In my estimation this is possibly the best drum & bass tune ever written. Supposedly produced in only one night. Shadow Boxing is a slowly building piece of brooding music that seems to transpose itself from within the confines of the drum and bass world. Its dark soundscape is transfixed on sending a message of a looming future, distraught with decay, slowly moving toward an inescapable, imminent destruction. Shadow Boxing, similar to many early no u turn releases, is concerned with ambience and the creation of tension bordering on the lines of total chaos. It's heavy and dark, yet subdued in a manner which implies control and relevance, something far too often lacking in post-millennium drum & bass. Shadow Boxing is a track that once heard, never escapes your mind, borrowing itself deep within, reminding you that the future is uncertain and the past is distant and fading.

I was at Tribal Gathering (I think), 1996, standing in front of a wall of speakers to one side of the stage, enjoying myself, like you do, when this sound started growing inside my brain. My head was then ripped clean off my shoulders! Words are still hard to find! It was the first time I ever heard Shadow Boxing and its the only thing I still remember from that night.
Doc Scott was on the decks.

Small wonder that a great dj such as Laurent Garnier had chosen this one for his favourite tune of the 1996. Everytime when played, THE Bassline comes in and doesn't leave anything untouched in radius of approx. 1000000 light years! Supported with a rough, rugged and raw sounding 2-step beat - this one has it all! Those were the days when 31 had started to reign supreme with the each next 12" better than the one before... at least until 31R017 release.

In the DnB Chronicles this tune is a milestone, Mr McIlroy really dropped jaws with this floor filla! A must hav tune for all DnB Ed's, eight years old and peeps still get their groove on when they hear this!!!

Respect

Amazing what can be done with like 5 sounds. The whole thing is just one loop over and over but it's so hypnotic...never gets boring for a second. Doc Scott on the forefront of things again.

This is the early definition of a bassline monster. A slow twisted twostep beat, a kung-fu sample and the darkest, deepest and mightiest bassline i´ve ever heard. The blood freezes in your veins for the next minutes. I´ve played this tune in front of a few ass shakin´ house suckas and pop music fans and their breath was taken away... For many people i know this is the only drum`n`bass track they really like... You´re having problems with D`n`B ??? Check dis tune !