The Dark Enshitenment

More neuroshame!

Exhibit 1 - the Graphic Language of Neurofunk

 

The gas mask / chemical warfare protection imagery seems to be a bit of a visual trope signifier thingy with this genre - wonder if it some kind of slippage of nerve gas / neurochemical

also fits the "military are the avant-garde of science" type vibe as clearly part of the fantasy self-conception of neurofunk producers (see quotes below in Exhibit 4)

Interesting to see that you can get samplepaks with all the drum sounds, bass tones and synth pads to get the correct neurofunk finish to your tracks. Even Industrial Strength - a gabber label - getting in on the action there. 

Exhibit 2:  The Neurofunk Canon - a selection

from the Dogsonacid thread, tunes commonly agreed to be zeniths of the form 

Konflict - Messiah

 

Rregula & Dementia - Humans

 

N.Phect - Voices 

 

Catacomb feat. Kantyze & Morebeat - Hammer 

 

Sinthetix - Cryogenic

 

Corrupt Souls - Torque

 Insecticide · Proktah and Future Signal

 

Glitch and SST - Ten Plagues

Sinthetix and N.Phect strike me as the ultimate neurofunk names

Exhibit 3

A comp that 8 or 9 years later fulfilled my fantasies of Neurofunk Flavas, more or less: 

DJ Step – Neurofunk Pleasures

Label: MacroVision Records – MV-169

Series: Drum'N'Bass Vision

Format: CD, Mixed, Digipak

Country: Russia

Released: 2006

1              Unknown Artist–              Queen Of The Night        3:22

2              Rawtekk–            Open Borders    2:40

3              Jade (10)–           Bitch      3:46

4              Amex & Kaiza–  Sourcream          2:30

5              Kryptic Minds & Leon Switch–    More Like You (Unknown Error Remix)

6              Current Value– Mind Bullet         3:44

7              N-Phonix–          Transfix 2:08

8              N.Phect, Dizplay*–          Outspace             3:33

9              N.Phect, Phace–               Confront              2:07

10           Mayhem (7), Codex (9)– Conform?            3:22

11           Unknown Artist–              Untitled               4:14

12           Stakka, Skynet* & DJ Red–           9000 Series         2:26

13           Munk– Spearhead          2:09

14           Optiv–  Circa      1:45

15           Silent Witness, Break*– Hollow  1:57

16           Break–  Catch Off             1:45

17           Afghan Headspin–           Stay Young          1:56

18           N.Phect, Dizplay*–          Brute Force         1:56

19           Gridlok–               Fifth Dimension 1:13

20           Brainfuzz, Kenei–             Welcome To The Game 1:56

21           Prolix–  Choke   2:27

22           Budoka–              Whiplash (Remix)            1:24

23           State Of Mind (8)–           Money Train       2:06

24           Nico (4), Rukkus–             Smartbomb        1:24

25           Noisia & Phace–               Thrillseekers      1:55

26           Rob F & Impulse (3)–      Fallout  2:31

 

Exhibit 4 - from the horse's mouth

From a UKF feature by Dave Jenkins about how 2015 was a great year for neurofunk

quotes presumably from leading producers and/or deejays

"Neurofunk to me: you wake up, it’s 2pm it’s already dark, you get your breakfast and sit in front of a big computer. You don’t talk to anyone, all you can think of is yesterday’s frequency and you start working around it. It’s a lifestyle that’s similar to hackers; you’re surrounded by technology, you’re obsessed with searching. You’re inventing and you’ll never stop. You’re not social too much. You’re more of a scientist”. – Billain

 "To me neurofunk is a way of life, since I’ve been producing it I’ve been no longer able to listen to the music in a “standard” way, you become a kind of scientist who analyzes and makes experiments in laboratory daily, you become the neurofunk”. – Maztek

 

also from the feature 

 Neuro: the church of sound design

The key characteristic of neuro: sound design. Noises you’ve never heard before, mixed at degrees of clarity previously unknown to producers before. We’ll let the masters explain why sound design in neuro is so exciting….

 

Exhibit 5 - Noisia - the most noisome sound in the world!

 

Noisia - Noisia - Split the Atom 

Noisia - Mantra (Official Video)

How strange to think that a genre that once meant things like Dillinja "Sovereign Melody" or Code 071 "London Sumting Dis"  could end up with this rank wank....

