations of this musical scene can be felt to this very day, with nearly every Dubstep, Grime or UK Garage/UK House track almost sure to feature some element of Bleep 'n' Bass in it. Be it Dubsteps sub-bass pressure, Grimes reliance on low-attack high-frequency sonics to offset wild MCing, or UK Garages skippy drum sounds which owe just as much to the programmed breakbeats of Bleep 'n' Bass as it does to U.S. Garage. Don't worry if that brief historical overview has been too stressful or badly written for you to understand, because now we jump onto the good stuff, the actual music! EDIT: Now upgraded with handy Tube-Tape Playlist ! Why click twenty-one times when you can click once? Krush "Jack's Back" (Club/FON Records, 1987) This track isn't strictly what you'd call a Bleep 'n' Bass track. But it has a few key elements in what would become that scene. This track is the flip to Krush's 1987 House hit 'House Arrest' which hit number 3 in the charts(the real charts!), one of the first wave of UK produced House songs that became hits preceding the Summer 88 revolution alongside the likes of M/A/R/R/S and Coldcut. This track was produced by Rob Gordon and Mark Brydon at Fon Studios. Gordon would later become one of the founders of Warp Records, which was initially based out the FON record shop, as well as recording several Bleep anthems. I call this track a proto-Bleep track as it has several of the elements crucial to Bleep tracks with it's Hip-Hop swagger and energy as well as it's bleeps and bloops which would give the genre it's name. Unique 3 "The Theme" (Chill Records, 1988/Ten Records, 1989) This could be said to be the beginning of Bleep 'n' Bass proper. Even just the intro wipes out what came before with a vocoded message announcing "We are the original acid house creators/we hate all commercial house masterbaters". It doesn't look back at all, instead it grabs all it's influences, stuffs them in a cannon, cuts the mid-range out completely on the EQ and fires them forward full force into the future. Nothing but a solid, ecstasy grinder of a track. Full of unrelenting bass pressure and high frequency noise that not only gets you on your feet but keeps you on them. No wonder this track would help inspire a whole scene, doesn't it just makes you want to fire up a sequencer and tap on a drum machine? Something so simple shouldn't be so brilliant. On a related note if you pick up the 2xLP version of their LP "Jus' Unique" whoever cut that was a complete don, 3 tracks per side at 45rpm! gently caress me! Bet it was Rob Gordon himself. Forgemasters "Track With No Name" (Warp Records/Outer Rhythm, 1989) The Forgemasters were Rob Gordon alongside Sean Maher and Winston Hazel. This has it's reputation not only as a fantastic track, but also as Warp Records first ever release. A stuttery, rhythmic, industrial sounding release that punishes you with bass weight and drums that switch between having the kick boom like a Victorian-age steel press before breaking down into a Hip-Hop breakdown. Has been said to have a real Art Of Noise sound to it which could be true, especially since Rob Gordon did a remix of their track that appeared on a special FON remix album of AoN's work. Sweet Exorcist "Testone" (Warp Records, 1989/90) We even get a video directed by Jarvis Cocker for this one. How loving great is that!? Anyway Sweet Exorcist was Richard H Kirk and DJ Parrot(known to his maw as Richard Barratt). Kirk was a founder of early industrial and all round musical pioneers Cabaret Voltaire. CV probably had just as big an effect on the Sheffield scene as any house or hip-hop tune, especially when you consider them after their early Rough Trade/Indie days. Sadly the long trenchcoat wearing brigade started abandoning them after they began making truly danceable high impact music. High impact is what you could describe this track. This, probably more than the Forgemasters track, is probably what put Warp on the map. Simply a massive bassline and several notes of bleeps over a 909 percussion work out, the song is turned on it's head halfway through when a haunting pad melts into the background the the track, giving it what I think is a very dark and almost dangerous edge. LFO "LFO (Leeds Warehouse Mix)" (Warp Records, 1990) You had better have your speakers ALL the way up for this one. I don't care if it pisses off your maw, your dog, your granny or your neighbours this is how poo poo is done. This is the track that hit number 12 on the real charts, shifting an immense - even in those days - 130,000 copies and really giving Warp true national exposure. A real B-Boy drumbeat skitters under just some massive, massive bass. You don't know whether you want to breakdance to it or be broken by it. Epoch 90 "VLSI Heaven" (Oh'Zone Records, 1990) This track is actually one of my favourites of all time. A bit of a lesser known number, it appeared on Jazzy M's Oh'Zone Records who are probably more famous for putting out Orbital's first single. I feel this is actually a bit more fuller track, with more going on in the mid-range than most of Bleep tracks of the time. Uplifting xylophone-like tones and a swelling pad create a very psychedelic feeling on top of a boomy breakbeat and a walking bassline and the repetitious "VLSI Heaven!" sample. Ragga Twins "Hooligan 69" (Shut Up & Dance Records, 1990) Bleep 'n' Bass was definitely not just a Northern thing. Here London's MC heroes The Ragga Twins get in on the action with this Shut Up & Dance produced number. Definitely more emphasise on the breakbeat on this one - as per usual with a SUAD production - that points the way to Jungle, along with Flinty Badmans and Deman Rockers Dancehall vocals. Probably one of the best produced of the early SUAD stuff. Interestingly while this drumbeat is sampled - like you'd do in hip-hop - several Bleep tracks seem to have almost a programmed breakbeat, like it has been manually tuned instead of just a simply loop. Juno "Soul Thunder(Drillers Mix)" (Bassic, 1990) The second release on Bassic records who cropped up in 1990 and released just a handful of releases before disappearing into the nether. Possibly because they were distributed by Rough Trade who in early 1991 ceased trading and went bankrupt, owing a lot of people money. Maybe that's why Bassic only has 1 release from 1991? Anyway some may wonder why I didn't include Ital Rockers "Ital's Anthem". The reason is simply because I didn't want to. Both of these are classic, well known tracks but I much prefer this release to Ital's thing. It should be pointed out though that Ital Rockers would become mighty Steppers outfit Iration Steppas and go on to wow the world with their amazing sound system, so there's a link there. Juno meanwhile would disappear after this single release. The flip has an unusual Vocal mix that I have to say is one of the few vocal mixes I've seen in Bleep. Actually the way the vocals are sequenced slightly remind me of how vocal samples would be handled in the UK Garage days, being just another instrumental sound rather than the lead part of the song like in U.S. House and Garage. The Scientist "The Bee" (Kickin Records, 1990) The Scientist was Phil Sebastiane and future Jungle legend and original Shut Up & Dance member DJ Hype. Probably better known for their other hit "The Exorcist", but this is actually my favourite of their releases. I think it's a much more 'mature' sounding record compared to Exorcist with it's tinky-tonk piano lines and lightly warped bassline. Again another London track, this time on future Hardcore and Jungle powerhouse Kickin Records, and like the Ragga Twins track the drums feature a bit more prominantly than the Northern stuff in this. Kickin Records still exist but is a shadow of it's former self generally releasing pretty middle of the road techno and trance. Nexus 21 "Self-Hypnosis" (Network Records, 1990) Nexus 21 would later go on to bigger fame as rave pioneers Altern-8, but here they show off their original Techno roots with spacey drifting bleeps that send you into a trance and lets your body follow the wake left by the 50 fathoms deep bassline. Network Records is actually a very important label in the Bleep scene, as well as the Hardcore scene that came after. Originally started by Neil Rushden - who literally brought Detroit Techno to the shores of the UK via this classic compilation - who started it as an offshoot of his original Kool Kat Music which was the label that initially released all the classic Detroit stuff over here. However after realising Kool Kat was a terrible name he dumped that and decided to use Network as the vehicle to release homegrown UK talent. Tricky Disco "Tricky Disco" (Warp Records, 1990) Again another Warp classic. Warp Records really had the whole Bleep 'n' Bass scene sewn up, releasing nothing but gold all through the Bleep period. I honestly can't think of a single bad release they had during that time. A real light-hearted bleepy plodder of a tune - and I mean that in a good way! Pitched up vocals are not quite chipmunk in sound, but getting there, showing the way to what the future would be like. Tricky Disco also put out stuff under other names, the most well known was probably GTO who put stuff out on the React label, and as Church Of Extacy who had a complete acid burner on the ever great Rising High Record. Language "Renegade" (Boss Records, 1990) Another personal favourite of mine that I feel does not get the notice it deserves. Produced at Production House Studios by none other Mark Evans aka Bodysnatch(future Junglist don) this tune features a crackling stab of a synth that shoots down onto the rhythmic base like lightning. Sampled, stuttering ragga vocals fade into the background as strings enhance the sheer epicness of this track. Seriously go buy this tune now. If you had to pick any of the tracks on this list, this is it. K-Klass "Loafman" (F.R.O. Records, 1990) What's this you say? Commercial House giants and remixers extraordanaires made Bleep music!? Yes! Their first EP features four cuts of prime Bleep 'n' bass material. This track - Loafman - being the best I think. A fairly radical departure from what they would end up doing later I think, but it's included just to show you that you've always got to dig deep when it comes to music. Follow every label release, check the producers real name and see if it pops up on other single and you never know what interesting gem you'll find. Tuff Little Unit "Join The Future" (Warp Records, 1991) The year is 1991, will you join the future? Warp does it again with this classic piece of Bleep. And a very intriguing peace of work. It actually has vocals! Kind of. But it is a very different track I feel. A more mid-tempo number with some keys that give it a slight melancholic edge. Almost like it knows that 1991 will be the last year that Bleep really existed as a force in the UK music scene. Overall a simply fantastic track and I think one of Warps last truly great anthems. Oh Warp, remember when you used to be cool and relevant before you spent the best part of a decade putting out useless wankery electronic Prog albums that only resulted in a fatter wallet for you and boredom for the majority of us who like to dance. Finally note the name, Tuff Little Unit, a fairly masculine sounding name that really doesn't seem to initially fit the relaxed, almost feminine music. This kind of thing would crop up again in the UK Garage days were you'd have a real ruffneck artist name and when you put the needle on the record you could get the sweetest, most soulful, feminine pressure beat in the world. Sinewave "Sinewave" (Chill, 1991) Personally my favourite record on Luton-based label Chill. A full sounding track full of shuffling hi-hats, darting bleeps, bass and pads all reverberating around creating a real sense of depth and space that some other tracks can lack. You feel every inch of the sonic terrain in this track in being utilised to it's best advantage. Earth Leakage Trip "No Idea" (Moving Shadow, 1991) The first ever release on future Jungle leader Moving Shadow records. This is almost the epitome of a Bleep 'n' Bass track. A deep, subby bassline rolls out of the dark depths of the track while floaty bleeps keep you from escaping higher up, compressing you in between them while dark, Omen-like chanting and psychedelic samples really gently caress with your head. Hope you're not tripping your face off in a dance when this cuts in, nowhere to hide in the middle of the dance floor. Man Machine "Shout (The Communicator)" (Outer Rhythm, 1991) A euphoric sounding bleep-line keeps your spirits up over an otherwise absolute grinder of a track. Sometimes almost vaguely Industrial sounding in some ways ala Nine Inch Nails first album, it's backbone being solidly of a hip-hop foundation stops it from straying too much into that territory. Tribal chants and deep, almost prehistoric growls of sound really live up to the tracks name, shouting above a dark rumbling pad. Perfect dancing fodder, it's communicating through you by overriding your brain, getting a direct feed straight to your body. XON "Dissonance" (Network Records, 1991) What happens when you put Rob Gordon and Richard H Kirk in a studio together? You get this fantastic track. It was around this time that Rob Gordon sadly split rather acrimoniously with Warp Records, leaving Warp without their best, most talented producer and A&R man. Regrouping Warp would eventually do their Artificial Intelligence series and begin what is the mostly dire world of IDM. But enough of that, this is a great track and is pretty much a culmination of nearly 2 years of Bleep 'n' Bass. You can almost hear the tinges of regret, anger and broken dreams in the sad pads and snapping percussion. By 1991 it was clear Bleep 'n' Bass was a dying breed, slowly being usurped and remodelled into the Breakbeat Hardcore Rave scene. The sample of Cybotron's(Juan Atkin's first musical project) "Techno City" seems like a failed attempt to remind folk then of their history, an attempt to remind them that all this wouldn't be possible without the futuristic sound of Detroit Techno. Cabaret Voltaire "No Resistance" (Les Disques Du Crepescule, 1991) Industrial pioneers Cabaret Voltaire were made up of Richard H Kirk and vocalist Stephen Mallinder. During the late 70s they release a couple of records on Rough Trade, but really hit their stride when they signed to Virgin and later EMI/Parlophone and produced some really wonderful, wonderful, wonderful tracks that greatly influenced a lot of what folk in the US were doing. In 1989 they had a House inspired album out that was produced by Rob Gordon, sadly it was a failure commercially and critically(naturally I love it!) but they regrouped immediately and began producing more Bleep and Techno inspired work. This piece is off their Body & Soul album, the last that features Mallinders singing. Similar to what Kirk was putting out under the Sweet Exorcist and other names it features fantastic drums that will surely keep the b-boys doing their thing, alongside a simply massive ironclad dreadnought of a bassline. CV would to another 2 or 3 albums before disbanding, all in this kind of techno style and either on Kirk's own Plastex label or on R&S ambient sublabel Apollo. N.R.G. "The Terminator" (Chill, 1991) Yes by 1991 things had started changing. The UK Bass scene doesn't stay in one place for long, but it's never a sudden change. You can always see the gradual changes in sounds before the energy and inspiration switches. If you're smart and/or lucky you'll pick up on this and follow it, it will always lead you to goodness. Here's one of those gradual changes. A good, if fairly standard, Bleep track at first glance. But look closely, the breakbeat is a lot rougher than the normal slickly produced Bleep 'n' Bass track. More like the kind of sound they get down in London rather