Synkro – Look at Yourself [Mindset Records]
Bubbling downtempo, pure sub bass and a well-used sample; this kicks off an after party perfectly!
![[mindset008] SYNKRO - Look At Yourself](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XWzJzkF9R6g/0.jpg)
Konrad Black – Jefferson and Braeside [Wagon Repair]
Woozy and mysterious minimal trip that carries the same vibe as ever. This one takes me back to the proper after party days.
Art Department – ‘Without You’ [Crosstown Rebels]
Stepping up the minimal with this incredible track which is absolutely timeless and atmospheric. The track ‘Natural’ from my album ‘Know The Score’ was really influenced by this style.
Ellen Allien – Your Body Is My Body (Troy Pierce Remix) [Bpitch]
Going into grittier territory but the ultra-hypnotic vibe places this one squarely in the middle of an after party set for me. I never tire of listening to this incredible track
Avatism – Thought Patterns [Souvenir]
Dissipates the heat with its lurching groove with controlled but soaring melody and bass. Keeps the dance floor moving with the tension that builds throughout.
Payback (Plastic Jam) – Dope [Labello Blanco Recordings]
One of the best things you can do at an afters is to drop something different at the right time. It gets the heads nodding and the attention of your fellow ravers. This is one of my favourite hardcore jungle tracks. It wonderfully uses a sample, minimalistic beats and sub bass. My love of hardcore jungle was explored on ‘Know The Score’ in two of the tracks ‘Weekend Horizon’ and ‘Mysterrace’.
Chab feat JT Davis – Closer to me (Album Mix) [Saw Recordings]
I love songs. I love tracks too. This on his definitely a song. The vocal and music fuse perfectly to deliver a heavenly 6 and a half minutes.
Rowlanz and Mirolja – Totally Lazy [InFuse]
A modern-day classic. Every sound has a purpose forming a delicate yet driving base for the meandering vocal.
![Rowlanz & Miroloja - Totally Lazy [INFUSE038]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aGqDo6j2HdM/0.jpg)
The Streets – Weak Become Heroes (Ashley Beedle’s Love Bug Vocal Mix) [Pure Grooves Ltd]
There comes a point in every after party when the sun is out, everyone is smiling and this track encapsulates that vibe perfectly. Skinner’s honest yet beautiful monologue about raving is elevated by the piano remix treatment.
Ce Ce Pension – Someday [WMG]
Rounding things off and staying in that blissful space with this essential piece of house music history, sampled so many times and setting precedents with every note.
Rich NxT ‘Know the Score’(FUSE London)
A producer for 20 years and with 11 EPs on FUSE London to his name, vital collective member Rich NxT presents ‘Know the Score’, his debut album.
The 10-track work takes inspiration from every major period of the artist’s life, from his days listening to pirate radio absorbing the sounds of jungle and hardcore, to his ongoing involvement in bands as a drummer going back to his teenage years inspired by his Trinidadian father, a member of the Windrush generation, who played in Calypso bands. Rich’s all-important (and eternal!) status as a diehard raver also played an essential shaping role, led by his experiences in East London’s vibrant party scene in the mid-noughties, before his pivotal time as a FUSE resident begun in 2008 at 93 Feet East. But most crucially this is the producer looking forward, extending himself in the studio and developing his sound into new and exciting forms.
Rich begun writing the album in the second half of 2019, on his return from the huge FUSE London DC10 showcase that August. Drawing on a patchwork of influences, and his reputation as a musical chameleon, the range of sounds that inspired ‘Know the Score’ is broad and includes The Prodigy, Portishead, Pearl Jam, Sneaker Pimps, Unkle, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Stephane K & John Creamer, Medicine 8, Konrad Black, Tiga and Steve Bug, among others. The final work explores the full breadth of the house genre, traversing breakbeats, low-fi sound explorations, uplifting vocal cuts and plenty of his own trademark wonky acid excursions.
The long-player also sees him further develop his collaborative work with vocalists, notably Shyam P who previously featured on Circus Recordings and Strictly Rhythm. He lends his voice and lyricism to ‘Natural’ and ‘Other Side’. The former had its big stage debut at Paradise’s event at the Warehouse Project, while ‘Other Side’ became an after-hours anthem at Hoppetosse and BRET, all during 2019.
Elsewhere Rich’s musicianship is on show in the dreamy album opener ‘X-Point’, imbuing the cut with a trio of guitar riffs, skillfully layered over atmosphere-brewing beats. Likewise, ‘Rigged’ utilises acoustic and slide guitars that rub shoulders with an organ and a wicked chunky groove. No surprise this did damage at the new Mint Warehouse opening back in March. ‘Aunty Vi’ is a nod to those heady party days when Fortress Studios and Turnmills were the place to be, before T-Bar and Public Life became the hotspots. It features a vocal recorded back in the day from beloved MC and friend Alfie Lee, along with a brief and unashamedly epic breakdown.
‘Weekend Horizon’ is another notable highlight, a euphoric piano break bringing light to an intricate underbelly of drum breaks and effects, his own take on early jungle and hardcore. The track is a respectful nod to his treasured nights listening to pirate radio Weekend Rush FM when the crew of innovators such a Funky Flirt, Redant and Remarc dropped endless beats and rhymes on a Sunday night before school. ‘Huggable Enigma’ is a delicious bassline-driven bomb that rolls for days and was first laid down at the FUSE London 11th birthday at Studio 338. ‘Mcfly’ closes out the work, a ten-minute beast of a track with distorted bass, sitars and taiko drums that deftly manages to maintain energy and momentum throughout. A triumph!
