A track that stands out as one of my favourite liquid tunes of all time, BCee’s Captured In Time is just an effortless listen. Soulful vocals, warm bass, rolling breaks and stunningly beautiful melodies combine to create a classic liquid roller that never fails to move a dancefloor. Blissful stuff.
This one barely needs an introduction…if you’ve never heard it (or the 2010 Lynx edit) then frankly you must have been living under a rock for the past two decades, or at least never have been to many D&B raves. Released on Metalheadz back in 1995, the simple combination of jazzy brass samples, catchy vocal snippet and that oh so memorable bassline make this a firm favourite. I have immensely fond memories of Goldie closing the 20 years of Metalheadz night at Sun & Bass with this track and the crowd singing along to the bassline…epic stuff. Check it out below and relive a true piece of D&B history.
Picking a classic track from an album as important and influential as 1998 game changer Wormhole is a tricky task, but in this case personal bias lead me to pick Optical’s Slip Thru. The crisp, funky drums, grimey bass and weird atmospherics of the track make it one that I always enjoy hearing in a mix or in the dance.
If you’re not familiar with Ed Rush & Optical’s first (and arguably best) LP then you owe it to yourself to sit down and listen to the whole LP. Better still go grab the recent reissue on pretty Camo green vinyl and give it a good mix! Absolute vibes from start to finish.
Wind back to 2004 and Noisia are far from the titans of the electronic scene they’ve become over the past decade; at this point they’re beginning to enjoy their first successes, turning heads in the scene with 12″s for Nerve, Subtitles and Citrus. Vanishing Point saw them building on their success with a release for Mayhem’s influential (though now sadly defunct) Shadow Law imprint.
The tune is a masterclass of relatively restrained but still dancefloor worthy tech – heavy breaks, tasty atmospherics and weighty sub bass all coming together to produce a recognisable roller. The drum roll and bass hits before the main drop followed by the infectious synth stabs always make me smile, and the little details in the progression of the tune make all the difference. Snap it up if you see a copy on vinyl!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KPcgootqBw]
Glasgow-based Nerve Recordings sadly closed it’s doors in 2010 but for nine strong years the label flew the D&B flag under the keen stewardship of Pyro and Paul Reset, with releases from homegrown and international producers alike. For this week’s #TBT posting we take a look back at 10 of the best from the Narve vaults. Don’t forget you can grab all of these releases for free from either the Nerve Bandcamp or their website.
Dillinja; a name that constantly appears in interviews. To call him influential is the under statement; the number of top flight D&B producers who have name checked him as an inspiration over the years is staggering. The Cybotron era featured some of his finest work, and it’s that era we’ve revisiting for today’s classic track selection.
The flip to the equally iconic (and equally dangerous) I Wanna Know, Nasty Ways lures you in with the suspense and atmosphere of the intro and those soft vocals before slapping down a sharp break and a big throbbing reese bassline. Carrying Dillinja’s trademark booming production quality, this still has a fearsome edge to it 14 years on. Check it out below, and be sure to find yourself a copy of the Cybotron LP if you’re not familiar with it.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oHBREK4NO0]
Today’s classic track selection sees us winding the clock back to 2001 for DJ Ink & Dylan’s seminal Need You. Back when times (and tunes) were a little simpler, the tune is pretty sparse compared to modern productions, but the irresistible vocal hook, rolling breaks and catchy stabs combine for an instantly recognisable tune which still rips up dancefloors. For the dedicated D&B historian, there’s also a very respectable Calibre remix that came out a year later. Vibes!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVxwCBKFWoI]
Today’s classic track is a personal favourite from my vinyl collection, and an often overlooked gem from Calibre’s back catalogue. The B-side to the far more commonly heard Steptoe, Silence is a masterclass in the deep, rolling euphoria that Calibre is so well known for. Crisp breaks, warm bass and a simple but infectious set of chords combine to create an uplifting composition that works again and again. Check it out below and lose yourself in the melodies.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXm7AIzFAoQ]
Whether you knew it or not, if you’ve been to more than a handful of D&B raves over the years you will have heard Deadline or one of it’s many remixes. Digital’s legendary tune from 2000 on Doc Scott’s 31 Records imprint has one of the most memorable hooks from the past 20 years of D&B, and still regularly graces sets to this day, if only as a cheeky tease or fodder for a double drop.
The finely crafted hook aside, the rest of the tune is comparitively unusual for D&B of the time – deep, dubby bass and an unusual bongo-driven shuffle beat in place of the more aggressive bass and breaks common in much of the genre’s output both then and now. It’s ample testament to the vibes of the tune that it can make a place move without needing the usual high energy elements; truly a classic track.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kz1sNDdPOI]
Before Lifted Music and before the height of his fame, one of Spor’s first big breaks came on the Tactics EP for Renegade Hardware in 2005. The lead track from that EP, Dreadnought, still packs just as much of a punch nearly a decade on. The robotic FX and monstrous warped basslines give the tune both character and energy, and the detail in the production is incredible. Every element of the tune sits perfectly, and the result is a dancefloor weapon complete with a cheeky tempo drop for a breakbeat breakdown.
Dreadnought was a taste of what was to come from a producer who’s presence in the scene is very much missed since his departure to lower tempos under his Feed Me alias. Check out the tune below and relive the past glory.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHNI3JPlyrI]