than Sheffield. While the actual song seems constructed around the sample ("Terminator is out there...") rather than the sample merely being an extension of the central musical core of the song. "You gotta take a trip" indeed. Rhythmatic "Wind Me Up" (Network Records, 1991) Now here's where things start to get a little more interesting. Rhythmatic had been in the Bleep 'n' Bass business since their first 12-inch dropped in 1990. All their other tracks are classic Bleep songs. But this is slightly different. More upbeat, more bouncy, with more vocal samples. The bass as well has changed as well, not being quite as deep, instead it's gained more of a mid-range, a more buzzing, growling thing that energises rather than envelopes. Here we can see the start of a new genre of music. Breakbeat Hardcore, or sometimes better known as simply Hardcore Rave. And there we have it. A brief introduction to Bleep 'n' Bass, the first in a line of continuous musical genetic mutations. I hope this will be useful to you, and maybe help you understand what the roots of the current UK Bass scene are and where it is coming from(and maybe even make you begin to think where it is possibly going!). At the very least I hope it has exposed you to some new(but old) tracks that maybe will have a positive effect on your mind, your body and your soul. Maybe it will inspire you to produce and create songs and reach new heights in your song writing ability. Or maybe it just gives you more stuff you can get plastered, dance to and chat up girls too. If that can happen to just one of you I'll feel as if the large amount of time and energy that has went into this was worth it, even with my newly formed carpal tunnel syndrome. Additional & Recommended Listening: Sadly Bleep 'n' Bass isn't widely represented compilations wise. The most recent being the first two volumes in Warp's 10+1 series. Influences and Classics. Both are obviously easy to get new. The other best sources are sadly period compilations. Network put out two releases in their BioRhythm series. Lucky the first one was repressed by Neil Rushden/Network in 2xLP form just a few years ago, along with other repressings of some of the classic tracks I spoke about above. Rushden also released on his newest Endulge label a great 5CD boxset. Along with some great writing, each CD chronicles a different style in Networks history. Starting with the original Kool Kat Detroit releases, to the Bleep stuff, to the Rave stuff to finally their fantastic US Garage stuff. I really suggest picking it up. Finally there is Rumour Records Breaks, Bass & Bleeps series. This spanned 4 volumes and while later ones mix in a lot of Hardcore with it, is still a great series that's sadly not so easy to find nor cheap to pick up. Oh and one word of advice. If you plan on picking up any of these releases, or pretty much any other Bleep track in original 12-inch form, don't pay too much for it. Most of the releases sold absolute pot loads and with one or two exceptions can generally be had for just a couple of pound each at the very most. 28 Gun Bad Boy fucked around with this message at 02:14 on Jul 4, 2016 |
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Welcome to the second part of my UK Bass history guide. I intend this to be a rough guide to the history of the current UK dance music scene. An attempt to educate and show people what came before. It's not meant to be a completely 100% accurate in-depth report of the sound and scene at the time, but is hopefully good enough that people will be able to understand and form the links in what has turned out to be a 20+ year old musical scene. Timescale: Early 1991-Mid/Late 1992 Key Labels: Kickin Records, R&S Records, ZTT, XL Recordings, Network Records, Suburban Base, Jumpin' & Pumpin' Last time in my UK Bass History guide I left you at the tail end of what could be said to be the first modern UK electronic bass music scene: Bleep 'N' Bass. Combining the breakbeats of Hip-Hop, the bass pressure of Jamaican music and the production values and frequencies of Detroit Techno, Bleep 'N' Bass mutated quickly in it's roughly 2 year long lifespan. As the sound of the music progressed so did the tempo, quickly increasing from early 1991 onwards from the roughly 120bpm of contemporary Techno up towards the 130/140bpm mark and above. Featuring a greater emphasis on the breakbeats and slightly less on the bass, the Hardcore sound would incorporate a greater variety of samples than Bleep 'N' Bass did, some tracks actually using the samples as the central theme of the song with the rest of the elements spun around it. This increase in tempo and further experimentation with the as yet under-utilised mid-range sonic frequencies would create one of the most popular musical explosions of the 21st century and it would be called Hardcore. While Bleep 'N' Bass was actually largely a very slick, professional take on bass music, Hardcore (also known as Breakbeat Hardcore, Hardcore Rave, or simply Rave music) was often a more bedroom affair. With producers writing, producing and recording their own tracks, utilising old Amiga and Atari computers together with then-fairly primitive but user friendly sequencer software. An explosion in cheap hardware samplers in the late 80s - such Akai's S-series samplers, Ensoniq's Mirage and EPS, and E-Mu's Emax series and many others - helped to fuel this developing sound and allow it to incorporate new techniques and sounds that were maybe rough, but nevertheless very unique. For this section I have split the content into 2 parts. In this part I will show some of the more mainstream and commercial sounding tunes and producers, their impact in the music charts and how far their popularity reached. In Part B however I will show the flipside to this mainstream popularity. How even within such a popular genre people still made deeper, darker, rougher and perhaps more future friendly tracks than what I am about to present to you. Both sides of the record are very important so I urge you to take a good listen to both parts in order to understand the differences - as well as similarities - between the overground sound and the underground sound. As usual enough with the talking, onto the music! Tube-Tape Playlist Link Altern-8 "Infiltrate 202" (Network Records, 1991) Peak Chart Position(P.C.P.): 28 An early Rave classic, though neither the first single nor highest charting release(their anthem Activ-8 hit #3 in late 91) by Altern-8(also known as Nexus 21 and C&M Connection). It's probably one of the earliest and best tracks I can think of to show the difference between Hardcore and Bleep 'N' Bass. A faster affair than anything Mark Archer and Chris Peat released as Nexus 21, it still keeps a good dollop of sub-bass but lines it up next to samples of cheering crowds, a whole section 808 States classic "Pacific" and a female vocalist. All of these just keep the track spinning in perpetual motion, gathering and gathering energy with no end in sight. A chunky lead brings that jump up swagger many rave tunes would come to have, keeping the ecstasy fueled punters moving their feet all night long. Shades Of Rhythm "The Sound Of Eden" (ZTT, 1991) P.C.P. 35 SoR were a 3-piece from Peterborough and signed to ZTT Records who you'll probably know from their success with Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Propaganda and 808 State. This is a classic track of theirs, taking just as much influence from the piano and vocal driven House scene as it does with Bleep 'N' Bass. A completely uplifting anthem with a vocal line that just soars above the clouds, dragging you with it and into the stratosphere, bouncey piano chords following up in the rear just making sure you don't fall off the ride. An interesting showcase of the more 'fuller' sound Hardcore has. You have the bass and the bleepy highs as before, but cutting chunks into the mid-range you have the soulful vocals and keyboards. Shades Of Rhythm were one of the many acts who would follow the continuum into Jungle as well as House. Oh and just look at the record cover, as if the track title didn't give you a massive hint it's a bloody snake. At least Adam and Eve didn't need to put up with poorly cut MDMA, all they had was a simply Granny Smith! Unity "Unity (Future Sound Of London Piano Mix)" (Union City Recordings, 1991) P.C.P. 64 Oh my days! You want piano here's some piano! This is probably the most famous version of this track which was originally released in the US on Cardiac Records. Speeding up the breaks and piano of the original this is probably one of the first genuinely original remixes I can think of, just showing off the skill that is FSOL. Pitchshifting breaks gives this track a kind of proto-Jungle motif, but the ultra fast, ultra bouncey piano line leaves it firmly in Hardcore territory. As for chart position it's typical of a lot of popular tracks of the time. Some made big gains in the chart race, reaching the Top 40 and spending some amount of time there, while others were like a bullet, a quick hit into the 50s and 60s and out again. But hitting number 64 in 1991 when people were still actually buying music was some feat. The Prodigy "Charly (Trip Into Drum & Bass Mix)" (XL Recordings, 1991) P.C.P. 3 Now I know what you're thinking, why the album version and not the original that burst into the top 3 in August 91? Well I'll tell you why this version just loving rocks and makes a mockery of the now admittedly outdated and even slightly cheesy original. A complete one shot injection of euphoria and energy. A pounding breakbeat just makes you legs and arms spazz out while a massive hoover of a bassline melts your brain, leaving you a complete puppet for the tune to have it's way with you and pull your strings and watch you dance. The Prodigy are obviously still about and still selling records like crazy. But their first few singles and the first album are what really put them on the map, as well as bringing in enough money to make XL the complete indie powerhouse it is today. Second Phase "Mentasm" (R&S, 1991) P.C.P. 48 Second Phase was New Yorkers Joey Beltram and Mundo Muzique. A more Techno affair than other songs here (as you would expect with a Beltram release) the tune was still a massive track in the raves of the day. But the main reason this release is here is because of the bassline. What sounds like some kind of demonic Hoover would eventually be called just that - The Hoover bassline, probably one of the more common basslines in electronic music nowadays(alongside the ubiquitous stretched 808 and Reese bassline), as well as going on to feature in many of the Hardcore tunes of the day. R&S is an interesting label as well. A Belgium label it spearheaded a brief but successful wave of Belgian tunes in the UK market. Eventually though many UK producers would grow tired of the attention paid to the Belgium contingent, and they would swing away from that sound becoming some of the first artist to create what would eventually become known as Jungle. The Hypnotist "The House Is Mine (Rising High Records, 1991) P.C.P. 65 Another tune that made a brief, but significant, stab into the music charts. The Hypnotist was Peter Smith and Casper Pound who founded Rising High Records. A more Techno tune like the above Second Phase release, more closely related to the early Bleep 'N' Bass sound with it's Strings Of Life sampled piano and acidic 303 bassline. However it fits in well with the Hardcore sound and it was tracks like this and others on labels like Rising High that would become the basis and influence for what we now call Trance(seriously folks laugh at Trance but a lot of the early German stuff on the likes of MFS are cracking, the Goa-esque stuff sadly not so much). Congress "40 Miles (Vocal Version)" (Inner Rhythm, 1991) P.C.P. 26 Now after that brief detour through some more Techno orientated affairs, here we come right back to classic Hardcore territory. It pretty much has everything you traditionally associate with Hardcore. A bouncey piano line, a simple breakbeat, a swaggering, walking bassline and some diva-ish vocals. Congress was comprised of Danny Matlock and Danny Harrison. Now in an effort to show you again how often folk follow the musical flow of the hardcore continuum, Danny Harrison might be better known to you as one half of UK Garage legends 187 Lockdown / Nu-Birth, as well as half of dark Garage/proto-Dubstep unit Menta alongside Arthur Smith aka Artwork aka that other guy in Magnetic Man. SL2 "Way In My Brain" (XL Recordings, 1991) P.C.P. 11 While not quite the chart stormer as their other big tune On A Ragga Trip(which hit #2) this tune shows the more rougher, Ragga influenced side of Hardcore coming out. With the bassline and vocal sampled straight out of original Ragga hit Under Me Sleng Ting by Wayne Smith, this tune melds that with the rough breaks and brings back a real skanking, smoked out riddim that hadn't been seen since the previous year. 2 Bad Mice "Bombscare" (Moving Shadow, 1992) P.C.P. 48 What a way to bring in 1992! 2 Bad Mice continue where SL2 left off, bringing a more rougher, bassier sound to the mainstream, providing a good bridge between the underground and the overground mainstream sound. Seriously try to find a Hardcore compilation put out by any major label that doesn't have this on it. Engineered by Moving Shadow supremo Rob Playford(who would later engineer a lot of Goldie's stuff), a more cut-up at times, changing breakbeat points the way to the future while still retaining that Hardcore swaggering lead synth. Rumbling sub-bass takes care of the low end. Sampled explosions that explain the track name litter the tune alongside the (now dated) scratching samples filling up the rest of the mid-range. 