Woebot
Well-known member
Got sent this a week or so ago:
A Guy Called Gerald's Juice Box Records opened for business in 1992 and closed six years later after 33 releases. *It was responsible for releasing a series of seminal records that provided the blueprint for what was to become jungle then drum n bass. After closing up shop and moving to New York he disappeared from the radar and releasing two albums with !K7 Records, Essence (2000) and his latest To All Things What They Need released. Always preferring to push the boundaries of his sound through new technologies his productions are an inspiration to many a bedroom producer. *Now Gerald returns to the helm to launch his second imprint this year - PROTECHSHON - focusing back on his jungle roots. 'Is Man In Danger featuring David Simpson' 12" *will be released Nov 14. *
"Is Man In Danger is a question concerning all of us. So far this century I've witnessed corporations merging with governments using pawns like President B(liar) and Prime Minister Tony Bush.
We’ve come a long way since my ancestors were executed for banging drums and blowing on conch shells.
In 1717 a new enactment by the British in Jamaica declared: "And whereas the permitting or allowing of any number of strange Negroes to assemble on any Plantation, or settlement, or any other place, may prove of fatal consequences to this your Majesty's Island, if not timely prevented: and forasmuch as Negroes can, *by beating on drums, and blowing horns, or other such like instruments of noise, give signals to each other at a considerable distance of their evil and wretched intentions: Be it further enacted, That in one month's time after the passing of this Act, no proprietor, attorney, or overseer, presume to suffer any number of strange negroes, exceeding five, to assemble on his plantation or settlement, or on the plantation or settlement under the care of such attorney or overseer; nor shall any proprietor, attorney, or overseer, suffer any beating on drums, barrels, gourds, boards, or other such like instruments of noise on the plantations and settlements aforesaid." *R. C. Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London, 1803, Vol. I, p. 116
*
Jungle was this music that had Jamaican chat - which was presumably offensive to most non-Jamaicans - but coming from Jamaican descent I felt that this music was a key to explaining who I was – even more so than house music. This was everything I grew up in. This was reggae that formed me when I was in my mother’s belly, this was the early electronic music that made me realize what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. This was the inventiveness of jazz that was to formulate soul then funk and which are deeply embedded within this music. Everything that is the material of my early childhood and teenage years is embedded within this music. *This is my personal roots. I’m not trying to alienate anybody, just trying to explain what I am, who I am.
*
This label is a celebration of musical freedom. I feel that a lot of the breakbeat/drum n bass stuff around at the moment is watering down the vibe of the music. Maybe it's just lost direction - direction meaning a movement *outside of pop music – direction meaning a rebellion against conformity – direction meaning a stronghold sound which is a stand against commercialism. Originally this music had nothing to do with car advertisements. It was made by a group of people who felt they were being ripped off so formed their own sound. The British music mediarazzi at first was very negative towards this type of music. Jungle was a dirty word. Then once the media realized they’d fucked up as the sound became more and more popular outside of their opinions they started referring to it as drum n bass and suddenly it was marketable for the mainstream. Corporate major record labels could work their usual system – since the Beatles they have used this formula to stick their syringe into popular urban culture. *They target the most marketable aspects from the scene. What they don’t anticipate is this then spreads their commercial bacteria in a budding scene and kills the organism or leaves it dormant. *The public have the watered down cheesy fringe shoved down their throats so much that the balls are ripped out of the music. *There’s definitely something wrong somewhere if I can’t get into a drum n bass gig because I’m too black. *That would be like a load of rastas putting on an opera night and not letting someone in because they were white. *Towards the ending of the 90s I felt like I was a little bit too black to be doing drum n bass. *I decided to freestyle it and just use elements of the sound in my music. But now I feel the need to return to my roots and what better way to do this than to create a label for my breakbeat sound. *PROTECHSHON is for my individual sound – not a label for sucking the cock of major labels or major djs for that matter. *
*
With Juice Box I felt an inspiration in a space that was free and open. With PROTECHSHON I am not rampin’. When I was a kid and I’d do something wrong and my mum found out I could always hear her as she rummaged around for the belt shouting “I’m gonna kill it with beating” – it meaning me or anything within the close vicinity of the belt! PROTECHSHON is here to kill you with a beating. *If you think you can come into this with any kind of psueudo pretencious journalism – PROTECHSHON is going to kill you with a beating – I’ll tell you again – I’m not ramping – look it up in your Jamaican dictionary.” *A Guy Called Gerald
What startled me was how agressive Gerald was being towards Drum and Bass. Isnt that scene dominated by politics? Can't believe they'd welcome him after an attack like this, even if the track is almost certainly excellent.....
