Here’s a track which may be unknown for even the most diehard obscurity-seekers… almost no one has it listed on discogs, and the few people who do seem to be general dance music single collectors rather than oldskool collectors. It’s far from rare though, with tons of copies in the $1-3 range – no doubt hiding in plain sight by virtue of being a reggae/R+B single with just one hardcore remix on it. The remix in question (the “raga rave mix”) is a late 91/early 92 sounding track. It reminds me a bit of early SL2 stuff a bit – straight ahead, simple and kind of catchy. There’s also some decent vocal chopping later in the tune. Maybe not the most interesting track ever, but a bit fun to mix due to the 4/4 intro section and halftime breakdown.
Here’s a 94 ragga jungle track that might not be super complicated or choppy, but what it does do, it does well – catchy ragga vocals, a classic reggae music bit (Willie Williams “Armageddon Time” according to discogs) and lush sounding beats which I think are just an amen and think layered on top of each other. In fact, given the popularity of these breaks on their own, it kind of surprises me that I haven’t heard more tracks with this straightahead break layering combo. Anyone reading this can feel free to correct me and fire off a couple hundred examples, but I can only think of a few (Capone “Massive” etc) and I think the number of tracks which USE both breaks but in an alternating fashion (or with just occasional hits from one accenting the other) positively dwarfs the number which fully layers both breaks up and have them going similar to in this tune. Maybe it’s an EQ thing?
Another thing to note about this track is that it features “the Specialist”. The Specialist was an alias used by Dillinja on some releases, but not until 96 – so it could be him, or some other random artist using the name “The Specialist”.
I can’t help it, I’m totally hooked on these US edits of oldskool tracks. Even when they don’t add much to the originals, these edits still seem to revive tunes which I’ve listened to far too many times. They also seem to be an interesting choice for DJ’ing live, since you basically get to play big anthems while still leaving something for the nerds (like me) to trainspot.
Today’s edit comes from the Rampage! vol 1 vinyl, an EP released by Ultimix (one of those big remix companies like Razormaid etc). The record pressing and packaging is actually really nice – two marbled black vinyl records in a color picture sleeve. Often DJ promo edits like this come in simple packaging with track names and little else, so it’s nice to have a proper release with artwork etc.
Aside from the Kaotic Chemistry edit, there’s also several more promising looking oldskool edits on this: a Prodigy “In the Jungle / Out of Space” edit, and one of D’Cruze “World Within a World”. Unfortunately, those other two edits don’t really deliver in my opinion. The Prodigy one uses vocals from a live version of a tune, but doesn’t manage to combine the two songs in an interesting way. You basically just get some parts from each of the tracks plus the aforementioned vocals. In comparison, the D’Cruze edit sounds fine and more coherent, but on closer listen it’s basically just the Criminal Minds remix with a few parts jostled around… no extra samples or anything interesting going on. I literally had to play the edit and the cm remix at the same time, crossfading between each other to identify differences. Also, the d’cruze edit seems a bit more repetitive than the Criminal Minds remix, which makes it good for DJ’ing purposes but not as interesting for home listening (and hence not something I’m ripping & posting here).
This Kaotic Chemistry LSD/Spacecakes edit is the winRAR of the EP – Contrary to the track title, it actually combines Kaotic Chemistry’s “Drum Trip 2″ with “Illegal Subs”, which makes sense since those two are on the opposite side of the LSD EP (guessing the remixer read the label wrong on that EP). This edit also layers in extra Jungle Brothers vocals and the synth from Bombscare Remix. Definitely an interesting little edit in my opinion!
Not the easiest record to find, Cool Hand Flex’s “ZX2″ EP is well worth tracking down for its 3 totally different sounding but all excellent tunes. The A side is the massive track “Your Risk”, also released on this EP. Definitely one of my favorites by him and one of his catchiest early tracks. The B1 side switches things up totally and features weird choppy drums in the A1 tune, ala Uncle 22’s “Super Mario EP”.
And then there’s this track. I don’t think I ever gave it too much thought because of the strength of the A1 track on the EP – but I just listened to it this weekend and was suprised how weird it is! The main melody sounds really familiar to me, perhaps also used in another De Underground release? There’s also some nice pitched up Zapp and Roger sounding vocoder funk stuff at 2:11 in the track.
