Clubberlang
Well-known member
So reading the 10th anniversary thing of Knowledge (don't bother) and finally found a cheap copy of State of Bass on eBay and struck yet again by the virtual non-presence of Michael West's (I think that's his name) various projects. Was this guy not as crucial to hip-house, breakbeat hardcore as Shut Up and Dance (who I believe as part of Double Trouble he predated)? And the original of "Code Red" dates from '91 (is this first ragga-hardcore track)? And unlike SUAD who by 92-93 had succumbed to lawsuits and were basically a non-presence, West's projects and labels were still going strong well into Jungle's hey day (even releasing one of the best and only ragga jungle full lengths in '95) and even after (West stuck with it and kept releasing good tunes in the same style until at least 2000--well at least I have a collection from 2000 and it's still quite good). And he seems along with Kemet Crew to one of the most important touchstones for the ragga jungle revival. So why only the barest mention in these books (it's the same damn story with Navigator's bit about Tivoli Gardens that's not really about Tivoli Gardens and even Energy Flash only has that and the barest discog reference)? Was he totally tangential to jungle (American outsider who wasn't listening at the time so serious question)? Is it only in retrospect that his discography seems important/impressive?