Hardcore Breakbeat Classics Reviews

Commonly known as "old skool hardcore", British underground breakbeat music in the early '90s was undoubtedly one of the greatest musical periods of our time in my opinion, and believe me, I'm not alone. Taking influences from all over the place, including the recent house and techno scenes, coupled with sped-up hip hop breakbeats, and a dash of originality, the tracks throughout the rave scene of this era instantly become something rather special, and have always represented electronic music's truly golden years for me, as both the music which I grew up listening to, as well as a downright wicked style of music in its own right. A lot of very early hardcore influences appeared in what were basically still old skool house and techno records, and these were played alongside early hardcore tunes in the same sets without question. Tracks such as Energy Flash, Dominator, and Playing With Knives spring to mind, and you can find such pieces in the relevant sections, with the ones featured below being strictly of the full-on hardcore breakbeat variety.

Note: Tracks are placed in order of artist, listed alphabetically.

Darkcore

Mr Kirk's Nightmare Essential Listening! - 4 Hero - (Reinforced 1991)
For proof as to how far out the 4 Hero guys can get at times, just have a listen to this old classic bass-driven darkcore monster of a tune, without the slightest doubt an all-time anthem that you've heard before I'm sure. Kicking things off is a bloke being told that his son's just died of an overdose (taken from Once You Understand by Think), accompanied by a bunch of zany bleepy Star Trek noises. You know the one!

Frequency - Altern 8 - (Network 1992)
One of Altern 8's darker works, but also one of their best in my book. Frequency may be stupidly simple, with nothing more than a single loop, some beats, and a host of vocal samples to its name, but these key components all gel together fantastically, and its simplicity is ultimately what makes it such a downright roller at the end of the day. A riot of a tune.

Outer Limits - Andy C - (Ram 1992)
This track in particular stands out above all else on Andy's classic old debut Sour Mash E.P. for me, with its mad dark breakdowns and manic Apache hip hop breaks going off all over the place. Incredibly varied, nice and furious, and always one that goes down a storm.

Something New Pt. 1 - Andy C - (Ram 1993)
Came out a little bit further down the line, this one, released during the '93 more-junglised 'ardcore scene. A cool, varied tune, with lovely production going on, and a nice bit of naughty sampling during the intro from The Invisible Man's brilliant The End. For mad underground old skool dark stuff, you just can't beat the Andy C.

Merder Style New! - Bizzy B & Peshay - (Brain 1993)
Bizzy B madness out on Brain in his prime '93 years, and although not quite as slamming as his wondrous Slow Jam (check the drum 'n' bass section), he and Peshay crank out some spectacular workings here never the less. Darth Vader-tastic!

Weird Energy (Hells Bells mix) Essential Listening! - DJ Hype - (Suburban Base 1993)
A favourite of mine from the Suburban Base back catalogue without question, it's those mad little bells going off during the intro that do it for this one matey. Weird Energy is a deep and spooky trip down the dark side, featuring wicked early drum 'n' bass influences, and plenty of mad sped-up hip hop breaks keeping the whole thing rolling constantly. The title seems to sum it up really rather well!

Storm Trooper - DJ Mayhem - (Basement 1993)
Early and somewhat experimental for its time slammer from the Basement collective, mixing up half-speed electronic stabs, pitched hip hop samples, big hoover bits, and big loud "Like this!" shout outs. A creative, zany style that Mayhem would go on to perfect with Fierce, found below.

Fierce - DJ Mayhem - (Basement 1993)
I prefer this to Storm Trooper, even if it wasn't the bigger of the two tunes and didn't boast a nice little Star Wars title. Using a classic break that Howlett would later make more famous in The Prodigy's Firestarter, Mayhem delves into an evil, twisted, and incredibly frantic side of hard '93 darkcore here, producing a tune that's incredibly catchy and varied, while still very deep and involving.

Ruffer !!!  - DJ Red Alert & Mike Slammer - (Slammin' Vinyl 1993)
True, F*ckin' Hardcore may well be the best of their tunes, but the Slammin' Vinyl duo have plenty more to be proud of throughout their old releases too. This one is often overlooked, but has to be one of my personal favourites, utilising a darker feel to it than the other DJ Red Alert & Mike Slammer offerings. It's actually a remix of the track Ruff!!! from the Original Bad Boy E.P., which the lads recorded under the production name D-Force. 

