Unauthorised item in the bagging area

Friday 24 April 2020

Tactical Support


Two remixes by artists of each other's work from the tail end of the 20th century for today. Two Lone Swordsmen remixed Kenny Hawkes, the Brighton based DJ and producer who kickstarted Girls FM, an important London pirate radio station, and who played at several London club nights including Space at Bar Rhumba. Sadly, Kenny died in 2011 following an illness.

Ashley's War opens with some amusing vocal samples at the start the TLS remix of Ashley's War settles into a laid back, languid groove with no particular end in sight, just some downtempo head nodding from late 1999.

Ashley's War (Two Lone Swordsmen Mix)

In return Kenny remixed a track from Two Lone Swordsmen's Stay Down album, their 1998 experimental, dub techno excursion into underwater minimalism. Kenny's remix appeared on a 12" single Two Lone Swordsmen Receive Tactical Support which coupled Kenny's remix with the C-Pij remix of Big Clapper (C-Pij being a Nina Walsh pseudonym) and Silicon Scally's remix of Black Commandments. Just another obscure and high quality release hidden away in the Andrew Weatherall back catalogue. Kenny's remix of Hope We Never Surface is propelled by a clattering drum beat and some dark synths along with the crackle and hiss of late 90s Two Lone Swordsmen.

Hope We Never Surface (Kenny Hawkes Remix)

3 comments:

The Swede said...

Ashley's War is pretty damn good.

drew said...

I wasn't aware that Kenny Hawkes had died. The Booby Trap by him and David Parr is an outstanding track. These are very good too

Swiss Adam said...

I wasn't either Drew. Bit of a shock.

Interestingly the voices at the start of the TLS remix don't appear to be on the proper Warp release. Someone has added them to the mp3 I originally downloaded (which was approx 10 years ago so no idea who or where it came from)