Tag: 1993

Issue 38 – Ravescene

Ravescene Magazeen #38 (May ’93) spotlights AUTOMATION’s Yellow EP, their approach to music for dancing, UK rave listings for June–July, and the Billy Bunters Labrynth 10 chart.

Ravescene Magazeen 38

Published
4th May 1993 (approx)

Pages
8 (A5 B&W)

Strapline
CUTS A FINE LINE

FEATURED ARTICLE – THE COLOUR OF AUTOMATION

When Liam Howlett cited Automation in The Ravescene Year Book as a band that he had a lot of respect for. Their notoriety was assured. ‘Yeah, that came as a real surprise, we only found out a couple of days ago, it gave us a real kick’.

Lee Roseman along with his MC brother Tony and Lee Fitzsimmons are the trio that make up the collective called AUTOMATION and have to date released seven tunes on their co-owned label TRIPLE HELIX. The Pink EP is probably the most noted to date. Five have been named after colours including red, blue and green, ‘we just came up with the idea of colours and stuck to it, says Tony. ‘Someone sent us a letter advising us to call the next one “The Polka Dot” EP . The options are limitless.’

However for their next release in mid-June they settled on Yellow. ‘We toyed with the name “THE UNITED COLOURS OF AUTOMATION” as a title for our forthcoming LP which hasn’t been recorded yet’. THE YELLOW EP offers three trax, “OFF YER FACE” a blatant summer outdoor rave stomper, however gimmicky, “NOISE BLEED” where thrash metal meets techno and “RUFFKUT” breakbeating new ground with hardcore foundations.

So far their career development has been slow but sure, casually balancing on the high wire of respectability and fame even down to acquiring the most marketable logo since our own Techno
smilees.

Most memorable is the permanent backdrop at Knowledge but ‘we plastered stickers all over London, even in Harrods’ boasts Lee.

To the more cynical ear the music, on vinyl, could be viewed as minimalist, even naive, but what clearly caught Liam’s attention is an energy that can easily be transposed onto the live’ stage. Something all too rare in the ravescene and if there’s a strand that runs through all of their work to date, it must be said, they are primarily A BAND. They possess that unquantifiable thing that sparks enthusiasm and interest but when asked to define their music Tony states ‘we do what we do’ so even they couldn’t tell you . ‘We still tune into the pirates when we can’, not so easy being based in an Ashford 17th century farmhouse amidst the tekno-ology of their in-house studio. ‘We prefer not to be influenced. We make music for people to dance to and never forget’ is their doctrine. Perhaps therein lies the secret.

ADVERTS

  • Elevation The Payback. June 19th Roller X-Press
  • Promise, The Best of Both Worlds – Warehouse Meets Garage @ The Wag Club, Wardour St, London W1
  • Ravelation – Saturday 3rd July @ The Dome, Southall Lane, Hounslow, Middlesex
  • Club Labrynth @ 12 Dalston Lane, London E8
  • De Underground Records, 18 Sebert Road, London E7
  • Lucky Spin Records, 121 Kings Road, Chelsea, London SW3
  • Knite Force
  • Mega Dog presents Midi Circus, Saturday 19th June @ Brixton Academy
  • Wax City Records, 306-308 London Road, Croydon
Lucky Spin Records
Knite Force
Knite Force

RAVE LISTINGS

  • Labrynth Warehouse Saturday 24th July. Bagleys Film Studios, York Way, London N1
  • Elevation Saturday 19th June. Roller Express, Lea Valley Trading Estate, London N8
  • Reincarnation Saturday 10th July. Kings Hall, Herne Bay, Kent
  • Astrology (Global Explosion) Staurday 12th June. Roller Express, Lea Valley Trading Estate, London N8
  • Club Essence Friday 11th June. The Garden, 352 Chartwell Sq, Southend
  • Euphoria Friday 25th June. The Warehouse, Union Street, Plymouth
  • Dance Europe Weekender September 24th – 26th. Euro Disney, Paris
  • Rise And Shine Saturday 26th June. Oscars, Clacton Pier, Clacton
  • Double Dipped / Every Picture Tells A Story Saturday 12th & 19th June. 2 Dalston Lane, London E8
  • Prophecy Saturday 10th July. Roller Express, Lea Valley Trading Estate, London N8
  • Delirious Friday 18th June. Rhythm Station, 35 Station Road, Aldershot
  • Jellydream Thursday 10th June. Turnmills, 63b Clerkenwell Road, London EC1
  • Slimes Every Friday from 4th June. The Soundshaft, Hungerford Lane, London WC1
  • Penetration Saturday 10th July. Gatwick Airport
  • Jungle Book Friday 25th June. The Rocket, Holloway Road, London N7
  • Promise Every Friday from 4th June. The Wag, Wardour Street, London W1
  • Oz Saturday 10th July. Megacite, France
  • Dream Dance Every Saturday. Nobles Niteclub, Bournemouth
  • Ravelation Saturday 3rd July. The Dome, Southall Lane, Hounslow
  • Happy Days Poolside Party Every Sunday evening. The Kings Oak Pub, High Beach, Loughton, Essex
  • Thunder & Joy Every Sunday. Raw, 112a Great Russell St, London WC1

CHART

Billy Bunters Labrynth 10

  1. Vibes – Sing It Loud / Obsession – Asylum Music Inc
  2. Kid Andy – Stop Spinning Me Around – Boogie Beat Records
  3. Rythm Quest – Closer (Golden Delicious Remix) – Network
  4. Altern 8 – Everybody – Network
  5. Order 2 Move – Rave Till Morning – Boogie Beat Records
  6. Rush Hour feat. Mac B – Be Alright – Soundman
  7. Piano 1993 – Take Me Away – Whitelabel
  8. Solo – Axis (Deep In The Underground) – Production House
  9. Bash St Kids – I Like To Get Away – Movin Shadow
  10. Lewi Cifer – 99 Red Balloons – Whitelabel

Issue 30 – Ravescene

Ravescene Magazeen #30 (Jan ’93) spotlights Basement Records’ rise, from underground shops to top UK distribution, plus essential rave listings for January–February 1993, including All Our Yesterdays, Fusion, and Love Fever.