The Horn Track Essential Listening! - Egyptian Empire - (Fokus 1991)
This is one of the earliest and best examples of that early jungle sound for me; a whopping great dark corker that could have come straight out of '93. The cosmic horns echo all over the intro to great effect, but it's that electrified swirling breakdown that sets my feet on fire, something the later '94 Back2Basics cover failed to duplicate. This is a leftfield hardcore track of enormous proportions, with fantastic techno inspired experimentalism that still hasn't fully been grasped to this day if you ask me. Even Liam "I hate hardcore now" Howlett took a massive chunk out of it in his mighty fine Climbatize. 

1000 Phons - Fast Floor - (Smooth 1993)
Gonna drop both tunes from this 12" for you here, as they're two classic dark mad men records if ever I heard them. This one, the more subdued of the duo, works well due to its layering of the main hook with the strings during the middle I reckon. Fast Floor, one of the many, many aliases of Jack Smooth, who is somewhat multi-talented if his amazing tunes and official web site is anything to go by, released a series of similar bits on Basement and it's sub-label Smooth Recordings throughout '92 to '94. Every single one deserves to be owned.

Phlight of the Innovators - Fast Floor - (Smooth 1993)
Another prime example of something that Ratty might drop back in the pre-jungle dark phase, without a doubt one of my favourite DJs ever. It's hard, fast, endlessly varied, and as you would expect, really quite scary. A classic debut for Smooth - man I love the fucked up effects on that hook.

Lords of the Null-lines Essential Listening! - Hyper-On Experience - (Moving Shadow 1993)
Oh yes, what a true blinder! In typical Hyper-On Experience fashion, this early dark jungle/hardcore weird-out seems to be in a world of its own for the most part, but I mean this in a good way. Indeed, its unique blend of high energy rolling hardcore will have you unsure whether to give it large on the dance floor or stand there with a puzzled expression on your face. But man, what a classic though! Not to mention those additional Foul Play remixes that followed in its heels, which too were great. However this original mix from the Deaf in the Family E.P. is always gonna be the true work of art for me. Sample-wise, that "Fuckin' voodoo magic, man" bit is a line straight out of Predator 2, a terribly dodgy film sadly, while the "Sure feels good to me" snippet was taken from Keep On Pumping it Up by the Freestyle Orchestra, and "There's a void when there should be ecstasy" is a Kym Mazelle sample from her old track Useless. This tune has always been severely underplayed in my experience - fuck that! 

Hardcore U Know the Score - The Hypnotist - (Rising High 1991)
Almost a techno track now that I look back on it, but dodgy man Caspar Pound's old Rising High classic will always be remembered as a hardcore anthem thanks to that good old vocal sample, which I'm sure is firmly etched into all of our brains by now. And of course, with those hard, spooky, mean, fuck-off stabs blasting out of the speakers, you just can't help but get the rush of your life! 

We Are Unity (Instrumental mix) - Jack 'n' Phil - (Basement 1993)
At first this one comes off as something very heavenly and pleasing, but as the tune goes on it drops into a darker, more textbook sounding Basement piece. The later vocal mix seemed to be reasonably unpopular, but everyone loves this one don't they. Stick on any Slipmatt tape from '93 or '94 and I guarantee you'll hear it at some point on there. 

On a Roll Essential Listening! - Kev Bird & The Wax Doctor - (Basement 1993)
Basement will always be the original jungle techno record label, giving us the likes of Living in Darkness, This is a Trip, A New Direction, and countless other brilliant pieces over the years, including this one here, which has got to be another of my faves. Dark, techno-fused hardcore stabs and impressively hard beats are prominent throughout the majority of the record, paving the way for a well eerie string arrangement drop in there towards the second half. Surprisingly it wasn't anywhere near as big as the remix of Dark Matter on the flip side though. 

T.B.N. (Jack Smooth's '93 remake) - Kev Bird & The Wax Doctor - (Basement 1993)
Very similar kind of thing to the previous tune here, unsurprising though as it was the very next release in the Basement line-up. Slightly more intelligent this time round though, and a bit less dark, with a lovely plinky plonk bassline in effect, and superb track arrangement from beginning to end. The original '92 version was nice too, and quite ahead of its time, but Mr Well's makeover here is the superior tune. 

Liquid is Liquid - Liquid - (XL 1992)
Another massive tune for Liquid from back in the early years, the mesmerising piano lines and smooth strings featured in this one manage to make it stand out above all else simply 'cos they're so fuckin' dark! The track is actually rather scary really. 5 or 6 years down the line a nasty speed garage version by 187 Lockdown hit it big in the clubs and charts, doing nothing for me except reminding me what a classic the original Liquid tune was.

Edge of Madness (Sublove remix) - Luna C Project - (Knite Force 1993)
Another supreme piece of dark craziness from back in the early jungle days now, and a rather original piece to boot. Got some well nice strings going off in this one, with cool bubbly acid sounds and a big silly breakdown and funny "There's an invisible intruder..." vocals. Good stuff!

