The Wire #367 p25 - Justin Broadrick Invisible Jukebox - David Stubbs
"Boymerang - 'Still'
From Still/Urban Space 12' (Prototype) 1996
Something off the No U-Turn label? No! It's Boymerang! "Still"! Absolute favourite tune, this.
The drum 'n' bass project of Graham Sutton, who drifted towards the genre from the rock of Bark Psychosis. You made a
similar journey, didn't you?
I was in the drum 'n' bass scene for a few years when I was making records for some regular labels, being played out by DJs I respected. I made them all under pseudonyms. I almost made a record for No U-Turn, I made stuff for Dillinja for a bit - then I threw the towel in. Much like he (Boymerang) did. It got a bit too safe. Unfortunately, it also got ruled by DJs who wanted to please crowds. I mean, even early on it had its rule book, its tempos, its textures. But there was something really out the window, off the wall about it. It still sounded genuinely experimental. And I was drawn to the absolute darkness of this music. I've been coming back to it recently, the early stuff.
Quite a few people are, I think. Another problem at the time was that although the music didn't make much impact on the Top 40, it became appropriated by populists. Anyone who wanted an instant injection of hipness would throw in a few bars of drum 'n' bass. You'd even hear it in the incidental music to gardening programmes.
Yeah, a sneaky little d'n'b beat. The same thing's happened with dubstep. Some marketing guy says let's get on the back of it, show we're down with the kids. Next thing you hear it's on the Lurpak advert.
Also drum'n'bass endured a jazz funkish gentrification. It became somewhat smoothed out in its later years as it moved
away from its 'threatening' black origins.
Oh, I hated all that, that soulfulness. Also, the Americanisation of it, white kids on Miami beach... I remember going to early drum'n'bass events and they felt quite scary. There was an air, an element of danger which I really enjoyed. But again, at its best, there's common ground with things like metal. Records like this, it's riffs.
- David Stubbs made me happy for bringing this record at first, then made me sad by recycling his Bark Psychosis "hipster notions of 4Real against what is actually real up for grabs, in a state of flux" comments about drum'n'bass, then they both made me laugh because they're exactly the problem with people selfishly commodifying drum'n'bass for their own agenda - being hipsters themselves.
"Boymerang - 'Still'
From Still/Urban Space 12' (Prototype) 1996
Something off the No U-Turn label? No! It's Boymerang! "Still"! Absolute favourite tune, this.
The drum 'n' bass project of Graham Sutton, who drifted towards the genre from the rock of Bark Psychosis. You made a
similar journey, didn't you?
I was in the drum 'n' bass scene for a few years when I was making records for some regular labels, being played out by DJs I respected. I made them all under pseudonyms. I almost made a record for No U-Turn, I made stuff for Dillinja for a bit - then I threw the towel in. Much like he (Boymerang) did. It got a bit too safe. Unfortunately, it also got ruled by DJs who wanted to please crowds. I mean, even early on it had its rule book, its tempos, its textures. But there was something really out the window, off the wall about it. It still sounded genuinely experimental. And I was drawn to the absolute darkness of this music. I've been coming back to it recently, the early stuff.
Quite a few people are, I think. Another problem at the time was that although the music didn't make much impact on the Top 40, it became appropriated by populists. Anyone who wanted an instant injection of hipness would throw in a few bars of drum 'n' bass. You'd even hear it in the incidental music to gardening programmes.
Yeah, a sneaky little d'n'b beat. The same thing's happened with dubstep. Some marketing guy says let's get on the back of it, show we're down with the kids. Next thing you hear it's on the Lurpak advert.
Also drum'n'bass endured a jazz funkish gentrification. It became somewhat smoothed out in its later years as it moved
away from its 'threatening' black origins.
Oh, I hated all that, that soulfulness. Also, the Americanisation of it, white kids on Miami beach... I remember going to early drum'n'bass events and they felt quite scary. There was an air, an element of danger which I really enjoyed. But again, at its best, there's common ground with things like metal. Records like this, it's riffs.
- David Stubbs made me happy for bringing this record at first, then made me sad by recycling his Bark Psychosis "hipster notions of 4Real against what is actually real up for grabs, in a state of flux" comments about drum'n'bass, then they both made me laugh because they're exactly the problem with people selfishly commodifying drum'n'bass for their own agenda - being hipsters themselves.