2 Bad Mice would continue on the Hardcore tip over the next few years under various names before splitting up, with one half going on to create this massive Jungle anthem. Sonz Of A Loop Da Loop Era "Far Out" (Suburban Base Records, 1992) P.C.P. 36 Some tunes are just Hardcore through and through. This is one of those tunes. It cannot be confused with anything else. All it is is Hardcore. Piano lines bounce all over the shop like a guy E'd off his nut while a vocal sample sings "lift yourself". Even the scratching (apparently actually live rather than straight off a sample CD) don't sound dated on this one. The slow rising pad that comes in now and then just takes the biscuit. Dear oh dear. Interestingly Suburban Base is probably more remembered nowadays for their long association with Jungle(though they had a fantastic UKG label called Quench you should check out as well), it shouldn't be forgotten that Sub-Base put out a lot of utter shite. They get one permanent black mark for putting out the Smart-Es novelty track "Sesame's Treat" that inspired a heap of poorly made copycat tunes that would help take the wind out of Hardcore's sail. The Spongebob of it's generation. DJ Seduction "Hardcore Heaven (Heaven Mix)" (FFRR, 1992) P.C.P. 26 Another complete anthem. Just listen to that intro melody line and don't tell me you don't just want to stick your hands in the air like you just don't care! One thing this tune has going for it is it's actually quite a well produced, slick tune in comparison to some Hardcore tunes which can be rough as anything. This lack of production quality really hurt Hardcore at the time. Much like nowadays on the one hand people being able to fairly easily afford the equipment meant those who normally wouldn't have the chance to got make a track, but on the other hand those who shouldn't have the chance to got to make a track. The smarter ones went to a real studio to lay down their beats. Like DJ Seduction who's early tracks were all engineered at Monroe Studios by Pete Parsons who would engineer for many future Jungle stars and labels as well as doing his own stuff. DJ Seduction meanwhile would follow the Hardcore Continuum like the others, but would go down the Happy Hardcore route instead of the Jungle route. M.A.N.I.C. "I'm Coming Hardcore" (Union City Recordings, 1992) P.C.P. 60 Okay you got me, this tune did originally come out in 91 but was released a few months later in 92 on Union City. But try find the original compared to the UCR cut! Anyway this is a truly fantastic tune. Arpeggiated notes drift out to the void at warp speed while that drat piano just want stop speeding along, while the vocal sample of lifted from Hip-House star Tyree. And no, don't ask me why I know that. It's not like I have a secret love for Hip-House. Union City Recordings is actually a favourite of mine. A sub-label of Circa it's kind of forgotten about nowadays, meaning you can find their releases cheap as! Mainly focusing on releasing some great House tunes, the label also played host to Sasha's first release, as well as this fantastic, well-produced possibly Dubby, Trancey, Junglistic-esque oddity. The Future Sound Of London "Papua New Guinea (Jumpin' & Pumpin', 1992) P.C.P. 22 This is probably FSOLs most famous tune, and for good reasons. Quite simply this tune is breath taking. It's Hardcore but with a quick stop at Ambient and Trance town. Not only that it's top of the line, well produced Hardcore. It just blows pretty much everything else out there out of the water production wise. Shiny smooth layer upon layer, breakbeat under booming Reggae bassline under haunting reverberating voices under spacey galaxy wide bleeps. It's got everything. With this tune you can see how the future panned out. Tunes were either going to be rough, stripped down and ready, or sharp, clear and busy. There has been a lot of remixes, but unless they're on the original 1992 7-track Jumpin & Pumpin release forget about it. It's like Nero's Sincere remix, don't touch the sheer genius it'll just end up destroyed. Shut Up & Dance "Raving I'm Raving" (Shut Up & Dance Records, 1992) P.C.P. 2 A massive, massive hit that should've made a much bigger splash. Unfortunately some Hardcore(and let's be honest other dance acts) suffered the same way a lot of Hip-Hop productions suffered. People claiming copywrite on uncleared samples. Managing to smash it's way to number 2 before having to be pulled because of an uncleared Marc Cohn sample. Because of this the single quickly fell back down the charts and the profits had to be given to charity. Now how unfair is that?(Well I'm sure the orphans enjoyed it) If there was ever a group who deserves a lot more attention(and money) layed on them it's Shut Up & Dance who practically invented Breakbeat Hardcore. SUAD continue to make great records to this day(unlike Marc Cohn) and I suggest you pick them up quick sharp to see how the Breaks scene is today. Urban Shakedown "Some Justice (Concrete Jungle Mix)" (Urban Shakedown, 1992) P.C.P. 23 If there is one thing you've noticed reading this list, I hope it's that you've seen how most of these records were put out by small, independent labels. It's amazing to think the reach and impact these labels had on the music charts at the time. I mean where else could you regularly see indie labels constantly outstrip big major labels in sales figures? It seems incredible even nowadays where the indie label has even more power behind them than they did then. Anyway, this track falls along the lines of 2 Bad Mices "Bombscare" and more rougher and streetwise sound with massive bass and some great (if simple to modern ears) drum workouts. Urban Shakedown are probably better known for being the alias of Gavin King aka future jump up Jungle star Aphrodite. The other guy behind Urban Shakedown ended up making Progressive Trance which probably sums that career up really. Messiah "Temple Of Dreams" (Kickin Records, 1992) P.C.P. 20 I hope you didn't forget Kickin Records now? Kickin during the early 90s somehow managed to keep one foot in the more commercial, mainstream side of things, and the other foot in the underground scene. Giving them the underground coolness factor but the monetary muscle and increased brand awareness. Messiah were one of the more profitable acts for Kickin. Starting with such a fantastic intro that shows one of the better sides of Hardcore, an ability to laugh and have a joke. The Running Man sample blends in with a Monty Python line which launches into a shuffling mess of squelching acidic synth lines and euphoric vocals. Again that other classic aspect of Hardcore is captured perfectly. That sense of rising euphoria. The vocals wail out upward, in a grand mockery of some late night, warehouse Gregorian chant religious ceremony. Here though you worship the bassline and the almighty E. Acen "Trip II The Moon (Part 1)" (Production House, 1992) P.C.P. 38 Speaking of indie labels ending up with more power than the majors, the most positive example of that has to be Production House who in the early 90s had a bigger cut of the dance market than Sony. Think about that for a moment. Now Trip II The Moon. Maybe it's just me but this tune has always seemed to much darker and more bleak than other Hardcore tunes. The song just seems to claustrophobic and paranoid to me. It's almost like it senses the whole scene had gone too far with it's chants of "Music takes me higher/more than ever before/I can't believe these feelings". Like it's a heroin addict who finally realises he's so far gone but just can't seem to pull out of the nose dive. Just one more push, one more rush, one more hyper experience. This tune stands at the edge of the boat, one foot on the gangplank, contemplating whether to get off the boat. Into the Darkness. Into the Jungle. And there we go! Part A of Hardcore done. Keep watching this space for the B-Side where we delve into underground sound that was developing at the same time as the above tunes. Additional & Recommended Listening: Luckily the more mainstream side of Hardcore Rave/Breakbeat Hardcore is very well complemented in terms of compilations. Each year there is several new ones released on the likes of Ministry Of Sound and other similar big labels. Occasionally featuring some real duffers, generally they're not too bad. Just don't expect any real surprises in them. As for period compilations that's easy as well. Rave sold by the bucket load as folks crammed into 50,000 capacity arenas or fields to hear the music. Classic compilations includes Telstar's(R.I.P. You cheap crappy compilation label) Kaos Theory series which had almost a half dozen releases. Rumour Records Breaks, Bass & Bleep series focused on rave for their last two volumes of that series, and their Warehouse Raves series continued with that tradition. Two great volumes that are sadly a bit on the pricey side nowadays are Kickin's Hardcore(Leaders Of The New School) and Hardcore Leaders - Vol 2. Both feature a bit more underground tunes as well as whatever acts Kickin were pushing at the time. Finally Jumpin' & Pumpin' released 3 volumes of their Noise series that like the Hardcore Leaders series featured the underground stuff mixed in with more mainstream sounds. On the plus side they're easy and cheap to pick up and I recommend them as well. Like Bleep 'N' Bass don't pay too much for these releases if you're contemplating on picking them up on vinyl. These commercially successful records sold like crazy and aren't rare in the slightest. Many even came out in CD single form if you swing that way. 28 Gun Bad Boy fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Jul 4, 2016 |
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Jun 22, 2011 04:19
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a milk crime posted:Okay I had a really nice, non-PYF post written up but accidentally deleted it and went to a diff page so I couldn't ctrl+Z it back. Well thanks for the love, though better than Martin Clark I don't know haha. He was one of the only writers I ever bothered to read. I mean he's been in the scene so long, way WAY longer than I have. I mean think of all the free records he must be getting(god dammit that's about the only thing I wish for in life. Not world peace, and end to poverty in Africa no. I just want free records man). Though on the negative side you could kinda blame him slightly(and I don't really mean blame like we should string him up) for the sharp rise and quick fall of Dubstep. He was one of the main guys to really bring it out of the UK via the internet and give it global exposure. Maybe a bit too quickly really. And man Uni is when you should be buying more records! Christ that's one reason I loved art school! The government kept giving me money and I kept spending it on upfront white labels. Hurrah socialism! Oh and if you're meaning the female vocals it's actually a sample from Candi Staton. Though everyone probably just samples that from Altern-8 now rather than the original. JamesKPolk posted:Grime stuff Great write up man! Obviously I had to keep most of the facts out of the OP to keep it lean and basic(seriously condensing stuff down into a paragraph is hard), so stuff like this expanding on things is always welcome.
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Jun 22, 2011 11:39
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infinity2005 posted:Ok that basically covered everything you could have wanted in the mainstream hardcore sense except maybe Awesome 3 - Don't Go which felt like it was the biggest of all (played in like EVERY set that i've heard). Now it'll be interesting to see the other side of things,cause there's too much to cover.  Wow! That Amazon review is like, I don't know, the start of some Lovecraft tale or something. Acen was definitely a good producer, and Window In The Sky is my favourite track of his, but I never listen to any mix other than the Kingdom Of Light mix nowadays. That mix has aged the best.I'm glad you enjoyed it since I know you're a bit of a breakbeat buff. Obviously you could probably find a lot of holes and errors, but as a general rough thing I think it does the job. The next part is basically going to be from the same time period, so 91 to around mid-92. I might end it on Terminator as it's a good lead in to the Darkside Jungle stuff. So mid-92 to mid-93, then we can just lump in 94/95 as purely 'Jungle' I think. Well, I'll figure it out when I get to it. Regarding the Awesome 3 track, unfortunately I couldn't include every track due to space and what not. Some may say I'm just using that as an excuse because I completely forgot about that track and it's existance. Is that the truth? Maybe, maybe not. I guess we'll never find out. Ola Ugh posted:Hot drat. Nice thread! This is quite embarrasing but I've listened to T2 - Heartbroken (Ft. Jodie) probably 10 times in a row. Nothing to be embarassed about, that song really is a classic. So, so good despite how played out and old(in scene terms at least) it is now. 28 Gun Bad Boy fucked around with this message at 14:38 on Jun 22, 2011 |
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Jun 22, 2011 14:34
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Gamest Mook posted:Here's the transcript of Simon Reynolds talking at FACT about the 'hardcore continuum', and here's a series of Simon Reynolds articles on various facets of the continuum, each written as they were really coming into their own: Simon Reynolds is one of those writers I actually respect and will listen too. And the number of those isn't very high. One reason why is the fact he was actually there, enveloped in the scene. He wasn't some guy who came along after it blew up, after the buzz had reached a certain level, like you saw with say Dubstep where no-one outside members of the scene were writing about it before it became the 'in thing', safe enough that lesser talented and least involved folk could go "Oh this is big now. Other people have said it's got a buzz about it I'll do this now". I mean not being there at day 1 isn't a crime, but as far as I'm concerned if you're gonna come into something else show some proper respect and pay the tribute. That's one reason why people like me hated it when you suddenly got folks like Black Sun Empire, Nero, Chase & Status jumping on the Dubstep bandwagon thinking they were it (and the fact D&B sales were falling and the scenes star falling, while Dubsteps sales and prestige were rising rapidly, didn't play a part in it at all. Nope. Not one bit). Just because they were kings in there own house didn't mean they could just swagger in and expect VIP treatment. What they did in D&B had no translation into what we were doing. C&S get not quite a by, but a bit of one since to be fair they did have some early 140-ish stuff on Bingo/Vehicle. People who did it the correct way like Martyn, Tech Itch, Rob Smith etc etc got the props they deserved because they were respectful and understood the situation as well as the groove. Anyway, Reynolds yeah, good writer. Wierdly I don't actually own or have read Energy Flash which is his big dance opus thing. I've got some of his other writing though and it's good. Definitely shows his Oxford/Cambridge journalism/writing background at times though. The way he writes is just totally alien to me and not how I like to write(and I've done dissertations before and once was told while my writing was good it was too 'tabloidy'. In retrospect I guess I shouldn't have put the naked girl on page 3.), however he's the one with many books published and is a successful freelance writer so I guess I can't complain. Oh and definitely quoting this for truth. Simon Reynolds posted:But even through all this cyborg manipulation which it's always fun to talk about, always there is this soul power --a kind of hypersoul, maybe -- and that runs through the whole continuum, from hardcore to bassline -- and for various cultural reasons that are interesting to think about, it's the female voice that is the privileged representation of bliss -- so we have this current of feminine pressure running through the continuum -- indeed when the voices start to drop out of the music completely, then I think we're in trouble, then it's starting to be a river branching off the continuum, as with drum and bass, as with dubstep. Then it starts to have international appeal, the less soulful it is -- funnily enough. Your international white boys contingent don't like the divas, it doesn't compute for them, they think that kind of singing makes it pop music, or R&B. And they probably haven't done enough Ecstasy to feel that hypersoul rush. e: And this as well. I forgot how good the content in that transcription was. Wish I could've actually seen him speak. Simon Reynolds posted:So I would further argue that a healthy musical continuum is one where everyone involved is listening to everybody else very closely, but they're not ONLY listening to people inside the scene. They're tuned to stuff outside it, and then they use that stuff from outside as part of their arsenal against the other producers within the scene who are their rivals. Pure truth. 28 Gun Bad Boy fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Jun 22, 2011 |
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Jun 22, 2011 20:37
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mr box posted:Yeah I love this one onna Todd Edwards vibe. Blawan has such an awesome sense of rhythm - makes sense he is a drummer (i think). If you like Todd Edwards stuff you really need to check out MK. He was like a proto-Todd Edwards. TE kind of took the cut-up kind of thing MK was doing and just took it to another level. Burning, Somebody New I'll happily put my hands in the air and say I loved Rolex when it came out. It was a real breath of fresh air for the scene. Maybe it got a bit too much and overplayed and copied but whatever. Thanks for that video by the way, never thought to actually check if it was recorded or not.
