Category Archives: Old Skool

Chill Out, Melodic, Old Skool, Requested Archive

Drum Anne Bass – Jungletrain Session 181

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When I first got Serato I went CD mad. I bought up as many old CD compilations as I could to convert all those sweet tracks I’d missed out on buying at the time of their release. Around this time a friend of mine rang me to say his girlfriend (Anne) was looking to sell off some old CDs and that I might be interested.

What Anne had was the mother load of 1996 intelligent and jazzy D&B compilations. Her taste was impeccable – Artcore 1-4, Jazz & Bass Sessions 1-3, Logical Progression 1-3, Lost in Space – Drum & Bass 1-2 and many more. To top it off she gave them to me cheap, and I mean dirt cheap. So to show my appreciation I said I’d do her a mix.

This is the result.

Drum Anne Bass •• 1hr of 96-97 Remixes and Rarities

Saint Etienne – The Sea (PFM Remix)
Soundman & Don Lloydie Feat. Elizabeth Troy – Greater Love (T-Power Retro Grade ‘N’ Motion Mix)
Omni Trio – Soul Promenade (Nookie Remix)
Statik Sound System – Revolutionary Pilot (Rob Smith Mix)
Link – Amenity (Chameleon Remix)
Adam F – F-Jam Featuring MC Conrad
Omni Trio – Living For The Future (FBD Project VIP Mix)
Omni Trio – Renegade Snares (Rob’s Reconstruction Mix)
Ken Ishii – Stretch (Shogun Remix)
N&G&O – Tekken (Windermere Dub Mix by T. Power)
Rogue Unit – Dance Of The Sarooes
Aladin – We Enter (Deep Forest Dub VIP Mix)
One True Parker – Bubblegum (Ray Keith Remix)
Garbage – Milk (Goldie’s VIP Trash Your Sh*T Mix)

Cross Genre, Mash-up, Melodic, Old Skool, Rave

Come Again? – pfradio.com Session #1

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Some people may remember back in the day when I played for Phuture Frequency Radio. Run by the amazingly versatile and talented DJ Raptures / Iambic, Phuture Freq has gone from strength to strength over the last eight years until it is now in the top 100 itunes radio stations.

Around Christmas time Raps contacted me and asked if I would like to contribute a set and I jumped at the chance. The result was this mash-up mix of all sorts from old hardcore through to modern day ambient and even into the uncharted territories of Exile’s twisted music. I’m dedicating the set to Rapture’s for being a great mate down the years, and for always inspiring me to do more musically.

Come Again? – 1hr of Mashed-Up Beats for pfradio.com

Bass Boy & Techmaster P.E.B. – Activated
Blame – Music Take You
Soul Delay – My Shadow (138 Remix)
Missy Elliot – Best Best (Two Fingers Remix)
2 Bad Mice – Drum Trip II
Kaotic Chemistry – Illegal Subs
Tipper – Disolve (In)
Santogold – Unstoppable
Skanna – Heaven
Exile – Merlin
The Prodigy – Claustrophobic Sting
Universal Love – Deeply
Shapeshifter – Summer Haze
D-Bridge – Wonder Where
Ruxpin – Now I Turn To You
Panda – Leaving Amsterdam
Shapeshifter – The Ride

Deep D&B, Old Skool, Tech Step

Step Tech – Jungletrain Session 136

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Djork wanted me to put this old jungletrain set back up for the people. I couldn’t find it amongst my archives so big ups to Eric Digital who was able to point me towards a link from a German site that had a copy still up for download.

Deep, dark and brooding. That is the only way you can describe the Tech Step sound from 96-97. If you wanna know why Ed Rush and Trace are considered the legends they are today you gottah check out this set of pure 1996 Tech Step beats and bass. With support from Tonic AKA The Mac, Skyscraper and Dillinja this set goes to prove that tech step can be both beautiful & brutal all at the same time.

 

Step Tech – 1hr of deep Tech Step

Tonic – Delta
Ed Rush – Autumn RMX
Tonic – Outcast
Ed Rush – Check Me Out
Cybernet vs Genetix – Program 3
Tonic – Renegade
Ed Rush – The Force is Electric
Ed Rush – West Side Sax
Cybotron (feat Dillinja) – Threshold
Ed Rush – Gun Check
Sureshot – Mindscape Pt1
BLIM – Jeamland (DJ Trace’s Word)
DJ Trace – Mid Town Method
Skyscraper – The Difference

All Artist Mix, Deep D&B, Old Skool, Requested Archive

Fricken Genius – Jungletrain Session 127

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Once upon a time a long time ago, producers didn’t just write choons that made you jump up and down. They also made tracks that took you on a journey, made your jaw drop and shit the bed all at once.

One such producer was T-Power, and this is his story.

 

Fricken Genius – 1hr of early T-Power classics.

T-Power – Indigo
T-Power – Liberation
T-Power – Octagon/Triangle
T-Power – Mutant Jazz
T-Power – Circle
T-Power – Turquoise
T-Power – The Elemental (Sociopathic Mix)
T-Power – Amber
T-Power – Square
T-Power – Prospect for Democracy
T-Power – Symbiosis
T-Power – Bionic Chronic

Chill Out, Deep D&B, Half Beat, Old Skool

Half Beaten – Phuturefreq Session 13

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HELP!

