“When we finished our
album we started to
realise that there isn’t
really a great deal of
difference between
writing a drum & bass
tune we were happy with
and writing a house tune
we were happy with.”
“Goldie said to us ‘go off and do your own thing Out later this year, Goldie’s magnetic presence
and when you think you have an album come back again played a dominant part, pulling favours,
to me',” remembers Guy on the creative carte sourcing numbers and securing a Mathew Jonson
blanche. remix of ‘Satellite Type’, Burial’s ghostly ambient timeless
“The only real advice that he gave us was ‘be more reshape of ‘Be True’ and a raft of other high-profile COMMIX’S CLASSIC D&B INSPIRATIONS
like yourself, add more of you to it’ which really remixers — sure to raise eyebrows outside the
freed us up,” adds George. “He’s totally of the genre. W ax Doctor ‘Offshore Drift’ (R&S Records, 1996)
opinion that the more experimental and artistic it But as well as shining a fresh focus on their “There was a really raw, almost hip-hop mentality to
is, the more music is going to change the direction beloved style, the project will also uncover the Wax Doctor’s production. What Calibre is doing now with
of things and stand the test of time.” ongoing osmosis of d&b influences within the one simple break and really well chosen, perfectly
darker strains of techno, house and dubstep. formed sounds, is very much an extension of Wax
When the duo eventually dropped the results in “Claude von Stroke happily talks of the influence Doctor’s work. So simple — just like how Premier puts
2007’s 'Call To Mind' LP, Goldie’s enigmatic beliefs that d&b had in writing ‘Who’s Afraid Of Detroit?’ together his hip-hop — but so effective.”
were entirely vindicated. Not only did the pair and despite his mystique Burial made no secret of
eclipse the efforts of their Cambridge comrades on his love for '90s jungle,” extends George. “Johnny D illinja ‘Unexplored Terrain’ (V Records, 1997)
stunningly soulful moments like the bittersweet D and M-nus artist Konrad Black emerged from “I think that was the first time that a Dillinja record
longing of ‘Be True’ and the 4 Hero styled d&b too, Black even had releases on Formation.” really moved us. Stuff like ‘The Angels Fell’ never really
space-jazz of ‘Emily’s Smile’ but they also cast And, ever the anit-purists, Commix too are equally did it for us but ‘Unexplored Terrain’ took those ideas
entirely new moulds, refitting d&b tempo immersed in the sonorous soundscapes and and executed them in a much more subtle, thought-out
templates through tracks like the crunchy bleep minimalist 4/4 textures of Ben Watt, Martin way.”
n’bass computer-tek of ‘Belle View’ and the Buttrich and Nick Curly, spending hours honing
futuristic Eastern charms of the rolling ‘Japanese their own deeper house and techno mutations. J onny L ‘I Let U’ (XL Recordings, 1997)
Electronics’. “This is our ultimate soulful d&b record and so forward
Indeed, press the pair on their current non-d&b thinking for its time. The way the beats are
redraw the boundaries
passions and George buzzes excitably about the programmed, the way its engineered, the way it just
For the Commix boys, ‘Call To Mind’ was a signal of nu-disco movement whilst Guy is quick to reference chugs along endlessly and easily — it’s just so
their refusal to be bound by parameters — their "Flying Lotus", Ghostface Killah and all that J Dilla beautifully emotive’.”
desire to redraw the boundaries. Far from being a influenced glitchy hip-hop sound.”
futurist d&b vision alone, it also turned their hand Both admit they could as easily compose an B oymerang ‘Soul Beat Runna’ (Regal Recordings, 1997)
to shimmered sci-fi hip-hop instrumentals and the electronic disco or spaced out hip-hop LP as a d&b “Boymerang kind of drifted out just as quickly as he
sort of jazzy spectral techno (‘Spectacle’) that one, with their next effort likely to cross-pollinate appeared but he wrote some of the most thought-out,
you’d expect in a Laurent Garnier set. all their many musical influences further. cleverly engineered drum & bass of his time. The break
“When we finished it we started to realise that But will they ever lose love for the drum from this became almost as seminal in d&b circles as the
there isn’t really a great deal of difference between altogether? Unlikely. With a forthcoming Amen — the Boymerang break.”
writing a d&b tune we were happy with and writing Metalheadz 12” teaming up the soul-drenched
a house tune we were happy with,” explains Guy. neuro-funk of their bruising Goldie hook-up S kunk Anansie ‘Secretly (Optical Remix)’ (Virgin, 1999)
“We’re always trying to express the same depth in ‘Envious’ with the moody tech roller ‘Justified’, the “This was at a time when Optical was rising to d&b
terms of arrangement and emotions. It’s just a imminent signs are negative. superstardom with Ed Rush but his solo stuff had a lot
different means to an end.” “As far as I’m concerned, once a junglist, always a more space to it. On this, there’s more emphasis on
And there is further cross-pollination afoot too. junglist,” rounds George, with a steely belt. “Once arrangement, the sounds are more abstract and it’s just
After Claude von Stroke remixed ‘Belle View’, the you have spent your whole youth consumed by the less formulaic and dancefloor driven than the Virus
pair hatched the ‘Recalled To Mind’ remix LP to intricacies of real drum & bass, going to events sound. A real driving Detroit-influenced track.
recall the days when icons like Armand Van Helden week in week out and obsessing over vinyl, you will Sonically beautiful.”
and MAW would remix Goldie and Reprazent. never lose love for this sound.”
038
www.djmag.com
DJ470.commix.indd 38 19/1/09 22:49:37
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