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Jun 22, 2011 21:56
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JamesKPolk posted:Oh yeah Wiley's definitely to blame too, but it seems to me like Dizzee got that ball rolling earlier, even just by releasing Boy In Da Corner on XL. Although I'm sure Wiley wasn't totally innocent in all that either. I think the difference is, while both Dizzee and Wiley first moved up the leagues in signing with XL, they both did it on 'merit' as it were. Like both those albums(BIDC and Thin Ice) were just grime. But because they did it that way - and I remember when this was happening - everyone else tried to get signed doing just pure grime. But despite Dizzees(remember as good as that first Wiley album was it wasn't a chart buster like BIDC or Showtime) success no majors were really looking. I mean Doogz got signed and just put on the shelf really. So everyone was looking up to the stars with pound signs in their eyes, but not actually looking at what they were doing with their hands, at their actual work, which suffered. A lot of that pent up energy just ended up going to an aggressive place. I mean is it any wonder one than a few MCs ended up in jail around that time? All that frustration and energy had to come out somewhere, somehow. Wierdly you mention mixtapes, which turned out to be both like the disease and the cure. Mixtapes around 2004/05, man I remember a lot of them were just poo poo. There would be a couple of good tracks out of like 20 on the disc and that would be it. But then though when all the MCs hit the ground again with a big thump after failing to put their name to a line, they really put all that rejected energy into the mixtapes. Really making them something. I really put a lot of that success on The Movement who at the time I thought(and still do) were really keeping the scene as it should be, showing it how it should be done. If we're going to blame anyone you're best sticking the ball at Dizzee circa 2007. I mean Maths+English had Lily Allen and should've had Joss Stone on them. Nothing wrong with either of them but I remember at the time I just didn't know where they fit into the scheme of things. What was their place on a grime album? They weren't even like Gemma Fox or whoever, someone who had underground and street pedigree.
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Jun 23, 2011 01:28
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Dramatika posted:Love the new thread. Somehow I had missed bassline up until now, and I've been jamming DJ Q/MC Bones - You Wot and T2 feat Jodie - Heartbroken on repeat for 20 minutes now. Are there any decent bassline mixes, or is it one of those genres where everythings on album? Bassline used to have stuff coming out on vinyl all the time, but that's died a complete death by and large sadly. Though check that mix up above as it's great(listening to it the now). Otherwise get your hands on Paleface's Rinse mix CD(Rinse 5? Or 6 maybe? Cannae remember). A few years old now but still good. I used to love Bassline though the past few years my interest has gone down a bit, for no real reason. But bizarrely despite loving it I never really downloaded mixes or anything really so I'll need to try remember any mix sites for you. If you really want to stick some money on it Bassline was really always a CD pack thing, I loved them. That's what I got instead of downloading mixes. 5-6 CDs for like £15 or something. ukrecordshop.com has a bunch in stock. Plus the covers are fantastic. They're proper dance covers, nothing but a hot girl with graphics and text just exploding everywhere around the girl. loving great.
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Jun 23, 2011 17:24
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Gamest Mook posted:I'm sure a lot of you have seen this but for those that haven't, here's a 1994 BBC documentary on the burgeoning jungle scene: Yeah that's a good doc, it's cool to see the old Lucky Spin shop and all that. Actually sampled in ShyFXs first album which is a bit bizarre since he's in it. Here's an even earlier one from around mid/late 93. I remember seeing this before Youtube was even kicking about. Real player yo! A London Somet'ing Dis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jd2Lr7C0nc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCXt62rfm18 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLS4EX96aqA
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Jun 23, 2011 19:46
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mr box posted:Looks like i'm going to be the first one to post a 16 bit track in the new thread lol Everytime I see the name 16Bit I get excited and think it's 16B who was a fantastic house producer and did one of my favourite remixes ever, a mix of Sixteen Souls On My Mind then the real name gets to my bring and I feel a little disappointed. I really did like 16Bit's remix of that Little Dragon song who's name I totally forget right now. Well it was a good song in the first place so you'd really need to be trying to gently caress it up. Though on saying that, as Youtube shows apparently making a cock of an already produced song IS pretty easy to do.
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Jun 23, 2011 23:04
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HatchetDown posted:Kastle is probably old news for some but for anyone that doesn't know of him he kind of falls somewhere between Loefah and SBTRKT, both of whom I've been addicted to the past month or so. I've been eating up his Time Traveler EP so I grabbed a few mixes he did on his main site to review today. Jacques Greene has also had a couple more recent releases on LuckyMe if you've not already heard them. The rest of the LuckyMe stuff might interest you as well, though they can be a bit over the shop style wise. A lot of it's a bit more wonky/hip-hoppy. I'll second that Gravious release on Saigon though, local hero and a nice guy. The only problem with that release is the label name. I think Saigon I automatically think of the stuff Dom & Roland put out on another label called Saigon, but anyway... Maybe "You got me" off Scuba's last album, was also a single. Probably my favourite track off that album.
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Jun 24, 2011 19:30
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Azure_Horizon posted:I'm not saying it like it's a bad thing to like dubstep, I just like the fusion of jazz and dubstep that Silkie has going on. It's pretty sweet. If you like the more jazzy stuff you should check out Broken Beat. Full of jazziness, soulness and funkiness. Might be too awesome for some people though. Some folks ain't got no soul.
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Jun 24, 2011 19:42
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HatchetDown posted:There wasn't anything I didn't like out of the recommends, thanks guys. I've been eatin' up Gravious, especially Temple Ball(almost sounded like Plastician's Japan v2.0), and that Scuba track was pretty interesting too. The only one that really stuck with me from the Saigon release was Lodestone because it reminds me so much of the heavy dark dub-y stuff you would expect out of Kromestar. It wouldn't be the first time I've heard one of those tracks and mistook it for the other. Both were kicking around for a while actually before they were release, Japan in particular which took literally years to come out if I'm remembering right. If you liked those you could check out the Hotflush comp Space And Time. A great collection of what I like to call Hotflush's first period. Before Paul Rose went to live in Berlin and Mount Kimbie and that came in. I still get nothing but complete and utter bliss out of Vaccine's Wishful Thinking. Really looking back I think that tune really bookended that period in Dubstep to me. A real rolling the end credits thing. The sequel came out right away but it just wasn't quite as good.
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Jun 26, 2011 23:36
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Success! The final list for Part 3 of my UK Bass guide is finalised. It's not written yet so don't get too excited just now! But I just wanted to show you how I approach these things. Now I can't exactly say the last part (the more mainstream side of things) was not interesting to me - I like it - but my forte is definitely with the more underground side of things, which has slowed things down a wee bit since I really love getting my teeth into it. So anyway how is this done? All by good old fashion leg(ear?)work. Now since I've got a time period narrowed down I can first go through my own record selection, picking out ones I like, ones that were maybe more popular as well as some more obscure stuff. Now on top of that all the old mixtapes and compilation CDs I've built up over the years get a run through a couple times each, snagging the best from them. Finally after I get a rough list of tunes I want comes the hardest bit. Narrowing it down. If we say the final list tends to be somewhere between say 18 and 24 songs, I'll have say almost double that in a provisional list, sometimes more. Never mind different mixes of tunes to go through as well, to pick out the best, most unique or most fitting of each one. And trust me when it comes to Underground Hardcore(and the later Jungle Tekno thing) I find a lot of great and unique tracks that I absolutely love. Leaving things out is always the hardest part.
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Jun 28, 2011 20:38
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a milk crime posted:I would definitely like to know some of your favorite mixtapes as well from the periods of time you've written about. I don't remember them from your last two parts - unless I'm a moron and missed them. Some of the best and most influential mixtapes to me have been the Yaman and Phoenix Line studio tapes. Both series studio mixed so sound quality is actually good. The best bit is nowadays they're easily availible from hardscore.com. Originally I had them ripped off of like Kazaa or off some website at some stupid bitrate(like 64kbs or something crazy like that!). That was the olden days though and listening to them in good quality was just fantastic. I also had/have (depending on what I deleted, saved to CD/DVD, or external HD) several full tape packs of like Dreamscape and I want to say World Dance and more. Naturally like those raves full of a good mix of stuff from that era. But the best mixtape I ever had was a live tape from Jungle Fever in mid-93. I want to say June/July. It was DJ Ron and it was just amazing, pure amazing. I actually think it may have been taken from that documentary I posted a while back as the start of the tape the MC(Navi I think it was, or was it Moose?) is like biggin up the Channel 4 massive, the camera crew etc. Including the best shout out ever! "Has anyone lost a set of keys!?" That set more than anything has made me go, 1993 Jungle, that's the best. 94/95 cool, but the stuff from 93 is just amazing. Pure intensity and everything is played together, Bukem lines up next to a jump-up thing it's just, wow. I'll need to dig it out of my external HD. "We have the permit to burial, the license to kill!" gently caress me, gently caress that was just something else. Man I love MCs I really do. That's the hard bit though, while my records are nice and anally sorted (by genre, then record label. Sorting by artists are for losers who no memory), my music folders are pretty much one big dumping of ripped CD folders and odds and ends. Trying to find anything is ridiculous especially since half the time I can't remember the file name! Anyway since I've decided sleep is for the weak, I'm about 80% through the next part, so don't be surprised if it pops up over the next few hours. If not, tomorrow.
