Category Archives: Amen

2018, Amen, Atmospheric, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session, Melodic

Little Fish in a Big Ponder – Ear & Drum 142

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Keeping the 1996 Intelligent sound alive, this is a mix of contemporary Atmospheric D&B full of deep bass and lush melodies. The Atmospheric sound has had quite a comeback in recent years and the quality of the tunes on display here explains why.

Blame is the only old school trooper represented here with newer production talent such as Greekboy, Rainforest & the mighty Eschaton picking up the Atmospheric tourch and running with it. Shouts to Cryogenics too who has just release a new LP titled Preparation For Something That Will Never Happen that is full of this lush sound if you are looking for more music like this. Well worth a listen if you can track a copy down.

Little Fish in a Big Ponder – 1hr of Atmospheric D&B

Acid_Lab – Interstellar
Jazz Juice – Detroit (DJ Lee ’97 Remix)
Dub Phizix – Rotate
Marvel Cinema – Mechanical Dream
Furney – Time Again
Rainforest – Black Ocean Temple
Cryogenics – Where I Shine
Okee – Planet Blue
Static – The Grans (Orange & Blue White Light Remix)
Blame – Hindsight
Nemy – Broken Heart
Urban Trip & Thankee – Vi
Greekboy – Bring Memories Back
Eschaton – Between Nowhere and Everywhere (Zebedee Remix)
Greekboy – Crystals
MS.Dos & Greekboy – Stratosphere

2017, Amen, Chill Out, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Jungle, Melodic

The Big Chill – Ear & Drum Session 139

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Recently I’ve been scouring 90s CD compilations for rare tracks and tunes I haven’t heard before and been coming up with some pure gold. Not every track in this mix is rare or unheard, but all of them are Intelligent jungle & D&B gold. I have so many memories of good times had to these tunes that I just had to share.

These are the true pioneers of today’s D&B sound. And these are the tunes that made the world stop and pay attention to the weird fast soul music being created by a small scene in the UK. These tunes make me think of the first time I played Logical Progression or the first time I heard LTJ Bukem live in 95′. They shimmer and they sparkle with a real essence of inspiration and freshness lacking in lots of today’s D&B and music in general.

I had a real blast discovering this music all over again to put together this mix and I hope you have a blast listening to it. Happy holidays.

The Big Chill – 2hrs of Intelligent Jungle & D&B

Ellis Dee – Atmosphere
Secret Motion – Lose Her (Cloud Nine Remix)
Bill Riley – In at the Deep End
Complex State – Revival
Fifth Element – Call on Me
Rogue Unit – Memphis Bliss
Ellis Dee feat. MC Fats – Ninety Seven Style
Nookie – Storm Before the Calm
The JB – Back 2 Life (The Dedication)
The Collective – Pressure
EZ Rollers – Subtropic
Rogue Unit – Horn Section
Macka Brown feat. R. Craig – Slow Down (VIP Exclusive)
Futurebound – The Right Way
Dr. S. Gachet – Calling
Dr. S. Gachet – It’s All Gone Sideways
Big Bud – Temptation
Point Blank + FX – Jazz Style
Nookie – Funk Be the Flavour (Dirty Di Mix)
Nookie – The World is a Ghetto (Nookie Remix)
Underwolves – The Crossing
Dr. S. Gachet – Remember the Roller (Remix)
Bug Kann & Plastic Jam – Made in 2 Minutes (Origin Unknown Remix)
DJ Dubplate – Futuristic Style
Shogun – Just For You
Victor Romeo – The Italian Job (Cloud Nine Remix)
Mystic Moods – The Sense of Summer
Rogue Unit – Black Gold
Forces of Nature – Cool Spot (PFM Remix)

2016, All Artist Mix, Amen, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Melodic

The Drift – Ear & Drum Session 121

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If you asked people to name their favourite D&B albums invariably LTJ Bukem’s Logical Progression pops up. The heavily melodic atmospheric sound is as endearing today as it was when it first came out, and it lives on though labels such as Omni Music and Candence Recordings.

This mix focuses on THAT sound and, in particular, the artists Rainforest and Aural Imbalance. I stumbled upon Rainforest by complete accident, but one listen and I had to track down everything he had written. He’s simply that good.

Aural Imbalance has been producing atmospheric D&B since 1998 and runs Cadence Recordings which is an off shoot of Deep Space Recordings. Both labels focus their sound on the original 1996 Good Looking / Looking Good sound. And it is no surprise he has an early release on 720º, an offshoot of Bukem’s main labels.

