Music
Metalheadz on Metalheadz: 6 picks
Artists on Goldie's legendary Metalheadz label choose their favourite releases.
Founded in 1994 by Kemistry, Storm and Goldie, Metalheadz quickly established itself as the pounding heartbeat of the bourgeoning drum ‘n’ bass scene with early releases by genre big-hitters likes Doc Scott, Dillinja and Photek.
Over a 100 releases and 25 years later, the label remains a powerful force. Below, six artists from the Metalheadz roster pick out their favourite releases from the label’s back catalogue.
Lenzman
Selects: Photek – Natural Born Killa EP (1994)
"This release has a special place in my own journey in drum ‘n’ bass. Consciousness is such a unique track; there’s really nothing else like it, and for me it symbolises the creativity of that era as well as the freedom of expression that Metalheadz gives to their artists. The pads still give me goosebumps and the drum work is phenomenal.
"I grew up in The Netherlands and I was really into hip-hop at the time, so I was pretty much unaware of drum ‘n’ bass until a group of my UK friends introduced me to it on one of my holidays out there. They took me to Metalheadz at The Blue Note, which was the first drum ‘n’ bass event I ever went to. These guys taught me how to DJ and this is one of the releases we used to play. The tracks really appealed to me because they had a certain rawness that reminded me of New York hip-hop: the drums, the cold atmosphere, the sampling. It just had that same kind of rough attitude that I liked about hip-hop.
"Consciousness is the stand out track on this for me. We used to call it the ‘pots and pans track’ and it will forever be linked to my discovery of a genre that turned into a way of life."
Goldie at Metalheadz Blue Note (1997)
© Dave Swindells
Scar
Selects: Adam F – Metropolis / Mother Earth (1996)
"Metropolis sets the dark mood immediately with that high-tension pad without any time signature. The drums are cutting edge and modern with plenty of drum edits. They continue the intent of the tune and are perfectly suited to add to the whole mood of this piece of music. The bassline is dark, foreboding and constantly evolving, yet crucially still has a melody to it which is why this piece of music works so well, either to listen at home or to rave to at a nightclub.
"All these things together add up to one of the finest and most classic drum ’n’ bass tunes that Metalheadz has ever released. It has stood the test of time and can compliment any modern drum ’n’ bass set as it still sounds so fresh and will continue to do so. Metropolis has everything you could ever want from a drum ’n’ bass track and more, and it’s well up there with the most influential drum ’n’ bass tunes of all time.
"The way Mother Earth starts with Goldie's message on Adam's voicemail talking about how he loves this track signifies the intent for Metalheadz to take risks and release good music regardless of genre. This may not be drum ’n’ bass in its traditional form, but in essence it has so many of its traits, from the gorgeous Vangelis-style saxophone intro through to the apache break added to the broken beat spine. It’s a very calming and reflective piece and once again showcases why Metalheadz was on top of the game back then and continues to be so to this day. The light and the dark. This is beautiful breakbeat music."
Digital
Selects: Doc Scott & Goldie – Unreleased Metal (1994)
"Unreleased Metal was written by two of drum ‘n’ bass’s most inspirational artists at an important and influential time for the genre. From 1991 – 1994, DJ Doc Scott could do no wrong. He'd always hit that ‘Doc Scott sweet spot' whether he was bashing out techno or hardcore rave tracks.
"In 1992, under the Nasty Habits moniker, Doc Scott released the massive As Nasty As I Wanna Be EP on the mighty Reinforced Records. The EP consisted of four tracks full of drama and originality, so it sat perfectly among the previous hits from dance music pioneers: 4 Hero, Tek 9, Manix, Nebula II, Sudden Def and Rufige Kru. I can’t pick a favourite from the EP, but I will say I got hooked on Here Come the Drumz because it was the track I heard the most from DJs like Fabio, Grooverider and LTJ Bukem. It has a thick and reverb-y amen break, a subby dubby bass line, filthy Mentasm and a hypnotic arrangement that worked well when raving. In the same year Reinforced released that EP, Doc Scott somehow managed to remix each of the four original tracks and outdo himself on every one.