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Jun 29, 2011 02:22
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Welcome to the third part of my UK Bass history guide. I intend this to be a rough guide to the history of the current UK dance music scene. An attempt to educate and show people what came before. It's not meant to be a completely 100% accurate in-depth report of the sound and scene at the time, but is hopefully good enough that people will be able to understand and form the links in what has turned out to be a 20+ year old musical scene.  Timescale: Early 1991-Mid/Late 1992 Key Labels: Ibiza Records, Reinforced Records, Moving Shadow, Suburban Base Last time in my UK Bass History guide we were taking a look at the more mainstream sounds of Hardcore. This time however we will lift up that rock and have a look at what was crawling and mutating around underneath it. The other side of Hardcore that was developing alongside the Overground sound. This time we delve headfirst into the Underground. The more Underground Hardcore scene existed side-by-side with the mainstream sound, but while the mainstream stuff courted the suburban, satellite town population the more rougher underground sound kept to it's roots. Young, working class, Urbanites. A more streetwise sound, appropriating more from the Ragga and Reggae ends of the musical spectrum versus the European Techno that the mainstream had become more attached to. This can be seen by the return of the Reggae-influenced basslines, as well as a greater reliance on the bass end of the frequency chart much like what had happened with Bleep 'N' Bass. But like it's overground alter-ego it remained a more amateur, bedroom production based music, retaining the more rougher, sample-based core. It also shared a sense of humour with it's A-side half, such as often speeding up sampled vocals into chipmunk territory. Angry chipmunks, but chipmunks nonetheless. Only this time the samples tended to be built on top of the bassline. On top of the groove, rather than in the mainstream sound which at times could weave tracks around a sole sample. The bass was the king here and it wasn't going to let anything else forget about it. Like I said in Part 2, I urge you to listen to this Part along with that in order to better understand the differences (and similarities) between the overground and the underground sound. Tube-Tape Playlist Link Fabio & Grooverider "Rage" (Perception Records, 1990) We're going back a wee bit here first. Back to 1990, a time when Bleep 'N' Bass behemoths roamed the land. But we're going south, not north, to London town. Here in a chilly Autumn night in 1988 the clubnight Rage is opened. DJs Fabio and Grooverider the ones in charge. Rage specialised in a more underground sound compared to other clubnights at the time like Spectrum. Rage is the womb where the sound of the future known as Jungle would be conceived. And this track was what was playing when the spiritual fathers of that scene looked into it's wallet and went,"gently caress, no Durex. Oh well!". But onto the actual track. In all honesty this song is probably slightly forgotten about nowadays and probably for good reason. It's not really terribly exciting. Taking big chunks from 808 State's Cubik, it's a fairly decent late-era Bleep 'N' Bass/very early Hardcore track. But it has all the common elements to be found in Underground Hardcore. But the track itself isn't that important. What is important is the energy behind the track which at the time hadn't quite reached critical mass yet, but this slight burst of overpressure would show the way that energy would be directed when it did boil over. 4 Hero "May The Wicked Perish In The Fire Of Hell" (Reinforced Records, 1991) 4 Hero and the Reinforced label they run would be one of the main backs the Underground Hardcore (and latterly Jungle/Drum & Bass) scene would be built off of. This great song is off their first album - In Rough Territory - is one of many off that album that shows 4Hero in a pivotal point of transformation between their earlier, Bleep influenced stuff and the Underground Hardcore sound. A breakbeat skitters underneath a rolling bassline which bops high frequency notes on it's mid-Atlantic roughness. A vocal sample tells you "this is a very depressing place/and it's oppresive/and all sorts of just unhappy, sorrowful things". A true state of the scene at the time maybe. While still drug-fueled, long gone were the halcyon days of the Summer of Love. The whole dance scene had come down to earth with a tremendous bump. Violence had creeped back in again (as witnessed by the closing of the famous Hacienda in 91), and drugs had become watered down and cut with god knows what. Here 4 Hero and the other artists in this list were the unlucky ones. The ones on the street when the world collapsed. Unlike the mainstream artists sheltered like some rich fatcat banker in their ivory towers, 4 Hero saw the devastation caused. Even the track name (fantastic as it is) is very apocalyptic, end-of-days-esque. Like a preacher on the street shouting at his flock as the world crumbles,"Do not ye listen to the sound of the temptress mid-range! Listen ye to the almighty father our lord Bass! Perish shall the wicked in the fires of hell for their lack of sub-frequency oscillations, amen!" Lennie De Ice "We Are i.e." (i.e. Records, 1991) The big one, the one everyone says was the key proto-Jungle track. And I'll need to agree. A prime cut of Underground Hardcore this one. Everything about it screams hardcore. A massive, massive reggae bassline plods through the track like it was just made for the sub-woofer of a tricked out Renault 5. BomBomBomBom-BomBomBom-Bom-Bom. Just slams you to the ground and pounds on you mercilessly like you've just been jumped by said youts in the Renault 5. Pistol samples shoot out, sounding like they've just been ripped from a Clint Eastwood movie. But this ain't no Paint Your Wagon that's for sure. A Guy Called Gerald "Anything" (Columbia, 1991) Let's get this out the way. Yes he did do the world famous track Voodoo Ray. Yes it is loving amazing I agree. But it's a complete loving crime he has never been acknowledged as much as he should be for his later work. After the success of Voodoo Ray and the album that followed it Gerald was riding on a high. Then the record label - Rham - a nice, steadfast indie label stole all the cash and left him drifting. So he signed to major label Columbia and put out such an album full of fantastic gems such as this. But getting fed up with the House end of things, Gerald began walking down his own path. A path that would lead to the future before anyone else would even see it on the horizon. Anything is off his Sunshine EP which along with another EP(which contained that which gave me my username - 28 Gun Bad Boy) both dropped as white label in 1991, followed by Gerald himself being dropped just afterwards. Columbia just didn't know the genius they were sitting on. I mean gently caress me, these tunes are just amazing. Chuck them forward 2-3 years and they'd still be perfectly playable. Razor thin breakbeats dance and occasionally twist and pitch around underneath a simply humongous bassline that just rattles your chest like nothing else. A trademark for Gerald, his bleeps just echo around the sonic landscape like they've just been screeched off by a bat in a pitch black cave. Echo location at it's finest, guiding you into a hypnotic skankin' trance. "Anything can happen, you'll see/Anything can happen, believe me". Oh I do believe you Gerald, I do. And you lot will as well as we ride the sinewaves onto the next track. Ibiza Crew "Lady Feeling" (Ibiza Records, 1991) While not the first release on Ibiza Records, nor the first release by Ibiza owner Paul Ibiza (those acclaims go to this track), it is the first to be given an IR catalogue number so I'll count it. Ibiza were probably the Underground record label of the time. Releasing just a sheer barrage of records from late 1990 all the way up until the mid-90s, as well as having a brace of sub and sister labels as well. It's reach and influence cannot be overstated. This track is just a simply proper Underground Hardcore affair. Retaining the bouncy piano of House and the mainstream Hardcore, it's swaggering bassline sets it apart from it's upper-class cousins. Again it's a rough(though tight) production as a lot of these underground tracks would be. But you quickly forget about any dirtiness as the tune is just so hot you can't help but put your hands on it. Break The Limits "Paranoize" (Break The Limits, 1991) Break The Limits is probably better known as their later incarnation of Nu-Matic. Comprised of Matt Edwards and Mel Tanur(better known as Jungle don Bay B Kane), BTL would feature a more hip-hop sound than Nu-Matic(in actuality after the first couple of Nu-Matic singles Tanur would have a bit of an acrimonious split with Edwards) that fits in perfectly with both the Rave and the UK Hip-Hop scene that at the time was flourishing. Here a breakbeat powers under tumbling mad hatter style keys that like the track title accurately states is just pure paranoize! A real falling down the rabbit hole experience. Only wearing a pair of Jordans. And having a Mercedes badge on a gold chain wrapped round your neck. DJ Trace "Love Dove Sound" (Orbital Records, 1991) The first release from DJ Trace. You could say this is an early example of the Hardcore sound taken to its extremes. Nothing but a big massive in yer face bass that just never stops for the entire length of the track while a breakbeat tries in vain to push into the mix, succeeding only occasionally when there is a slight pause in the bassline. Reggae vocals exclaiming "this sound is a love dove sound" repeats every other bar (maybe an ecstasy reference. Dove = E. But gently caress knows what the pills Trace was taking were cut with in order to come up with this sound). Manic shouting cuts in half way through in an attempt to busy up the high end frequencies, but ends up just buzzing in your head like some ultra migraine, melting your brain when combined with all the other elements. Noise Factory "Jungle Techno" (Ibiza Records, 1991) Another gem on Ibiza. Noise Factory were a very prolific act, releasing many tunes both on Ibiza as well as their own Ibiza-run label 3rd Party. Criminally under appreciated these days I think, NF were one of the pioneers of Jungle. Even this tracks title, while I don't know if it was the first time the word "Jungle Techno" was used, it certainly wouldn't be the last. And this track would help provide the blueprint for the Jungle Techno sound. Rough, tribal like drum hits pierce the vale of bass weight that warps in and out like a tide while frantic piano stabs work alongside pitched up (but not cheesy chipmunk like) vocal samples. Retaining all the energy of mainstream Rave but directing it towards and rougher, more darker pathway. LTJ Bukem "Logical Progression" (VMR Records, 1991) The first ever solo release by LTJ Bukem. And like all his early stuff just sounds so drat slick and futuristic. High, crystalline string like bits glide through the murky cosmos while suddenly a bouncing piano line breaks the ice, with a chorus of "you'll have a good time, good time!". Like I said it just sounds pretty slick compared to a lot of other stuff at the time. Not quite as well put together as his later tracks but you can see the (logical) progression from this to his later work. Now the real question is who's work did he wholesale rip off that piano line from. It must be from someone as it's what Bukem does best. Answers on a postcard please. D'Cruze "I Believe" (Boogie Times, 1991) Boogie Times records was the record shop that would give birth to Hardcore and Jungle giants Suburban Base Records. But they also put out a handful of tracks on the Boogie Times label before mostly shifting onto the Sub-Base thing. Like this track here, the first by Sub-Base loyalist D'Cruze. A squelching acidic synth line burns on top of a solid steel break, while a piano line switches places with - what I can only guess is - some kind of fiddled with in a sampler flute-esque instrument. This song is probably a more upbeat example of the underground sound, at times almost bordering on mainstream (shock horror!) which is a line Sub-Base would walk a very fine line during these Hardcore days. Doc Scott "Surgery (Midnite Mix)" (Absolute 2 Records, 1991) One of three mixes on Doc Scott's now legendary first release: the NHS EP. Now personally I prefer the Midday mix on this disc, but for the purposes of this guide I think the more energetic, more ruffnek Midnite mix is required. An utter roller of a tune is the Midnite mix. A grinding, repetitive, bass crashing beast of a tune. A heavy 4/4 kick punches like a press while massive sub-bass shakes at your foundations and the occasional stabs sound like they were lifted out of Halloween or some other dodgy horror movie giving a real menacing air to things. Doc Scott would go onto do work with Reinforced records(personally my favourite work of his was when he was on Reinforced), as well as Goldie's Metalheadz label before finally bringing to life his on 31 Records label. Nebula II "Atheama" (Reinforced Records, 1991) Recognise that initial sample? If you don't shame on you, go back to part 1 and try it again. A massive track in the underground at the time, selling around 15,000 units. And no wonder, this is just a complete alien invasion of a track. No wonder the looping samples just scream "confusion!". It's like they're in the aftermath of some alien attack with the tracks massive, screeching laser cannon of synth just cutting through everything in it's path like it was butter. Later Nebula II would sadly not follow the screaming, fleeing refugees into Jungle, instead taking off for that wierd alternate universe that is Trance. I can't complain to much as the Trance they made was actually not half bad. Code 071 "A London Sumtin'" (Reinforced Records, 1992) Ah Reinforced, it's the gift that just keeps on giving. Anyway, come 92 the initial spirit of togetherness and general love doviness in the Hardcore Rave scene finally blew away after having many holes poked in it during the course of 91. Here we see the Underground sound retreating back to it's home ground that is London where it would spend the next year or two incubating, quietly(well maybe not so quietly) tinkering with itself, mutating into Jungle. This is almost like a homecoming track. From this track we can see where things had lead to. Melancholic pads hang over the actual track, casting a downbeat light on things like those orange sodium streetlamps beam down and illuminate just a small section of the darkness in their wierdly hypnotic, hazy light. As if to remind the rest of the tune, you're back home to regroup. You're doing it on your own. You're building things at street level. Tek 9 "Just A Dream (Remix III)" (Reinforced Records, 1992) You didn't believe me when I said Reinforced just kept giving did you? Well this is the last on this list I promise. Tek 9 is Dego, one half of 4Hero and probably my favourite half. Not that Marc Mac(the other half) is bad. Oh no both are fantastic songwriters and producers, but while Marc hit a more popular - but still rough - sound with his Manix project, Dego kept to the underground with Tek 9. Again another pointer to the future, Just A Dream goes back more to the Bleep 'N' Bass days with a tight focus on both the lows and the highs, without filling up the mid-range with too much sampling and other junk. This remix is my favourite version of the tune by far. Growling sub-bass sweeps the track like a lighthouse light while spacey, computery bleeps make a reappearence on the top end. But the track retains that euphoric, ecstatic rushing sensation of Hardcore with vocals and a fast attacking mid-range choir accelerating the track and keeping it away from the 120bpm Techno of Bleep 'N' Bass. All this gelled together into one slick, effective unit in the skilled hands of Dego. Rhythm For Reasons "The Grand National (Tango Remix)" (Formation Records, 1992) A remix of the second (I believe) tune on Leicester's very own Formation Records. The Grand National was probably the tune that put Formation on the map. Just such a energetic, Warp 10 speed of a track. That melody is just amazing and in my general wierdness really does give it the Grand National feel, like you're the jockey just pushing this horse to go that little bit faster, to get in front of that other guy and get to the otherside. But the remix adds in that slight sense of danger in the track. That bit of worry and paranoia like you're just about to fall off the ride. Remixer Tango would go on to remain on the Formation stable for a bit and pen a whole bunch of great tunes that would quickly be tagged with the Darkside Jungle name. The House Crew "We Are Hardcore" (Production House, 1992) Oh come on now you didn't think the high pitched vocals were completely gone were you? Hell no. But this track, this is like the ultimate expression of Underground Hardcore. It could so easily be a more mainstream track, but it does away with all that, choosing to instead fill itself with intense, brooding, electric stabs which forces the track away from the highlife at knifepoint, while also keeping the potentially uplifting piano line in check. Cut in with samples from We Are i.e. ("we are Blame "Piano Takes You (Music Takes You)" (Moving Shadow, 1992) Actually this one could've been in the mainstream section as this was a popular tune. But Blame is a future Jungle king and deserves to be here in this part. And I chose the Piano Takes You mix because well dammit, I'm just gay for piano lines like this. I love it and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But it shows you just how good Moving Shadow really were. Like Sub-Base