Category Archives: Tech Step

Prototypical – Jungletrain Session 191

Prototype recordings is one of those labels that chose quality over quantity. With artist like Photek, Dillinja, John B, Boymerang, Ed Rush & Optical and Bad Company on your books you are bound to making some pretty hot music. Add to this Grooverider selecting the tracks, running the label and producing under his Codename John alias and you’ve got one of the best D&B labels ever!

With derivative production becoming the norm, we need labels like Prototype. D&B needs labels who don’t imitate sounds or styles, but rather blaze their own trail of unique music. Prototype haven’t had a release for almost 5 years now, but I still hold out hope that one day Grooverider with blow the dust of his old label and start releasing some more groundbreaking tracks.

This mix covers from 1994 through to 2000, but they did release up to 2004 with smash after smash. Tunes like One Nation, Subway, Still and Locust set the standards when first released, and other labels scrambled to get ‘that sound’. Grooverider toured relentlessly to bring the Prototype sound to the four corners of the globe, and for me it was his golden era.

 

Prototypical •• 1hr of Prototype Recordings 1994-2000

Codename John – Deep Inside
Codename John – Dreams of Heaven
Photek – One Nation
Cybertron feat. Dillinja – Threshold
Ed Rush – Subway
John B – Secrets
Boymerang – Still
Dillinj – Silver Blade
Ed Rush, Optical & Fierce – Alien Girl
Ed Rush, Optical & Fierce – Cutslo (Locust Remix)
Ed Rush & Fierce – Locust
Codename John – Inta The Anthem (Special Forces Remix)
Bad Company – The Pulse

Underfire Storm – Jungletrain Session 133

Recently reformed as a label and still sounding good Underfire have had a massive influence on the scene ever since the Infantry EP hit hard and heavy. Stakka, Skynet and K-Tee are still big in the game and whilst everybody knows about the Clockwork LP my favourite release from this label is still the Blazing album.

When Blazin’ arrived no one had heard THAT sound before, but the Z-plane filter soon became a D&B favourite. Akai samplers fell out of favour and everybody was breaking their necks to get themselves an E-MU.

Find out what all the fuss was, and still is, about with this review of Underfire classics.

Underfire Storm – 1hr of Underfire badnesssss

Kraken – Illusions
Spy – Z-Plane
Kraken – Side Effects
Kraken – Meatball
Stakka & K-Tee – Synthesis
Profound Noise – Luminous
Hard Evidence – Mindfield
Kraken – Analogue Spikes
Spy – Vapour
Profound Noise – Synthesis RMX
Skynet & Stakka – Nu Level RMX
Stakka & Skynet – Clockwork
Stakka & Skynet – Timelines
Stakka & Skynet feat Friction – Altitude
Stakka & Skynet – Clockwork RMX
Stakka & Skynet feat K-Tee – So Confused

Step Off – Jungletrain Session 203

So back in the day all my mates were going mad for Jonny L, Photek and Grooverider – the really stripped back Step sound. I was moping about lamenting the death of the Amen break and funk sounds and wondering whether D&B was turning into just pure machine music.

The labels who kept me faithful during this period were S.O.U.R., No U-turn and Emotiv. They had the Tech-Step sound but brought with it such a heavy funk, loads of hip-hop samples and some smashing Amen steppers that still get me excited today.

I recently put up another Tech-Step set and some of the dogs pointed out that that wasn’t their idea of Tech-Step, so I am hoping this one might cover the other side of the sound that they had in mind.

If you like this sound I suggest you step up or step off.

 

Step Off – 1hr of True Tech-Step Tuffness

Code of Practice – Can We Change The Future (Sounds Of Life Remix)
Ed Rush – Check Me Out
Doc Scott – Machines
Technical Itch – The Dreamer
Rollers Instinct – Haze
T-Power & MK Ultra – The Mutant Remix (Rollers Instinct Remix)
Goldie – Manslaughter (Rider Proto 96 Mix)
Hydro – Tha’ Bomb Shit
Shapeshifter – Communicate With the World
Skyscraper – The Difference
Shapeshifter – Talkin’ Mad Shit
Micro-Burst – Punkmutha
Skyscraper – Liberty One
TC Islam & Alien 3 – Let the Bass Boom