One of the many very specific offshoots of the acid house revolution of 1988 was bleep 'n' bass, an almost exclusively northern sub-scene. The first bleep 'n' bass record came from Bradford (Unique 3's The Theme) but after that Sheffield and Warp Records became the home of a style of dance music pretty much defined by its name- pocket calculate bleeps with deep, heavy, sub bass over a drum machine. A vocal sample to complete. Minimal, intense, British techno. Between 1989 and 1991 a load of great bleep 'n' bass records were made, best heard at full volume in pitch darkness with a strobe flashing away (but home listening will do too).
Sweet Exorcist were from Sheffield, a duo of Richard Kirk (of Cabaret Voltaire) and DJ Parrot (Richard Barratt). Their first record, in 1990, was Testone- made using some test tones and a vocal sample from Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. It is absolutely essential. Only LFO came close to this.
Testone
The video was directed by a certain Jarvis Cocker, pre-fame, and is a classic of its kind too.
Tune!
ReplyDeletePerhaps it was because I'm a Southerner that I could never get into this.
ReplyDeleteYour so right this is a classic piece of electronic music and LFO's first two albums ARE essential electronic music listening. I do believe geography and environment have as much to do with music taste as culture and upbringing.
ReplyDeleteI don't like to use the word 'seminal' but I think this is a seminal piece of British house music. So simple too- like 3 chord punk/garage records you listen and think 'I could do that'. Except you didn't- they did.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Warp were releasing some superb stuff at this time. Tuff Little Unit's Join The Future is still one of my favourite ever singles.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Warp were releasing some superb stuff at this time. Tuff Little Unit's Join The Future is still one of my favourite ever singles.
ReplyDeleteOh yes Michael, Join the Future is a stunner.
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