Source Direct – Secret Liaison / Complexities

I heard Doc Scott say this is his all-time favourite tune (well, jungle/D&B tune anyway).

It's in the same category as FBD Project's Journeys - the perfect synthesis of a hard Amen and soulful pads, which brings tears to my eyes.

Hearing this out changed my life. Beautifully chopped up Amen, with a side helping of piano, dark strings and perfectly placed bass stabs. Everything just bounces off each other like nature intended. Just 👌🏻

"Secret Liaison" what happened to less is more? The beat needs to take a break, the loop goes on for ages, put in a middle eight, or just break it down, to make it intelligent.

Secret liaison is the one of the best jungle tunes ever made. The piano flourish and pads set it apart from other amen tracks around this time, amazing tune. Complexities is a worthy AA side which is more relaxed but still delivers the classic Source Direct sound - breaks, bass, and musical stabs.

Remember buying this at the time and being blown away. And it still kills me every time I put it on. The lush piano, strings and Amen on Secret Liaison. What. A. Record.

Secret Liaisons is, in my humble opinion, the single greatest Drum & Bass track of all time.

timeless tunes... literally "making dnb music for the next century"

Couldn't be happier to get this one - one of the best releases by Source without a doubt. The A side is classic, heavy, the centre piece of the EP. However the B side is what many sign up for. Emotional, intricate Jungle at its best. Any owner of this will be attached, there isn't a way not to be. 10/10 from me.

I used to hammer Secret Liaison on a regular basis but I am getting more and more in to Complexities now. Deep, Soulful true music for the mind to melt into.

Source Direct may be most famous for the barely-constrained tension of their darker work, like the 2 LPs they put out on Virgin (or Astralwerks for us North Americans). But for my money, this 2-track EP is their best.

"Secret Liaison" is a classic Amen groove, exuding the freshness and optimism of early Photek. The build-up has a quick ride cymbal segue into the amen rhythm, yet you can tell there's more to come. When they drop that guitar chord, the bass hits, and the tune finally opens up… heaven. An ethereal synth pad, sounding a bit like vocals, hovers over top and imparts a sense of progress as the track continues. The drum programming is excellent as usual, but this song fits together so well as a whole, I can hardly bring myself to focus on just one element.

"Complexities" has a similar atmosphere and although it doesn't reach quite the same heights, it's still an excellent moody drum & bass track. This one is driven by a clever interplay between samples that creates a convincing impression of melody in a rhythm-forward track. In typical SD fashion, everything is fully fleshed out here, the tune propelled along by subtle touches aimed at (as they said in one infamous interview) "helping the listener… listen." Listen for these and you won't be disappointed.

I would kill for a reissue of this EP, and I hope Nonplus (or anyone really) comes through with one.