Beyond Belief

 

This record came out in 1993!!!

Things like this I would listen to in disbelief  - first, that music like this could even exist, and second, that no one seemed to have noticed (I mean outside the core scene, which was completely cut off, media-banished, cognoscenti-scorned, and accordingly inward looking, out of necessity) 

I had a completely clear run at it for around 18 months. There was me and there was Kodwo, who would put some hardcore 12's in his monthly club trax column at the Wire - and that was it, in terms of serious-minded outside-scene coverage. 

Yes it was my Lester Bangs right side of History moment - you'll forgive me for being attached to it. 

(And in truth Lester had more company in his clairvoyance -  other crits-wise - than I did)

Ian McShane in the membrane

"Get Donald!"

This performance by Loleatta Holloway is absolutely riddled with samples-to-be  - vocal bursts that when you hear them here, in their original timespace, hit a seasoned dance music listener as electrifying portals,  flash-forward leaps into any number of later dance tunes. A phenomenon known as the sample epiphany. But this must surely be the most densely packed song ever, in terms not just of the amount of usage but of the sheer number of different bits used.  An epiphany overdose. 

Here's an inventory, quite likely incomplete, of sampled snippets: 

you got me burnin' up

such a good sensation

fill me

sweet sensation

i can't find the words to explain

right on time

i wanna say yes

oh it's got me 

so good so good

baby

a feeling that I know so well

find a way

walk right in

real

yeah

you get down

let me tell you

time won't take my love away

And then there's also various non-verbal outcries - moans shrieks gasps yells woahs...

But there is one moment in "Love Sensation" that I've heard in various tunes - hardcore and jungle,  for sure, possibly house tracks too - but I'm struggling to recall which.

This particular vocal burst occurs at 15 seconds in the below (it's also at 3.07 in the non a cappella extended version of the song at the top of the post)

And I always hear it as the ecstastic if somewhat mysterious diva command: 

"Get Donald!"

It used to tickle me -  "what's she got against this Donald fellow then? What's Donald done?"

Definitely feels vengeful to me, rather than say an urgent appeal for Donald's presence.

(Now it rings out even more oddly as a motto for our time - a demand to the DOJ and attorney generals across the country to end the impunity)

Probably the utterance is in reality something along the lines of  "get down y'all". But I always heard it as "Get Donald!" and I'm attached to this mishearing.  (In the rave / jungle uses of the sample, it's sped up and compressed, adding to the "Donald" effect).  

However I cannot dredge from memory which precisely are the hardcore or jungle tunes that deploy "Get Donald!" (whosampled is no help here). 

Any clues? 

update 10/2-/2022 - Spiro in comments identifies the hardcore tune that uses the "Get Donald" bit  - Noise Factory "The Fire" . First appearance is at 1.21 

Loleatta is also heard in the form of another famous much-sampled bit: "sweet sensation /i can't find the words to explain". And again with "oh it's got me in its...  feeling that I know so well"

And then Stevie Nicks and Loleatta Holloway in the same track - goddess overdose!

"wait a minute baby stay with me awhile / said you'd give me light / but you never told me bout the fire"

Always took that as the plaint of a raver coming up a bit too hard on their first pill or pills.

The whole song is of course an ode to E

Hark ye, a few years ago there was a Dramatic Remix of "The Fire"

Bit too frantic for me. 

Pure Wicked Tune: Rare Groove Blues Dances & House Parties 1985-1992

Following sharp on the heels of the pair of Pause for the Cause London Rave Adverts compilations, here's Luke Owen from Death Is Not The End with another splendid comp: Pure Wicked Tune: Rare Groove Blues Dances & House Parties 1985-1992.  A wonderfully vibes-full document of what you might take as the prehistory of the nuum - a musical mulch of smoovgroov that would get tapped all through the '90s as a source of samples and texture-flava to drape over the exoskeleton of beats + bass. 

Release rationale: 

Pure Wicked Tune is a mixtape-style collection of extracts & cut-ups, taken from DIY cassette recordings featuring rare groove and "soul blues" soundsystems playing at early morning house parties and blues dances - mostly in South & East London - between the mid 1980s & early 90s.

Sounds like Funkadelic, Touch of Class, Latest Edition, JB Crew, Manhattan, 5th Avenue (and the many more featured on this tape) originally began to form in the mid-1980s. With lovers rock dwindling, and the reggae scene becoming dominated by harder digital-style dancehall, these sounds provided a tight but loyal crowd with a potent alternative - playing a mixture of killer rare soul, funk and boogie records in an inimitably reggae soundsystem style, complete with toasting, sirens and effects aplenty.

They were most well-known for playing at house parties and blues dances, typically in small flats or warehouses, with timing of such events generally running from the early morning hours until late the next afternoon. Though the popularity of the sounds faded following the dance music explosion of the early 1990s, there has been continued demand for revival sessions ever since. Whilst the influence of key British reggae & dancehall soundsystems on subsequent UK sounds like hardcore & jungle is relatively well documented, a similar line can just as easily be drawn from these sounds and the aforementioned styles' tendency toward sampling popular rare groove cuts, particularly well evidenced in the work of Tom & Jerry, 4hero, Reinforced & LTJ Bukem among others.