If you want to know where atmospheric D&B is today, or just miss the Logical Progression sound, then you could do a lot worse than giving this a listen. Enjoy.

The Drift – 1hr of Atmospheric D&B

Blok One & Rainforest – Delusional
Blok One & Rainforest – 6am
Entomb – Primeval Forest (Aural Imbalance Sub Tropical Remix)
Okie – Project 15
O’clock – Time Stops
Ash Walker – Thunder (feat. Lord Laville)
Entama – Facet
Aural Imbalance & Voyager – Transmission Control
Deep Stealth – Project 15
Deep Stealth – Mystic Realms (Aural Imbalance Remix)
Aural Imbalance – Project 15
Intersolar – Soulshatter (Aural Imbalance Remix)
Deskai – Rest In Peace
Cryogenics – Coalsack
Blok One & Rainforest – Balcony View
Rainforest – Scar(s)
JCB – Project 15
Rainforest – Over The Years
Mitekiss – Dustmites

2015, Amen, Ear & Drum Session, Hard D&B

One Tonne – Ear & Drum Session 113

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One of my rarer forays into hard and heavy D&B these days, this is strictly for the headstrong. You have been warned.

Part of the reason I don’t roll these set so much any more (other than I’m getting too old for this sound) is that it takes me a long time to find quality heavy tracks to make up a set I consider worth playing. That being said, when I finally get enough together for a decent throw down it is usual quality all the way through.

This set kicks off dub wise with Break & MC Fats – Free Your Mind, but doesn’t take long to get serious with tracks like the incredible Bro Safari x UFO! x Beauty Brain’s – No Control (Deiselboy x Mark The Beat Remix) and Digital & Spirit’s – Creeper. From here on it it just rolls out the heavies one after another with notable highlights for me being Total Science & S.P.Y’s – Whoonga (Chroma Remix), Digital & Spirit’s – Mosquito and total unknown Verb’s insanely good Total Control.

Probably not a set you’ll chill out to on the couch I suggest you turn it up load, annoy the neighbours and jump around the lounge room like a mad bastard.

One Tonne – 1hr of Heavy Drum & Bass

Break & MC Fats – Free Your Mind
B-Complex – You Better Run (feat. MC Fava)
Skyway – Moving Like a Train
Bro Safari x UFO! x Beauty Brain – No Control (Deiselboy x Mark The Beat Remix)
Chromatic – Open Your Mind
Digital & Spirit – Creeper
Fanu x Coleco – Triple X
Lenseman – My Tearz feat Steo (Ulterior Motive Remix)
Skeptical – Square Breathing
Total Science & S.P.Y – Whoonga (Chroma Remix)
ArQer & Realtime – Derpetroid
Klute – Westernized
Actuaries – Vision Quest
Digital & Spirit – Mosquito
Randal & DJ Vapour – Angels Warning (C.A.B.L.E. Remix)
Spirit – Dial VIP
Verb – Total Control
Icicle & SP:MC – Dreadnaught (Phace Remix)

2015, Amen, Chill Out, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Melodic, Old Skool

Signs of Intelligence – Ear & Drum Session 108

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Ah the 90s – electronic music’s golden era and definitely D&B’s original hey-day. Around ’96 D&B was everywhere and everyone wanted a piece, from movie soundtracks to TV advertising to mainstream music labels, they all wanted what D&B had. And what D&B had was some of the planet’s hottest production talent exploring electronic musics most diverse musical genre.

Photek was in his prime, dropping must have tune after must have tune. LTJ Bukem and his label, Good Looking, were killing it with an incredible artist roster including legends such as Blame and PFM. And Jonny L was on the verge of greatness and flexing some seriously beautiful music.

It was a gentler time, when D&B didn’t feel like it had to be dark or underground and it was an era I still love coming back to so I can lay down sets like this.

Signs of Intelligence – 1.5hrs of 90s Intelligent D&B

Photek – Into the 90s
Madalay – Flowers Bloom (Secret Lovers Mix)
Therapy – Loose (Photek Remix)
Fallen Angels – Frequency (Tango Remix)
Big Youth – Jim Screechy (Smith & Mighty Remix)
Everything But The Girl – Before Today (Adam F Remix)
Lil Louis & The Party – Clap Your Hands (PFM Remix)
Arkatuba – Josimar (Fila Brazillia Remix)
JMJ & Ritchie – Universal Horn
Jonny L – This Time (Cool Dub)
LTJ Bukem – Music
Sneaker Pimps – 6 Underground (In The Jungle Mix)
Everything But The Girl – Before Today (Dave Wallace Remix)
Photek – The Rain
Blame – Overhead Projections
PFM – One & Only
Everything But The Girl – Blame (Fabio Remix)
Neil Trix & Danny Mills – Pearls
PFM – Western (Words 2 B Heard Vocal Mix)
Jonny L – Nightlife
LTJ Bukem – Horizons
Eugenix – Sunshine

