the hardcore continuum

A few years ago, a younger, fresh faced, more studious me compiled a list of proto-nuum tracks.

They fit into two categories, the first of which I referred to as 'bass house' (this was before bass house was a thing). My assumption was that the widespread use of sub-bass in house was a soundsystem holdover and a uniquely British phenomenon.


Here's the bass house list, some of which will be familiar (I haven't checked them all so there might be some things that don't quite fit here):

1988

Moody Boyz- Acid Rappin’ (Coky’s Mix)

Click- Acid Deluxe

1989

Nightmares Wax- Dextrous

Man Machine- Man Machine (Elektro-Genetik)

2 In Rhythm- Happy Magic

Jolly Rodger- Ulysses (Theme From Coldcut)

Moody Boys- Funky Zulu You’re So Fresh (refreshing mix)

1990

Window Smashers- The Theme

Biff’um Baff’um Boys- Bombing

Primea Facey- Poverty Line

Smooth Simmonds- Teckno Jazz

Aural Exciter- Step Back

Zero Zero- Thank God For Evil

2 In Rhythm- Magic Machine (Ride the Groove Mix)

Charlie Says- Bass and Buzz (56 Hz. Cat)


Pioneering dread/warp bass…

N R Gee Posse- Themes

… and wobble bass

Jupiter 6- Tracking System


1991

D’angel- Rolling Thunder

Man Machine- Animal

Indo Tribe- I’ve Become What You Were (Insider Mix)

Ministry of Fear- Track With No Name

100 Hz- Catching Spiders

The Step- Yeah You

Here's the second set; "ragga house" (again I haven't double checked these):

1989

Double Trouble & Rebel MC- Just Keep Rockin’ (Sk’ouse Mix)

Rebel MC & Double Trouble- Street Tuff

Jamaica Mean Time featuring D.J. Maxi Jazz- Rock To Dis

Shut Up and Dance- £10 To Get In

Shut Up and Dance featuring Ragga Twins- Lamborghini

Longsy D- This Is Ska


1990

Simon Harris starring Daddy Freddy- Ragga House (All Night Long)

Moody Boys- Lion Dance
Dub Me Right
Jammin (Ital Mix)

Excocet- Overdose

Project 1- Ferrari

E-Zee Possee- Everything Begins With An ‘E’

sadmanbarty said:

the first of which I referred to as 'bass house' (this was before bass house was a thing).

Click to expand...

That's 'bleep techno' (or 'bleeb and bass'), and it doesn't get the credit it deserves in 'nuum music, which owes alot to bleep techno.

For example, this track has the same vibraphone stabs which was later used in ukg:


Also here's those drum stabs used in dnb:

Pretty dubstep, isn't it?

I was being pretty strict about the bleeps, if it didn't have them I'd designate it bass house. Maybe that was an arbitrary distinction.

I'm a sucker for similar tracks/ideas across the nuum:

Reynolds' rundown is pretty good and features probably my favourite bleep tune.


http://www.factmag.com/2013/07/22/the-20-best-bleep-records-ever-made/

It's between Ital Anthem and Ability II pressure dub for me.

This is a 700 strong list mainly consisting of bleep:

https://www.discogs.com/lists/The-Ultimate-Breaks-Bass-And-Bleeps-List/11786?page=1

Are there any bleep nights? Would be cool to put one on with a PWOPA soundsystem.

I'm not trying to shoehorn Afro-trap (or whatever it's called) into the hardcore continuum, but its fun to connect the dots, however tenuous the links actually are.


The Brandy "only you" sample sounds awful familiar...


There's also Timbo x Desperado's 'Bound For Da Reload'.

Other than Donaeo, have any nuum alumni delved into this sound?

Ill Blu, the former Funky act (who may have started as grime producers too?) produced that Mostak hit "Liar Liar" so, IDK how much you'd want to count them as 'in the nuum' but.

CrowleyHead said:

Ill Blu, the former Funky act (who may have started as grime producers too?) produced that Mostak hit "Liar Liar" so, IDK how much you'd want to count them as 'in the nuum' but.

Click to expand...

They did a great tune round the time of the first wave of uk afrobeats too. Name escapes me now but ill dig it out later when im not on my phone

The My Circle remix has Wiley and Ghetts on it.

Benny B said:

They did a great tune round the time of the first wave of uk afrobeats too. Name escapes me now but ill dig it out later when im not on my phone

Click to expand...

Rapid has made a few afrobeats tunes too

Slimzee’s Top 10 Hardcore of 92-93:

Ragga Twins- Shine Eye

Johnny L- Hurt You So (it reminds him of when he first befriended Wiley)

Doc Scott- NHS (Disco Mix)

Nino- The Gun

Tic Tac Toe- Ephemerol

D Living- Why (apparently Geeneus’ favourite)

Clarkee- Have A Good Time

Anthill Mob- Black Rushin (Tango Remix)

Acro- Superpod

Potential Bad Boy- Work Tha Box/ Let’s Go

And his favourite Grime track:

DJ Narrows- Saved Soul

He also says that 32mins of this is the first time Pulse X was played on radio.


This set is devoid of any good time garage vibes, while being viscerally and unabashedly confrontational in the way grime would come to be. You could argue that both sonically and culturally what transpires at 32 mins is the birth of grime.

CrowleyHead said:

Ill Blu, the former Funky act (who may have started as grime producers too?) produced that Mostak hit "Liar Liar" so, IDK how much you'd want to count them as 'in the nuum' but.

Click to expand...

That's good to know. I love that song.

luka said:

That's good to know. I love that song.

Click to expand...

Slightly surprised, only b/c Mostack reminds me of the KRS-One/JME vibe you once lampooned

CrowleyHead said:

Slightly surprised, only b/c Mostack reminds me of the KRS-One/JME vibe you once lampooned

Click to expand...

You mean primary school teacher? I think of him as more good natured idiot.

luka said:

You mean primary school teacher? I think of him as more good natured idiot.

Click to expand...

Yeah, twitter has him worse than JME, plus his debut mixtape had a song called "Fuck This Generation". I went from "Hahaha! Cynicism!" to "OMG, PLEASE, STOP IT." Sometimes exposure to the reality ruins everything.

Folk memories of jungle