Another Musical Journey...

This one started in 1998.

My bro was going out with who is now his wife and travelling down to london pretty much every weekend. He'd take tapes with him and record the sunday night dream team session, and london underground.

He came back with the tapes, id rob the tapes to listen to on my walkman at school, try to tell everyone that garage was the bomb and thats what it was (only to be told i was wrong by all the eastern district skiprats). However, there was one tape that simon always kept hold of - and one day i heard it in his car and figured out why. Hed accidentally caught the beginning of a patrick forge show and discovered something id never heard before.

It was my introduction to broken beat, tho i didnt call it that then - i called it future jazz (the name changes around, the vibe remains). There were a few tracks on there, but this was the standout. This blew my mind, and i could not find it anywhere - for love nor money.

Chris Energy 'Untitled' (takes a while to load up, but worth waiting for)



(click here to download if the player isnt working)

Turns out, chris energy is a guy who once was on reinforced records, did some jungle stuff, and got into the short-lived 'jazz-step' thing... this was the logical progression. I did actually eventually track down a copy in 2003, a 10" single side, limited press vinyl. Top stuff.

This stuff led to us eventually picking up on gilles show on radio 1.. and some years later (2003), i heard this on the worldwide show. Really nice track by a husband+wife outfit called dnell (who are well worth a listen).

Dnell 'Time To Say' (Break Reform Rmx) (takes a while to load up, but worth waiting for)



(click here to download if the player isnt working)

Heard that sample again. I loved it. Tried to figure out the sample at the time but my digging skills were poor, and I failed.

However, last year, common (yes, common again!) released 'Finding Forever' (which im going to have to review at some point and explain why i like this album more than BE), and on it was this nugget produced by will.i.am. You have to wait until 3:20.

Common 'I Want You'



The break! Couldnt believe it.

Heres where owning the cd was excellent, cause my digging techniques didnt have to even get started. I grabbed the case, opened the booklet - and true enough, there was the sample!

.... and here it is.

Bob James 'I Feel Like Making Love'

A Musical Leafy Lane....

This all started with a friend of mine lining my hand with a repress of a Tom & Jerry 12" from the 90s called 'maximum style'.



ILL, right?

Anyway, later on (a few years) this led directly to me buying a jungle compilation cd (unmixed) simply because it had a tom & jerry track on it called 'air freshner'. Im a huge dnb fan, and an even bigger 4hero fan, so to say i was 'pleased' was a major understatement.

I loved the sample, the break, the whole thing just blew my mind, i remember hearing this as a lad, but it had completely gone from my memory.

Anyway, here it is.



Awesome, im sure you agree. Fast forward a few years, and im sat on youtube searching for music (its quite a nice way of finding new tunes), and i stumbled across this track by Common called Penny For Your Thoughts, from his first album 'can i borrow a dollar?' (click here if you want to hear it, but i couldnt find the edited version on youtube)

Being a huge common fan, it blew my mind.... and it reminded me just how much i needed to find the original break. Took a mental note, and carried on surfing, put in some names of some artists i felt i didnt know much about, next thing i knew, purely by chance... Im listening to it. Id found the original break.

In talking to a guy close to 4hero, both sampled tracks were around at a similar time and it was just a coincidence! Anyway, here it is, Eddie Kendricks - Intimate Friends. I truly love this track!