- 01The Tuffest of The TuffestVarious ArtistsThis bass-heavy brand of British Afrofuturism was particularly evident on the superb label compilation “The Tuffest of The Tuffest”, whose highlights included an early version of one of the imprint’s most influential cuts, the polyrhythmic dancefloor voodoo that was No Smoke’s incredible “Koro-Koro”.from the chapter
- 02Koro-KoroNo SmokeThis bass-heavy brand of British Afrofuturism was particularly evident on the superb label compilation “The Tuffest of The Tuffest”, whose highlights included an early version of one of the imprint’s most influential cuts, the polyrhythmic dancefloor voodoo that was No Smoke’s incredible “Koro-Koro”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 03Low Frequency Overload100 HzOne of the rare examples was “Low Frequency Overload” by 100 Hz, a duo from South East London comprised of up-and-coming DJ James Chapman and electronic music enthusiast Lee Renacre.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 04Track With No NameForgemastersHaving enjoyed Forgemasters’ “Track With No Name”, Chapman and Renacre sent a tape demo of “Low Frequency Overload” to Warp Records.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 05Catching Spiders100 HzRenacre and Chapman later made some other suitably weighty 100 Hz tunes - “Catching Spiders” being the most notable - while Renacre also delivered some dark, sub-heavy Bleep-influenced EPs alongside Byron Lewis as Exodus (1991’s white label only “The Dark Spirits” being the standout).from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 06The Dark SpiritsExodusRenacre and Chapman later made some other suitably weighty 100 Hz tunes - “Catching Spiders” being the most notable - while Renacre also delivered some dark, sub-heavy Bleep-influenced EPs alongside Byron Lewis as Exodus (1991’s white label only “The Dark Spirits” being the standout).from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 07The Birthday PartySugarhill GangWe played the odd Soul thing, but the only big Hip-Hop tunes were [Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force] “Planet Rock” and “The Birthday Party” bySugarhill Gang.’from the chapter
- 08My AdidasRun DMCTaking the name Private Party, they delivered a double A-side single that boasted Hyman and Johnson’s tribute to Run DMC’s “My Adidas”, amusingly titled “My Tennents” (a reference to the super-strength beer so beloved of street drinkers), on one side and a silly cut-and-paste affair from Ford called “Puppet Capers” on the reverse.from the chapter
- 09My TennentsPrivate PartyTaking the name Private Party, they delivered a double A-side single that boasted Hyman and Johnson’s tribute to Run DMC’s “My Adidas”, amusingly titled “My Tennents” (a reference to the super-strength beer so beloved of street drinkers), on one side and a silly cut-and-paste affair from Ford called “Puppet Capers” on the reverse.from the chapter
- 10Puppet CapersPrivate PartyTaking the name Private Party, they delivered a double A-side single that boasted Hyman and Johnson’s tribute to Run DMC’s “My Adidas”, amusingly titled “My Tennents” (a reference to the super-strength beer so beloved of street drinkers), on one side and a silly cut-and-paste affair from Ford called “Puppet Capers” on the reverse.from the chapter
- 115 6 7 8Shut Up & DanceHyman and Johnson’s first single as Shut Up & Dance, “5 6 7 8”, was a perfect expression of their very particular take on Hip-Hop.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 12Hooligan ’69Shut Up & DanceArguably the best track across the two EPs was “Hooligan ’69”, a track that owed a debt of gratitude to the Bleep & Bass records that had come before it.from the chapter
- 13The ExorcistThe ScientistFirst was “The Exorcist”, a Hype arranged beast that peppered a sped up James Brown breakbeat and nagging bassline with Bleep style lead lines, glassy-eyed synth chords and plenty of cheeky vocal samples.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 14The BeeThe ScientistThere were fewer bleeps on speedy follow-up “The Bee”, but the fuzzy, industrial strength bass underpinning Hype’s funky breakbeats recalled the raw energy of tracks such as “The Theme” and “Soul Thunder”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 15The ThemeUnique 3There were fewer bleeps on speedy follow-up “The Bee”, but the fuzzy, industrial strength bass underpinning Hype’s funky breakbeats recalled the raw energy of tracks such as “The Theme” and “Soul Thunder”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 16Soul ThunderJunoThere were fewer bleeps on speedy follow-up “The Bee”, but the fuzzy, industrial strength bass underpinning Hype’s funky breakbeats recalled the raw energy of tracks such as “The Theme” and “Soul Thunder”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 17TestoneSweet ExorcistIt was another excitable Bleep & Breaks roller, with “Testone” style electronic melodies rising above more up-tempo Hip-Hop breaks and moody bass that sounded like it had been plucked from a Dutch Gabber record.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 18DaydreamingBaby DOne of the first Dyce-produced singles from future rave heroes Baby D, “Daydreaming”, was a rare vocal Bleep & Bass outing - complete with heavy Steppers drums, dialling tone bleeps and SH-101 clonks - while DMS’s “Brand New World” came with a “Dubplate Mix” that explored similar sonic territory to Ability II’s “Pressure Dub”.from the chapter