A Guy Called Gerald's Juice Box Records opened for business in 1992 and closed six years later after 33 releases. *It was responsible for releasing a series of seminal records that provided the blueprint for what was to become jungle then drum n bass. After closing up shop and moving to New York he disappeared from the radar and releasing two albums with !K7 Records, Essence (2000) and his latest To All Things What They Need released. Always preferring to push the boundaries of his sound through new technologies his productions are an inspiration to many a bedroom producer. *Now Gerald returns to the helm to launch his second imprint this year - PROTECHSHON - focusing back on his jungle roots. 'Is Man In Danger featuring David Simpson' 12" *will be released Nov 14. *
"Is Man In Danger is a question concerning all of us. So far this century I've witnessed corporations merging with governments using pawns like President B(liar) and Prime Minister Tony Bush.
We’ve come a long way since my ancestors were executed for banging drums and blowing on conch shells.
In 1717 a new enactment by the British in Jamaica declared: "And whereas the permitting or allowing of any number of strange Negroes to assemble on any Plantation, or settlement, or any other place, may prove of fatal consequences to this your Majesty's Island, if not timely prevented: and forasmuch as Negroes can, *by beating on drums, and blowing horns, or other such like instruments of noise, give signals to each other at a considerable distance of their evil and wretched intentions: Be it further enacted, That in one month's time after the passing of this Act, no proprietor, attorney, or overseer, presume to suffer any number of strange negroes, exceeding five, to assemble on his plantation or settlement, or on the plantation or settlement under the care of such attorney or overseer; nor shall any proprietor, attorney, or overseer, suffer any beating on drums, barrels, gourds, boards, or other such like instruments of noise on the plantations and settlements aforesaid." *R. C. Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London, 1803, Vol. I, p. 116
*
Jungle was this music that had Jamaican chat - which was presumably offensive to most non-Jamaicans - but coming from Jamaican descent I felt that this music was a key to explaining who I was – even more so than house music. This was everything I grew up in. This was reggae that formed me when I was in my mother’s belly, this was the early electronic music that made me realize what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. This was the inventiveness of jazz that was to formulate soul then funk and which are deeply embedded within this music. Everything that is the material of my early childhood and teenage years is embedded within this music. *This is my personal roots. I’m not trying to alienate anybody, just trying to explain what I am, who I am.
*
This label is a celebration of musical freedom. I feel that a lot of the breakbeat/drum n bass stuff around at the moment is watering down the vibe of the music. Maybe it's just lost direction - direction meaning a movement *outside of pop music – direction meaning a rebellion against conformity – direction meaning a stronghold sound which is a stand against commercialism. Originally this music had nothing to do with car advertisements. It was made by a group of people who felt they were being ripped off so formed their own sound. The British music mediarazzi at first was very negative towards this type of music. Jungle was a dirty word. Then once the media realized they’d fucked up as the sound became more and more popular outside of their opinions they started referring to it as drum n bass and suddenly it was marketable for the mainstream. Corporate major record labels could work their usual system – since the Beatles they have used this formula to stick their syringe into popular urban culture. *They target the most marketable aspects from the scene. What they don’t anticipate is this then spreads their commercial bacteria in a budding scene and kills the organism or leaves it dormant. *The public have the watered down cheesy fringe shoved down their throats so much that the balls are ripped out of the music. *There’s definitely something wrong somewhere if I can’t get into a drum n bass gig because I’m too black. *That would be like a load of rastas putting on an opera night and not letting someone in because they were white. *Towards the ending of the 90s I felt like I was a little bit too black to be doing drum n bass. *I decided to freestyle it and just use elements of the sound in my music. But now I feel the need to return to my roots and what better way to do this than to create a label for my breakbeat sound. *PROTECHSHON is for my individual sound – not a label for sucking the cock of major labels or major djs for that matter. *
*
With Juice Box I felt an inspiration in a space that was free and open. With PROTECHSHON I am not rampin’. When I was a kid and I’d do something wrong and my mum found out I could always hear her as she rummaged around for the belt shouting “I’m gonna kill it with beating” – it meaning me or anything within the close vicinity of the belt! PROTECHSHON is here to kill you with a beating. *If you think you can come into this with any kind of psueudo pretencious journalism – PROTECHSHON is going to kill you with a beating – I’ll tell you again – I’m not ramping – look it up in your Jamaican dictionary.” *A Guy Called Gerald
What startled me was how agressive Gerald was being towards Drum and Bass. Isnt that scene dominated by politics? Can't believe they'd welcome him after an attack like this, even if the track is almost certainly excellent.....
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