2015, Amen, Ear & Drum Session

Drum Struck – Ear & Drum Session 103

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Percussive Drum & Bass has come a long way since the pots and pans style abstraction pioneered by the likes of Polar, Paradox and Equinox. These days some serious polish is going into the production plus the addition of some groove that makes it, dare I say it, almost danceable.

For me OM Unit is blazing this trail and his Inversion LP on Metalheadz was one of THE albums of the year across any genre. But there are many others following hot on his heels including some giant names such as Calibre, S.P.Y and Marcus Intalex all pushing their sound into territories unknown.

This mix may not be for all tastes, but if you are up for some challenging listening then dive right in.

Drum Struck – 1hr of Percussive D&B

OM Unit – Parallel
S.P.Y – Twilight Zone
Calibre – Eschaton feat. MC DRS
Nebula – Blackout
Digital, Spirit & Response – Different Style
Dub Phizix – Bounce
Liz-E – Need You
S.P.Y – Lost Orbit
Ulterior Motive – Inta-National
Marcus Intalex – These Days
Mefjus- Continuous
Ulterior Motive – Stay
ArQer & Realtime – Derpetroid
OM Unit – Touching Down
The Invaders – Burning Book
Vromm – F Plex
Goldie – My Little India
Icicle & Mefjus – Isolation
S.P.Y – Frozen

2014, Amen, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Melodic

Change of Atmosphere – Ear & Drum Session 101

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Back in 1996 LTJ Bukem was king. His brand of atmospheric (some called it Intelligent) D&B was uplifting dance floors everywhere and his Logical Progression LP was on rotation in almost every pub, cafe and bar. The combination of rapid fire syncopated beats couples with melody and atmospheric pads was pure magic.

Fast forward to 2014 and the atmospheric sound is starting to have a resurgence. I’m not sure it’s a deliberate movement the way it was in 96′, as I’m not finding EPs or LPs dedicated to it, but single tracks are popping up everywhere in amongst the amen heavy drumfunk and melodic liquid on labels like Celsius, Subtle Audio and Offworld Recordings.

I’ve spent most of the year keeping a folder aside just for these types of tracks. Knowing that eventually I’ll have enough to throw down a decent set of uplifting beats and swelling rhythms. And that time is now.

Change of Atmosphere – 1hr+ of Atmospheric D&B

Nebula – Encounter (VIP)
Actraiser – Strange New World
S.P.Y & Total Science – Double Trouble
Will Miles – Falling
Tim Cant – Fusion Chillout
Calibre & Marcus Intalex Feat. Fox – Something Heavy
Tremah – Trouble Shooter
Dave Webber – Drifter
Enjoy – Safe for a Mistake
Parhelia – Moon Machine
Roygreen & Protone Feat. Monologue & Lameduza – Through The Alps (Survival Remix)
Airstrike & Blak – Karma
L-Side – Tomorrow Never Dies
Anile – Voidrants
Anile – To Live Without
Eveson – Tempest
Tim Cant – Ultra Generic
Blade – Universal Rhythm
Furney – Tear in the Rain
Jam Theives – Distant Lover

Amen, Chill Out, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Melodic, Old Skool

Shadow Wax 8: 1997 Chilled Intelligence Part 1 – Ear & Drum Session 84

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Back to the golden era of Drum & Bass with this tidy selection from the god father of D&B labels Moving Shadow. This rolls and flows majestically through intelligent amen driven beats and bass from start to finish.

Omni Trio, JMJ & Ritchie, Flytronix, EZ Rollers, Hoax – all the big names are in here and so are some of their biggest tunes. Anyone who can remember far back enough to when The Rhode Tune, Sanctuary and Free La Funk first hit will remember they changed everything.

If these tunes are new to you, you are in for a real treat. If you were luckily enough to be listening to drum & bass back in 97, enjoy this roll down memory lane.

