Tracks I Wish I’d Written (issue #10): Ulrich Schnauss & ASC – 77

from Kiel and Berlin to London and San Diego, cool has been re-imagined

“… ‘77’ seems a piece that has a rather elegant flow, something I always appreciated about d&b very much. Although this might not be a d&b release from a ‘genre-stalinist’ perspective, I’d still argue that it at least attempts to relate to that kind of aesthetic …” – Ulrich Schnauss

James Clements and Ulrich Schnauss in their studios

Leaping in time from the nostalgically distant 1994 and Foul Play to 2012 for the 10^th installment of the ‘Tracks I Wish I’d Written’ series. It’s been a rare occasion that two of my all-time favourite electronic music artists have combined their studio wizardry for an exquisite collaboration, which succinctly encapsulates their cinematic aesthetics. Having a visionary and eclectic scope, sophisticated production and composition qualities, as well as enviable back catalogues transcending genres and styles, James Clements and Ulrich Schnauss are purveyors of fine electronic music.

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Wandering around invisible cities

GodIsNoLongeraDj cameo appearance for Vykhod Sily Podcast

Podcast Poster

Vykhod Sily (loosely translated into ‘The way the force is coming through’) is a podcast series launched and curated by DJ Rustee (from the Special Request Crew, based in Yekaterinburg, Russia) in 2013. Profoundly influenced by the Autonomic movement and modern electronica, the musical canvas covers a wide range of the d&b spectrum; from minimal half-tempo and all things 170BPM to 90’s influenced jungle.

Tracks I Wish I’d Written (issue #9): Foul Play feat. Denise Gordon – Music Is The Key

“I made this tune at the request of my old friend Stephen Bradshaw aka “Braddie” RIP from Foul Play. I’m honored to be part of his musical legacy & to know what it has meant and still means to some many over the years” – Denise Gordon

From left to right: Steve Gurley, Steve Bradshaw, Denise Gordon, John Morrow. Picture taken from the back cover of Foul Play Vol. 4, photography by NSL.

Throwback to 1994, the 9^th installment of the blog’s ‘Tracks I Wish I’d Written’ series is about a seminal record, written and produced by Foul Play; one of UK’s most respected and influential jungle/d&b acts. Heralding the transition from hardcore to jungle/drum & bass, the fourth volume of their recording series includes two tracks that have transcended time: ‘Being With You’, one of the genre’s most celebrated anthems, which is still being played to date (Om Unit and Doc Scott included it in their sets during their recent gigs in Athens) and ‘Music Is The Key’, one of the genre’s most lyrical and emotionally charged vocal tracks.

Postcards from the Fjords – Nord Label

“Electronic music is art, not just entertainment” – Simon Viehoff, Nord Label founder

Nord Label is a small independent electronic music record label, based in Berlin, Germany. The brainchild of Simon Viehoff (aka Lebowski), resident dj and co-founder of the Impulse bass culture project, Nord has been established as a genre-defiant creative platform to cater for experimental music across the spectrum; from ambient electronica and drone to techno and drum & bass, oscillating effortlessly between the abstract and the complex. The idea had been conceived and scrutinized for a couple of years before it eventually materialized in 2014, when Simon was presented with two tracks by old friend and Berlin-based producer Ill_K.

Tracks I Wish I’d Written (issue #8): Instra:mental – Photograph

“… the track had a very heavy nostalgic feeling to it, like you were looking at an old photo album with the faded film of childhood memories, simpler times. We are both massive fans of video and with ‘Photograph’ it’s like we envisioned it to be scene of a film …” – Damon Kirkham reflects on the track’s conception

“… ‘Photograph’ takes the deep, emotive route of previous releases ‘Pacific Heights’ and ‘Sakura’ into the most beatific, blissful and evocative music they have yet conspired to create… in short, a modern masterpiece” – Triple Vision Distribution, Press Release, May 2009

Instra:mental

Leaving the mid-90s drum & bass golden era and fast forward to 2009, the 8^th installment of the blog’s ‘Tracks I Wish I’d Written’ series is about a distinctive and quintessential track of the ‘Autonomic’ era, written and produced by Instra:mental, the masters of electronic reverie. Introducing a wide palette of sound sources and analogue production techniques, profoundly influenced by a variety of musical styles from years past, Instra:mental re-imagined the drum & bass blueprint, applying a cinematic vision with a cross-genre appeal to their production output.

Count To Ten: Drum & Bass Illustrations and Record Sleeves

“… drawing a fine line between the sublime and the ordinary, the initial presentation criteria have been the aesthetic quality of the imagery, the nature of its production, the relationship to the music on the record and obviously my personal attachment …”

Drum & Bass Record Sleeves

Something completely different for the last post of 2016; instead of the music per se, the next installment of the blog’s ‘Count To Ten’ series is dedicated to artwork design, an essential aspect of the physical product. The size and tactile experience of the record sleeve is one of the reasons why vinyl records remain the most enjoyable way to listen to music. The recent vinyl resurgence has rekindled the art of the record layout. Whether it’s hand-made or mass-produced, meticulously arranged or spontaneously created, the cover artwork adds a literal dimension to the music that a digital thumbnail simply cannot replicate.

A Thousand Beautiful Things: Inside the Blu Mar Ten albums

“Musically it’s the same button we’ve been pressing since day one, trying to find that particular and delicate place between sadness and hope. We rarely find it, exactly, but we come close sometimes. It’s like what they say about jazz players, always trying to find the ‘lost chord’ …”  – Interview for UKF, November 2016.

Blu Mar Ten Album Covers

A common trait among music fans is their ability to recollect little details regarding their musical icons. A series of coincidences and seemingly unrelated events acquire a whole different gravity in hindsight. Although I firmly believe in the maxim “Don’t meet your heroes”, happily enough, meeting Blu Mar Ten has been a distinct exception to the rule and I feel quite honoured to have known them in person and consider them friends.

I accidentally discovered Blu Mar Ten in 1996 and I have closely followed their musical career path ever since. Their sophisticated approach, art and literature connotations, eclectic taste and cinematic aesthetics have never ceased to amaze me. Celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their discography debut, Blu Mar Ten recently released their 7^th studio album entitled ‘Empire State’. What follows is a retrospective, but not exhaustive account of their career from my biased perspective, emphasizing on releases, which I have associated with fond memories and have had a profound impact on me; an array of reminiscences printed on vinyl grooves. Browsing through my record collection, I also present my personal highlights from each LP, instead of a track-by-track review, trying also to deduce and identify their creative influences. This is essentially my own perception and an attempt to capture the essence of the album narratives, which is completely arbitrary and probably nowhere near Blu Mar Ten’s actual vision and purpose. Nonetheless, I believe that the value of an artistic product is to create different emotions, thoughts and interpretations.