Usually, I’d be just post “Your Risk” because that’s the bigger tune, most people would like it more and I realistically play it a lot more than B2. But I’m always looking for strange/interesting/off kilter sounding oldskool tracks, and this b2 track fits the bill perfectly. In addition, I think this track is a good example of some of the cool weird sounds found in some of those early De Undeground/related label releases, which gave their releases their own unique vibe in comparison to slightly more streamlined stuff on Sub Base and shadow. Cool Hand Flex – ZX2 B2
Sorry for the weird sound, the track is pressed kind of quiet so I ran it through a maximizer to boost it back up – think the bass might have ended up rumbly in parts though. For anyone not into the the above track, here’s the aforementioned “Your Risk” tune as a consolation prize:
Something a little different here. Frequency, aka Orlando Voorn, had a ton of excellent releases in 91/92 on labels like Lower East Side and ESP under various names. The stab in this particular track was sampled by Goldie for the tune Saint Angel on the Timeless LP. Enjoy.
Now that Pete has kindly granted me access to his back-end (oo-err missus;) I will be intermittently posting my own obscure favorites. Youtube links for starters but, who knows, maybe I’ll up a few mp3s in the future. To kick things off, I’m linking to a fave of mine from the excellent Out Of Orbit label which along with it’s sister label, Orbital, released some real gems in 91/92, including DJ Trace’s first releases. This is a weird and wonderful tune that hits me right where it hurts. Enjoy!
Here’s a nice 94 jungle track w/ great ragga vocal bits and a nice slowjam melody. It’s actually been repressed so it shouldn’t be too hard to find on wax, even the original doesn’t seem to go for too much. The artists behind it are still around and still releasing DNB, so check their site for current tunes including a remix of this track. Dem 2 Ruff Myspace
From the rare and pricey back to some “price of a cup of coffee” tunes- here’s one of the many overlooked Boogie Beat singles. As with the other EPs on Boogie Beat, this EP is a bit easy to miss since was plentifully pressed, and is a bit rough around the edges – however this track is pretty nice in my opinion. Good samples/layering, nice piano drop part way through, solid breakbeats… the melodies get out of tune in places, but that’s oldskool for you The artist who did this (Dance on Arrival) is more well known for his other Boogie Beat single, Muppets Mayhem, which was also released in this form. That EP famously samples some song from the muppets, erm… not my cup of tea (fun track though which other people seem to like). This one is nice though!
Here’s a real treat… one of the most revered and in-demand oldskool tracks out there. Despite having several pressings, this track is somewhat scarce due to the fact that it was recalled (on account of the uncleared S.O.S. Band sample). It was later released as a “legal” version on Moving Shadow with the SOS Band sample removed, spiffed up quite nicely with extra synth work and a sharper mix… still, this original version is the one that most people seem to be after. It took me years to find a vinyl copy since it usually goes for stupid money, but I managed to nab this for “only” £20.
I don’t think I need to spend time explaining who Foul Play are, search my site and check the amazing track I posted from “vol 1″, then go check out their various releases on itunes/juno/beatport/discogs/ebay, as they put out quite a number of great tunes. Then check out Steve Gurley’s solo garage work, the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse releases, etc. etc. In addition to this great A-side track, The B side of this EP is absolutely wicked as well. I actually thought about posting that instead, but figured I’d have to be a real bastard to do that.
I guess I’m tempting the fates a bit by posting this track, since it’s connected to (but not technically on) Moving Shadow… I really try to steer clear of posting releases on this site from labels which sell tunes online (Shadow, Sub Base, Reinforced), since I don’t want to take away from their sales / get sued. That being said, I double checked and this one is not for sale anywhere, and most likely will never be for sale due to the uncleared sample… so I’m assuming it’s safe to post.
Apologies for the sound quality, my copy is a bit battered and the pressing on the original isn’t exactly stellar. Still I think it’s definitely listenable, anybody who has a problem with it can go nab the £ 90.00 NM copy on discogs….
Just read about this on B2VOS, tried it out and it’s true – 0 dollars and 0 cents for the R&S track Aphex Twin “Digeridoo”, in whatever (digital) format you’d like. You might have to register for juno download, but assuming most of you are into some newer music you should probably be registered with them anyway as they are one of the better big mp3 stores out there.
Attn labels/artists featured on this blog: I run this because I love your music and want more people to know about it. If you want your track(s) removed, just email me at and I will remove them right away.
The artist who did this (Dance on Arrival) is more well known for his other Boogie Beat single, 
and I will remove them right away. 
