six million ways

this one's from way back in '98. originated from the speed trip [breakbeat mix] after i stripped it down to the just the beats and added everything else on top. it's a bit faster too. this is a trip back to the late eighties and the acid house revolution when groups like altern8 and gto ruled the dancefloors. synth-laden, hoover basslines, vocal stabs and and a hard rhythm. the vocal samples are from six million ways to die by dope skillz aka dj zinc.

takin' control

similar in style to six million ways but less breakbeat-orientated, instead plumping for a really strong 4/4 rhythm. it's still got that dark edge to it though, thanks to the old-style synth samples. it has a pretty basic structure to it, with about three distinctive sections rendering a common theme in different ways each time.

the days before decks

rather than release a bunch of old, average tracks, i released this which is a 'megamix' of all three. it combines the speed trip [original remix], the on a high [hard mix] and the original version of back to '89. i did this back in the day (when i was saving my pennies for a pair of 1210s) wondering what it would sound like if i could mix my own tracks on vinyl.

do that to me [duff's uk club mix]

this one's a bit of a dancefloor caner. inspired back in ninety-seven by the countless nights i spent at hollywood nightclub in romford. i think this was the first track i wrote that heavily used samples from commercial tracks. i always wanted to write something that would fit on the dancefloor using club anthems from the mid-nineties as inspiration, namely livin joy and the lisa marie experience. the break at the beginning is from 187 lockdown's gunman and the hoover synth stabs were lifted from perpetual motion's keep on dancin. most of the vocal elements are lifted straight from the lisa marie experience's original which, in turn, sampled a michael jackson track as it happens.

let me be your fantasy [duff's uk happycore remix]

of course this a remix of baby d's original anthem from back in ninety-two. this is a tribute to the uk happycore scene circa nintey six: mental breakbeats, damaging bass and a mad mid-section with rollin' jungle breaks which were borrowed from nino's remix of baby d's take me to heaven.

killer genius ['99 remake]

the orignal killer genius was one of my first completely orignal tracks. don't know how i came up with this track as it's totally different in musical terms to anything else i had written or have written since. the changes in cadence, the harmonies - they all feature less obviously in my other tracks but in this one they're really prominent.

let it flow [breaks mix]

ever since i discovered jungle around ninety-four, i'd been trying to write something in the style but without success (on a high [hard mix] was a previous attempt believe it or not). then finally i got hold of some suitable samples and put together this little rolla. it's not quite authentic due to its length but i think it just about passes. and i'm not too impressed with my blatant sampling of the helicopter break.

the matrix [morpheus mix]

i wrote this after an online music group decided to put together a 'music disk' of matrix-inspired music. this first version isn't really drum n bass even tho it's heavily influenced by the genre. i did two other mixes (below) with a harder edge to them, but you can tell this track was a rush-job as the sound quality is far from clean.

the matrix [darker mix]

in response to criticism i received of the morpheous mix, i decided to go really hard-line and create something very dnb as opposed to not dnb at all as i was previously accused of. still using that firefli break and the pads to good effect, this one's a lot more chopped up and darker with a completely reworked bassline and structure. unfortunately, the firefli sample i picked up is so lo-fi that it drags the whole thing down. still, this version is a good track in it's own right with a lot more atmosphere and less emphasis on the matrix theme.

the matrix [purist mix]

based on the orignal morpheous mix this one keeps the spirit of the film but is structurally and musically reworked so that it more of a consistent flow. and yes, i know the vocal samples are too fast in places but that's the only way it would work properly in terms of the timing. it took me ages to get the it perfect.

powerhouse

inspired by a trip to a french nightclub back in ninety-six. the place was playing hard house the likes of which i had never heard before. i infused it into my mind and as soon as returned home, i pulled together the hardest samples i could find and put this together. i tried to make it as bangin as possible thereby levelling it squarely at the dancefloor.

renegade master [duff's uk club mix]

the original of this by the late wildchild was an absolute classic released in the mid-nineties and one of my all time favourites. i wrote this, funnily enough, around the time that fatboy slim did his bigbeat remix (hence the chopped up vocals). i've lifted quite a few samples off the original track but sound quality is a bit rough. none the less, it's simply meant to be a refreshing remix of the original version. pumping beat, uplifting vocals, designed for the dancefloor.