14: 4HERO
‘HOLD IT DOWN’ (BUGZ IN THE ATTIC REMIX)
(TALKIN’ LOUD 12″, 2002)

This gem was where it all kicked off for Bugz In The Attic – a collaborative production outfit comprising Orin ‘Afronaught’ Walters, Paul ‘Seiji’ Dolby, Kaidi Tatham, Daz-I-Kue, Alex Phountzi, Cliff Scott, Mark Force, Matt Lord & Mikey Stirton. That’s a lot of folks crowded round one computer and one MIDI keyboard, and for those interested, no they did not all work on every track credited to that name. The ‘Hold It Down’ remix is the anthem that made them, however – as good as the 4hero original is, the remix takes the mood up a gear. It’s accessible enough to be pop, and has boogie at the very core of the beat, but the genius touch comes half way through, when the chords change and the lush vocals of Lady Alma overwhelm the mix. This 12” was very sought after at the time, due to multiple pressing delays, and even though it might be too rich and saccharine for today’s dancers, it’s a testament to a production team that were on fire in the studio, and such have been the recognized successors to Loose Ends and Soul II Soul in the UK soul canon.

Tony Nwachukwu is another fringe character in the UK soul scene who was co-opted into the Co-Op movement, now better known as the founder of CDR/Burntprogress. Though perhaps not as core a member as the West London lads, Tony’s relationship with the scene dated back to his co-production of Attica Blues with Charlie Dark, and together they ran the successful Blueprint Sessions clubnight at Plastic People around the same time as Co-Op first opened its doors. ‘The Way’ is one of those one-offs that slotted in perfectly to the mood of 2001. Tony always favoured a more techno-orientated approach to production, and this record stutters along with a heavy mesh of analog bass and drum machines ticking away, whilst a chopped up sample of Brainstorm tells us  “I can show u the way”. It’s the sophisticated engineering that makes this track, with the best bit being the jokey sample of a certain classic mobile ringtone in the breakdown.

The better broken tunes tend to fall into one of two groups – either they are richly layered, colourful, soulful, and steeped in the lush over-production language of boogie funk, or alternatively, just stripped down dubs which propel the dance through rippling sine wave bass and thudding kicks and snares. Cockroach falls firmly into the latter group, and of all the bass-heavy dubs, is probably the best. Produced by Dego, the name ‘This Ain’t Tom N’ Jerry’ pokes fun at the hardcore records he and Mark produced under that alias in the early 90s. Despite the in-joke, both sides of this sound like they were made with left over samples from that era, a rumour which is unsubstantiated with the author. There’s nothing to dislike here, just two sides of the baddest, most ear splitting stripped down bass and drum you can hear this side of King Tubby played at the wrong speed. The Jammy’s vocal sample says it best – “this one a badbwoy choon!”.

Daz I Kue is the drum scientist behind many of the Bugz In The Attic tunes – Dalunartiks was a an early project with Alex Arnout which retained a raw hip hop feel, but at dancefloor tempo. ‘Higher’ has a B-boy quality, with Apache congas and horn stabs, whilst the drum groove is old-school but futuristic. The lush drop that follows the build is where it gets going – smooth Detroit pads meet gospel vocals to take it, literally, Higher. Essential because it blends a dusty crate quality with garage-style vocal chops and beats, and yet Daz’s signature afro funk is still all over it.

The most recent record in this selection, and one of the last of the golden era of Goyamusic. Schtum was Mark Force’s label. Here he collaborates with Bembe Segue, one of the first ladies of Co-Op, who vocalled a vast number of the genre’s records. Bembe’s style is part Ursula Dudziak, part Tina Turner, ‘Afrospace’ a swansong to the Co-Op feeling. Her words “Something was missing from deep within, I’ll survive”, empower a groove that is reflective and fractured. The remix by BITA whizkid and technical specialist Matt Thylord finds a space between boogie and garage and hits harder. A latter day classic.

Produced by IG Culture and featuring Eska Mtungwazi, one of the finest jazz singers to emerge from the broken beat scene [today she works mainly with Matthew Herbert]. Eska and IG collaborated frequently on his New Sector Movements project and solidified a rapport on record that was breathtaking at times. The Co-Op mix of ‘Let Groove Come’ is definitely one of their most accomplished, and feels like suspended animation on the dancefloor. It hits with a jerky drum pattern, rugged in the extreme, but Eska clears the air around it with her pitch perfect harmonies, like a breeze blowing through the speakers. The rougher Co-Op dubs of many of the tracks listed here were often never released, and only ever heard at the club, which could be frustrating when trying to track them down. Fortunately, this one made it to vinyl.

And finally, the creative peak of Dego and Kaidi, the Gamble and Huff of broken beat. This one a certifiable anthem, played constantly and yet still not played out. From the moment the rich Juno pads open the track, it’s a showstopper, a slickly engineered recording, a virtuoso performance from Kaidi Tatham, and Dego at the top of his production game. Clearly this took a while to craft, as hinted at by the inscription “Big shout to Seiji & Mashi, it’s 5Dom l A.” This is built for the Plastic People sound system. The chorus has a gospel feel, the backing track is pensive and yet optimistic, electronic but still warm. The rhythm shuffles into infinity. This is the genre’s musical message personified.

Mr Beatnick

This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 4:32 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.