Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Tuesday, 15 October 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link
btw flopson you're wrong about this being the only good D&b album, though it's definitely one of the best. Leaving aside DJ mixes and compilations, you still have Timeless, Black Secret Technology, the Jacob's Optical Stairway album and Dom & Roland's Industry to contend with (just to focus on the immediate favourites that come to mind).
IMO 4 Hero's Parallel Universe, T-Power's The Self-Evident Truth of an Intuitive Mind, Omni Trio's Haunted Science, and Apache 61's self-titled record are also genuine album-length classics of '90s drum'n'bass, though it is true that the scene wasnt't really album-oriented, and a lot of the best stuff can only be found on singles and comps.
I haven't heard the Jacob's Optical Stairway album in 20+ years, but IIRC it was more like Detroit techno, not D&B? Or am I confusing it with some other 4 Hero side project?
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 08:32 (four years ago) link
Definitely more of a Detroit Techno vibe to JOS. This was probably the most 4 Hero sounding track
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFeVfTW_tzs
― groovypanda, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 08:38 (four years ago) link
There's a 20th anniversary edition of this (2017) that has most of the contemporaneous b-sides (Western, Sounds Fresh) and remixes (Photek, Grooverider, NuYorican Soul).
I think Onnalee is the secret MVP on this, STF and Watching Windows are both ace and her contribution to Brown Paper Bag, though tiny, is one of its signatures - the "mmmmmmm" into the drop.
I'm sure there's another (superior) DJ Die mix of Watching Windows that never got released but got played loads at the time?
― Twelves, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 09:16 (four years ago) link
I logged onto this thread to make exactly this point. You've listed most of the ones I was going to, but I'd also throw in Omni Trio, Foul Play and 4Hero's Parallel Universe as well.
The Jacob's Optical Stairway (4Hero under another name, of course) is mindblowing.
New Forms sounded pretty good at the time and yet I haven't bothered to listen to it in years.
― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Wednesday, 16 October 2019 09:27 (four years ago) link
IMO 4 Hero's Parallel Universe, T-Power's The Self-Evident Truth of an Intuitive Mind, Omni Trio's Haunted Science, and Apache 61's self-titled record are also genuine album-length classics of '90s drum'n'bass
Ah, just seen this post as well.
I have to be honest though, the T-Power album bored the arse off me at the time.
― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Wednesday, 16 October 2019 09:28 (four years ago) link
Alex Reece's So Far - does that count?
― fetter, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 10:05 (four years ago) link
Photek 4 life tbh
― Xia Nu del Vague (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 16 October 2019 10:19 (four years ago) link
It's a positive that you can easily make a DIY comp of all of these producers respective singles and remixes that would be better than any of their albums. OK maybe not JOS.
Gonna have to dig out Foul Play's Suspected LP later now tho.
― nashwan, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 10:29 (four years ago) link
Foul Play’s album is good but they’re probably the act for whom this is most true.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 11:12 (four years ago) link
Like an album that was:
Open Your Mind (Remix)Omni Trio - Renegade Snares (Foul Play Remix)Being With YouHyper-On Experience - Lord of the Null-Lines (Foul Play Remix)The StepperOmni Trio - Feel Better (Foul Play Remix)Total ControlNookie - The Sound of Music (Foul Play Remix)Music is the Key
... would be the best album ever?
― Tim F, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 11:32 (four years ago) link
Didn't Foul Play split up immediately after the album came out, because one of them (Steve Bradshaw iirc) had died of cancer or something. Tragic story.
― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Wednesday, 16 October 2019 12:40 (four years ago) link
Apparently MS not cancer and died in 98 but yeah awful either way.
― nashwan, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 12:50 (four years ago) link
The surviving member of Foul Play (after Steve Gurley's departure in early 1994 I think), John Morrow, now has an act called Skeleton Army making house / uk bass type stuff.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 13:00 (four years ago) link
somehow i missed this poll but flopson otm this album rules!!!!!
― marcos, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 13:04 (four years ago) link
I own a Twisted Individual album and tbh I'm not sure why
― Xia Nu del Vague (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 16 October 2019 13:07 (four years ago) link
― Twelves, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 09:16 (twelve hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
Do you mean something other than the Gnarly mix?
― Tim F, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 22:12 (four years ago) link
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 08:32 (thirteen hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
You might be thinking of Marc Mac's (first) album under the Nu-Era moniker.
Jacob's Optical Stairway is strongly detroit-influenced in terms of the melodies, but no more so than say T-Power's first album. The beatwork is pretty much pure jungle.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 16 October 2019 22:13 (four years ago) link
I remember when getting into dnb Jess I think recommending the dj hype drum n Bass selection mixes (esp 4) more than any specific album artist albums, also an option flopson
And of course I guess this is more proto dnb but if you haven’t heard “history of our world vol 1” you’ll love it
― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Thursday, 17 October 2019 00:55 (four years ago) link
Also the album art is cool af
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Drum-Bass-Selection-4-Reload-Part-4-Running-It-Red/release/82629
― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Thursday, 17 October 2019 00:56 (four years ago) link
I guess maybe that’s more jungle ... whatevr
Do ppl not recommend remarc any more?
― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Thursday, 17 October 2019 00:57 (four years ago) link
kind of ironic (though not incorrect) that you're caveating that a compilation called 'drum n bass selection' is 'more jungle'.
the remarc comp is very good but there was an element of contrastanning at work, like, 'this relatively anonymous producer who just churned out dancefloor killers is actually more important/consistent/enjoyable/etc. than yr geniuses like goldie' - which is not an unreasonable position to adopt but in that case you may as well just boost comps and dj mixes?
― Tim F, Thursday, 17 October 2019 01:03 (four years ago) link
should have said, 'there was an element of contrastanning at work to the critical hosannas that greeted its release'
― Tim F, Thursday, 17 October 2019 01:04 (four years ago) link
ya I’ve history, it’s great
― flopson, Thursday, 17 October 2019 01:39 (four years ago) link
what i should do is post an upload link for grooverider's (long out of print) 'hardstep selection vol. 2' DJ mix a/k/a the best album ever made
― Tim F, Thursday, 17 October 2019 01:41 (four years ago) link
It seems the Gnarly mix is the one I've been puzzling over, thanks Tim. The commercial 12"/CDS had a "DJ DIe Remix" which is shorter and less good, which is a baffling choice.
It does seem like this is the first time the Gnarly mix has been available on CD/digitally. It's as good as I remembered.
― Twelves, Thursday, 17 October 2019 11:48 (four years ago) link
― Tim F, Wednesday, October 16, 2019 8:41 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink
pretty sure jess mentioned this too tbf
― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Friday, 18 October 2019 07:45 (four years ago) link
It is also one of the greatest electronic albums ever made. There's honestly not a single duff or even mediocre track on it.
― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Friday, 18 October 2019 14:11 (four years ago) link
This would easily make it into my top 20 albums of all time, still listen to it a lot and if anything it just grows on me more. It's a wonderfully tasteful and unique album, of its time but somehow timeless, in that it's very 1997 but hasn't dated at all. Even the artwork doesn't suffer from any of the design tropes of the time.
I went to one of the live gigs for In The Mode, first concert I'd been to where everyone was dancing! Made a change from men appreciatively nodding their heads and drinking pints.
― Fried Egg Sandwich, Friday, 18 October 2019 15:05 (four years ago) link