Three From ‘93

Some real nice music in the Earfuzz currents as of late. Kudos everyone. Great stuff!

My last post celebrated the joys of discovering early 90’s Jungle, Drum and Bass, and Breakbeat. Well, months later I’m still deep in the midst of absorbing this music. And, I’ve started picking up records. Man oh man, I’m spending way more on 12″ ’s than I ever did on full albums. My curiosity to hear these songs loud and in their natural vinyl’d state is getting the best of my wallet (cursed exchange rate and overseas shipping So far, I am pleased to say my purchases have been well worth it. My ears and speakers are quite appreciative: the records sound waaay better than mp3’s. And, these records are quite simply a ton of fun to play for people.

Interestingly, most of the songs I’ve gravitated towards are from 1993. Since my only window into the cultural landscape associated with these tunes comes through scattered articles, very enthusiastic (and vividly nostalgic) Youtube comments, Discogs, and the music itself; I’ve come to recognize 1993 as a unique and pivotal year in the development of Amen Break related music and rave culture. Some describe the time as both a “kitchen-sink” sort of creative explosion, and, a point of divergence for many of the sub genres (of which I won’t even pretend I know how to tell the difference) and their related club scenes.

Simon Reynolds does a nice job describing the “continuum” of this music in a recent lecture transcribed here.

DJ Solo – Darkage [Production House Records, 1993]
One of my favorite aspects of this music is how producers layer and craft the introduction of the beat. This track has one of my favorite bass drops. Heavy.

M-Beat – Rough Like Me [Renk Records, 1993]
I recall reading somewhere that Jungle producers liked to incorporate Reggae into their tracks as it was a very familiar groove for club crowds. People knew how to move and dance to Reggae; so, it became the perfect rhythmic Trojan horse to add bounce to some dirty driving breakbeat work. M-Beat knew this formula well and amassed a pretty fine catalog of tunes.

DJ Crystl – Meditation [Dee Jay Records, 1993]
Ah, what’s not to love about the long player DnB/Breakbeat “epic”? For a song with such a relaxed ambient undercurrent, this track packs some surprising intensity. We’ve found it mixes quite smoothly into some ‘Reign in Blood’ era Slayer.

Hope you enjoy.