Peshay unknowns and his shelved Mo Wax album

I've been quite interested in Peshay's material from his 1996-1997 era for a number of years, and finally quite a few of those stubbornly unknown tracks from then have become known to me over a period of time. He's put out a number of good tunes that he's been known for, but i want to talk about tunes he's not known for! Because he started doing a lot of good stuff from 1996 onwards but much of it has fallen into obscurity.

Why was that? Well, as many people will know, Peshay was all ready to put out an album Miles From Home in 1998 on Mo Wax. However, and details on this are a bit faded over time now, but from what I remember the label got into some difficulty and ended up managing some salvage deal with some other major in which the other planned album UNKLE - Psyence Fiction got released and the Peshay did not.

Of course, "Miles From Home" did finally see a release, but i'm quite positive not in the form it was originally going to take. Peshay's big band jazz sound was always on the naff side, but surely in a sincere way. Instead the album that came out ended up just being a somewhat contrived version of that, with a nod more to what was more marketable, than what was his just his unashamedly emotive excusions!

So, to redress the balance, and to reinvestigate what could have been, here is a little run down of some Peshay material that might have very well comprised or represented that lost album.


Peshay - Jazz Lick
http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/nexus.../nexus002/

• When you start listening to this tune you think oh dear, another dreary Bukem-esqe piece of nonsense. And you wouldn't be blamed. That intro goes on & on and really doesn't say very much! But, and with the mundane washes fading out, it drops into these crucial jazz chords that are just... bliss! Absolutely awesome tune. Fair dues, you have to take the tune in its full context, listening to that tune now the long bland intro is part of the whole. Not a dreary Bukem-esqe tune after all!
  

Peshay - (unknown - like ''Jazz Tune'').mp3 [listen]

• Now this was an unknown to me for ages, and very similar to the last "Jazz Lick". Same kinda sound, same jazz chords dropping in. Not sure if its better than the last, its a matter of personal judgement that. I like them both a lot.
  
  Here is the actual release:
  http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/compo...ompost029/
  

Manifesto - Find Me (Peshay Remix).mp3 [listen]

• Now these are roughly in time order, although I heard this one about before the previous. I was never too into this tune but gotta say its well cool! Excellent laid back vibes on this. Now, it didn't seem to surface at the time, which was late 1996 early 1997 but before long, another tune came about that was surely made from the same mold. Which was "Miles From Home". I think at the time I felt I preferred this first tune to the latter, couldn't see what the big fuss about Miles From Home was!
  
  Now in the clip i've posted, i got the title somewhat from what Jumping Jack Frost says about it. Another poster on RDB has mentioned another JJ Frost clip and that he indicates Manifesto is actually the label its coming out on. Listening again, it seems he's right. Either way, it didn't come out until 2000, I eventually discovered, here:
  http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/scam/scam2
  

DJ Peshay - "Jazz Lick" (Metalheadz).mp3 [listen]

• Now this was another tune from late 1996, that Grooverider was absolutely caining back then. I say caining, really I mean I heard him playing it a few times more than once, which was unusual for Ridah really . So he must have liked it.
  
  I liked some of it, but I felt the long sax solo over the beats was a bit over indulgent. Very nice beat work though, and the strange casio keyboard sustain effect on the held chords is an interesting choice! What I also noticed is that it shared the same sax solo as the previous track, indicating me straight to it being Peshay, although otherwise i wouldn't have ever thought it was him. Very unusual track. Definitely worth checking out.
  
  I got that track title from a published tracklist for the Grooverider Essential Mix it appears on, from 26 Jan 97,
  http://www.essentialmix.nu/index.php?mod...iew&id=290
  but we all know its not "Jazz Lick". Interesting to see it listed as being a 'Headz track.
  
  Its odd that this tune then disappeared without trace, until 1999. I mean, i didn't even know until last year. Its such a highly polished track, something that he must have put a lot of effort into. Talk about these tunes coming out at totally inappropiate time scales? It surely must have missed the zeitgeist by then...
  http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/pivot...s/pivotal1
  

Peshay - (unknown - 'matches').mp3 [listen]

• Now this is special. What a slammer. But why could I never identify it?
  