Exhibit 6: The Neurofunk Canon

The Dogsonacid dude Gilius's list of the neurofunk canon and the chronology of the genre's emergence and consummation 

1997

 

Ed Rush & Optical - Funktion

Ed Rush & Optical - Razorback

Jesus Jones - Chemical #1 (Optical Remix)

Optical - The Shining

 

1998

 

Absolute Zero & Subphonics - The Code

Bad Company - The Nine

Calyx - Distopia

Calyx - Octane

Calyx - Reaction Time

Calyx - The Root

E-Z Rollers - Weekend World (Calyx Remix)

Ed Rush & Optical - Compound

Ed Rush & Optical - Slip Thru

Ed Rush & Optical - Splinter

Ed Rush & Optical - The Medicine

Fibre Optix - Sin

Optical - Can U Read

Origin Unknown - Sound In Motion

Psion - Reverse Engineering

Ram Trilogy - Scanners

 

1999

 

Acetate - Nyquest '99

Bad Company - 4 Days

Bad Company - China Cup

Bad Company - Morphine

Bad Company - Refuge

Bad Company - Seizure

Cause 4 Concern - Phat Cap

Decorum - All Mighty

Decorum - Contrax

Decorum - In Sanity

DJ Reality - Music Maker (Shimon Remix)

EBK - Vision

Ed Rush & Optical - Bacteria

Ed Rush & Optical - Funktion (Remix)

Filibuster - Don't Give Up

Fortran - Sardines (Bad Company Remix)

Fresh & Vegas - Meekon

Grooverider - Where`s Jack the Ripper (Origin Unknown Remix)

Grooverider feat. Optical - Where's Jack The Ripper

Hopa & Bones & DJ Phantasy - The Crow (Stakka & Skynet Electronic Dub Mix)

Karl K - Synapse (Konflict Remix)

Karl K - Synapse

Kemal - Animation

Kemal - Mechanism

Konflict & Usual Suspects - Contact

Konflict - Bad Acid

Konflict - Cyanide

Konflict - Outpost

Konflict - Phobia

Konflict - Roadblock (Matrix Remix)

Konflict - Roadblock

Konflict - State of Mind

Kraken - Analogue Spikes

Kraken - Meatball

Kraken - Side Effects

Magnetic Media - Robotics

Matrix - Six

Matrix - Sleepwalk

Matrix - Temperament

Optical - The Shining (Ed Rush & Optical Remix)

Pantera - Fucking Hostile (Kemal & Rob Data Remix)

Pressure Rise - Let Go (Usual Suspects Instrumental Mix)

Pressure Rise - Let Go (Usual Suspects Remix)

Pressure Rise - Stranger (Bad Company Remix)

Psidream - Dystrophy

Ram Trilogy - Flip the Traps

Ram Trilogy - Human Future

Ram Trilogy - Iron Lung

Ram Trilogy - Snake Bite

Ram Trilogy - System Error (Y2K)

Ram Trilogy - Terminal 2

Ram Trilogy - Time Chamber

Shorn Doda - Merky

Shorn Doda - Red

Spy - Vapour

Spy - Z-Plane

Stakka & K-Tee - Synthesis

Stakka & Skynet - Pathogen

The Playboy Revolutionary - Burning Chrome (Matrix remix)

 

2000

 

4 Red Eyes - Signal

Absolute Zero & Subphonics - The Code (Usual Suspects Remix)

Absolute Zero & Subphonics - The Code (Usual Suspects VIP)

Accidental Heroes - Sirus

Acetate - Genetic Engineering

Acetate - Platinum

Andy C & Moving Fusion - Foul Mouth

Appleseed - Please The Keys (Rascal & Klone Remix)

Arkane - Fever

Bad Company - Brain-Scan

Bad Company - Colonies

Bad Company - Dead-Side

Bad Company - Navajo

Bad Company - Night-Train

Bad Company - Rotor

Bad Company - Sentient

Bad Company - Son of Nitrous

Bad Company - Trick of the Light

Black Sun Empire - Skin Deep

Black Sun Empire - Voltage

Boomish - Philly Steak (Matrix Remix)

