B1.Jack's Back

A bleeps n bass record from 1987 I hear you shout?! Nope, not really, but be sure to check 'Jack's Back' on the flip for proto bass & bleeps. It all starts here. Not everyone will agree of course, but that's different opinions for you.

Mark Brydon and Robert Gordon on the mix.

B2.Acid Deluxe

Another proto bleep(y) tune.

A1.Only The Begining
B1.The Theme (Original 1988 Version)

Big up to the Bradford old-school posse!

Welcome to the very first bleeps n bass tune proper, and from 1988 no less!

'Only The Begining' is actually the very first original, early raw take version of 'The Theme'; no bleeps on this mix but it still has the all important bass.

As far as I know, you can only find it on this release, therefore making it both rare and expensive with good reason.

'The Theme' (Original 1988 Version) is the same version that later appears on their first release for TEN / 10 Records.

All hail Unique 3 for creating the bleeps n bass sound!

A1.LFO (The Leeds Warehouse Mix)
AA1.Track 4
AA2.Probe (The Cuba Edit)

The best, most famous and ultimate bleeps n bass track of them all!! Not to mention being the reason for hundreds of bust speakers up and down the country LOL

A1.Confidential - Jam The Frequency

London based Catt Records put out some fantastic releases from 1989 - 1991.

'Jam The Frequency', released in 1990, is in my all-time top 20 bleeps n basslist.

Certainly a must-have!

Fancy piano with your bleeps, sir? Here's a nice laid-back bleepy tune (if there is such a thing?!) that rides a nice infectious piano riff, drifting strings, a ragga sample, sub bass, breakbeats and melodic bleeps.

Tune!

A1.Ital’s Anthem (Trebledown-Bassup Mix)
B1.Science (1st Mix)

Classic '90 bleeps n bass pressure out of Leeds. Surely has to be one of the most popular (not to mention most memorable) bleeps n bass tracks ever!

Also be sure to check 'Dreams' from their 1992 'One Day' EP on Outer Rhythm Records. Not too well known (attow), it's also a great bass n bleeper! I'm guessing it was also written in '90 or '91.

A1.Labyrinthe
B1.Veda
B2.Frenzy

Excellent three tracker by Peter Duggal.

BTW, his Doggy - 'Pysche' / 'Dog's Dinner' 12" on the same label is also worth checking out.

A1.Drums Of Freedom
A2.Ready 2 Rumble
A3.Ever Changin Tones
B1.Spirits Dem A Come
B2.Brace Yourself
B3.I Got Cha

A1.Bass Generation
B1.Non Stop Techno
B2.Move Your Body

Ubik are also known as Hi-Ryze and Autonation.

The electro influenced 'Bass Generation' is the stand out cut for me.

This EP comes 100% recommended.

A1.Doin Damage
A2.Kalimba
A3.Free Your Mind
B1.It's Detromental
B2.Mentor

For me, one of the best bass & bleep eps of all time, albeit with a slightly harder Belgium techno influence. But each and every track does indeed do damage and the bonus is it's out of steel city - Sheffield!

And be sure to check the other two records out from these guys, ok? You won't be disappointed.

A1.Testone
AA1.Testtwo
AA2.Testthree

One of the first northern bleeps n bass classics. All bleep headz will know this one.

A1.Let It Roll
A2.Dextrous(Original Demo Mix)

Quite rare and sought after first release from Leeds crew Nightmares On Wax.

'Let It Roll' was only ever released on this limited white / not on label promo 12".
Also contains the very first original demo version of 'Dextrous' - the one with the female 'Voodoo Ray' sample - before being signed to Warp records.

B1.Teckno Driven

'Teckno Driven' is a lost gem!

A1.How To Stay Alive
B1.Kick The Break In

While most northern bleeps n bass cuts seemed to contain raw and sparse drum machine programming in the tradition of both Chicago house and Detroit techno, it seemed quite a lot of the southern bleeps n bass tracks took on a defiantly more breakbeat driven direction. Nothing wrong with this of course, unless you don't dig breakbeats, as the bleeps n bass were still very much present and correct. The sampled breakbeats simply added a new b-boy flavor.

This excellent two tracker is quite obscure and unknown apart of obsessive breakbeat / bleeps n bass collectors. I don't even remember hearing this much back in early '91 (I'm guessing it was played much more down south?), so it's really hard to say how much support it got back then.

Either way, a top-notch breaks, bleeps n bass 12" !

A1.Zombie
A2.Zombie(Instrumental)
B1.Happy Dance

'Happy Dance' was always better known, more popular and played out a lot more, but 'Zombie' is also a very cool, pure breakbeat bleep tune. This one is a classic for me.

A1.The Tracking System
A2.A8
B2.Section Two

Essential bleeps n bass 3 tracker (the other track is not a bnb track).

A1.Sit On The Bass
B1.Music Inside Your Mind

Very good bleeps n bass sounds mixed with the new and emerging harder Belgium techno influence.

Has vocal samples from Chicago house tracks:'Music Inside My Mind' - E-Smoove and 'Sit On The Face' - Muffman.

A1.Come To Papa
A2.Xamax
B1.Mayhem
B2.U = Underground

Classic, raw and minimal 4 tracker on this cult label out of Luton.

The stand out is the classic bleep track 'Come To Papa'.

A1.Man Machine (Forgemasters Cyber - Subsonik Mix)
A2.Man Machine Forgemasters Elektro - Genetik Mix)

The Forgemasters mixes are excellent!
Classic from '89 that everyone should know.

A1.I Like Techno
A2.We Like Tekno

B-Boy breaks meets bleeps!

A1.Pressure
B1.Pressure Dub

Another massive Bassic records classic...on a deeper, dubbier tip!

A1.Lethal Weapon
AA1.Sweet Talk
AA2.Saftey Zone

Did Catt Records put out some excellent records or did Catt Records put out some excellent records? This cult and obscure label was London's answer to Sheffield's Warp Records. Be sure to check all releases from CATT 006 onwards. 100% Essential.

A1.Module 220
AA1.Me And You Against The World Eh Mate.

One of those obscure white label not on label EPs that always seem(ed)s to have cult status among bleeps n bass / breakbeat collectors.

Stand out tracks IMHO are the cool bleep tracks 'Me And You Against The World Eh Mate' and 'Module 220'.

B1.Thoughts Of Tomorrow

Produced by Roger Sanchez. 'Thoughts Of Tomorrow' has very deep 'Reese bass', dark ominous chords and wicked bleeps.