This represents the first outing in a series of collections exploring the sounds of UK soundsystem culture, via extracts from archival DIY cassette recordings of blues parties, dances & clashes made between the late 70s and early 90s. Often duplicated and shared widely, these ruff and ready "sound tapes" provided keen ears with music that wasn't otherwise readily available on the airwaves or in the record shops, and would go on to leave a deeply-rooted but too often overlooked influence on the UK's musical landscape. 

Dream FM: Tales from the Graveyard Shift

An article about the London pirate radio station Dream FM by Chris White aka DJ YT focusing on the fun 'n ' games of the midnight-to-morning shows on Fridays and Saturdays: 

"... Dream’s proceedings descended into anarchy, with an eight hour non-stop party....  'It was mostly made magical by the crazy listeners the station had. I couldn't wait for Saturday nights to get up to the studio, take part in the show and have a blast', recalls MC Herbs....  Groovevandal adds '... we'd do live calls, MC Herbs would do dodgy singing over speeded up honky tonk music mixed into drum & bass, rap battles between us all or just generally trying to put the DJ off by roasting him on the microphone.” The live callers added to the fun, 'people were just absolutely out there talking about the meaning of life and the best flavour ice lollies.' "

Plenty of Dream FM sets online but can't seem to find any of these prank-filled, phone-in nuttiness small hours sessions... 

hardcore, tu connais le score

Available now in France and other Francophone territories is Hardcore - pronounce it with a silent "h" and it sounds like ardkore. This collation of my writings on le Nuum has been attractively presented by Audimat Editions and translated by l' intrépide Jean-François Caro.

Texte de présentation: 

Jungle, ambient jungle, techstep, speed garage, darkcore, grime, dubstep, funky… Depuis le début des années 1990, une série de styles musicaux s’est répandue du Royaume-Uni jusqu’aux dancefloors du monde entier. Ces musiques électroniques ont pris forme autour d’une passion pour la basse, les breakbeats, les sonorités issues du dancehall et le fracas des samples d’orchestre. Alimentées par les drogues (ecstasy, kétamine) et longtemps indissociables des radios pirates, elles composent ce que le critique britannique Simon Reynolds (Rétromania, Le choc du glam) a nommé le « continuum hardcore », pour mieux insister sur leur histoire commune. Dans ce livre, Reynolds revient sur ses propres expériences pour nous faire (re)découvrir une foule de maxis et de morceaux légendaires ou oubliés. Il revendique leur radicalité contre le mépris de classe, écoute les rapports féminin/masculin se transformer au cœur des infrabasses, et les réinscrit dans les trajectoires de la diaspora anglo-jamaïcaine et le multiculturalisme anglais. Avec son écriture à haute intensité, entre essai et reportage, cette anthologie inédite constitue un hommage sensible à l’énergie de la rave ainsi qu’un manifeste en prise sur l’innovation et la catharsis des dancefloors, à l’heure où les sonorités hardcore reviennent exorciser l’« anxiété généralisée » d’un capitalisme passé en mode turbo.

Vous pouvez acheter le livre ici

                                                        Sacre bleu, voila Sacred blue!

                                                        "Appelle moi une star regarde moi briller!"

!!!!! the return of Omni Trio !!!!!

 https://omnitrio.bandcamp.com/album/above-the-treeline-rare-unearthed-and-unreleased

release rationale: 

"Omni Trio returns with never before released material - including tracks from a ‘lost’ seventh album. 

Release date: 2 September 2022. Available on Digital platforms, Bandcamp and VERY LIMITED edition CD. This material includes tracks recorded around the time of the Rogue Satellite album that were originally pencilled in as part of an EP release which never happened.

Six of the tracks are restored from stems and fragments that would have formed the basis of a seventh Omni Trio album.

A VERY LIMITED EDITION CD will be available from Over/Shadow from September. Contact: info@overshadow.co.uk

A four track VINYL sampler of the album will be available later in the year on Blueskinbadger Records called TREELINE CUTS EP.

CD also available from Blueskinbadger Records.

Also available at the bandcamp is the sixth and final Omni Trio album Rogue Satellite originally released in September 2004.

Above the Treeline was the title that the Wire gave my second Nuum essay - on Ambient Jungle, in which Omni Trio was interviewed (remotely, by the Royal Mail)

But I'm sure that's just a funny coincidence

Jungle Technology

Tasty exercise in time travel here from Gremino 

Particularly like this one, "Trouble" 

https://open.spotify.com/track/2ZpJzF5gqLclLlhq9adXb9?si=f2b5d926520b4ffd

This one and all - "Boomshank Crazy"

https://open.spotify.com/track/2AIA5mniatHmXEVfUANmYZ?si=2c917154d1f44546

release rationale: 

A journey through tropical beaches and palm trees, aqua currents, technology, cyber networks, danger, vigilance and concrete, and all of this operated with smoothness. Jungle Technology is an album which has alongside breakbeats and bass, rooted oldskool hardcore and Detroit techno melodies. The album has tropical paradise sound, but later in the album, we also visit hardened concrete jungle.