Ravescene Magazeen 30

Published
15th January 1993 (approx)

Pages
8 (A5 B&W)

Strapline
CAN’T BE BOUGHT

FEATURED ARTICLE – BASEMENT RECORDS

PROFILE by THE WARLOCK

It began in the basement of a Dentists practice, bass for your tooth ache they said, but now 4 years on the Record Basement shops plan to expand their operation from 2 to 5 outlets in 1993. And the proof of their success? One of the most acclaimed British labels in an otherwise stagnant and unadventurous market, Basement records plays host to such luminaries as Loftgroover, Wax doctor, Jack Smooth, Kev Bird, and Top Buzz to name just a few. Eager to know more we spoke to Basement Phil for the lowdown.

“Basement first started in April 1992, a time when the Hardcore scene had gone because the Belgian sound had died, the piano scene was dying rapidly and all you had left was the ferocious drumbeat tracks with no feeling in them anymore. The Techno element had gone completely apart from the odd sound and now you are left with only a handful of classics whereas before it would take ten pairs of hands to count them all. Nowadays, there are too many people making records, some are good but too many are just bad examples that chop up 20 of the latest records to make a track and at Basement we have one simple rule and that is not to sample unless its inventive”.

Basement recordings have the cutting edge when it comes to advanced quality sound production, an absent factor in so many tunes, but how do they forsee the sound of the ravescene for 1993?

“Hard music this year, much more Techno, I think the Belgian sound will come back, the pianos will return in a big way and the Progressive House scene — which is really what the ravescene was three years ago — will get harder so that both will join up and restore the missing unity in the music and this is why our new label ‘The House Department’ has been set up to release what we regard as Trance right in the middle of House and Rave.”

In addition to two labels and two record shops, the boys (and girls) at Basement also find time to run a national record distribution company. Phil explains, “we set up Vinyl Distribution because we weren’t getting justifiable sales on Basement’s records. Hearing our tracks 27 times at a rave of 16,000 where everyone was going nuts to them doesn’t compare with a 1,000 sales on one of these records especially when we know the buzz is good because we get thirty DJs a day phoning up asking to be part of the mailing list. It was for this reason we set up the company — as a vehicle to push the Basement label.”

Basement Records will be releasing a DJ friendly double LP of 12 tracks from some of the top DJs in the UK for not much more then the price of a 12 inch as a way to say thank you to everyone who has supported Basement over the year. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!

ADVERTS

  • Snoosh, The Valentines Monster Mash-Up – 12th Feb 1993 @ 5 Christina Street, London EC2
  • In-Ter-Dance Productions @ Sterns Nightclub, Highdown Hill, Worthing
  • Every Picture Tells A Story – Every Saturday @ 12 Dalston Lane, London E8 6DY
  • Labrynth – Every Friday @ 12 Dalston Lane, London E8 6DY
  • E-Zone – Mixtapes – Milton Keynes
  • Wax City Records, 306-308 London Road, Croydon
  • Hear Dis Records
  • Pyramid Promotions / Innersense – Every Saturday @ Lazerdrome, 267 Rye Lane, London SE15
  • De Underground Records, 18 Sebert Road, London E7

RAVE LISTINGS

All Our Yesterdays (Labrynth) Saturday January 30th. Club Labrynth, 12 Dalston Lane, Hackney, London E8.
Love Of Life Kelsey Kerridge Sports Hall, Gonville Place, Parkside, Cambridge
Fusion Friday 5th February. Portsmouth Guild Hall, Portsmouth, Hants
Eclipse Saturday 6th February. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Happy Sundays From Sunday 31st January. Heaven, Under The Arches, Charing Cross Station, London WC1
Rush Saturday 30th January. Ashwin Street, London E8
Mama B Productions No 1 Friday 12th February. Bath Pavilion
Return of the Warehouse Concept (Vision) Friday 12th February. Unit A+B, Salters Way, Wisbech, Cambs
Justice – A New Dimension Saturday 6th February. The Tasco Warehouse, 138 Nathan Way, London SE28
Love Fever Saturday 13th February. Oceans, Goswell Road, London EC2
Snoosh Friday 12th February. 5 Christina Street, London EC2
Dream Zone Saturday 6th February. Atomics, Hart Street, Maidstone, Kent
In-Ter-Dance All Nighter Friday 12th February. Poole Arts Centre, Kingsland Road, Poole, Dorset
Orgasms Without Danger Every Wednesday from 27th January. Sarbour Tropical, 1 Broadhurst Gardens, London NW6

CHART

Great Asset current top 10 hardcore/techno sellers in the UK.

  1. Dr Octopus – Tentacle EP – Whitelabel
  2. Babylon Timewarp – Durban Poison – Intense
  3. Yolk – Sunnyside Up Remix – Ruffbeat
  4. Intense – Drowsee EP Remixes – ULR
  5. XVXI – Illuminatae
  6. House Pimps – Zulu Nation – ULR
  7. Carl Cox & DJ Phantasy Remixes – Eternal – ULR
  8. Rabbit City 1 – The Cutter – Rabbit City
  9. UK Remixes – Subwoofer Agte – ULR
  10. Edge 6 – The Structure – Edge