This mix here features all the early work from 4Hero alias Tom & Jerry, the selection takes you right up to the end up 1993 before T&J’s real ragga jungle influences kicked in, with tracks like Air Freshner and Maximum Style obvious omissions.
So basically you get the best of that hardcore / jungle crossover sound on tracks like the huge ‘We Can Be Free‘.

Sadly, thanks to an old skool producer (will remain unnamed) who is no longer active or selling any mp3′s online, has took offence to Extreme’s Hardscore site and subsequently managed to get ALL of the mixes on the site removed.
So for now, Hardscore is essentially dead, with no plans to resurrect it at any time soon.

So in homage to 4hero, Extreme and Hardscore,  peep this one…

-Download link- 

01 The One Reason [SHELL001]
02 Physics [SHELL002]
03 The Second Reason [SHELL001]
04 Baby Don’t Shout [SHELL002]
05 Papillon Love Song [SHELL003]
06 We can be Free [SHELL002]
07 A patch of Blue [SHELL003]
08 For the Gold Teeth (F.N.T) [SHELL002]
09 B.O.S. Realting [SHELL003]
10 Let your spirit Rise [SHELL004]
11 Cat got your Tongue [SHELL003]
12 Programme 205 [SHELL004]
13 Scooby’s Dreaming [SHELL005]
14 Strings & Me [SHELL004]
15 Nine Lives (mind out tube mice) [SHELL005]
16 All alone with Dog Face [SHELL006]
17 Yamming snacks like Shaggy [SHELL005]
18 Sun on my Head [SHELL006]
19 Mousetrap (dangerous) [SHELL004]

Foul Play were a trio consisting of John Morrow, Steve Bradshaw (who sadly passed away in 1998) and the highly influential Steve Gurley.
They started life releasing two very sought after EP’s on their own label Oblivion and were quickly picked up by Moving Shadow boss Rob Playford.

As remix masters they were responsible for edits of Omni Trio’s anthemic Renegade Snares and Feel Better, as well as Hyper On Experience’s ’Lord Of The Null Lines’. Arguably the popularity of these three remixes surpassed that of the originals.
But they also created amazing tracks of their own, none bigger than the likes of Open Your Mind and the Mary J Blige sampling ‘Being With You‘, as well as the ever-elusive and ridiculously expensive ‘Drowning In Her‘ under their 4 Horseman alias.

Today’s track though was a bit of a gamble in two ways.
Finest Illusion, released in 1993, like many tracks of that era bridged the gap between jungle and all out hardcore.
But whilst everyone else was welcoming the ‘darkcore’ styles littered with gangsta hip hop or ragga samples, Foul Play went in the opposite direction and went for happy vibes with uplifting synths and that hardcore trademark the chipmunk vocal.

This is where the problem began, the vocals used were taken from an excellent funk / rare groove act called The SOS Band, the track sampled was the equally great ‘The Finest‘.
As quickly as Moving Shadow sister label and shop Section 5 released the 12″, it appears someone from The SOS Band camp may have caught wind of it and it was quickly withdrawn from record shops the country over.
It then reappeared, using the same metalwork master, as a black label release with no label or reference to any of the material on the wax. You will now be hard pressed to find a copy of either release for less than 60-70 pound!

The original mix was well received and got a lot of air play across the London pirates and as such Foul Play re-created the track, without the vocal and Moving Shadow did the rest; releasing it as the as a B-side known as the ‘Legal Mix‘.

Enough chat, enjoy some vintage hardcore…

This is a mix I did yesterday – March 18th. Deep darkside jungle. Every track played is the original vinyl or dubplate, except for the track marked * – which was given to me by the producer as a .wav. I don’t cut dubplates anymore so I played it off CDJ. Mixed on three Technics 1200s, a Pioneer CDJ-800 and a Rane Empath mixer.

