Dreamscape 15 vs 16 - 31 December 1994. Converted and restored from the orignal tape pack.
FFT = FOOD FOR THOUGHT
I speak to myself first and foremost with this post before anyone gets it twisted..
MESSAGE OUT to all the EXTREMELY FAMOUS Jungle/DnB (or whatever genre) Artists .. DJs .. MCs .. Agents.. Labels .. Promoters.. or whatever you wanna call yourself..
Can you FFS Stop Moaning, Complaining and generally ACTING like Little Diva Bitches. You are making us ALL look like a bunch of ungrateful *****
No.1
In terms of global population NOBODY KNOWS YOU!!!
No.2
If you are not appreciating and giving thanks for your opportunity then you taking your position for GRANTED!
No.3
When you hate on someone else or try to block another persons progress YOU BLOCK YOURSELF.
No.4
Anybody who takes offence to this post or takes it personally is exactly the type of person this post is addressed to!!
IF IT WASN’T FOR THE MUSIC AND WHAT WE DO WITHIN IT… WTF WOULD WE BE DOING?? Think about that for a second bitches!
AND I hasten to add:
If it wasn’t for the faithful fans and REAL promoters that support us globally. That makes this privileged lifestyle possible. If it wasn’t for the risk takers, the believers, the diehard followers who have dedicated themselves to the cause. If it wasn’t for the PARTY MASSIVE who come out to enjoy, pay respect and dance hard all night..
WHO WOULD WE BE UP ON STAGE PERFORMING TO?
WHO WOULD BUY OUR CHOONS?
WHO WOULD PAY OUR FLIGHTS? HOTELS? WAGES? FOOD/DRINKS etc etc??
Most of the upcoming generations don’t really know the struggle so I can pardon dem in their ignorance of the facts. BUT THEY NEED TO TAKE NOTE TOO. But some of us seasoned professionals need to STFU and stop ACTING like total D***H*****. People are not THAT overawed by you!!! They know you are just human like them. They will build you up and TEAR YOU BACK DOWN IN TWO SECONDS FLAT…
On the outside this ‘MUSIC TING’ might seem like its all family.. BUT In reality this is not one big family. I learned that many times over the years. Truth is that it’s just pure lil cliques of guys all trying to lock down supm for demself and monopolise the business for their own personal gains!! (I aint knocking noones hustle btw) People think that FAMILY MEMBERS can get their choons played and get remixes done by any big name producer/DJ they choose, but in reality it couldn’t be further from the truth. IT’S BARE BLOCKAGES.. Too much selfishness going on… You have to realise that this ting is not a Friend ting, it’s strictly business .. Every man for himself … Unless you link with someone and you see that they are trustworthy and not on that bullshit then that’s different. I’m just letting you know how it is ppl.. And I ain’t trying to crawl up noones arse either, you can ask anyone MI NUH BEG BOOKINGS.. That’s one of the reasons why I moved outta the UK to prove to myself that I could still survive in the industry and be a respected dependable father figure in many UK dance music scenes, but represent that shit GLOBALLY to the best of my ability. I’m one of the ambassadors for this shit and proud of the fact.. This is about ENTERTAINMENT and these old skool DIVAS have been doing it long enough to know.. We all have a right to be pissed sometimes but if we look at the bigger picture we are so blessed to be able to do what we do. And I might add .. THE ELDERS are all old enough to use our discernment and experience to deal with things in a more professional manner. It seems to me that man are taking this ting for granted. When I see the state of things in the world and how hard people have to struggle it makes me appreciate my position more. Not saying that this music grind is a bed of roses coz it’s not easy especially for the older guys coz the youths are holding their own and have a new way of doing things.. Anyway just some food for thought PEOPLE’S . The show must go on REGARDLESS!!! Bless UP to all the EVEVATORS and FIRE bun all the DEMOTIVATORS ..
STOP EFFIN MOANING YA *****
Ps: everyone need to learn to not take demself so seriously and dont take things so PERSONAL…
NEVER FORGET: It’s all entertainment business!!!!! GuideUP one and ALL
Naveye!
Another year and another Innovation in the Sun MC competition full of wannabe mcs spouting off unoriginal verses whilst eating pop filters. It really does beg the question as to where they are taking influence from, maybe these next generation of mcs believe that drum & bass is the new gangster rap? I for one am really sick of hearing “trust me blud” and “big up fam”, it’s like you have to stick to a shitty formula to comply with the stigma of a upfront drum and bass mc.
Just for the record - you don’t.
To be fair though, I don’t go to raves anymore so if this is what you get then thank the bloody lord!
This isn’t to say they are all bad, take the video above from Cambridge’s Bunnage MC, a hard working mc who’s certainly developed his own style over the years. Big up for that.
I think this is the point I am loosely trying to make, you don’t need to replicate every other wannabe mc to get yourself noticed, quite the opposite in fact.
On another note, where did Charlie D go? The ‘weatherman’ of drum & bass mcs.
If you can bear it, here’s the full list of the ‘orrible little bastards - link
Sub Zero joins forces with the likes of Jaydan, Krakota, Supreme Being, Konichi and Majistrate to bring you the latest offering from the Real Playaz camp - Remix EP. Quite why they couldn’t think of a more creative name for this package I have no idea but it certainly does contain remixes and yes, it’s an EP.
