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.

Booyakahahka! – 49:54

I don’t exactly how or when this happened, but lately all I listen to is breakbeat, jungle, and drum & bass. A month ago I knew nothing about this music, now, it’s an obsession. What happened to me? What’s happening to me? I feel like a steady diet of this stuff changes your metabolism.

I guess it all started about a month or so ago when I came across this slice of ridiculousness.

Aside from making me laugh, the video also made me want to get up and move. The clip was a reminder that I hadn’t had my ass kicked on a dance floor by a DJ in a long while (granted I spend most of my time in rock clubs, but still… My last great dancing expedition was a few years ago at a three day psytrance party in upstate NY. I dig trance well enough, but, when I was younger and made it to some of the larger, multi-room clubs, I tended to gravitate to the rooms with the fractured snare beat and crushing bass lines. I never followed up on that interest until now.

My friend, then recommended this excellent and informative video:

What followed was full on Youtube immersion. Youtube is full of music! Who knew? I certainly didn’t. There’s tons of amazing stuff in there; especially for people interested in exploring early 90’s UK dance/rave records (or late 80’s Detroit House… well… maybe later). As I cruised through video playlists, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Junior’s thoughts on the ever-increasingly availablity of music on the internet. Now, even Youtube is yet another tool for digging up lost, rare treasures?! Still, it’s all about where you look, so, I hope my mixtape (posted above) does the Fuzz and the music justice.

Some of these tracks are available on iTunes. Most aren’t. So, I joined Discogs and made a few overseas orders. I think this is going to be a dancing year, and, I want to be prepared.