Budoka - The Unseen

Calyx - Catapult

Calyx - Decompression

Carlito Ft. Rascal & Klone - Like it Like That

Cause 4 Concern - Angel Dust

Cause 4 Concern - Develop

Cause 4 Concern - Epox (Remix)

Cause 4 Concern - Future Funk

Cause 4 Concern - Just Cause

Cause 4 Concern - Projection

Chris.Su - Angel

Chris.Su - Time Warp

Decoder - Bountyhunter

Decoder - Defender

Decoder - Scissorhands

Decoder - Silent

Decoder - Tag

Drum Kru - Thin Air

E-Sassin - Wireframe (TeeBee's Total Transformation Mix)

EB1 - Mamba

EB1 - Shiver

Ed Rush & Optical - Crash

Ed Rush & Optical - Fastlane (Alternative Mix)

Ed Rush & Optical - Syringe

Gridlok - Dilusion

Gridlok - Soul Sucker

Hybridz - Eyewall

Juju feat. Lisa Talev - B-Juice - (Skynet Remix)

Kemal & Paul Reset - Kontempt

Kemal & Rob Data - Hybrid

Kemal & Rob Data - Konspiracy VIP

Kemal & Rob Data - Konspiracy

Kemal & Rob Data - Lime

Kemal & Rob Data - Star Trails

Kemal & Rob Data - Test Tube

Kemal & Rob Data - The Mummy

Kemal - Animation (Konflict's Re-Animation Mix)

Klute - Phone Call (Matrix Remix)

Konflict - Celestial

Konflict - Maelstrom

Konflict - Messiah

Konflict - New World Order

Konflict - Obsidian

Konflict - Pendulum

Konflict - The Beckoning (Usual Suspects Remix)

Konflict - The Beckoning

Kosheen - Demonstrate (Decoder & Substance remix)

Kosheen - Empty Skies (Decoder & Substance Mix)

Kraken - Side Effects (Stakka & Skynet Remix)

Kraken - Spinal Chord

Kraken - Spinal Cord (Remix)

Matrix & Fierce - Climate

Matrix & Fierce - Tightrope

Matrix, Fierce & Ryme Tyme - Light Sleeper

Mo-Funk - Slipstream

nCode - Traction

Profound Noize - Luminous (Remix)

Profound Noize - Nu-Level (Remix)

Q Project - Champion Sound (Bad Company Remix)

Ram Trilogy - Incarnate

Ram Trilogy - Reflection (Shimon Remix)

Ram Trilogy - Reflection

Ram Trilogy - Undergrowth

Random Soundz - Pulverize

Rascal & Klone - Love Story

Rascal & Klone - The Source

Red One - Hotwire

Red One - Kung Fu Fresh

Red One - Playground

Red One - What You See

Sonic & Perfect Combination - Structure

Sonic - Aspect

Sonic - Dark Star

Sonic - Destination

Sonic - Hostage

Sonic - Nautilus

Sonic - Octagon

Sonic - Termite

Stakka & K-Tee - Auto Ignition

Stakka & K-Tee - Synthesis (Remix)

Stakka & K-Tee - Territorial

Stakka & Skynet - Clockwork

Stakka & Skynet - Global Report

Stakka & Skynet - Logistics

Stakka & Skynet - Molecular

Stakka & Skynet - Nightlore

Stakka & Skynet - RF Freq

Stakka & Skynet feat. Keaton - Isolation

State of Play - Poor Mans Deal (Konflict Remix)

State of Play - Searchin (Matrix Remix)

Static-X - Love Dump (Optical Remix)

Stratus - Let's Go Crazy (Skynet Remix)

Substrata - Sunlight Into Shadow

TeeBee - Future War

TeeBee - Gathering Of Developers

TeeBee - Gravity Distortion

TeeBee - Let Go

TeeBee - The Execution

TeeBee - The Gateway

TeeBee - Unknown Approach

Tha Countamen & Alley Cat - Payload (Konflict Remix)

UFO! - My Personal Blackmail (Konflict Remix)

Usual Suspects - Killa Bees (Konflict Remix)

Usual Suspects - Shrapnel (Stakka & Skynet Remix)

If someone was to  make a playlist of all this stuff, then I would... probably listen to the Caravan box set instead. Much better use of my time.