For the generous price of £3.99 via iTunes you can pick up a total of 6 tracks, considering this works out at just over 60p per track it’s great value for money, or is it?
Lets kick off proceedings with Jaydan & Sub Zero’s remix of ‘Dodge City’, originally released in 2010 on the flip of ‘Spin Doctor VIP’ featuring a lead sample from Busta Rhymes’ ‘Gimme Some More’. In 2012 Sub Zero released a VIP of ‘Dodge City’ which was promptly released as a free download via Soundcloud. So what with the original and the slightly altered VIP, what else could be fiddled with? Well it’s average news, the introduction sticks to the tried and tested formula of the original although adds an array of snares which could ideally be cut down by half although the robotic vocals add a little more depth. It’s just those bloody snares, way too many of them. I like the rolls though, more rolls maybe and less stabby snares. The drop is OK but doesn’t really inspire me, it’s as if the tune just chugs along at it’s own pace with very little in the way of dynamics or switches. Oh wait you say, the middle section switches things up and yes you would be correct, although it’s then back to the same old array of copy, paste and copy some more.
I honestly wanted to like this tune, I just don’t find it very exciting, if anything it’s a bit lazy. Meh.
‘Your Flex’, a highlight on the ‘Bi Polar’ EP, seemed to hit anthem status at a pretty rapid rate, especially considering how throw away this particular genre can be at times. This EP features a remix by the one like Majistrate although I don’t really deem this as a remix, more of a VIP edit. It’s bound to be embraced by the upfront jump up generation, especially considering how huge the original was, although it doesn’t really justify the remix tag. It’s a funny one this as when I see the name Majistrate on a track I automatically look back to his early work on Splash Recordings and Eastside Records, for me the releases back in the mid 90’s were some of his best work.
Konichi, known for his militant production, brings forth two reworks of ‘Run n Hide’ in the form of both a remix and a ‘rollers’ remix. It’s nice to see the term rollers being used again, for years jump up seems to have been lost in a void of uncertainty and it’s only really been in the last year or so that it seems to have refound it’s identity. The rollers remix is great, it’s one of those tunes aimed at dimly lit dance floors full of heaving bodies all getting their heads down and feeling the low frequencies. The tune works well, it has the right kind of dynamics and although it’s certainly no roller in terms of what you might associate the terminology with from years gone by it does what you would expect from Konichi. The standard remix couldn’t be any further apart from the rollers version if it tried, this one certainly takes a different stance and flips the script totally. Adopting hard step beats and clever beat programming this is a great reworking and it’s clear that the work was put in to make this track memorable, one thing I would have liked to hear from this though is some lower basslines although that’s not saying i’m not a fan of the tune.
‘Motion’ remix by Supreme Being starts well, the congo style drums, early rave stabs and reverb filled stabs are nice although as far as tunes go the whole offbeat drums, crossover dubstep squelch basslines and monotonous programming don’t do it for me. It’s another one of those tracks where the producer has taken the option of following the same old pattern of duplicating the first drop providing little variety throughout the whole tune. This method may work on occasion, just not this one.
Last up is the Krakota remix of ‘Brighter Days’, in some respects the introduction to this is reminiscent to Hype’s full club edit of Rude Bwoy Monty’s ‘Gone are the Days’, released in 1997. It’s a great tune to end the review with and totally different from any of the other tunes on this remix EP. No doubt this will be popular with fans of liquid drum and bass as well as those who favour the jump up style, it’s a really involving track that provides a grown up element to the EP. I love the various delayed pianos and vocals, the bassline seems to growl in and out of the speakers but in the same respect contains elements of tranquility.
If you buy anything from this release I highly recommend it’s ‘Brighter Days’ although if you are a die hard fan of jump up opt for adding the Konichi bits to your virtual bag also.
6/10
Out on 22nd April via iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/remixes-ep/id622187370
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… I mean, I print my pixels on canvas. But Maya Pixelskaya … She paints them on canvas by hand. Hat /off, miss.
Street Fighter II Triptych
Over 800 hours of work went into this awesome acrylic on canvas piece! It is currently for sale so contact the artist at maya.pixelskaya@gmail.com if you are interested!
Created by Maya Pixelskaya || Facebook
AMAZING
Bass Station II
Bass Station II is an analogue mono-synth based on the classic original Bass Station but re-worked for the 21st century. It has two filters, two oscillators plus a third sub-oscillator, patch save and a fully analogue effects section. Add a step sequencer, arpeggiator, full sized keys and a powerful modulation section and you have the makings of a synth that is built for bass, but capable of so much more.
Bass Station II marks Novation’s 21st birthday - find out more about Novation’s early synths and how the technology evolved over 20 years here
Jamie S23 2013 remix of DJ Red’s classic ‘Enta Da Dragon’
Gwarn Fabio!
My interview with jungle legend MC Fearless for Drum & Bass Arena is now live here
Remember classics such as Bad Ass, Quest, Enta Da Dragon & Ding Dong Bass? Please check the Soundcloud link here and vote for your favourite.
A reblog would also be lovely!
Mickey Finn 1995 from the AWOL A Way Of Life Live album #history
No tracklisting. Came free with tickets to this event.
Legendary image from the BBC Radio One show ‘One in the Jungle’.
This image and the story behind it are featured in the amazing book ‘All Crews’ - go buy a copy!
MC Fearless 1995 from the AWOL A Way Of Life Live album #history