"That same year I aspired to be a producer and was having a great time, but then after hearing V.I.P Drumz it honestly battered my ego and messed with my ambitions because it was that good. I loved the rugged sound of the previous mixes but the VIP is the filthiest mix; it’s produced beautifully with a dubbed out bass line to die for.
"V.I.P Riders Ghost showed me that my DJ sets wouldn’t be all bang bang bang – they’d need to consist of quality music that I loved. It gave my sets a real piece of style, something to think about when mixing and when to play it. It was a massive DJ Fabio track. I loved when he played it along with his big bag of futuristic dubplates."
Blocks & Escher
Selects: Sci-Clone – Red Fever / Everywhere I Go (Remix) (1999)
"This is one of those 12” records where I well and truly wore out one side and had to buy a second copy. One of those records where I couldn’t really comment on the A side as I was completely besotted with the flip.
"Everywhere I Go captures the very heart of Metalheadz for me. It was around on dubplate about ‘98. I always think of it as part of the ‘second wave’ of Metalheadz releases, and again it dispelled any notion that the label sound had to be big vocals, searing strings and B-Boy edits. Rugged, raw, fresh, with hushed jazz influences and cooked up effortlessly – this was drum ‘n’ bass as a real fusion.
"I always loved the huge swinging steps and the crispy top kit on the drums, the simplicity of the keys stabbing and the bass tones rolling in unannounced. The tension and build on this are a far cry from the build-ups sadly found in much of modern dancefloor electronica. On Everywhere I Go, the bass is already pounding away heavy before finally the strings give way and the space is filled with Nathan Haines’ brass. I just love this piece of music: sumptuous, beautiful and hench."
Ant TC1
Selects: Dillinja – The Angels Fell / Ja Know Ya Big / Brutal Bass (1995)
"I remember hearing The Angels Fell in a nightclub for the first time aged 16 and just being completely blown away by it. I was a big Blade Runner fan and an even bigger fan of Vangelis (who put together the entire soundtrack for the movie) and an already even bigger fan of Dillinja. This felt like another masterpiece to add to the collection.
"I don't think anyone else would have even thought about sampling Vangelis in this way – the original piece came out with the film in 1982 – and to combine it with deep subs, brutal low ends and the lashing smashed amens Dillinja is so well known for. The anticipation from the very start of the intro, to the way it drops is just an absolute arrangement masterclass. I'm actually buzzing writing this as it's a track that still means a lot to me and hits me like it did way back then. Thank you, Karl.
"The addition of Ja Know Ya Big and Brutal Bass put the icing on the cake for this release. The eeriness in the intro of Brutal Bass in particular felt like a revelation in soundscapes and, of course, you've got the rib shattering subs Dillinja's known for edging in alongside some incredibly well manipulated drum work."
Paradox
Selects: J Majik – Repertoire / Shiatsu (1997)
"There are plenty of timeless titles in the Metalheadz catalogue, but there is one 12’’ for me that still grabs my attention. J Majik’s Repertoire is the epitome of sample manipulation. Breakbeats aside – which are also top notch – the music could be re-stripped down and sold as an instrumental which I’d happily buy myself. A mixture of dry and FX sounds with synth loops that key change at the right places along with pads, searing horns and flute stabs take you on a journey, and towards the end a delicate vocal enters that adds that bit of shine. There are imperfections in Repertoire but I think they are done on purpose and it sounds better for it.
"The flipside sees a darker slab of drum ‘n’ bass, which compliments this 12’’ well. Nucleus and I like the oddball mixdown compared to today’s modern studio techniques. James Brown loops interchange with other kicks, snares and distorted techno stabs. Sequence-wise Shiatsu is a lot less complicated than the A side but that doesn’t mean it’s sparse. This 12’’ was released in 1997. 22 years later it hasn’t aged and it’s maintained its status as one of my favourite Metalheadz 12’s from the vast back catalogue. A fine red wine-like vinyl."
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