- 01Sesame’s TreetSmart EIf not, it’s hard to fathom why anyone would think it was a good idea to make rave tracks inspired by Sesame Street (Smart E’s Suburban Base-released “Sesame’s Treet”), Trumpton (Urban Hype, “A Trip To Trumpton”) and Roobarb (Shaft’s “Roobarb & Custard”).1from the chapter
- 02A Trip To TrumptonUrban HypeIf not, it’s hard to fathom why anyone would think it was a good idea to make rave tracks inspired by Sesame Street (Smart E’s Suburban Base-released “Sesame’s Treet”), Trumpton (Urban Hype, “A Trip To Trumpton”) and Roobarb (Shaft’s “Roobarb & Custard”).1from the chapter
- 03Roobarb & CustardShaftIf not, it’s hard to fathom why anyone would think it was a good idea to make rave tracks inspired by Sesame Street (Smart E’s Suburban Base-released “Sesame’s Treet”), Trumpton (Urban Hype, “A Trip To Trumpton”) and Roobarb (Shaft’s “Roobarb & Custard”).1from the chapter
- 04Tricky DiscoTricky DiscoIn 1990, anything they touched turned to gold; even Tricky Disco’s “Tricky Disco”, a playful, tongue-in-cheek track that GTO members Lee Newman and Michael Wells allegedly originally intended to be a piss-take of the Bleep & Bass sound,2 earned the label at top 20 chart position.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 05Yeah YouThe StepAs the year drew to a close they’d already built up a backlog of quality material to release in 1991, including a suitably dub-wise single from The Step (“Yeah You”, a collaboration between Winston Hazel, Richard Barratt and their friend Sarah Jay that came backed with some of Robert Gordon’s heaviest remixes yet), the rock-hard explorations of Leeds’ Tomas Stewart (the “Mindsong EP”) and…from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 06A Case of FunkNightmares On Wax…of quality material to release in 1991, including a suitably dub-wise single from The Step (“Yeah You”, a collaboration between Winston Hazel, Richard Barratt and their friend Sarah Jay that came backed with some of Robert Gordon’s heaviest remixes yet), the rock-hard explorations of Leeds’ Tomas Stewart (the “Mindsong EP”) and Nightmares On Wax’s most Techno-focused EP yet, “A Case of Funk”.from the chapter
- 07Join The FutureTuff Little UnitThe track Warp signed, “Join The Future”, was artful, deep, loved-up and formidably bass-heavy.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 08Track With No NameForgemastersRob Mitchell and Steve Beckett were getting increasingly frustrated with the pressing and distribution deal they’d signed with Rhythm King offshoot Outer Rhythm on the back of the success of the first white label pressing of Forgemasters’ “Track With No Name” in 1989.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 09LFOLFONaturally, some of the label’s artists felt short-changed, too, as their royalty cheques - reportedly ‘a couple of grand at most’ for the 130,000-selling “LFO”, according to Gez Varley - seemed a lot smaller than they ought to be.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 10PureGTOIn Rob Young’s 2005 illustrated history of Warp Records for Black Dog Publishing’s short-lived Labels Unlimited series, Gordon is quoted as saying that the trio first clashed over which Tricky Disco tracks to sign; he wanted to sign a second track from the duo (“Pure”, subsequently an enormous track for Wells and Newman as GTO) but Beckett and Mitchell outvoted him.from the chapter
- 11InspirationTuff Little Unit‘Warp saw what we’d done with Warren and decided they wanted to make us into a band that they could market,’ Andrews says. ‘That’s where second single “Inspiration” comes in.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 12Rush To The BeatTuff Little UnitMore in keeping with the duo’s thinking at the time is B-side “Rush To The Beat”, which mixed the duo’s love for deep Dub bass and electronic Ragga rhythms with curious electronic noises and lo-fi synth-sax lines.from the chapter
- 13Feel ItCoco, Steel & LovebombThey signed some good dancefloor material in 1991 and ’92 - see Coco, Steel & Lovebomb’s “Feel It”, which they licensed from Instant Records, plus a clutch of EPs from producers associated with the Fourth Wave record store in Huddersfield - but also surprisingly deviated towards Breakbeat Hardcore via Manchester producer Kid Unknown’s “Nightmare” and “Devastating Beat Creator”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 14NightmareKid UnknownThey signed some good dancefloor material in 1991 and ’92 - see Coco, Steel & Lovebomb’s “Feel It”, which they licensed from Instant Records, plus a clutch of EPs from producers associated with the Fourth Wave record store in Huddersfield - but also surprisingly deviated towards Breakbeat Hardcore via Manchester producer Kid Unknown’s “Nightmare” and “Devastating Beat Creator”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 15Devastating Beat CreatorKid UnknownThey signed some good dancefloor material in 1991 and ’92 - see Coco, Steel & Lovebomb’s “Feel It”, which they licensed from Instant Records, plus a clutch of EPs from producers associated with the Fourth Wave record store in Huddersfield - but also surprisingly deviated towards Breakbeat Hardcore via Manchester producer Kid Unknown’s “Nightmare” and “Devastating Beat Creator”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 16MiamiDSRMuch to Robert Gordon’s irritation, Beckett and Mitchell also licensed their first records from abroad: DSR’s “Miami” EP, a collection of deep and occasionally wonky club cuts named after the city in which it was made and, more puzzlingly, the Progressive House meanderings of German producer THK (“France”).from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 17FranceTHKMuch to Robert Gordon’s irritation, Beckett and Mitchell also licensed their first records from abroad: DSR’s “Miami” EP, a collection of deep and occasionally wonky club cuts named after the city in which it was made and, more puzzlingly, the Progressive House meanderings of German producer THK (“France”).from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 18Artificial IntelligenceVarious ArtistsWhile Beckett and Mitchell kept offering up club-focused Techno (and occasionally House) records in parallel to album releases from the artists involved in their “Artificial Intelligence” movement until the mid-1990s, few made a significant impact.from the chapter
- 19Amen, BrotherThe WinstonsBetween 1990 and ’92 there were plenty of tracks around that hit the spot, many of which drew power from rumbling, Dub style bass and a soon to be ubiquitous drum break original lifted from The Winstons Funk workout “Amen, Brother”.from the chapter
- 20DubstleThe O ProjectThe label’s earliest singles in 1990, created by Playford as The Orbital Project/The O Project, featured Breakbeat Hardcore tracks peppered with samples from big records, including numerous Bleep & Bass ones (see “Dubstle” and “Hustle”, which lifted the “Testone” bleeps), as well as insanely heavy low-end frequencies.from the chapter
- 21HustleThe O ProjectThe label’s earliest singles in 1990, created by Playford as The Orbital Project/The O Project, featured Breakbeat Hardcore tracks peppered with samples from big records, including numerous Bleep & Bass ones (see “Dubstle” and “Hustle”, which lifted the “Testone” bleeps), as well as insanely heavy low-end frequencies.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 22TestoneSweet ExorcistThe label’s earliest singles in 1990, created by Playford as The Orbital Project/The O Project, featured Breakbeat Hardcore tracks peppered with samples from big records, including numerous Bleep & Bass ones (see “Dubstle” and “Hustle”, which lifted the “Testone” bleeps), as well as insanely heavy low-end frequencies.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 23Psychotronic EPEarth Leakage TripNo doubt Fabio and Grooverider would also have reached for some of the label’s superb 1991 releases, from the heavily Bleep-influenced, Dub-wise breakbeat minimalism of Earth Leakage Trip’s “Psychotronic EP”, to the Proto-Jungle funkiness of Kaotic Chemistry’s “Drumtrip” and 2 Bad Mice’s colossal “Bombscare”, which is now one of the most revered rave tracks of the era.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 24DrumtripKaotic ChemistryNo doubt Fabio and Grooverider would also have reached for some of the label’s superb 1991 releases, from the heavily Bleep-influenced, Dub-wise breakbeat minimalism of Earth Leakage Trip’s “Psychotronic EP”, to the Proto-Jungle funkiness of Kaotic Chemistry’s “Drumtrip” and 2 Bad Mice’s colossal “Bombscare”, which is now one of the most revered rave tracks of the era.from the chapter
- 25Bombscare2 Bad Micefrom Hold It Down EPNo doubt Fabio and Grooverider would also have reached for some of the label’s superb 1991 releases, from the heavily Bleep-influenced, Dub-wise breakbeat minimalism of Earth Leakage Trip’s “Psychotronic EP”, to the Proto-Jungle funkiness of Kaotic Chemistry’s “Drumtrip” and 2 Bad Mice’s colossal “Bombscare”, which is now one of the most revered rave tracks of the era.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 26ImperativeNoise FactoryThrough tracks like “Imperative” and “Warehouse Music”, Stephens delivered his take on Jungle Techno, fusing the Dub bass and alien electronics of Bleep with the bustle of Breakbeat Hardcore.from the chapter
