peace of mind piece of memory

one of those early 94, back in the UK (after living in NYC for 18 months) tracks that blew my mind - sounded so fragrant, so spring breezy on the pirates in January, February, March - listening in the kitchen in the Belsize Park flat

"Music Box" = my kind of jazz jungle - sparing

never thought til now to wonder where the sample is from




this one, from the same sort of time, another favorite with a similar vibe, but less chilled - more disjointed - a panicky bliss



but no one seems to know the sample sources

once, after we'd moved back to America,  so later into the Nineties, I was calling up some doctor's office or official building of some sort or other, and got put on hold - and then I heard it, as muzak - the original sample-source as used by Gappa G and Hyper Hypa!!!!  it got played over and over (they kept me waiting a long time)

but there was no way to find out then  - no Shazam

I think the Ron version was the mix that got the play and that I particularly loved but there were many others

Some rate the Bizzy B highly





Hyper Hyper getting remixed by Hype - could be confusing



Think there was some kind of double-pack, two 10-inches in a gatefold job maybe

ah i was right 

i have it but i'm not sure with the pic sleeve

now is this the original or the Ray Keith? (the labels got mixed up apparently)




This (people seem to agree) is the actual original original mix



it's great - only a notch behind the Ron version

And then this...



(there were also a bunch of later remixes i discover, from after the enshitenment of d&b, so with useless skitter beats underneath)

I don't know anything about Gappa G and Hyper Hypa

How interesting!

"DJ/Producers from Luton, UK. Played on Herts pirate radio station Perception FM." 


Luton - not far from where I grew up. Another Hertforshire/hardcorecontinuum connection (Omni in Hatfield, Moving Shadow in Stevenage, Source Direct / Photek in St Albans, others too I think)

Perception FM! Had no idea there was ever a Herts pirate -  I would have stayed up all night secretly at my parents, on visits back to Berko, to tape it, if I had known. 


They did loads of other tunes, Gappa and Hyper

This is the next best after "Information Centre"




But I came in with "Music Box"

What about its remixes?



Is that the only one? It's very subtle. I suppose how could you improve on perfection? (not that this has stopped umpteen remixers in any number of genres I suppose).

I must have got it only on CD (the last track on Drum & Bass Selection 1, that Breakdown comp)  because I have no recollection of its vinyl incarnation with this Krust tune on the flip

oh dread

This tune gives me feelings I cannot put into words

And that vocal lick at the start - oh dread, indeed

Would listen mesmerized, in our narrow little Belsize Park kitchen as the pirates played it to death in early '94 - disbelieving that music this incredible could exist.

Surprised - delighted - to hear the same vocal lick appear on this tune by the mysterious Wots My Code (as previously posted about)



The usually infallible Whosampled.com is completely unable to tell me who the ragga gentleman is

Wots My Code 'The Dub Plate' was one of the very early hardcore junglizm 12 inches I bought - back when my collection numbered in the single figures.

I particularly liked the fireworks sound.

But I didn't have the original EP and in fact only this week realised it existed. I had the bright yellow pic sleeve one that came out later with all the remixes by Ray Keith (with Nookie engineering).

Understandably for quite some time I labored under the impression that the group's name was XLR 8








The bassline sounded very PiL to my startled ears  - "Home Is Where the Heart Is" to be precise.



"Dubplate" samples a different dancehall dude than "Bachelor Rock"  - Eek-A-Mouse "Wa-Do-Dem", plus flavour from a Revolutionaries tune and some Harder They Come dialogue ("I tell the deejay what to play seen" etc).

Ooh look yet another remix by  Ray Keith of "Dubplate" - recycling reverse-cymbal smears from his remix of DJ Mayhem "Inesse" and the Amens from "Terrorist" - ooh and the B-line and collapsy breaks bit from "Inesse". A Frankenstein composite of all his top tunes and remixes.



How much you wanna bet Total Science totally wank it up?



Actually, it's not bad at all - a bit itchy with technicality - but the bass and the fireworks are in there, and the beats are pretty ruff. Pretty good actually.

Total Science are from Oxford - the Blackbird Leys estate. Is that where Wots My Code hail from, also?




They really caned the roots reggae thing.



"Brian Can Bogle" is not out there, but this is natty Xmas tune is



The frenetic flustered Dominator Euro vibe does not suit their skill set.