  Well, yes, eventually I did. And its this:
  http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/r_and...s/rs97125x
  
  Just check them slamming beats. This is a tuuuune. Not to be forgotten. Are you getting the drift yet?
  

Peshay - (unknown 2).mp3 [listen]

• When I first heard this, my hairs stood up on end. This is just such a lush, completely unashamed love statement! Now I posted this up as an unknown on here not so long back, and thankfuly I got the ID. Some of you liked it, others didn't in equal measure. I say this is a wonderful piece of music!
  
  Yes, that over bearing beat is bog standards. But only by his measure, mind you. And that b-line will make you blush. But why the hell not
  
  This was from about Sept / Oct 97, and all i knew was that this forthcoming album was gonna be a must have. Never appeared on it though, and finally saw a 1999 release under this somewhat odd guise...
  http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/creat...ds/crse022
  

DJ Shadow - What Does Your Soul Look Like? (Peshay Remix)
http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/mo_wax/mw087dj

• Now this was some wicked tune I knew to be Peshay, from Randall playing it on Kiss one evening. Its still got that overblown jazz sound that he developed to it, but with a bit of a harder, more rabble rousing edge to it.
  
  Now, and this was a problem with a lot of 'commisioned' remixes of that era - they didn't not seem to filter back to the scene in which they developed, instead no doubt being marketed for a much trendier market. I had no idea what it was for years, other than thinking maybe this was another tune intended for the original album. By accident did I discover the original DJ Shadow track some years later, finally discovering what this tune actually was.
  

Peshay - (unknown 3).mp3 [listen]

• Another unknown, played by Fabio, around Oct 1997, well I liked this also. I was really digging this Peshay sound. So many great tunes. This album was sure to be a classic. Had no idea what it was called but all I could do was wait.
  
  But yet another tune that I had assumed had just simply faded away never to be remembered again. It wasn't on the released "Miles From Home" album. In the end,
  turns out its on this release again, i was happy to discover only recently, when I picked up this release on a whim earlier this year:
  http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/pivot...s/pivotal1
  
  Never the less, i still get the feeling that some of these tunes would have done a lot better for themselves had they been put together to comprise this LP, rather than being split up and scattered about all over the place
  

Peshay - Switch
http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/island_blue/12pfa1

• Now this was known as the name & title of the track from late 1997, and as I understand, it was intended as the b-side to the soon to be released "Miles From Home" 12". But that never happened, not until 1999 did it come out, turning up on that eventual LP that finally came about.
  

1997 Peshay.mp3 [listen]

• Right so that just leaves one... One final unknown that refuses to be identified!
  
  I remember well hearing this on Kenny Ken's show in mid summer 1997, but I was not taping that show that day. Thankfully someone else did. Never the less, not even hearing it for years, I'd often remember it to myself, it was so very distinctive to me. Its kinda like a cross between his DJ Shadow remix and that tune on Tech Itch Decoder - Circuit Breaker (Peshay Remix). I think Kenny Ken also mentioned this as being forthcoming on Metalheadz if i remember correctly!
  
  Shame that clip is so short, maybe I can get a longer one...
  http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/tech_...ords/ti016
  
  EDIT: This is Peshay - Phobia and is unreleased, better clip of this is now HERE
  
  

- - - - - - - - - -


(unknown) – (flamboyant funky jazzy).mp3 [listen]

• This is one recorded from Fabio september time 1997 and its sooo flamboyant I almost didn't like it (!), but it stayed on tape and ultimately, onto my digital archives.
  
  I was clutching at straws at who it could be, in fact I've just checked my notes and I have it as possibly Photek... i think those intro drums reminded me of KJZ or something, but the rest didnt fit... who could it be??
  
