I’m a big fan of those ‘93-’95 ragga jungle cash in tunes made by producers who knew nothing about jungle – resulting in that ramshackle ‘crack jungle’ sound exemplified by tunes like this and LPs like this, but today’s offering features something else entirely – rave producers trying to imitate ragga!
The tune opens with an attempt to conjure up a rural scene (via the theme from Emmerdale) with a bit of dialogue from a raver looking for tickets to ‘The rave down the farm‘, but even though ‘92 was the peak year for illegal raves, things seem to have changed – as the unintentionally hilarious pastiche patois response points out – ‘No mon, we’re going to the ragga rave‘… cue a bad impression of the Sleng Teng bassline and some slapdash (and surprisingly slow) breakbeats.
There’s plenty of other incongruous little touches here – the out of tune stabs, the very un-ragga ‘Rockin’ in a ragga style‘ vocal, those weird gaps at the start of the breakdowns that throw the whole tune out of kilter… the overall effect sounds like a bunch of monged out rave producers given 5 minutes with an Atari ST in an attempt to make a ‘ragga’ tune and cash in on the latest trend – and yet there’s a certain innocent charm about this mawkish effort, its just so wrong in every way that you can’t help but admire it’s hodgepodge lunacy.
Hardcore Rhythm Team – Raggaclash
I don’t know much about the Hardcore Rhythm Team (an unfortunate choice of acronym), and this is one of those £1.99 tunes that I picked up in an auction years ago to justify postage for some other winnings – purely on the strength of the title and cover. Apparently it was also released as white label on Badboy records with the deleted ‘One Love’ on the flip. Furious records had a few releases in a similar vein, none of which I have, though it might be interesting to hear how their twisted version of ragga-rave progressed…
Tags: dodgy, furious, Hardcore rhythm team, ragga, rave
So… do you find that innocent charm in 2004-2006 raggacore tracks?
Interesting choice, this is definitely an EP I’ve seen all over the place and which still goes for cheap. If I remember right, one of these tracks has that “wait… as I reset the atari!” sample from an early Rebel MC tune?
The Only Furious Records eps I have are the 3 Vocation singles, not sure if the remaining 2 singles on Furious (the Creator and Mid-Ex)_have any ragga but I don’t remember much if any ragga on those Vocation ones. Nice EPs though!
Retrigger – I certainly think that 2004-06 raggacore/breakcore tunes would have a lot more charm if the producers had done the vocals themselves!
Pete – I heard 2 of the other HRT releases on Furious years back and I seem to remember a touch of ragga… Youre right about this one though – it is a bargain basement special. I picked it because of the novelty value of this tune, I can’t remember what the other 3 tunes are like but I dont think they’re anything to write home about.
nice one, I think that’s the -worst- hardcore/jungle tune I’ve ever heard!
speaking of cashins are any of you familiar with Alec Empire’s lone fullon ragga jungle record? it’s quite good actually.
nice one , remember me everybody in the place ( the prodigy)
LOL that is hilarious