Maggotron – Bass Invaders

Since nobody has mentioned it, I thought I'd barge in and state the glaringly obvious - the main melody is based chiefly on the synth riff which appears on Quadrant Six - Body Mechanic. With one important caveat. This was several years down the road amidst heavier bass TR-808 or similar processing, altogether more club friendly in a booty shaking scenario. The electric geeeeeettarrrr Van Halen-esque breakdown doesn't do much for me, it never has. Must be a North American obsession, Electro + Rock was not that popular amongst many an old school Electro Hip Hop head here in the UK, I shouldn't speak for everyone though, I'm sure there must be takers out there. Head for Fresh Beets for something raw and heavy. Nevertheless, sodding good beats, bass and synthesizers on every tune.

This was a pleasing Bass tune if you were into the Maggotron sound in the 80s. The fact that this record was released on Atlantic (along with Security by The Beat Club) was always puzzling to me, even back when I was a youngster. I always felt like this record never got the attention I felt it deserved.

In 1996, I spoke with the producer of this jam (James McCauley AKA DXJ) and asked specifically about this release. He said it's lack of success was a mystery to him as well, but he did shed some light on it for me. He recalled that Atlantic's A&Rs were very aggressive in getting this song contracted for a single deal, and he wasn't sure why. Because Atlantic was a major label with distribution that would reach far beyond the Florida borders, he agreed to the terms. However, once the record was produced, Atlantic swept it under the rug. At the same time, J.J. Fad's "Supersonic" was also picked up by Atlantic and the feeling was that 3 female Bass-style rappers were more marketable than the Maggotron project. What DXJ hinted to, but couldn't elaborate on, was the feeling that Atlantic intentionally signed up the Maggorton project and let it die in order to eliminate competition for J.J. Fad. That part of the story was a bit of a stretch for me since the styles of J.J. Fad and Maggotron weren't all that similar. Either way, I wish the Maggotron shit had blown up and J.J. Fad garbage had got swept under the rug.