- 19Brand New WorldDMSOne of the first Dyce-produced singles from future rave heroes Baby D, “Daydreaming”, was a rare vocal Bleep & Bass outing - complete with heavy Steppers drums, dialling tone bleeps and SH-101 clonks - while DMS’s “Brand New World” came with a “Dubplate Mix” that explored similar sonic territory to Ability II’s “Pressure Dub”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 20Pressure DubAbility IIOne of the first Dyce-produced singles from future rave heroes Baby D, “Daydreaming”, was a rare vocal Bleep & Bass outing - complete with heavy Steppers drums, dialling tone bleeps and SH-101 clonks - while DMS’s “Brand New World” came with a “Dubplate Mix” that explored similar sonic territory to Ability II’s “Pressure Dub”.from the chapter
- 21Déjà vuBrothers GrimmProduction House’s 1990 releases also included The Brothers Grimm’s “Soul Thunder” style workout “Déjà vu”, whose three mixes added snatches of the Apache break to driller-friendly bass and intergalactic bleep melodies.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 22Ital’s AnthemItal RockersWhen they started hearing the sub-heavy Bleep & Bass records from the North, Clair and his 4 Hero colleagues were smitten. ‘Ital Rockers’ “Ital’s Anthem” was a big favourite with us at the time, because it had massive dub bass,’ Clair admits. ‘It was like a Jah Shaka sort of bass sound.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 23Combat Dance4 Hero“Combat Dance” was a Kraftwerk-sampling, sub-heavy Electro workout, while “The Scorcher” peppered one of Hip-Hop’s most recognizable breakbeats (naturally sped up to the rave-friendly tempo of House) with Reggae MC samples and addictive Bleep melodies.from the chapter
- 24The Scorcher4 Hero“Combat Dance” was a Kraftwerk-sampling, sub-heavy Electro workout, while “The Scorcher” peppered one of Hip-Hop’s most recognizable breakbeats (naturally sped up to the rave-friendly tempo of House) with Reggae MC samples and addictive Bleep melodies.from the chapter
- 25Mr Kirk’s Nightmare4 HeroNone of these were quite as influential as their most famous early record, “Mr Kirk’s Nightmare”.from the chapter
- 26Kingdom of DubTek 9The inspiration provided by Bleep’s obsession with weighty dub bass was explored on another early Reinforced Records 12” single, Dennis McFarlane’s 1991 “Kingdom of Dub” EP as Tek 9.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 27Get AcidicM-Dee-MTheir most potent concoction, “Get Acidic”, was released by Transmat, in the process becoming the first UK-made track to feature on Derrick May’s Detroit-based label.12from the chapter
- 28DextrousNightmares On Wax‘There were a lot of big warehouse parties at that point and some of the DJs who played at a lot of those, particularly Jack Frost and Bryan Gee, used to come into the Republic office to get promotional records,’ Lee recalls. ‘They would tell me how big records like “Dextrous” and “Testone” were for them at these events and on pirate radio.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 29LFOLFOWhen “LFO” came out, it was the pinnacle of that Bleep sound.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 30T.T.OTurntable OverloadThere was “T.T.O” by Turntable Overload, an unashamed tribute to “LFO” by the artist formerly known as Turntable Orchestra that came accompanied with remixes by Ryder and Lee in a variety of guises.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 31Steel City EPF.X.UAnother Made On Earth highlight was F-X-U’s “Steel City EP”, a five-track exploration of Detroit Techno/Bleep & Bass fusion by a Sheffield duo William Goring and Mark McCormick that Lee describes as ‘a poor man’s Sweet Exorcist’.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 32DominatorF.X.UThat’s perhaps a little harsh; the EP has stood up far better than many second-wave Bleep records from that period, with the deep and sub-heavy grooves and sci-fi bleeps of “The Scheme” and smooth Bleep-Funk of “Dominator” remaining charming and well-made excursions.from the chapter
- 33FantasyFantasy UFOAround the same time in 1990, he headed into the studio to create his own take on the Bleep & Bass sound, Fantasy UFO’s “Fantasy”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 34Dance TonesHypersonicRyder’s close friends Andre Jacobs and Danny Donnelly got their first with an arguably superior record called “Dance Tones”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 35WeekendTodd Terry ProjectOne of them I released a couple of years later credited to F/B/K which sampled Todd Terry Project’s “Weekend”.’from the chapter