  I only finally discover by accident whilst looking up the Shadows Of The Chemical remix on discogs, in fact I only learnt since starting this thread... and well, its pretty special... I hope you check it out
  http://www.discogs.com/Sugizo-Replicant-...ter/194769
  

(unknown – poss. Peshay) - (unknown).mp3 [listen]

• OK so I knew this was Peshay, this was from the turn of the new year and I think originally had recordings of both Fabio playing this and Jumping Jack Frost, however just this clip now of Frost from the 2nd Jan 1998
  
  Its not the greatest of tunes ever when you compare against others in the music but the thing is I just like this sound, certainly when I compare to anything what was on the "Miles From Home" album this just seems to be far better, its defo one of my faves
  
  As Freefall rightly says this is the instrumental track of a remix that featured on the japanese released Cloud 9 cd, which I got the id of just over a year ago, but much to my disappointment it has some vocals that sound like someone just ad libbed over it... Is the original a collab between Nookie & Peshay?
  
  This really should have been on the album imo
  http://www.discogs.com/Cloud-9-Distant-A...se/1544185

I remember seeing the bill posters about for Psyence Fiction, and being very disgruntled about it! Here was an album that was sure to be a classic, but was being thrown to the wind with an outrageous disregard.

[Statto]

nicely done ornette, there's another couple on my wants list.

That last one sounds more like a full on decoder production rather than peshay?

nicely done ornette, there's another couple on my wants list.

That last one sounds more like a full on decoder production rather than peshay?

Hmm could be, its very similar to the Circuit Breaker. Howewer Kenny Ken did defo say it was Peshay. Here's Facerider's original thread:
http://www.rolldabeats.com/forum/index.p...opic=35452

damn I didn't include his Courtney Pine Trying Times remix

thats crucial to understanding his sound from back then!

nice! will have a read and listen to the clips

with you on this, definitely liking the peshay tunes from that period too

nice thread - a lot of these tunes are way better than i remembered them! (i guess the sound got a bit tarnished by some of the cheesier stuff)

that remix on creative source was amazing!

remember this was quite nice from around the same era ...

http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/talkin_loud/tlx30/

the break on jazz lick always gets me, in a good way....

its got that out of time but seems to work feel to it, when you first hear it that kick/crash kind of throws you but after its been rolling a few it just works

Wow, good work Ornette. A pretty thorough synopsis!

remember this was quite nice from around the same era ...

http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/talkin_loud/tlx30/

yes! I meant to mention that one!

In fact that one's crucial, to understanding his sound from then. Only discovered when I borrowed the Courtney Pine "Another Story" CD in 2002! It seems it must have been a hard 12" to track down, it seems it was only ever a promo on 12", no wonder I never came across it.

Definitely a high point of his 1996-1997 era... lemme see if I can incorporate this into my top post

my fave peshay is very obviously "the nocturnal" (back on the firm) off platinum breakz

still fresh even today.

i think i've got a headz mowax sampler with peshay and dillinja on it. good li'l 12" though while being captivated by the dillinja side i can't recall the peshay flip

didn't tech itch and decoder engineer miles from home? as they did "predator" for mhdz?

I'm going to put a batsignal up for Daryl DMT. He's the biggest Peshay fanbwoy in the history of humankind. That dude bought unreleased Peshay dubs off ebay IIRC.

Good look on mentioning Decoder. You also have to add Flytronix for additional knob twiddling on Peshay tunes from that era.

I think Fabio's dub version of Switch was also different than the full release. I remember the drop being much better on Fabio's version (from radio shows) than the one that finally came out on Island.

So, what was anyone else's thoughts on the actual album?

I just remember being really disappointed. Must have flicked through it at Blackmarket in 1999, discovered that none of the tunes I had been waiting for were on it, and put it back again!

[Statto]

had it, sold it

DJ Shadow - What Does Your Soul Look Like? (Peshay Remix)
http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/mo_wax/mw087dj

• Now this was some wicked tune I knew to be Peshay, from Randall playing it on Kiss one evening. Its still got that overblown jazz sound that he developed to it, but with a bit of a harder, more rabble rousing edge to it.
  