they seemed to be able to skirt between the Underground and the Overground, pushing out tune that appealed to both sides. Though personally I think they came out of it with a better face and more integrity than Sub-Base did. Tone Def "Aftertouch" (Moving Shadow, 1992) Another classic case of Moving Shadow sticking the best track of an EP on the inners of the disc, just to make it that bit more likely you'll never hear it. Tone Def was - as far as I'm aware - a purely Rob Playford thing (though if it's not I'd love to hear who else was involved) which is a bit of a rarity as normally he just engineered on a track, or worked alongside someone else. Anyway Aftertouch is another example of a MS track that could easily have moved up the ladder into the mainstream I think. It has a lot of the right ingredients to do so, especially the latter half of the song with it's vocals and uplifting synth line that tries to lift the track into a euphoric state. But like all great tunes it knows exactly where it wants to be and the subdued, rhythmic chanting and deep bass at the start of the track firmly places it in the more progressive, Underground camp. A fantastic song from a fantastic release, by what I think is sadly a lesser known Moving Shadow artist. Bodysnatch "Euphony (Kuff Mix) [Just 4 U London]" (Big City, 1992) Bizarrely depending on which pressing you get this utterly, utterly, brilliant track will either be called Euphony or Just 4 U London. Honestly what is there to say about this track that hasn't been already said? An early classic not just in the Hardcore scene, but it's also one of the key tracks that helped to create Jungle. All of Bodysnatch's track are great, and sadly I think the rest become overshadowed by this beast of a tune. But it can't be helped as this is just too powerful. Again a call out to London, the place where the music had retreated back to in order to re-arm and re-supply from an out of control and critical thought devoid mainstream sound where cheesy sampling tunes had started to rear their ugly heads and actually become a chart power somehow. London has always been the heartland for the UK Bass/Hardcore Continuum(much to people like me - non-Londoners - sadness and at times bitterness), and this is just one big shout out to the city. But it may have been Just 4 London but a tune like this extends past all boundries and would be a pivotal and influential track to those in the know. And speaking of influential... Metalheads "Terminator" (Synthetic Hardcore Phonography, 1992) Hear that sound? That's the sound of Jungle being born. Taking all that came before it and just taking it one step further. That's what this track did. Metal Heads was really Rufige Kru, who was really Goldie. Why did this tune crop up as Metal Heads and not Rufige Kru like his earlier work appeared as? Maybe it was signing to Synthetic, a way to keep the Rufige Kru name out of their hands. I've always felt bad it wasn't on Reinforced who put out the majority of Goldie's early work, with classics such as Darkrider and Ghosts Of My Life. But anyway, Terminator is just a total mindfuck of a track. It builds on what the likes of 4 Hero was doing before, pitching breaks about but this just takes that to the extremes, pitch shifting the drums all over the shop like they were moving into lightspeed and flying around the galaxy. The entire track just has so much direction about it. It's going somewhere and you're not going to stop it! Buzzing Hoovers judder and blaze over the soundscape like some kind of post-apocalyptic thunderstorm all while these drat drums just constantly keep your feet working in a complete frenzy. Goldie always said he was on a lot of pills writing this track and you'd need to be. It's the only way that this track could break orbit like it did and reach into outer space, dragging with it an entire scene who stood in wonder at this track. Here's on the darkside of sound if where Jungle would become a legitimate and powerful musical entity. But that's for next time on the UK Bass History Guide! Additional & Recommended Listening: Sadly the more Underground Hardcore has never been that big on the compilation side of things. Period compilations include Reinforced Records Callin For Reinforcements which include a lot of classic 91/92 Reinforced tracks. As recommended last time Kickin Records Hardcore(Leaders Of The New School) and Hardcore Leaders II do a decent job of showcasing a the underground sound alongside some more mainstream attempts. Jumpin' & Pumpin's first volume of their Jungle Tekno series also showcases the 92 sound fairly well also. Otherwise that's about all I can think of. Even now I struggle to think of any modern compilations that deal with this 91/92 sound. So that means if you want any of these tracks you'll need to actually buy them! Price wise for these types of Underground Hardcore tunes can actually vary. Some will set you back just a couple of pound like most of the Ibiza stuff, while some like the early A Guy Called Gerald stuff, Bodysnatch and Terminator will probably set you into the £20-30 mark or even more in the case of some AGCG stuff! So unless you have a really good second hand record store nearby, keep a close eye on Discogs, as well as eBay and you might score a bargain or two. 28 Gun Bad Boy fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Jul 4, 2016 |
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Jun 29, 2011 03:47
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So a couple of mixes have floated on out there over the past week or so that's really grabbed my attention. First is Grievous Angel's Grime mix. A nice bundle of stuff from the early to to around 06/07. Pick it up here. Those of you raised on strictly Butterz instrumental stuff be warned. This is the original full strength stuff. Also with Vibezin's first real 12" release out on Keysound round about now, he's done a mix for XLR8R that you can grab here. Vibezin is one half of United Vibez who host one of my favourite, most long term shows on SubFM. I'm glad his work is finally getting out there more between this release and his thing from L2S last year as he's a good producer who's work I've been hearing almost every week for 5+ years now.
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Jun 29, 2011 12:08
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a milk crime posted:Yeah, I knew it started the Boiler Room birthday - Jackmaster opened it up that night, so that's why I said that he has it and guessed it was from the Numbers crew. The percussion and the fact that it uses a Janet Jackson sample makes me also believe that it's Jamie as well. I can't actually think of a Phuturistix release actually coming out. That song was remixed by many, many garage folk though. DND did one, El-B did one. A lot of white labels as well, but I can't remember a Phuturistix one at all.
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Jun 29, 2011 15:27
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GET MONEY posted:Some heavy tracks on there, loving the vocals in the second half. Classic bars, plus this Nasty Crew - Run 4 Cover on a Rossi B & Luca production I'd never heard before. Anyone know the riddim from 36:20 or so? Sounds like it might be a Footsie tune with that reggae sample.. It helps if I remember to post the track list I guess. http://blog.grievousangel.net/new-grime-mix-2
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Jun 30, 2011 10:55
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nationalista posted:So, the new James Blake single is pretty meh. The first track especially just whiffs of To be honest I've always found most of James Blake's tracks to be a bit well, not exactly mediocre, just a bit blah. It's generally a bit too kind of IDM-ish(very loosely -ishy I'm saying here) and chin strokery for my liking. Not enough sex really. This just continues the biege woolen jumper trend. Oh and just to remind me that I'm no longer 19 anymore, I'm a week behind learning that N-Type has restarted Terrain Records. Oh the shame, in my glory days I'd have known about this before N-Type himself had made a decision! For shame self, for shame. Anyway it's now going to be a 140bpm Jungle/Hardcore inspired thing and first single out is a Benton/Arc 88 thing. The Benton track is pretty decent, though it could've done without the Dreams Of Heaven vocal sample(it's a bit of a big target I guess. One of these days someone is gonna sample directly from the original and I'll be happy.) Anyway it's the Arc 88 track that's the better one here. Bit more going on in it. I'd actually forgot that Terrain even existed. It only had 2 releases, both of which were really good actually. S.N.O., who put out that great track Disturbance on Earwax and had an EP on Terrain, while Omen, one half of Random Trio, had a track called Rise which had a Skream and N-Type mix on the flip(typically no one had uploaded the original mix which is probably the best one). I was always surprised this didn't end up getting sued off the face of the planet with the nice big blatant Star Wars sampling. Probably a good thing it came out in 2006 before all heads were looking at Dubstep. We'll see how this 140 Jungle thing gets on. It reminds me of the J-Tek stuff from a few years back. That was D&B folk like Digital, Outrage and Randall trying to bring that Jungle Tekno sound of 1992 back at 140bpm. So we got tracks like Falling Bombs by Modular & Outrage, and a fine(no pun intended) remix of Opus III's Fine Day. Naturally they had 2 real releases before switching to digital and completely losing my interest and seemingly most other peoples, so it was a bit of a failure all around. Shame as I think if they toughed it out for a wee bit longer they could've hit the UK Bass scene when it was all coming together and really had something.
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Jul 2, 2011 13:59
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infinity2005 posted:I have to agree about James Blake, i didn't understand the hype really. It seemed totally deliberately marketed to a certain crowd without the actual substance behind it. Look at that latest cover on boomkat or something. What pretentious nonsense honestly is this. But next week does look good for releases besides that. The cover is very Timorous Beasties, which I like, shame the music doesn't match the grandeur of that high end design. I thought the CMYK release on R&S was alright, but the stuff he's had out since has just been pretty flatline. Speaking of R&S it's revival continues with a release by The Chain. It's the b-side I'm liking the sound of, very hands in the air type stuff. Who would've thought 5 years ago R&S would actually be cool again, everyone had just written it off as doing nothing but re-issuing old Aphex Twin stuff and the occasional repress of Outlander and Jaydee singles. And I've just noticed The Guardian trying to copy my idea, with a history of music thing. Though they naturally had to cover all genres since 1900 and put it in a flash thing to try upstage me! See this is why I read the Sun, at least the sports section is decent plus I get some tits on page 3. After pretty much missing all the Jungle(bar Timeless of course), they decide an important event is Tiesto DJing at the Olympics. At least they did one right thing and had 4Hero's remix of Nuyorican Soul's Black Gold Of The Sun as a noteworthy event to include. Best remix ever.
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Jul 3, 2011 01:10
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infinity2005 posted:You didn't include the 'Did Charly kill rave?" bit did you? Since it was kinda big turning point. Well I did actually include it in a list, and I did say the original was outdated and cheesy nowadays. Actually I talk about it in my Far Out review. Though more from the Sesame's Treat/Trumpton angle which were far, far, far worse songs that only appeared nearly a year after Charly first hit. I'm still going to be big headed though and say they stole my idea. I want my money The Guardian! Those guys can afford it since they only drive 1.0lt Kia Souls and Hybrids! I read their last piece they wrote about Top Gear, I know the truth! Plenty of spare change in the company car fund.  inafoxhole posted:These comments about the James Blake covers aren't talking about next week's release (order/pan) are they? Because that's just the standard Hemlock recordings cover; bit weird to use that as an angle of critique. Well that's what I get for not picking up anything on Hemlock before. But it's been a while since I've seen a cover that so perfectly matches the music. Well actually no, I'm talking bollocks as the cover far outclasses the music. Seriously that's some nice pattern there, I like it. I don't like a lot of the stuff off his album etc, not so much because it's more basic, just that it's not really got any real punch behind it and tries to cover too many bases. It's just ends up kinda watered down Blue-Eyed Soul a lot of the time. Now, not that I don't like that stuff, normally I love it. But in this case, the production isn't really exciting or have enough energy for the dancefloor like his earlier stuff, and his vocals just aren't really powerful enough, in my opinion, to really be powerful soul and to be able to stand up on their own. It all just ends up too wishy-washy. Like I said before I get like subliminal-IDM vibes off it sometimes which is just generally an automatic thumbs down from me, I don't know if that makes any kind of sense? Limit To Your Love was pretty nice though, even if I just want to rip out that drum track and just have pure piano and vocals. Though let's not beat around the bush here, the real problem is he's doing Joni Mitchell covers. That poo poo just don't fly with me man! Bloody Joni Mitchell honestly...
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Jul 3, 2011 13:06
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HatchetDown posted:I wasn't particularly fond of the intro but once it really kicked off it definitely had me bobbin my head. You'd be surprised how fast it can catch on, man. All it takes is playing a few parties with the right people and in no time you'll have your own night at a local pub or something. I suggested Koreless last week at a local dubstep night and now a lot of people want to hear him more than they do Skrillex and that's a pretty big deal around here. Hell there are people that already want me DJing at a bar in downtown Ft. Worth because of my choice of music and I barely know how to do it. Hah! Oh man bad luck on the DJing thing, 'cause I want you to take a look at your bank account. Note the numbers? Now make all those numbers Zero. Begin with a 0 and end in a 0. That's the joy of buying records and trying to keep on top of new sounds and releases. Proud of ya! Koreless btw has a new track on the Brownswood Electric 2 sampler 12". Not actually on the CD itself bizarrely, just the sampler. Check out the CD while you're at it. It's all over the shop style wise but it's really good, might be something you might like there. mr box posted:to me this sounds like a shackleton record without any of the depth and/or subtlety I've actually quite liked the Orphan 101 stuff. That one with Headhunter he did was really nice. Definitely a bit more dancefloor based though I think. You could make the Shack link easily though since he's had stuff out on Apple Pips which is obviously Appleblims label so there's the influence, though I didn't like that release so much. beeps-a-palooza posted:thanks man, I appreciate it. once i finish making acouple more tracks. Isn't Joe Nice still in Baltimore? Does he or the rest of his circle play out there? If he does - or even if he doesn't - you could always try passing some stuff on to him once it's all polished and perfected, good way to get things rolling on ground level, build up some buzz. Ignore this if Joe Nice is playing something completely different these days as I've not heard him DJ or even a mp3 set in like 2-3 years!
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Jul 3, 2011 20:10
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unknown poster posted:I managed to get my roommate into uk bass when she heard me playing Katy B, so much shes been listening to her album nonstop. In terms of actual albums, Pinch's first from a few years back - Underwater Dancehall - had a nice mix of male and female vocals on the first disc. Maddslinky(aka Zed Bias) had an album out tail end of last year called Make A Change which features vocals by the likes of Jenna G and Tawiah on a bunch of tracks. Very bumping that one. Tru Thoughts who put it out also re-issued his classic 2003 Broken Beat album Make Your Peace with a sadly not as good front cover, but the sound is still great and has a couple of vocal cuts on it as well. And just to continue the Zed Bias love in, he also had a House album out a few years ago called Experiments In Biasonics which - surprise, surprise - is cut with female vocalists along with some nice male MCing by Broke N English and Ink Lined Minds. But female vocals still are the queen in the Garage and UK Funky(and Broken Beats) scenes so you might have more look in there at the various singles and what not. Geeneus had an album out on Rinse a few years ago simply called Volumes 1 that had some of the early tracks Katy B put her vocals to as well as other female vocalists. Though all that stuff - like the Maddslinky/Zed Bias stuff - really works best if you don't mind shaking yer arse to it at the same time. Like all good tunes make you do. It's not really intense, singer-songwriter woe is me depressing stuff. Though thinking if she likes the Katy B stuff she should be in the clear for that. Oh I guess there is always the Magnetic Man album as well, Katy B is on a couple of things on that too.