I did this mix a looong time ago back in Jan 2005 and have since lost the track listing. It is a boomer and I listen to it fairly regularly, but I need your help to fill in the blanks in my in-complete tracklist.

It is mainly half-beat and dub paced electronica and I suspect a lot of the missing track are from Ninja Tunes. Stupidly, I do own all the tracks in this mix, but they are lost in my shelves and some of them are so tasty I have to know what they are called so I can resurrect them for future mixes.

If anyone can help then just post up a comment here and I’ll fill in the blanks as track information comes to hand. Thanks in advance.

 

Half Beaten – 2hrs of Half Beat and Dub style Drum & Bass

T-Power – Indigo
???
The Fire This Time – At Least Native American Indians Know Exactly How they Have Been Ficked Around! (Mad Professor Original Mix)
Spring Heel Jack – 60 Seconds Dub
London Electricity – Round the Corner
T-Power & MK Ultra – Horny Mutant Jazz
???
DJ Hype – Dead A’s
???
Ming & FS – The Most Dangerous Drip (D&B Mix)
2 Player – Extreme Possibilities (Wagon Christ Mix)
DJ Hype – Help Me
???
Busta Rhymes – Dangerous (Soul Society Remix)
???
EZ Rollers – You’ll Never Know
???
???
???
Banaczec – Ipcress File
PFM – For All of Us
Blame – The Phoenix
Reprazent – New Forms

All Label Mix, Cross Genre, Ear & Drum Session, Old Skool

31 Seconds Part 1 – Ear & Drum Session 14

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Doc Scott’s 31 Records is a seminal label in D&B. It has released so many classics down the years with tunes like Shadow Boxing, Liquid Fingers, Mechanics and Deadline all becoming synonymous with defining their various genres. 31 is also the label that launched Pendulum onto the world with the almighty Vault, a track that has had more rewinds than you’ve had hot dinners.

When 31 Records first hit the scene I bought everything they put out. With artists like Dom & Roland, MIST, Optical, Digital, Nasty Habits and Klute on board it was pretty much impossible to pass up on a release. I unfortunately missed out on a lot of the later output on the label until A Bunch Of Cuts opened up its MP3 store and laid down the entire back catalogue of 31. I couldn’t resist, I had to down the credit card and start filling in all the holes in my collection.

This mix is the first in a 3 part series covering the early days of 31 Records. Part 2 & 3 will cover the middle and later part of the labels history. What you get in this mix are the choons that made 31 Records a must have label for every self respecting D&B DJ. Tracks like Chilling Out, Prototyped, Technology, The End Part I and Part II, Liquid Fingers, Deadline and of course Shadow Boxing stamped 31 Records as one of THE premier labels in the mid to late 90’s.

Even though these tracks cross all sorts of genres they all have a distinctive 31 sound. A futuristic and technological edginess that always made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and the dance floor go mental. This one goes out to Doc Scott and his merry men for leaving a legacy 99% of labels can only dream of creating.

 

31 Seconds Part 1 – 1hr of 31 Records early masterpieces

Deep Blue – Immersion
Optical – The End Part I
Octave One – Chillin’ Out (Deleted Mix)
Dom & Roland – Mechanics
Octave One – Chillin’ Out ’94
Nasty Habits – Liquid Fingers (Goldie Remix)
Fortran – The End Part II
Dom & Roland – Prisms
MIST – Dreamworld
Klute – Song Seller
Klute – Dawn of Reason
Nasty Habits – Shadow Boxing
Nasty Habits – Prototyped
Digital – Deadline
Octave One – Technology
Total Science – Get It On

2008, All Label Mix, Hard D&B, Old Skool, Requested Archive, Tech Step

Prototypical – Jungletrain Session 191

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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

Chill Out, Ear & Drum Session, Jazz & Bass, Melodic, Old Skool

The Finest – Ear & Drum Session 11

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1996-97 was the era when Drum & Bass was at it’s most popular in the broadest sense. From hardcore Hip-Hoppers to chart topping acts, everyone needed a D&B remix on their 12″ or album. Cafés, bars and restaurants were using it as muzac and every second advert on TV seemed to have a D&B backing track. It also happens to be the era when D&B as a music was at it’s most melodic and intricate, which is why I love the jazzy/intelligent D&B from around this time more than just about any other era.

This was a time when commercial success wasn’t such a dirty word (Sony and others were snapping up artists for their labels) and accessibility to the music didn’t seem like such a bad thing. Artists like Wax Doctor, LTJ Bukem, EZ Rollers, Omni Trio, Aquasky and many others all put delicate floating melodies over tough chopped up Amens and beats to produce a sound that you could play on a dance floor, but also play to your Mum and still have her stay in the room. The best thing about this era is that it still sounds as fresh today as when it first came out. It never seems to age or become disposable like some of the genres that came after it.