  Now, and this was a problem with a lot of 'commisioned' remixes of that era - they didn't not seem to filter back to the scene in which they developed, instead no doubt being marketed for a much trendier market. I had no idea what it was for years, other than thinking maybe this was another tune intended for the original album. By accident did I discover the original DJ Shadow track some years later, finally discovering what this tune actually was.
  

Not sure about this. I remember it being pretty big at the time... nice full colour sleeve and all. maybe its just cos we were pretty starved for jungle over here - even by the time this came out...

RE: some other comments about the length of time it took some tunes to see the light of day. Its an interesting flip of the commercial aspect of hardcore and early jungle, when tunes were coming out weeks after they were produced... I'm sure someone could write a thesis about capitalist infrastructure and its influence on hardcore/jungle/D+B... When loads of people were making tunes and the scene was at its height (sales-wise), tunes came out quickly, as the scene progressed and consolidated more and more stuff was held back - as if producers, labels and DJs became much more guarded and possessive about their music... Dubplate culture and all that, but its intriguing to to see how something similar happened with grime - an initial scene rush which then petered out as artists all held back on releases in the hope of deals with majors, which in turn forced the scene to stagnate (for a while at least). Of course, the lack of big, regular club nights didn't help either.

Lovely bit of archaeology there btw Ornette

nice thread ;-D

i think peshay maybe also had some trouble with sample clearance ... probably a quite high profile label like mo wax would have to be pretty careful in that respect .. which is maybe why i few of the bits which missed the album came out of whites quite randomly a few years later ..

Bump!

Think I was meant to use the word 'exuberant' in there somewhere!

1997 Peshay.mp3 [listen]

• Right so that just leaves one... One final unknown that refuses to be identified!
  
  I remember well hearing this on Kenny Ken's show in mid summer 1997, but I was not taping that show that day. Thankfully someone else did. Never the less, not even hearing it for years, I'd often remember it to myself, it was so very distinctive to me. Its kinda like a cross between his DJ Shadow remix and that tune on Tech Itch Decoder - Circuit Breaker (Peshay Remix). I think Kenny Ken also mentioned this as being forthcoming on Metalheadz if i remember correctly!
  
  Shame that clip is so short, maybe I can get a longer one...
  http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/tech_...ords/ti016
  
  

I remember seeing the bill posters about for Psyence Fiction, and being very disgruntled about it! Here was an album that was sure to be a classic, but was being thrown to the wind with an outrageous disregard.

I ran a night in Amsterdam(99-01)with a mate of mine called Andy haze and he was a mate of peshays , he has this tune on 12" dub cut at metropolis and the title if I remember correctly was psychotic ,but I think Andy recorded it ... ill see if i can track it down.

I remember that it seemed Fabio and Grooverider were claiming that everything they played by Peshay around 1997 onwards was going to be featured on 'that' album. I agree the album was delayed massively and I too was exactly the same as you, I picked it up excitedly in 1999 only to discover that I didn't recognise any of the tracks and did not buy it for a while after - it was only later the album grew on me and now I like some of the tracks on it. I was never a huge fan of the title track 'Miles from home'. I managed to pick up the majority of the tracks you mention in your initial post at the time of release bar a few.... although again I agree they were a little sporadic in their release dates. Not sure where you live or if that had anything to do with it???? I used to live in Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom and my local record shop Parliament Records in Hitchin and also the Hertford store (owned by Rob Haigh - Omni Trio). They always seemed well stocked with tunes. Nookie took over the shop in 1994/5 and aside from other things I later I managed to get a copy of his unreleased album under his Cloud Nine guise 'Distant Affairs' in about 1998 with full artwork sleeve as he was not allowed to sell them due to sample clearance etc - can't believe he had two boxes of these all pressed up. I have two copies of that album - one still sealed and it features that massive unreleased Peshay remix of Living in a Ghetto (vox). I also have the dubplate version as I am sure you will already know did not contain the vocals - I used to slam that on the pirate radio show I played on back then. Just posted it on YouTube

Distant Affairs also contains that retouched version of We Can Make It Happen which was a lot better than the single sided promo version - I have now posted this too...