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Jul 5, 2011 05:01
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infinity2005 posted:There's a new album called Pursuit Grooves - Frantically Hopeful which might be just the kinda sound she's looking for, that's a female artist with a lot of her own vocals. I think she makes the songs at least. It's not bass but there's also always Jenna G who's had an album and contributed on many tracks, dubstep ones as well probably i just can't remember the names of them. Totally forgot about that Jenna G album. It's Drum and Bass but don't hold that against her. She's got some cracking pipes on her and the actual production is done by some solid hitters like Zinc and Total Science so it's not totally dire.
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Jul 5, 2011 11:31
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So new Dego album dropped a few days ago, completely unnoticed by me since apparently only Juno actually has it in stock. This recent 2000Black revival with this Dego album/single and the Shokazulu 12" before has been cool, but man I need to find out who's actually distributing this thing since nowhere apart from Juno and Rush Hour in Holland seems to stock it. Between that and the fact the singles are priced at £8.99, leaves me not a very happy bunny. £8.99! It's not even an import! Bah! At least with stuff off say Especial I can justify it in my mind by saying,"hey Japanese import it's cool!" But god drat Love & Hate You is just too much of a tune for me not to buy...
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Jul 5, 2011 18:37
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Due to a complete lack of work and an intense case of high humidity initiated insomnia (seriously Glasgow feels like loving Florida right now. Not digging it.) I've been trying to medicate myself by spending the night hours digging through my record collection. Naturally this hasn't worked. Especially since tonights thing has been rummaging through my (admitingly smallish) US garage collection. Now some folks say US garage is pretty gay, like Chicago House(the jacking variety, not the Acid stuff). I say no it's not gay, it's just a completely loving sexual music. It oozes pure sex. It's as gay as it is straight really. Do you like to have sex? Do you not go about looking like a reject from an early The Cure video? If so you may just like US garage. So not gay at all, even if I sometimes feel like a teen girl singing along to vocal lines I can't even begin to actually hold(luckily for the world the singing is kept within the confines of my room). Now don't lie, I know you all do this as well to big vocal tunes, maybe even just to something like Loving You, but I know you do it, don't lie to me! Pumping but still twitching and flexing instruments are just subsumed by these so very, very diva-ish vocals. Both female and male(what would be the male equivilant to a diva anyway?). This is what US garage is really about, the vocals. Unlike UK garage who treats the vocals at times just like another instrument in the track, US stuff is just about the vocals and treats them in a more traditional way. But anyway, to get to my point, I was digging at my Strictly Rhythm pile I hit on one particular song. Logic - Blues For You(Hard Dub) This was a very influential track in the creation of UK garage. You know how they always said UK garage started off just playing the dub sides of US garage but just pitched up faster? This is one of those tracks. Really you wouldn't be blamed for thinking this was an original UK made garage track(especially if you had some knowledge of early UK stuff like what Nice N Ripe were putting out). Even that sparingly used vocal bit that pops in every now and then is treated in the manner of UK garage. No real big vocal narrative or anything. Just quick interludes of cut up vocals. In a dance scene that had developed from Hardcore Rave to Jungle, which both featured plundered and cut up vocal samples, this kind of similar vocal treatment would just mesh perfectly with the attitude and stylistic tendencies of the more streetwise UK club-goer at the time. All it'd take is a couple of people with the right ideas and attitude to speed it up just a tad and add in some more bass. Blues For You would end up remixed by DND and Reach & Spin around the turn of the millenium and finally turned into true UK garage. The original 4-tracker(with the vocal mixes on the A-side) was reissued a few years ago when Defected took over Strictly Rhythm, so it's pretty easy to find. Not that any original Strictly Rhythm track is hard to find anyway since they sold like hot cakes first time out. SR was probably the king of US garage in my opinion, and an easy place to start if you're looking to open your ear to that sound. Over here React records put out 4(at least I only have and know of 4) volumes of Strictly Rhythm material. Simply called well, Strictly Rhythm - The Album(followed by The Second Album, The Third Album see where this is going?). They're easy to find and cheap and loaded with about a dozen good tunes on each disc.
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Jul 6, 2011 02:40
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Currently I do not produce. I used to, many years ago, along with a good friend of mine who's actually a real musician and does the band thing and has actually recorded and toured Europe etc. Luckily over the years hard drive failures have destroyed what we did do, or most of it anyway. Most of it is just not very good. Nothing really wrong with it musically I guess, but just not original and the compositions were rarely finished or very good when they were. The early stuff (say from around 2004/05) was that kind of darker garage that was there at the time, while the later stuff to be brutally honest was just poorly done Shackleton rip-offs. That ended up fizzling out because he was took his own band thing far more seriously(obviously) and also just sheer difference of opinion between a rocker like him and a danceman like me. Sometimes sessions would just get bogged down in arguments and differences of opinion. And the stuff I did myself I pretty much tried to do A Guy Called Gerald's Black Secret Technology but in a more garage-y Dubstep vibe. Something with depth but not cluttered, with big bass and highs that just sounded like sonar, something to dance to but also some clever. Naturally this failed as gently caress me, that album and that sound, you just can't even begin to match it. Sheer folly for someone as unskilled as me to even try. I do think though if I gave it a crack nowadays it would be a lot better. It is a shame though as I think back then if I'd worked at it harder something could've happened. Especially when everyone turned there eyes here when the likes of Rustie, HudMo and Numbers became famous. I did have a few chances before that I think that I stupudly never took up, but that's a different story and in reality a lot of what could've been chances are pretty hypothetical. The reality though was I was doing a tough fine art degree, so between making actual artwork and then I had some family stuff, the musical thing just ended up on the backburner. The very, very backburner. I have to admit I've really been refreshed over the past year or two with how the whole UK Bass thing is going and occasionally I'm like, maybe I should do something again. I really love the fact some real soul and swing has came back into it, and can actually be played out! I mean Dubstep was my thing, I loved it, but I got so burnt out and disheartned by what happened to it I pretty much dumped it and retreated in sheer shock to Funky. So if I was doing something now, I don't know. I'd like to think it'd be on the more Funky end of things. A bit more on the soulful side. Plus the fact that the audio interfaces now come in mixer form also really looks good to me as I love actually moving faders and poo poo(working in the box always frustrated me which is why I bought some cheap synths and a sampler years ago). Like they didn't have that 5-6-7 years ago or whenever. Not really anyway bar a few examples, and all those fancy midi controllers were only just starting to come on the market. Beats the poo poo out of my old Edirol PCI interface. Maybe if I finally can find a decent job that actually pays I may do something about that.
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Jul 6, 2011 19:45
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LE0N posted:What do you mean "is its own genre" it is isnt it? everyone round here at least just calls it brostep and its pretty easy to identify the differences between say skrillex and someone who is producing something completely different (say uk funky or grime) To be fair though 'Brostep' was just a way for people to slag off that sound. It wasn't even coined by no-name producers in an attempt to grab fame ala Drumstep(ignoring the fact Grooverider did make up the name, the first time I saw people using it seriously was no-names attempting to artificially create a genre to try be kings of that quickly erected mountain, not that there was anything wrong as such with the music, but don't try to be worshipped when you don't deserve it). Really as far as I'm concerned it's Dubstep. Maybe not very good Dubstep as far as I'm concerned, maybe not Dubstep I like but still Dubstep. All it ever was to me is what Skream, Benga, Coki, Caspa, Rusko and a bunch of other producers were doing taken to it's most logical extremes. But the extremes of anything are generally poo poo. We're not exactly talking about final frontier Apollo 13 boundaries here. I mean I remember when it started appearing, it was crazy, and pretty regressive really. I never once thought it'd end up as popular as it did. You'd hear like Cookie Monster and whoever did that Chainsaw tune(16bit?) and laugh really, but apparently people actually took it seriously. Ah well. Anyway that more jump-up stuff I think it's best to stick to the originators really. Skream, Coki and the above mentioned folk. At least they have the skill and talent to create some mental tunes that actually have a bit of variation and destination in them. A Skream jump-up tune will roll over anything lesser producers do with ease. But uh yeah, one reason this thread came about was to avoid another 2 years worth of this kind of conversation. But I also don't think it's maybe wise or fun or educational to just ignore it, so if folks can actually talk about it sensibly, share some thought out opinions and ideas and make some decent suggestions if folk ask and not just post un-commented Youtube links to Skrillex and Flux Pavillion tunes then I think that would be cool enough. Possibly, or it could all end in a Hindenburg like disaster.
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Jul 6, 2011 20:54
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Gamest Mook posted:I always thought the whole "this isn't real dubstep" argument was very rockist. It's really saying older (or in the same tradition as older stuff) = more authentic = better, which is kind of antithetical to the progressive ideology of the dance music scene. Of course Skrillex et al are wank but deriding them on the basis of their failure to live up to some platonic dubstep ideal established by five guys back in 2005 seems a little problematic to me. Oh totally, but sometimes I think it's kind of like the opposite. People don't like the Skrillex, Circus Records and more current in your face mosher jump-up stuff because it's the one that's very traditionalist in a sense. It's too inwards looking, too caught up in it's own feedback loop. It never really changes, it never really pushes, rarely does it try to extend the boundaries of what can be done with the sound, at least that's my experience with it. People who understand and believe in what's the 'real' deal can often be the same people who understand and can push forward change. Because what was 'real' was never a concrete thing, it was an idea, a belief, a feeling. In Dubstep's case because the ideal was only really about having sub-bass. There really wasn't a set tempo or drum pattern that the original innovators decided it would have. It was never supposed to have an instruction manual. We saw how the likes D&B had become very formulaic and claustrophobic and we went,"No! We're doing it this way, we think it should be done like this" and everyone did there own thing and developed their own style and sound. Not that modern D&B was ever really a touchstone in the early Dubstep sound. It wasn't a rivalry or even a real acknowledgement from the Dubstep end(barring saying we don't want to end up like that) despite the sheer vitriol you'd hear off the likes of DOA forums circa 2005/06. People who truly loved the original scene and ideas it had still love people like Kode 9, Skream, Caspa and whoever, no matter what they do. All of them have mapped very different paths since 2005, but we can clearly see, understand and love the progression that they've achieved. The innovation and sheer genius they produce in whatever sound they're working in, whether we like the actual music they make at the particular time. People like Skrillex, at least to me, are stuck in a very - like you said - 'rockist' world. You can't really see them ever evolving or changing much. They'll continue to do what they do now without truly transceding into something else. SUBFRIES posted:Just as a recent internet peer, and based off of our conversation in the dnb thread about E-MU samplers and the "compare & despair" paradigm, I think you should play around with production. I can relate to a lot of the issues you've brought up, and just going off my own experiences, a big break (in my case over five years, what up MMO escapism!) is not detrimental if you want to explore what you can do with the tools you have. It's great to see you're getting to use the Emu, I was beginning to think you'd consigned it to a closet or something! I'll definitely keep an eye on the D&B thread and see what you come up with.
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Jul 6, 2011 22:15
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Wow so this is what happens when I take a night off to finish off the Deus Ex leak. The word Dub is a loaded weapon, keep it locked up safely when not using it properly folks! Ras Het posted:Terror Danjah's refix of Admiral Bailey's "Jump Up" is coming out on Greensleeves next month. It's not on the level of that Ding Dong / The Bug cut, but a nice tune anyway: Ah Greensleaves, the ultimate bandwagon jumper. Remember when they put out all those Ragga Jungle releases? Goodtimes, at least they're actually doing pretty loving good remix wise, picking some real good artists to do it rather than just the ones that sell the most. Horsepower's remixes of Yellowman's zunngzungzunngzunggungzunzggggblah are pretty awesome. thepopstalinist posted:Also the new Chain EP on R&S that 28GBB mentioned is pretty great. Might have to add them to my growing list of "buy everything they release" labels (already got James Blake's CMYK on the yellow vinyl edition). Like I said R&S biggest surprise I've had in a while. Actually putting out stuff that's actually relevant to modern dancefloors. And not even joining the game late like they did with Jungle (they went through a Jungle phase from about 95 onwards that resulted in stuff like 4Hero alter-ego Jacob's Optical Stairway which I really suggest you pick up. The missing like between Parallel Universe and Two Pages). They actually dabbled in garage a bit as well, if I remember right they should've had a Groove Chronicles before they split, and they got KMA to do one of my favourite remixes of a Model 500 tune ever. Be Brave. By the way that's taken from my own collection/channel, so sorry about the terrible rip. I think that particular one was done ghetto stylee via a headphone out(couldn't find an RCA bizarrely) and a line in to my laptop and only ended up online because I couldn't find it already. And it was done before I picked up Adobe Soundbooth and the wonder that is. All that plus to be honest the actual record is pretty frazzled.