Shadow Wax 8 – 1hr of 1997 Chilled Intelligence

Hoax – Temple Bell
Omni Trio – Sanctuary
Omni Trio – Sancturay (Funky Technicians Remix)
Essence of Aura – So This Is Love
Flytronix – The Rhode Tune
Dead Calm – Searchin’
EZ Rollers – Subtropic
JMJ & Ritchie – Free La Funk
Kudos – Soul Searching
Hoax – The More I See You
JMJ & Ritchie – Beyond Therapy
Mastermind – The Morning After
Hoax – Pipe Dreams (Flytronix Remix)
Hoax – The Mission

2014, All Artist Mix, Amen, Ear & Drum Session

Klute-aronomy – Ear & Drum Session 94

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Those who know my musical taste will know I’m a BIIIG Klute fan. So big in fact I have done a few all Klute mixes down the years (Check them out here) to promote the man’s genius as a producer. It has been a few years since I’ve done an all artist mix, and if anyone was to get me back on the all artist mix train again it would have to be Klute.

His latest album The Draft (Buy it here) is a beautifully crafted & balanced D&B album that demonstrates why he is one of the genres greatest and most consistent producers. There’s a good chunk of that LP in this mix, along with a whole swag of tracks from the last 3-4 years plus a couple of remixes of old classics.

If you dig Klute you’ll dig this. And please, please support the guys Commercial Suicide label by buying tracks from their official online store. The label (and indeed Klute himself) deserve as much support as they can get.

Klute-aronomy – 1.5hrs of Klute

Klute – Sober Light of Day
Klute – We R The Ones (Ulterior Motive Remix)
Klute – Last Words
Klute – Come Back To Me
Mute & Mako – Essential Forms (Klute Remix)
Klute – Media
Klute – Our Pretty Lives
Klute – Take A Breath (Invaders VIP)
Klute – Best Bits Not Over
Klute – Most People Are Dicks
Klute – Sick Drive
Klute & Silent Witness – Friendless
Klute – Ashram
Klute – Will You Still Love
Klute – Party Hands
Klute – Give It All (feat. Naomi Pryor)
Klute – Strnage Dinner
Klute – Birdland
Klute – Turn Around
Tokyo Prose & Phil Tangent – Parity (Klute Remix)
Klute – Divinity
Klute – Hang With Me
Klute – We’re All Dying
Klute – Rosemary
Klute – Revolution
Klute – Haloween
Klute – Trust Me
Klute – Fool’s Love
Klute – The Draft

Amen, Cross Genre, Old Skool, Requested Archive

Stelf’s Birthday Mix

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Been an absolute age since anyone has requested a mix from me, so big ups to Charade for asking for this mix I did back in 2003 for my good mate Stelf’s birthday. Stelf is a man of impeccable music taste so I rolled together this mix of mellow tunes and D&B smashers from back in the day. The first half is the chilled bit, the second half is Amen damage.

The best bit about this mix for me is it takes me back to my 16th century cottage I was living in when I was Brighton based, and all the good times I had there. In the photo is (from left to right) Stelf on the ones and twos, DJ Cob in the middle and a very rare shot of myself doing the tea and spliff smiley.

As you can tell from the set list it is larger than your mum’s undies.

Stelf’s Birthday Mix – 2hrs of D&B Classics

Mystic Moods – Music is the Basis of All Life [Mystic Moods 007]
Octave One – Chill Out ’94 [31 Recordings 001]
PFM – Language of Love [Moving Shadow LP 004]
Dave Wallace – Waves [Moving Shadow 092]
Dave Wallace – Future Reality Part 2 [All Good Vinyl 005]
Photek – The Rain [Metalheads 008]
Therapy? – Loose, Photek RMX [A&M DJ 001]
PFM – Cruising Detroit [Moving Shadow LP 004]
Alex Reece – Pulp Fiction [Metalheads 011]
PFM – One & Only [Good Looking Records 003]
T-Power vs. MK Ultra – Mutant Jazz [S.O.U.R. LP 002]
Urban Soul Selective – Shine Your Light [S.O.U.R. LP 002]
T-Power – Trapesium [S.O.U.R. LP 003]
T-Power – Octagon [S.O.U.R. LP 003]
T-Power – Triangle [S.O.U.R. LP 003]
??? – White [Penny Black 011]
Dr S. Gachet – Remember the Rollers, Meaningful RMX [AUMR 007]
Turntable Terranova – Precipice, Krust RMX [Compst Record 024]
Ultraflex – Doors of Insaity [High Octane 003]
Concept 2 aka Andy C & Ant Miles – Cause & Effect [RAM LP 001]
Kemet Kru – Dangerous [Kemet 017]
Bangers United – Lord of the Rings: Part 1 & 2 [S.O.U.R. LP 009]
MC Gunsmoke & The Hempaholics – Court Case [S.O.U.R. LP 002]