Count To Ten: Drum & Bass Illustrations and Record Artwork (part 2)

What the sleeve notes never tell you It’s been 16 months since the original post , which was meant to be a one-off feature; however I always felt that it’s been somehow incomplete. The constructive feedback I received, occasionally bordering on debate over a matter de facto subjective, convinced me to revisit the topic; paraphrasing

Count To Ten: Cross-genre drum & bass remixes – part 1 (1995-96)

This is the first part of a mini-series focusing on cross-genre drum & bass remixes; from subtle re-interpretations to complete re-constructions. The burgeoning d&b popularity in the mid-90s attracted media attention and interest from independent, as well as major record labels, which commissioned d&b remixes for their artists across the music spectrum; from post-punk and

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

Tracks I Wish I’d Written (issue #7): UB40 – Until My Dying Day (Icons remix)

“Until My Dying Day was a tune UB40 had written, which was touted to be the theme for the latest Bond film at the time (GoldenEye) …” By the first half of the 90s, UB40’s constant touring had taken its toll and the band was ready for a well-earned rest. During their sabbatical, several of

Tracks I Wish I’d Written (issue #5): Black Rain – Another Silent World

“… with desolate, even mournful piano notes, oscillating effortlessly between the robust and the fragile, ‘Another Silent World’ is a streamlined, almost cinematic take in a drum & bass context …” The fifth installment of the blog’s “Tracks I Wish I’d Written” series is about an obscure track, produced in 2003 by one of my

Tune Of The Day #2 – Review for drumtrip.co.uk

UB40 – Until My Dying Day (Icons remix) – Dep International (DEPDJX4512, 1996) This is my second contribution to the oldschool specialist blog Drumtrip; a review and the background story behind the classic Icons remix of UB40‘s Until My Dying Day.  You can view the original post, as well the previous installments of the TOTD

MJAZZ presents The Modernists

The Modernists is a highly acclaimed, collectible, limited edition, compilation series project released by the forward-thinking Modern Urban Jazz (MJAZZ) label. To the time of writing The Modernists series consists of four volumes (official release date of the 4th volume is the 22nd of July, 2013), featuring mainly artists and affiliates of the MJAZZ collective.

Whatever happened to … Endemic Void?

“Ennio Morricone meeting Isaac Hayes in a full-on jungle vibe, Endemic Void  pushes the limits of time-stretchology with this deep, cinematic, frontline  fanfare. Rich, vibrant and all-encompassing” –   (Melody Maker, 1995)  The fourth installment of the series is dedicated to one of the unsung heroes of the golden era of drum and bass Danny

Whatever happened to … Partisan Recordings?

The third installment of the series is dedicated to the short-lived but highly influential label Partisan Recordings, established as one of the most innovative outlets of cutting-edge drum and bass in the late 90s. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the high impact of the label on the drum and bass

Memoirs Of a Vinyl Junkie – part 4

 A Frenchman, a card, a broken arm and the epiphany Saturday afternoon, December 3rd 1994, somewhere in western Athens He entered the cafeteria, where all his schoolmates used to gather on a Saturday afternoon for  coffee and small talk.  His mates waved at him. They were sitting on a table beside the big boys. Good