| Title, Format | Label | Cat# | Country | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narcotic Influence (12") | Wanted Records | JHS 001 | UK | 1994 | |
| Narcotic Influence 1 (10", S/Sided, Promo, Blu) | XL Recordings | XLT 72 PR | UK | 1995 | |
| Narcotic Influence (Remixes) (12") | XL Recordings | XLT 72 R | UK | 1996 | |
| Narcotic Influence / Ciao (7") | XL Recordings | XLS 72 JS | UK | 1996 | |
| Narcotic Influence (12") | XL Recordings | XLT 72 | UK | 1996 | |
| Narcotic Influence (2x12", Promo) | XL Recordings | XLT 72 DJ | UK | 1996 | |
| Narcotic Influence (CD, Maxi) | Intercord Tonträger GmbH | INT 827.924 | Germany | 1996 | |
| Narcotic Influence (CD, Single) | XL Recordings | XLS 72 CD | UK | 1996 |
referencing Narcotic Influence 1, 10", S/Sided, Promo, Blu, XLT 72 PR
It is true that in terms of sound, this was possibly a bit dated even by the time of it's re-release on the legendary XL Recordings, but there's no question that it stands out from the pack and remains an anthem.
The track is built around relatively simple kick drum beats, a searing distorted acid line, and a spoken vocal hook - seemingly warning about the dangers of drugs - which is quite a novelty for dance music. This is 'polished' of with all manner of industrial percussion throughout.
At the time, Empirion were touted by some as the new Prodigy, but they never fulfilled their promise. We can at least lay some of the blame on the techno purists for that.
An no, I haven't played this promo release - that would ruin the packaging!