Before they became the Hospital superstars they are today Camo & Krooked were already busy writing dancefloor bangers, including this personal favourite for Audioporn. Dropping from D&B tempo on the intro into a cheeky electro house breakdown before stomping back up to full speed, this one is an unashamed jump up classic. Sure to wreck any dancefloor, any time!
Lifted sublabel Breed 12 Inches has been responsible for some absolute stompers since it’s inception in 2008, the biggest and badest of which is undoubtedly DaVIP & Encode’s appropriately named Vamonos.
If you’re looking for subtlety or soul then this one probably isn’t for you. If you’re looking for a track that will slay floors every time however, this is the one. The first time I heard this track the response was pretty much “fuck off!”, and it still hits just as hard now…absolutely slamming!
Not long after the relaunch of Subtitles in 2010, Teebee’s label treated us to a fantastic track from one of my favourite producers, Rob Dickeson aka Apex. While I discovered Apex initially through his harder tech and neurofunk productions on Lifted Music (and earlier as one half of Unknown Error), I later fell in love with his more musical output which featured on Horizons and Hospital, and this gem is definitely up there with his best.
Inner Space explores lush, synthy ambience and remains downtempo until the second verse at which point that familiar, crisp D&B break kicks the track up a notch. The whole thing is just beautiful and unusually serene for even liquid D&B, and it’s a track I never get bored of hearing. Unfortunately this 12″ would prove to be one of his last before his apparent retirement sometime in 2012, and his output is much missed (by me at least). Check it out below and go look out a copy on vinyl or digital!
Wind back to 2006 and the (now largely forgotten) drumfunk style was at a relative peak, with artists like Macc, Fracture & Neptune and of course Paradox chopping up the breaks on the regular. One of my favourite tracks from this era remains The Beat Freak by DJ Trax. Released on Paradox’s Outsider label and featured on the Nucleus mixed The Age Of Outsiders, the ambient-influenced compositional approach sounds as fresh today as it did then.
Lovingly chopped funk breaks provide the backbone of a tune under simple, soft melodies, giving the track at once an insistence and a laid-back vibe. Check it out below and relive the glory days of choppage.
Seba’s remix of Overwhelm remains one of my all time favourite Blu Mar Ten releases. Taking the lush pads and beautiful melodies of the original but switching up the drums for a faster and more dancefloor friendly rework, this is a beautiful, elegant remix which pulls me in time and time again. Deep, lush, wonderful!
Few producers would have the audacity to call a track Timeless. I’m sure at the time many saw Goldie’s vision as naive, even arrogant, but Timeless has proved to be exactly that; 20 years on from its original release the 20 minute opus is just as breathtaking as it has ever been. Drum & Bass at it’s most epic and cleverly arranged, and still punchy and beautiful despite the obviously 90s production style.
If you’re not already a firm fan of the album this heads up you should be able to find a copy on CD easily enough; better still you can see Goldie performing it live with the Heritage Orchestra in London this July. Between now and then sit back and soak in arguably the best track from one of the genre’s true innovators.
Today’s classic track selection comes from Lynx on his own (now sadly dormant) Detail Recordings imprint. Released in 2011 as the flip to the altogether darker Dirty Red, 5am Soul City lives up to it’s name with a deep and melancholy vibe set to a crisp, rolling break. If Drum & Bass were to play the Blues it would sound like this!
This one should need no introduction; the absolutely anthemic sounds of Mr. Majestic have smashed up so many raves since the track’s release in 2004 that by rights everyone should be sick of hearing it by now. Despite this, it’s still a firm favourite; crunchy breaks and an uplifting vibe mean this one is a guaranteed skank out in the dance. Legendary.
Today’s classic selection comes from Riya and dBridge in the form of Seems Like. The second release in the short but perfectly formed (and massively influential) Autonomic series combines Riya’s knack for a melancholy vocal with dBridge’s synth driven explorations in 85/170BPM envelope pushing, and still sounds as rich and fresh as it did nearly five years ago. Deeper beats…
We’re digging in the BSE Recordings vaults again for today’s classic track selection, Rawthang’s 2003 neuro epic Scorned. Featuring the haunting vocal talents of Kari Rueslatten and an utterly infectious trancey lead line set to some pretty menacing breaks and a bit chunky reese bassline, this is golden-era sci-fi neurofunk at it’s best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2RfPdt2_Io