It’s been a while since I’ve wrote another post for the D&B History Lesson, it’s been genuinely difficult to pull out the greats of the year (in my humble opinion). I could have put so much more in this but that’s for the book I’ve concentrated more on the big tunes of the year as these sum up the progression of the scene from being a very underground division of the music industry to being featured in the Top 40 and the Album Chart. Something never heard of in an electronic genre before.

Ok, let’s start with a classic tune that really made the scene and broke drum and bass into the mainstream. I’m not talking about Incredible by M-Beat (my Mum knew the words to this), I’m talking about the Timeless album by Goldie and the stand out track Inner City Life with vocals by Diane Charlemagne. Technically this track was released in 1994 but it was the album that changed the way drum and bass was seen by the music industry in the way that artists were producing wide and varied albums with glorious success. Pete Tong’s FFRR label picked up the album produced by Goldie and the legendary Rob Playford (Moving Shadow) and took it into the wider music market achieving number 7 in the UK album chart in August of 1995. A staggering triumph for a drum and bass album.

Staying the more mainstream tunes of the year, Circles from Adam F (Breakbeat Kaos head honcho) was a huge tune reaching number 20 in the charts. This roller of a tune features an amazing bass line and the “tick, tick, tick” line which was a favourite of the DJs to drop in the mix to tease the punters. Another significant note, is this track also has a music video wasn’t very common for DnB tunes of the time, in fact, not many electronic tracks had music videos full stop!

Heading back to the underground, there was an emergence of a more flowing, liquid sound that was echoing around club nights like Speed in London from most significantly LTJ Bukem. The liquid/intelligent sound was epitomised in the 1995 release of Horizons, almost euphoric at times and utterly beautiful throughout. I actually get goosebumps when I hear this tune. I first heard this along with other classics of the time from PFM on the Logical Progression album (1996) when I first got into DnB. PFM produced some of the best examples of the liquid sound with One & Only and The Western (Conrad mix feat. MC Conrad). Best listened to on the way back from a gig when the sun is just peeping over the horizon.
Bukem went on to produce an Essential Mix for Radio 1 which is still talked about today. Could this be with first DnB Essential Mix, answers on a postcard? And you can’t really mention Bukem without MC Conrad who features on most, if not all Bukem mixes. Flowing lyrics that are so smooth, they could hypnotise you, a style fitting of the liquid genre.
Good Looking Records became synonymous with the Liquid/Intelligent sound and it featured in a full length documentary on Modern Times. This shows how mad (and unorganised) the scene was and it’s just so full of energy. The edge of what was possible was only just showing and people were loving it.

Sub-genres were popping up and V Recordings were reigning strong in the more ragga influenced lyrics and rolling sounds. DJ Krust produced Set Speed with a devistating bass line that is best listened to on a big sound system. Like Warhead in 1997, this tune was a huge, huge hit and so different from the liquid sound. It was based more around the bass than the atmospherics which were created more by the individuals in the clubs and not from the tune. This was a heads down, looking moody, head nodder of a tune which you will not be able to listen to on your tiny laptop speakers, trust me. I’ve got it on loud right now and my windows are rattling

Talking about loud sound systems… Dillinja (like what I did there?) was at full tilt in 1995 producing tracks such as The Angels Fell on Metalheadz. Probably the DnB artist who has more aliases and released tracks then anyone else in the game. One of the Godfathers of DnB who has pushed what is possible sonically with his and Lemonde/Lemon D’s Valve Sound System and also what’s possible in the business side of the industry with the opening of the very successful Ear2ground vinyl cutting business. Who ever said vinyl was dead hey? Respect is most definitely due.

Ok, we’ve had liquid atmospherics, heavy bass, now for the drums… Rings Around Saturn by Photek is a classy bit of drum programming and minimalistic, almost clinical sounding DnB. The complexity of the drums on this track make it hard to dance like Ni Ten Ichi Ryu to so it’s strength comes from being a down tempo-esque track which is almost difficult to listen to if you take it as just a regular DnB track. A world away from the emerging Jump-Up tunes. Magically, it still works and is featured on the 1996 Logical Progession album.

Overall, 1995 saw the scene splitting in more ways than one. We’ve see the sub-genres emerging with huge success in establishing DJs famous for a certain type of DnB and also the scene move towards being more serious and commercialised. Some may argue that the scene should run it’s self without the “help” and exposure from outside the industry however, it’s that outside influence that begun in 1995 that has made the scene stronger today. Crossovers will always come and go but as long as the scene remains self sufficient and not relying on the big boys, it will remain pure and constantly growing and I applaud that.

Right, I’m gonna have to stop writing as it’s taken me over 2 hours to put this together and I’m starving. I hope you like reading it as much as I’ve loved writing it and annoying the neighbours with the bass lines. Feedback, as always… is welcome. Cheers.