The records that inspired Dream Continuum

Few records released this year have given as much pleasure as Dream Continuum’s Reworkz EP.

A collaboration between Travis ‘Machinedrum‘ Stewart and Jim ‘Om Unit‘ Coles, Dream Continuum explores the “sweet spot” between jungle and footwork – fertile territory that each producer’s recent solo activities (Machinedrum’s FACT mix and Ecstasy Boom EP; Coles’ Philip D. Kick material) have been pushing them inexorably towards.

To gain a deeper understanding of the magic of Reworkz – which is out now on Planet Mu, and reviewed here – and of the Dream Continuum project at large, we asked Machinedrum and Om Unit to talk us through some of the records that informed their approach. Roni Size (pictured) and Traxman are among the artists featured.

DJ ROC
‘I CAN’T LET GO’
(2010)

Machinedrum: “When I first started digging in to the footwork scene I was overwhelmed by the amount of abrasive and thugged out styles. When I found this tune, I realized that there was a softer side to footwork, relatively. The thing that’s so cool about this one is that it can be soothing while being frantic and heavy which is what I strive for when I make tunes.”

BODYSNATCH
‘EUPHONY’ (JUST FOR U LONDON REMIX)
(1997)

Om Unit: “I first heard it on a documentary about jungle on the TV when I was 14 – the sweetness in the way everything is layered just speaks to me…”

TRAXMAN
‘THE COMEBACK’
(2011)

Machinedrum: “Traxman really knows his samples. He’s on point when it comes to chopping up records and accapellas and flipping them into a footwork context. I would say his boldness in sampling was influential for me – he was breaking the mould.”

JLIN
‘EROTIC HEAT’
(2011)

Om Unit: “Does what it says on the tin, you might think the beat’s a bit weird but I think the rhythm of this track speaks to your nether-regions! Trust me, I’ve played it out quite a bit.”

SECRET SQUIRREL
‘JUNGLE SQUIRREL’
(1992)

Machinedrum: “I first heard this tune through a mix by Panacea from 2002 called ‘Big Bad Head’. I decided to do my flip of it beginning of 2011 or so and it started the whole “Ecstasy Boom” idea (i.e. jungle/juke refixes).

ADDISON GROOVE
‘FOOTCRAB’ (DJ RASHAD & DJ SPINN REMIX)
(2011)

Om Unit: “An incredibly important musical moment, Rashaad and Spinn re-imagining a track inspired by their own music, across the pond. Not only that but it’s actually one of their best efforts in my opinion.”

RONI SIZE / REPRAZENT
‘NEW FORMS‘
(1997)

Machinedrum: “I revisited New Forms around the same time and remembered how back in high school I wanted to remix this track so bad, but didn’t have the balls (Roni Size was a god to me then). There’s so much space between when the drums come in and out that it’s hard not to try it…so I went ahead and gave it a go!”

RONI SIZE
‘TIMESTRETCH’
(1994)

Om Unit: “This just has that raw looseness, the breaks are all fairly obscure. It’s pure rhythm. Gorgeous!”