- 27Warehouse MusicNoise FactoryThrough tracks like “Imperative” and “Warehouse Music”, Stephens delivered his take on Jungle Techno, fusing the Dub bass and alien electronics of Bleep with the bustle of Breakbeat Hardcore.from the chapter
- 28Be FreeNoise Factory“Be Free”, a 1992 B-side, could also be considered one of the first Dub-powered Jungle records.10from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 29AnathemaNebula IIBy this point Reinforced had yet to fully move away from the Bleep & Breaks sound they’d helped popularize - see the “LFO” chords and melody samples on Nebula II’s “Anathema” - but like many within London’s Rage-infected Hardcore community, their releases were getting progressively darker.from the chapter
- 30Darkrider EPRufige CruThe label’s Rufige Cru collective, whose members included Goldie, led the way in this regard, beginning with the “Darkrider EP” in 1991.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 31Clonk’s ComingSweet ExorcistListen hard enough to the first few Rufige Cru records, and you’ll spot elements from Sweet Exorcist’s “Clonk’s Coming” and Brothers Grimm’s Bleep & Breaks workout “Deja-Vu”.from the chapter
- 32Deja-VuBrothers GrimmListen hard enough to the first few Rufige Cru records, and you’ll spot elements from Sweet Exorcist’s “Clonk’s Coming” and Brothers Grimm’s Bleep & Breaks workout “Deja-Vu”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 33TerminatorMetalheadzThe latter’s debut EP contained two key cuts, “Terminator” and “Sinister”, which became foundation records of the sound alongside tracks by DJ Hype, Nasty Habits, Boogie Times Tribe (one of a number of Suburban Base-signed acts exploring the moodier and more bass-heavy end of the Hardcore/Proto-Jungle spectrum), EQ and Origin Unknown (the peerless “Valley of the Shadows”).from the chapter
- 34SinisterMetalheadzThe latter’s debut EP contained two key cuts, “Terminator” and “Sinister”, which became foundation records of the sound alongside tracks by DJ Hype, Nasty Habits, Boogie Times Tribe (one of a number of Suburban Base-signed acts exploring the moodier and more bass-heavy end of the Hardcore/Proto-Jungle spectrum), EQ and Origin Unknown (the peerless “Valley of the Shadows”).from the chapter
- 35Valley of the ShadowsOrigin UnknownThe latter’s debut EP contained two key cuts, “Terminator” and “Sinister”, which became foundation records of the sound alongside tracks by DJ Hype, Nasty Habits, Boogie Times Tribe (one of a number of Suburban Base-signed acts exploring the moodier and more bass-heavy end of the Hardcore/Proto-Jungle spectrum), EQ and Origin Unknown (the peerless “Valley of the Shadows”).from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 36Voodoo RayA Guy Called GeraldIt’s interesting to note at this point that some of the earliest Proto-Jungle records - those tracks produced and released before Jungle was considered a specific genre, but which bear many of the same aural hallmarks - were made by Gerald Simpson, the man whose timeless “Voodoo Ray” release helped inspire the birth of Bleep & Bass.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 3728 Gun BadboyA Guy Called GeraldThe most potent examples include “28 Gun Badboy”, a record that sounds like a bridge between Bleep, Breakbeat Hardcore and what would become Jungle, and the heavily Reggae and Ragga influenced “King of the Jungle” and “Free Africa”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 38King of the JungleA Guy Called GeraldThe most potent examples include “28 Gun Badboy”, a record that sounds like a bridge between Bleep, Breakbeat Hardcore and what would become Jungle, and the heavily Reggae and Ragga influenced “King of the Jungle” and “Free Africa”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 39Free AfricaA Guy Called Geraldfrom The Musical Magical Midi Machine/Like A DrugThe most potent examples include “28 Gun Badboy”, a record that sounds like a bridge between Bleep, Breakbeat Hardcore and what would become Jungle, and the heavily Reggae and Ragga influenced “King of the Jungle” and “Free Africa”.from the chapteralso in the bleepography
- 40Pioneers of the Hypnotic GrooveVarious ArtistsMore intriguingly, Gordon also says that had he still been involved with Warp during the time when Darkcore and Jungle were mutating from Bleep & Bass and Breakbeat Hardcore, the label would have proudly represented the style. ‘Jungle is basically that first Warp compilation, “Pioneers of the Hypnotic Groove”, with drum breaks on it,’ he asserts. ‘That’s Jungle.from the chapter