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Jul 8, 2011 13:37
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knox posted:Posted this in the old thread awhile ago and people were feeling it, for anybody who hasn't heard it: Matty G's stuff is great. 50,000 Watts was a real big boneshaker of a tune back in the day that's kind of been forgotten about now I think. Though I still think My 808 is still the best thing he's ever done. Just to reinforce my theory that anything with an 808 in it can't be all that bad. Argon who's put out most of his stuff is great too and folks should really have a dig around it's catalogue. Really shows that - despite recent events - Americans were on the Dubstep thing early and also pumping out good tunes. Argon also had a few of D&B folk on the label as well(beyond the first few releases which were actually D&B). And they actually made good Dubstep. Imagine that? Anything is possible I guess.
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Jul 8, 2011 17:33
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stationlost posted:Julio Bashmore - Battle For Middle You I don't know about that. Look at what Pinch was rolling in! A bloody Fiesta! Look what Source Direct and Photek were driving in 96! A pair of M3s and a Ferrari 348! loving shocking if you ask me. I expect my musicians and DJs to act accordingly dammit!
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Jul 8, 2011 20:46
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mr box posted:I can't imagine photek driving anything but one of those wipe out hovercars... drat I can't even remember those being in the actual game. I used to love me some Wipeout, one of the first games I ever had for the PSX. I don't know if it's wrong though that Photek stuff just seems perfect for those types of games. The Cold Storage stuff was great an all. Looking at the tracklist for the newer games, man they're nowhere near as good! Thank god I don't have a PS3 or else I'd be disappointed.
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Jul 9, 2011 02:48
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unknown poster posted:Anybody have any favorite compilation albums they reccommend to people who want a good idea of the variety of dubstep? Self made compilations are the best, but Ive had good luck telling my friends to listen to The Sound of Dubstep 2 by MoS, I think its a decent compilation that has a good variety, even a couple brostep tracks for good measure haha. Usually gives me a good idea of what else to have them listen to. Honestly I'd throw them in the deep end with the Dubstep Allstars comps straight away. Let them swim or drown I say. Between that and the relevant Rinse CDs I think that's a good solid foundation. There is that Rinse I Love Dubstep comp as well (though now I think of it they're all getting on a bit. Has there actually been a lack of decent compilations the past year or two or have I just completely ignored a bunch?) Oh and GetDarker have also had a couple of CDs out as well. There latest being This Is Dubstep 2011. In all truth I've never heard them, and looking at the track listing, well let's just say I'd have zero problems if half the tracks never even existed, but it might be what you're after. Elsewhere Planet Mu have their newest comp, 14 Tracks. Bit of a mixed bag really but worth it for a Rossi B & Luca track. And Soul Jazz had their Future Bass album out last year if you want to maybe showcase a slightly different sound(though it had a Coki track on it so shouldn't be too much of a shock), that was pretty decent. Hot Flush has it's recent Back And 4th comp which is a nice spectrum of stuff that includes some stuff people wank themselves off on like Mount Kimbie and Joy O. Oh and that new Black Box thing by DJ Madd. I've not got it though I should as I really like Black Box and it's so cheap at less than a fiver! It's really rootsy(Jesus Christ did I actually just use that term?) Dubstep stuff like what Youngsta would play so not really that far away from the jump up stuff. If y'know, the jump up stuff was actually good and interesting and had the ability to actually make some good tunes. Bizarrely a years ago I would've said what Youngsta was playing was maybe the more user friendly, jumpy uppy bangers and anthems. How times change. Like I said though if it was me I'd be the dick I usually am and drop them in the thick of it Vietnam style. Rig up something with speakers that are actually bigger than your thumbnail and let loose. Like that guy from Dazed & Confused said, Men! 50 of you are goin' into the jungle, 25 of you ain't coming back! They'll either get it and be cool or you know they're losers who suck and you probably shouldn't be friends with them anyway. They're the ones that are probably stealing poo poo from your wallet and making out with your girlfriend right now if you think about it, and who wants to be friends with those types? Or you know I could be being my usual over-dramatic self and they just don't like the music, whatever. thepopstalinist posted:New Kuedo's quite good. Didn't expect much from Jamie Vex'd after that Dream Sequence EP left me so cold. One of the "new" tracks is actually a Slugabed remix that went so far off-course they decided to present it as a Kuedo original. Mike Paradinas also puts in the first remix work of his that I've liked in some time. Just listening to the samples the now and I'm not a fan of this one either. Like you said the EP he had out last year was very disappointing and this just continues the trend in my mind. Actually not really been that much of a fan of what Jamie Vex'd has put out since the whole Vex'd thing was put down. The In System Travel thing was okay, as was that Starkey remix. But that's been about it, at least that I can think of.
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Jul 9, 2011 14:15
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So folks just to let you know Part 4 of my UK Bass History Guide is shaping up and should - with any luck - appear tomorrow night. Hopefully. Unless I procrastinate more. Which I may do as procrastination is a skill I truly feel I was born with. Like how Usain Bolt can run real fast, I can also spend hours doing nothing really constructive at all, without being bored and feeling like I've wasted time. However you guys will probably be in luck since I'm currently giving my recently upgraded copy of Firefox the finger for being a dick and changing stuff and really throwing me off my rhythm and confusing me. As much as I love technology I also can be a bit of a conservative zen hippy about my UI. I don't use tabs and (finally) upgrading from Firefox 3 to 5 which puts the open in new tab bit up top when I right click is driving me insane and just about ready to put my foot through the screen. Between that and no full time bottom status bar, not a happy bunny. It offends my vague, unorthodox karmic feng shui sub-conscious soul. Nothing but negative vibes from it and it disrupts my inner peace man.  But luckily nothing has changed in OpenOffice so you guys get to hear some of the tunes that didn't make the final list. A short but sweet 5 numbers, but they're all good so have a listen. Fourth Dimension "Wonderland (After Dark Recordings, 1993) Fourth Dimension was - as I've found out over the years - one of the many, many alias Dave Charlesworth created to put out his music. His most famous probably being After Dark which put out tunes such as this on the Orbital/Out Of Orbit stables, as well as a side on Moving Shadows excellent 2-On-1 series. And let's be honest anyone who can actually successfully incorporate a Donna Summer sample into their Hardcore tune deserves a listen. Wonderland meanwhile is one of those classic tracks that walks that fine line between Hardcore Euphoria and Jungle Darkness. Rolling piano combines with high pitched vocals giving sections of the track a real frenetic feel to it, but the tune suddenly drops down one step into slightly darker territory at times. That euphoric grace just flying too close to the sun, having to dip back down before it gets completely burned. As soon as I thought of Darkside Jungle as a theme for my next part of my guide I immediately knew Dave Charlesworth would end up there somewhere. And he is. But as this is going to be one jam packed section I couldn't fill up space with the same artist twice. So look forward to an altogether more darker appearance from him in the guide. Megadrive "Mega 2" (F-Project, 1993) Just to prove I don't know everything, I always thought the artist on this was simply Mega 2. Maybe it is, but Discogs and everywhere else says otherwise so who am I to argue? In some ways I actually prefer Formation sub-label F-Project to Formation itself. Quasi-white label attitude, with actual labels but sans most anything bar the F-Project name and the artist name, F-Project really put out a lot of real ruffneck tunes. Sometimes a bit more straight forward, simply dark and energetic as gently caress Hardcore Jungle Tekno. Always ruff, always effective. This ended up on the chopping block simply because in terms of influence and what you're most likely to hear, it's probably not going to be an F-Project tune. So instead in the actual guide you're treated to some 'real' Formation tunes. Naturally typing this up has just reminded me of The Man From Formation and that EP on F-Project which is a favourite of mine, so god dammit here's a track from that. This is almost as bad as me forgetting to include Meat Beat Manifesto's Radio Babylon in the last section, I'll never live that down, maybe I should just stealth edit it in, hmm... Bonny & The Highlander "Cool Breeze (Mickey Finn's Breeze Mix)" (Pirate Club Records, 1993) Who loves a piano? We all know I love a piano so this getting cut shocked even me. What's even more shocking is I don't believe I've actually included a Mickey Finn track in any of my guides so far (well okay he just did the remix than actually pushing the buttons), so again another opportunity missed. Anyway so here's an interesting tune that I think doesn't get much attention nowadays - despite the fact it appeared on a few comps and mixes back in the day. Really this track is just all about that piano and those vocals. A real haunting, melancholic tune that as much as it tries to be quite uplifting and soaring at times, always just puts in a comedown. But I mean that in a good way. I've always thought seemed like it could've been an Omni Trio track, it has a lot of those same elements as can be found in those tracks. I don't actually know who Bonny or The Highlander was, and I can't find my actual 12" copy of this on my shelf to check the credits there. It's not lost so much as I can't find it. Somewhere in it's generic sleeve in with the other generic discobags. I swear if it's stuck in the middle of a gatefold someone's gonna get hurt. Cool Hand Flex "Who's That" (De Underground Records, 1993) God drat do I love this tune. Probably the quintessential Cool Hand Flex tune if you ask me. There's not much else he's done better, and he has done a lot, Like the Kromestar of the Jungle scene. He's had out so much stuff I don't even know half of it! Anyway Who's That is a real proper Darkside Jungle tune. Shifting, swirling paranoia fueled dancefloor workout with a sub-bassline that gives you that free, first draw and you're left hooked, wanting more. Now if I love it so much why did I leave it off? This was a real hard one. You can find this one on one of my favourite compilations of all time. Jumpin' & Pumpin's Happiness & Darkness - Further Adventures In Jungle Tekno. Or as I simply call it Jungle Tekno Volume 2. Really you want the best of that 93 dark sound? This is what you want. A real influence to me and what really attracted me to this era of Jungle versus the later years. But in doing these guides I attempt to not just simply crib whole chunks off compilations. It's like copying a DJs mix to the exact track. Not good, so when I decided to put on another tune I love off that comp into my guide, this one had to go. Because Flex, unlike my other guy(though none of his tunes were bad either, don't get me wrong) manages to reach this height more than this one time. 4 Horsemen Of The Apocalypse "Drowning In Her (Tone Def Records, 1993) It was a tough choice between this track or the flip. In the end Drowning In Her won the battle but sadly lost the war, as it was brutally cut out at the last second. I always get a amazed when I read or hear how the vocal sample was produced. Taken from a Frankie Knuckles track, the "I'm drowning" is simply sampled forward, then put in reverse for the "in her" bit. So simple, but it always impresses me for some reason. This is a kind of bridging track between the 93 Jungle sound, and the more 'mature' and less strung out sounding tracks that would appear in 1994. Let's not kid ourselves, 4HOTA was just another name for Foul Play, so under my rules it had to go. I mean to be honest my rules are pretty flexible and I'm more than willing to drop them if I want to, but not in this case. I also felt that track didn't really fit in sonically with some of the other stuff I had. Like I said it's kind of pushing soundwise into the 1994 stuff, which I didn't really want to do right now. The great 93 Jungle tracks still had some of that Hardcore Rave spirit in it. A sense of euphoria and wonder. But on the brink of overdose. Come 94 and certainly by 95 a lot of that sense of joy and raw energy would be ejected completely. I actually suggest if people wanted to buy this single, I'd instead pick up the 2 10" remixes of it that came out in 1994. Dare I say it I just about prefer them to the original. Just a wee bit mind you!
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Jul 11, 2011 03:19
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Mike_V posted:The new Jam City EP is really good. Some deep vibes going on. 15th of August apparently. Another month at least.
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Jul 11, 2011 18:34
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qwako posted:28gbb/anyone else: where/how does congo natty and the like fit into all this ? Well like mr box pointed out. Congo Natty is both the man (aka Rebel MC) but also a label. So it depends what you mean. Rebel MC was Ragga/proto-Hardcore housey hip-hop kinda thing. Similar to like Shut Up & Dance I guess. Under the name Congo Natty, Tribe of Issachar, Blackstar etc it's like Ragga Jungle stuff. Congo Natty the label, well that's just really straight jump-up Ragga Jungle/Drum & Bass. Samopsa posted:Hello goons. Recently I have taken a liking to grime-ey and dubstep-ey beats in (dutch) hiphop, and went in search for more. However, I don't know where to start! A small list of stuff I like: Since I'm a daft bastard, just to clear up you want grime stuff right? As I would be no help with Dutch anything, other than Mitchell Van Der Gaag was one of my favourite players in Motherwell's mid-90s squad. Oh and folks check back in the next 10 minutes or so (hopefully) because Part 4 is gonna drop!
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Jul 12, 2011 01:05
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Ras Het posted:Do you support Motherwell? They signed MyPa's manager Harri Kampman after we played them in the UEFA cup (or maybe the cup winners'), but he didn't last long. Dude is an unbearably stuck up bastard, decent coach in his day, we finished second five years in a row under him (it was hilarious). Wow I totally forgot he was even our manager for a bit. I was going to say he must've signed Simo Valakari, but he was there a couple of seasons before. He did sign Mikko Kaven but he wasn't so hot. Mind you it probably would've helped if he could have spoken English. Bah why am I complaining at least he signed people. Unlike now where we get left with some out of contract folk and English Championship players loaned to us. Scottish football, it's poo poo outside the Old Firm and no-one else has any money. Anyway guide coming up...
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Jul 12, 2011 01:23
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