Heard someone play that DJ Shadow remix out recently enough, I've had it years but never liked it as much as the Die remix on the flip, although I must say since hearing it on a nice sound system the big obnoxious snare sounds much less in your face, and the amen switches are undeniably fun.

Somewhat agree about the late 90's Peshay stuff getting a bit of a bad rep - I still think Vegas is a whopper tune for example - but I wonder how much of that is us just looking back at stuff we thought was pretty wack and realising it wasn't really as wack as the stuff that came after?

That was a wicked read!!!! Excellent

Peshay - (unknown 2).mp3 [URL="http://www.classifiedlistening.com/tarzanstuff/Peshay%20-%20(unknown%202).mp3"]
[listen][/URL]

• When I first heard this, my hairs stood up on end. This is just such a lush, completely unashamed love statement! Now I posted this up as an unknown on here not so long back, and thankfuly I got the ID. Some of you liked it, others didn't in equal measure. I say this is a wonderful piece of music!
  
  Yes, that over bearing beat is bog standards. But only by his measure, mind you. And that b-line will make you blush. But why the hell not
  
  This was from about Sept / Oct 97, and all i knew was that this forthcoming album was gonna be a must have. Never appeared on it though, and finally saw a 1999 release under this somewhat odd guise...
  http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/creat...ds/crse022
  

I remember first hearing this Appollo 69 - Mindgaterz track on Fabio and Grooverider's debut BBC Radio One show in January 1998 - think it came out near the end of 1999 - such a tune, I really thought this was going to be on the album and was bitterly disappointed when it wasn't - then when it came out as a single on Creative Source I was pleased as it meant I didn't have to buy the Peshay album for one tune! However, since then like I say that album has grown on me - Pacific being lovely although possibly just a slower version of Mindgaterz!

Yeah sorry pressure, been meaning to get back on this thread for some time -

Lifeline - thats a rare one you got there! I've never heard it although I did get to listen to the other Nookie album that came out in Japan "Paradise". Seems the CD did see a full release over there. Drum & bass was pretty massive in the consumer market so I've heard, there's a few bits only released over there, tunes available in cd format, so on

Pressure, thanks for the heads up on that, it turns out however the tune is one called "Phobia", certainly unreleased, an owner of a dub of this popped up and confirmed some details. I have managed to procure a better clip of this but unfortunately its still not in the greatest of quality... you should hear what the amens in this do in stereo
nonethelesss here it is: peshay unknown '97.mp3

As stated I've been meaning to add some more to this thread, so how about doing now


(unknown) – (flamboyant funky jazzy).mp3 [listen]

• This is one recorded from Fabio september time 1997 and its sooo flamboyant I almost didn't like it (!), but it stayed on tape and ultimately, onto my digital archives.
  
  I was clutching at straws at who it could be, in fact I've just checked my notes and I have it as possibly Photek... i think those intro drums reminded me of KJZ or something, but the rest didnt fit... who could it be??
  
  I only finally discover by accident whilst looking up the Shadows Of The Chemical remix on discogs, in fact I only learnt since starting this thread... and well, its pretty special... I hope you check it out
  http://www.discogs.com/Sugizo-Replicant-...ter/194769
  

(unknown – poss. Peshay) - (unknown).mp3 [listen]

• OK so I knew this was Peshay, this was from the turn of the new year and I think originally had recordings of both Fabio playing this and Jumping Jack Frost, however just this clip now of Frost from the 2nd Jan 1998
  
  Its not the greatest of tunes ever when you compare against others in the music but the thing is I just like this sound, certainly when I compare to anything what was on the "Miles From Home" album this just seems to be far better, its defo one of my faves
  
  As Freefall rightly says this is the instrumental track of a remix that featured on the japanese released Cloud 9 cd, which I got the id of just over a year ago, but much to my disappointment it has some vocals that sound like someone just ad libbed over it... Is the original a collab between Nookie & Peshay?
  
  This really should have been on the album imo
  http://www.discogs.com/Cloud-9-Distant-A...se/1544185

Stay tuned for further updates!