Terminator Essential Listening! - Metal Heads - (Synthetic Hardcore Phonography 1992)
There's no denying it, Goldie's Terminator was totally pioneering. Some even say it was the very first jungle record, although personally I'd leave that accolade to Demon's Theme or We Are I.E. from a few years earlier. Whichever way you look at it though, this tune changed things considerably within the rave scene at the time, waving bye-bye to chart-topping cheddar like Charly and Sesame's Treet, and welcoming the moody, time-to-shit-your-pants-with-fear, darkest side of hardcore yet seen. All wrapped up in a couple of classic samples from the movie of the same name, and some of the very first time-stretching effects ever heard in a dance track, this one was simply the bollocks, a feat that sadly the follow-up Terminator 2 couldn't begin to match. In all honesty, it was abnormally bad (my dick could write a better track). 

Here Comes the Drumz Essential Listening! - Nasty Habits - (Reinforced 1992)
And here's another pioneering bad boy if ever there was one. Doc Scott's early pieces were all about the dark side, and this Amen break piece pretty much paved the way for the entire '93 dark side scene in many ways, using that chaotic blend of hardcore 4-beats and hoover action, with frantic drum 'n' bass breakbeats and terribly scary strings going off left, right and centre.

Never Lost His Hardcore - NRG - (Chill 1992)
The second big one to fall under the roof of NRG, but fuck loads darker than anything found in I Need Your Lovin', it has to be said. "He never lost his hardcore" chants the tune over classic synth routines, four-to-the-floor mayhem, and lovely heavily compressed drum breaks, in what is essentially a techno record when all's said and done.

Music in Search of the Light (SS & EQ remix) - Rhythm For Reasons - (Formation 1993)
Another tune that is really summed up by its superb title. Mind you, I don't remember what the original version sounds like, but still I can't help but be impressed by this superb bit of '93 Formation action from the SS camp. The beautiful, yet strangely eerie piano melodies and string layouts evident here provide a calm, dark soundtrack tone, while at the same time hinting towards a lighter, more uplifting vibe, further emphasised by the pleasing vocals. Cracking stuff, as I'm sure you'll agree, that further proves what a mindblowing and highly varied musical era the 1993 hardcore scene provided. 

Dream Finder Essential Listening! - Sound Corp - (Tone Def 1992)
A pitched down Charly style hoover intro kicks this old dark anthem off, followed shortly by wicked stab arrangements and incredibly varied dark elements, all running alongside top sampled breaks that appear to be nicked from Moby's brilliant Go. Die-hard Prodigy fans may have come across this track on various fan pages over the years and seen it credited to the band as a rare unreleased track entitled Unbelievable. Which sums it up perfectly really, as the tune has nothing at all to do with Liam and friends, and can be put down as one of the many internet myths!

Toll - Sound Corp - (Tone Def 1993)
Dark as you like mate! A downright classic in the scary old skool hardcore genre, coming at you from the same artist as the previously mentioned Dream Finder, ending up being another brilliantly executed and rather evil little number. Definitely one to listen to very loud to ensure maximum buzz!

Stakker Humanoid '92 - Stakker - (Jumpin' & Pumpin' 1992)
One of the old dark side classics from a year earlier, co-produced by Brian Dougans of The Future Sound of London fame believe it or not. The original incarnation of this one was an acid house tune, and a bit good it were too. The classic vocal sample is from an old arcade game called Bezerk from 1981.

Final Conflict - Tango & Ratty - (Kickin 1993)
Ratty was always big with his darkcore, as I'm sure you know, in both tunes and DJ sets, and that's more than reflected here with this underground classic. Deserves a lot more recognition than it got if you ask me.

Living in Darkness Essential Listening! - Top Buzz - (Basement 1992)
More solid 4-beat action from one of my favourite old labels. Here Mikey B and Magoo give us a perfect example of how to implement the minimal dark styles of the early darkcore scene to perfection, striding along with expert percussive use, funky tom drums, humming basslines, and the immortal cascading dark tones that made the tune so famous. In pure Basement tradition we also get a string ensemble breakdown in the second half, setting the standard and layout for every single Basement track that would follow over the next 2 years. They all sounded incredibly similar, but each were amazing in their own right. 

A New Direction Essential Listening! - Wax Doctor - (Basement 1992)
Basement come up trumps yet again with one of many winners from the doctor of wax himself, back in his pre-intelligent jungle hardcore phase when he was all about the dark side. A defining point of underground breakbeat jungle tekno, and a tune which I know you're all just dieing to own.