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Smith Inc – Palamino

Here’s a tune I can’t imagine anyone taking issue with… maybe not known all that well by name, it was battered in seemingly ALL the mixtapes circa 93 by a decent cross-section of big DJs. Written by Simon Bassline Smith, the popularity of “Palamino” was probably down to how it stood out as a harbinger of the deeper sounds hardcore was starting to gravitate to around then. True, there were still plenty of great fun tracks around then doing well, as well as more traditionally melodic tunes even within the Darkside realm emerging in 93. However, there was “dark” stuff, then you had tracks like this which really went somewhere a bit special in my opinion: marrying a bittersweet drearyness with euphoria in a precarious mixture that much current electronic music aims for but fails miserably at.

This tune was originally released on 10″, while the identical version posted here is actually taken from the repress of it on the 94 remix EP. While the remix EP is OK, it’s all about this original mix. The chunky omnipresent amen-breakthrough combo (ala Bizzy + Bukem), the weird bell and bleepy sounds, the whistle sound ala XLR8 “dubplate”, the diva vocal being utterly transformed by the haunting synth underneath it… utter vibes through and through.

Smith Inc – Palamino

10 Replies to “Smith Inc – Palamino”

  1. Gotta be my favourite track from Simon Bassline Smith by FAR!!!

    Such a moody track….. I love it!!! Thanks for the post Pete! Gonna go up and give this one a spin now.

  2. I never thought this was an obscure track. To my knowledge everyone knew this one over here and had a copy to boot. I even picked my 10″ up in a fairly mainstream, if independant, record shop at the time.

  3. I don’t think it’s obscure, but it’s prob not as big or remembered as a big tune on shadow or subbase etc. Discogs have #s seem to support that (173 have) Certainly not a tune you’d tend to hear in a general “OlDsKoOL ClASSiX” mix between Edge #1 and Searching for My Rizzla

  4. Granted Pete. I guess if you are listening to tapes that have Searching For My Rizla on them you are not going to hear this, but if you are listening to old Fabio, Grooverider, Kool FM, etc you will definitely be familiar with this tune.
    Perhaps my view point is slightly scewed as I have had this in my box from day one and it has never left it, much like your Deep Seven tune! 😉

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