Effort has been seen for album's entity, so this is not just a compilation of good tracks. There's story (with interlude tracks) and own theme/aesthetic. The sound has original "rave-melodiousness", so this is not your typical oldskool jungle.

Alongside digital downloads, I put out good old CD-Rs - 30 copies limited edition. Disks are duplicated in factory, so they have beautiful label art printed. Overall I have seen much effort for cover art and booklet.

The Finest

Wondrous epic mix project here from Selectabwoy. Four mixes + a bonus mix makes five, corralling almost everything Moving Shadow compatriots / allies Omni Trio and Foul Play touched during their extended '90s peak. Original tracks (A-sides, B-sides, tucked-away EP gems). Remixes they did of each other's tracks. Remixes they did of other artists's tracks. Remixes others artists did of their tracks. Pearls expertly strung together, brimming shimmering raptures intensified with artful transitions and overlays.

Simply put - the Finest Music of the '90s, all there for the downloading and delectation. 

Here's the tracklist (including a few things I'd somehow never heard)

 SIDE A 

Foul Play - Open Your Mind (Foul Play Remix)

Omni Trio - Feel Good (Original In Demand Mix)

Foul Play - Dubbing You

Omni Trio - Renegade Snares (Foul Play Remix)

Foul Play - Survival

Omni Trio - Original Soundtrack

Foul Play - Murder Most Foul

Haute Control - Future Stylin'

Foul Play - Screwface

Omni Trio - Stronger

4 Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - We Are The Future

Omni Trio - Mainline

Foul Play - Feel The Vibe (Again)

Splice - Falling (In Dub)

Foul Play - Finest Illusion (Illegal Mix)

Omni Trio - Step Off (Gold Blend Mix)

SIDE B

Omni Trio - Nu Grooves '94

Foul Play - Strung Out

Omni Trio - Rollin' Heights

4 Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - Drowning In Her (Phantasy & Aphrodite Remix)

Foul Play - Total Control (Origin Unknown Remix)

Omni Trio - Renegade Snares (Foul Play VIP Remix)

Omni Trio - Thru The Vibe (Bongo Mix)

Foul Play - Ignorance

Foul Play - Chrysalis

Omni Trio - Living For The Future (FBD Project Remix)

Omni Trio - Soul Promenade

Omni Trio - Feel Good '95

Foul Play - Being With You (E-Z Rollers Remix)

Foul Play - Cuttin' Loose

SIDE C

Haute Control - Dream Series (Volume 1)

Splice - Hold Me

Foul Play - The Alchemist

4 Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - We Are The Future (Darren Jay Mix)

Omni Trio - Feel Better (Foul Play Remix)

Splice - Bus In (Strawberries)

Foul Play - Dub In U (Remix)

Foul Play - Ragatere

Foul Play - Open Your Mind (Nookie Remix)

Foul Play - Survival (Remix)

Foul Play - Ricochet (No Stopping The Remix)

Omni Trio - Future Frontier

Bug Kann & The Plastic Jam - Made In Two Minutes (Foul Play Remix)

Haute Control - Drum & Bass Collision

Omni Trio - Renegade Snares (Original Mix)

SIDE D

Nookie - The Sound Of Music (Foul Play Remix)

Omni Trio - Be There

The Terrorist - Sing Time (Foul Play Remix)

Omni Trio - Nu Grooves '94 (Deep Blue Remix)

Foul Play - Karma Pt. 2

Foul Play - Being With You (Foul Play Remix)

Foul Play - Being With You (Van Kleef Remix)

Omni Trio - Soul Freestyle

Omni Trio - Ghost Rider

E-Z Rollers - Believe (Foul Play Remix)

Omni Trio - Renegade Snares (Rob's Reconstruction Mix)

Omni Trio - Soul Of Darkness (Promenade '96 Rollout)

DJ Pulse - So Fine (Omni Trio Remix)

Foul Play - The Stepper (Remix)

Omni Trio - Torn

BONUS MIX

Foul Play - Artificial Intelligence

London Steppers - Nu Grooves

Omni Trio - London Step

Foul Play - Beats Track

DJ Pulse - Stay Calm (Foul Play Remix)

Hyper On Experience - Lord Of The Null Lines (Foul Play & Randall Remix)

Omni Trio - Shadowplay

Omni Trio - Rollin' Heights (More Strings Attached Mix)

Omni Trio - Soul Promenade (Nookie Remix)

Omni Trio - Living For The Future (FBD Project VIP Remix)

Foul Play - Being With You

Foul Play - Cuttin' Loose (Remix)

Foul Play - Re-Open Your Mind '95

4 Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - We Are The Future (Two Dreads In A Dub Mix)

4 Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - Drowning In Her (4 Horsemen Mix)

JMJ & Richie - Hall of Mirrors (Omni Trio Remix)