So in this mix I’ve tried to put together what was great about the 1996-97 Jazzy D&B genre. Some tracks you will have heard and, hopefully, there are a few obscure surprises in there that you haven’t. Best listened to with a good drink in your hand and your feet up on the couch, I suggest you kick back and enjoy what is not only great D&B, but great music too.

 

The Finest – 1.5hrs of 1996-97 Jazz & Bass

Nuyorcian Soul – I Am the Black Gold of the Sun (4 Hero Remix)
JMJ & Flytronix – In Too Deep
Flytronix – The Rhodes Tune
EZ Rollers – Dropping Science (EZ Remix)
Dr. S. Gachet – Remember the Rollers (The Meaningful Mix)
Omni Trio – Tripping on Broken Beats (Carlito Mix)
Statik Sound System – Revolutionary Pilot (Rob Smith Mix)
EZ Rollers – Sub Tropic
EZ Rollers – Believe
Photek – The Hidden Camera (Static Remix)
Aquasky – Opaque
Olive – You’re Not Alone (Roni Size Remix)
Alex Banks – Control
DJ Krush – Only the Strong Survive (Dillinja Remix)
LTJ Bukem – The James Bond Theme
Intense – Careless Minds
St. Germain – Alabama Blues (Wax Doctor Remix)
Ken Ishii – Stretch (Shogun Remix)
Wax Doctor – Finer Things
Adam F – Aromatherapy

All Artist Mix, Amen, Chill Out, Jazz & Bass, Melodic, Old Skool, Requested Archive

Los Trio Omnios – Phuturefreq Session 7

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I’ll be the first to admit that Omni Trio is like no other D&B producer in the game. His sense of melody and gentle touch in production makes his stuff far more than D&B and pushes it into the realms of ‘proper music’.

Ever since he started up with Rob Playford, Omni Trio has consistently released hit after hit and has provided some of THE anthems for the genre. His Albums Volume One – The Deepest Cut, The Haunted Science, Skeleton Keys, Byte Sized Life and Even Angels Cast Shadows are all classics.

I did this mix back in 2004, but still get requests for it today and so I thought it is well overdue for a re-hosting. It doesn’t cover every great track he has ever done, but you never could in just 2 hours. Even though a lot of the stuff in the mix is over 10 years old, I never get sick of listening to it and I hope you don’t either. Mr Robert Haigh, to you I say respect.

 

Los Trios Omnios – 2hrs of Omni Trio  

Through the Vibe (2 on 1 Mix)
Nu Birth Of Cool (Rogue Unit Mix)
The Elemental
Rhythm Methods
Serpent Navigators
Astral Phase 
Who Are You? (Aquasky Remix)
Sanctuary
Twin Town Karaoke (Guardians of Dalience Mix)
Fire Island 
Red Rain
Skeleton Keys
Meltdown
Breakbeat Etiquette
Secret Life (Silent Storm Remix) 
Higher Ground
Nu Birth
Lucid
Higher Ground (Breakbeat Etiquette London Steppas Mix)
Artificial Life (Harp Tune)
First Contact (1.25)
Diffusion Loops
Rogue Satellite (Extended Mix)
Lucid (London Steppers Remix)
Less Than Zero
Who Are You (EZ Rollers RMX)
Renegade Snares (High Contrast Remix)
Thru The Vibe (John B Remix)

Amen, Ear & Drum Session, Jungle, Old Skool

Jungle Survival: Lesson 2 – Ear & Drum Session 8

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Part 2 of the Jungle Survival series and we are still in 1994. Listening to this set, it amazes me that some of the tracks are 15 years old. Obviously the overall production quality is down, but when you consider most of this stuff was pieced together on an AKAI s2000 sampler and an Atari ST computer it really does hold up remarkably well and a lot of todays producers could take a leaf out of the collective books of the artists on this roster.

D’Cruse’s – Lonely is still as hauntingly beautiful as the day it was made, Fusion’s – Love for the World Pt. II still makes you wanna brock out and Noise Factory’s – The Future still sounds darker than most tracks today. It is the ideas and the intricate sequencing that really makes these tracks, and as always with ragga jungle the dub and sound system influences are never too far away.

I had a damn good time mixing all this stuff up, so I hope you get as much pleasure listening to it as I did making it. Big up ya chest in a bullet proof vest.

 

Jungle Survival Lesson 2 – 1hr of the ruff and the ragga

4 Hero – Shadow Run
Entity – Dubwise
D’Cruse – Lonely
Radical Sound – What is Love (Exclusive VIP Mix)
Ibizia – Brockwild
D Note feat Navigator – Iniquity Worker (Number Of The Beast Mix)
M Beat feat. General Levi – Incredible
House Crew – Super Hero
DJ SS – Rollers Convention (Original Intro Mix)
Fusion – Love for the World Pt. II
Jungle Warrior – No Surrender (Exclusive VIP Mix)
Booyaka Crew & Tippa Irie – Hustling
Amazon II – Booyaa! (Open Your Mind)
L Double – Little Roller Vol 1 (Nah Ease up Mix)
3 Disciples – Gwaan
DJ Hype – Rrrol The Beats
DJ Krome & Mr Time – Ganja Man (Original Mix)
Noise Factory – The Future