- 36Give-MeGreedIn addition to quickly building D-Zone into an outlet for his own productions and those of his friends (see Mike Gray and Jon Pearn’s release as Greed, “Give-Me”, a funky Breakbeat-House affair that came with a weighty “Bleep Mix” on the flip), Jacobs also established a thriving dance music export business and was one of the first people to see the commercial potential of record label branded…from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 37Close EncountersBassixThe imprint’s biggest track - Bassix “Close Encounters” - sold over 15,000 copies before it was licensed for re-release by Champion Records, eventually reaching the lower reaches of the top 100.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 38I Like TechnoPhuture AssassinsHe launched it via Phuture Assassins’ “I Like Techno”, a mighty slab of Bleep & Breaks that naturally came with the obligatory lo-fi electronic motifs and Kraftwerk-esque vocoder vocals.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 39I Get High (Munchies Mix)AustinBoogie Tribe released a handful of other sub-heavy, Bleep-influenced Breakbeat Hardcore cuts in early 1991 (most notably Austin’s “I Get High (Munchies Mix)”), as did Donnelly’s second imprint, Suburban Base.from the chapter
- 40The RushKromozoneThe label’s first release, Kromozone’s “The Rush”, remains one of the most mighty Bleep & Breaks cuts of all time - in terms of the sheer weight of sub-bass at least.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 41Warehouse RavesVarious ArtistsRumour Records, the compilation-focused imprint that had previously provided inspiration to DJs via the “Warehouse Raves” series, decided to cash in on the craze with a set entitled “Breaks, Bass & Bleeps”.from the chapter
- 42Breaks, Bass & BleepsVarious ArtistsRumour Records, the compilation-focused imprint that had previously provided inspiration to DJs via the “Warehouse Raves” series, decided to cash in on the craze with a set entitled “Breaks, Bass & Bleeps”.from the chapter
- 43The SchemeF.X.UMixing more traditionalist Bleep fare (“Ital’s Anthem”, F-X-U’s “The Scheme” and Hypersonics’ “Dance Tones”) with Bleep & Breaks cuts from The Scientist, The Brothers Grimm and Urban Hype, Rumour’s new compilation captured the excitement of Britain’s hottest club sound.from the chapter
- 44ChimeOrbital‘It was just a darker sound than other places,’ DJ/producer Noodles told journalist Joe Muggs in a 2019 article celebrating three decades since the launch of Rage.17 ‘Tracks by Fast Eddie, Joey Beltram, Orbital’s “Chime” and Little Louis’s “French Kiss”.from the chapter
- 45French KissLittle Louis‘It was just a darker sound than other places,’ DJ/producer Noodles told journalist Joe Muggs in a 2019 article celebrating three decades since the launch of Rage.17 ‘Tracks by Fast Eddie, Joey Beltram, Orbital’s “Chime” and Little Louis’s “French Kiss”.from the chapter
- 46PressureAbility IIAbility II’s “Pressure”, Juno’s “Soul Thunder” and DJ Martin and DJ Homes’ remix of Man Machine’s “Animal” all became anthems at Rage, alongside a string of Bleep & Breaks cuts and sub-heavy expressions of British dance music’s growing love affair with deep low-end frequencies.from the chapter
- 47Soul ThunderJunoAbility II’s “Pressure”, Juno’s “Soul Thunder” and DJ Martin and DJ Homes’ remix of Man Machine’s “Animal” all became anthems at Rage, alongside a string of Bleep & Breaks cuts and sub-heavy expressions of British dance music’s growing love affair with deep low-end frequencies.from the chapter
- 48AnimalMan MachineAbility II’s “Pressure”, Juno’s “Soul Thunder” and DJ Martin and DJ Homes’ remix of Man Machine’s “Animal” all became anthems at Rage, alongside a string of Bleep & Breaks cuts and sub-heavy expressions of British dance music’s growing love affair with deep low-end frequencies.from the chapter
- 49Journeys Into DublandMoody BoysThorpe made one superb, Bleep style Dub-House mini album with Cauty as The Moody Boys – the brilliant “Journeys Into Dubland” – while his remixes of the KLF’s hit singles tended towards the freaky and bass-heavy.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 50What Time Is LoveThe KLFHis 1990 remix of “What Time Is Love”, a 128 BPM monster full of distorted bass and wonky bleeps, is particularly potent, while his Dub and Ragga-tinged 1991 reworks of “3AM Eternal” come from a similar sonic place to Yorkshire style Bleep & Bass.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 513AM EternalThe KLFHis 1990 remix of “What Time Is Love”, a 128 BPM monster full of distorted bass and wonky bleeps, is particularly potent, while his Dub and Ragga-tinged 1991 reworks of “3AM Eternal” come from a similar sonic place to Yorkshire style Bleep & Bass.from the chapteralso in the bleepography