Intense – Journey to the Unknown – Rugged Vinyl
Imposter & Lewi – The Shining – II Strong
DJ Ruffkut – Dub White – No U Turn
DJ D-Lux – Iron Plate – Brain Progression
DJ Ruffkut – Dangerous – No U Turn
Commando Alan Jamming Nam & Lieutenant A. J. Cracker – Bat 21 – Untold
Digital Pressure – Strictly Drug-Related – Juice Box
The Man With No Name – Painted Man – Hard Disk
Spinback & Windmill – Divine Inspiration – Legend
Wriggler Bascombe – Final Battle – One Nation
DJ D-Lux – Annihilation – Brain Progression
DJ Mayhem – Let Me Tell You Something – Face
Remarc – Mayhem – Dollar
Jim Polo & Neil Vass – Underground Feeling – Dark Horse
Wax Doctor & Jack Smooth – Unfriendly – Basement
Steve C & Monita – Smart Kid – Skeleton
Whitehouse Crew – Where the Sun Don’t Shine – Subliminal
Tango – Future Followers VIP – dubplate
Dillinja – Majestic B-Line EP – track A1 – Deadly Vinyl
Bay B Kane – Wickedest Man *
Area 39 – Clint – Vision
Intense – The Genesis Project – Rugged Vinyl

Decoder, or Darren Beale as it says on his passport was been responsible for a huge amount of hardcore, jungle and drum and bass since his early outings on Lucky Spin and Deejay Recordings.
Under aliases like Orca, Wild Orkid, Atlas and Koda he first found a niche creating that other–worldly sound made famous by Lucky Spin and his label mates, including the Beverly Craven sampling hardcore anthem 4 AM.

A major unsung hero in drum and bass he continued his work creating dark tracks under his Decoder pseudonym, frequently releasing on Mark Caro’s Tech Itch imprint..
These days he can be found as one third of chart topping trio Kosheen, comprising of radio friendly D&B, Trip-Hop and more pop influenced numbers.

Below is Decoder – Fog, released on Hardleaders in 1996, one of the darkest tunes I know. Very few people can do “dark” jungle/DnB well, however Decoder nails it almost every time.

Turn off the lights and listen.

On a rainy afternoon there is not much else to do but dig through the tracks, get a bit dusty and drink copious amounts of tea; and this mix is the end result.

The mix covers a nice spectrum of deep, atmospheric and ‘intelligent’ beats from 1994 to 1996, peppered, as you would expect, with Good Looking and Moving Shadow releases.
Within a few tracks such as the uplifting ‘Travelling Pt 2‘ and Gwange’s ‘Motionless‘ you can still very much hear the 1993 hardcore influences trying to get escape, in contrast to the more laid back and perhaps refined drum and bass sounds of later releases like ‘Dusted‘ by Axis or PFM’s take of David Holmes – Gone.

Enough talk now, allow 70 or so minutes to drift away…..

01.. David Holmes – Gone (PFM Remix)- Go Discs!
02.. Intense – Careless Minds – Good Looking
03.. JMJ & Richie – Universal Horn – Moving Shadow
04.. The Sentinel – Awakening – Basement
05.. DOPE – Travelling Pt 2 – Good Looking
06.. Atlas – Second Heaven – Deejay
07.. Q-Project – The Instrumental – Looking Good
08.. Boymerang – The River (VIP) – Regal
09.. Axis – Dusted – Good Looking
10.. Aquasky – Tranquility – Moving Shadow
11.. Oblivion – Sands Of Time – Street Beats
12.. PFM – Hypnotizing – Good Looking
13.. DJ Gwange – Motionless – Legend Records
14.. DJ Crystl – Sweet Dreamz – Deejay

You can find the rest of the mix series here or on my Mixcloud account.

This one is brought to you by Funky Technicians, known now as the prolific duo Total Science (Spinback & Q Project). The tune starts off with a extended intro that slowly builds up with pads and rides, which then falls into a healthy amen break that is sure to make you reminisce.  I managed to pick this one up completely by fluke, which ended up probably being one of my most interesting purchases without knowing.

As always, you can find it for a few pounds on discogs.  Funky Technicians – Day By Day

As touched on previously, around 1995 to 97 D&B was celebrated in the UK media as a creative outlet for the urban youth of the time and everyone wanted a piece.

Legendary DJ Paul Oakenfold, one of the pioneers of the Balearic club scene in the late 80′s opted for who else but LTJ Bukem to create a deep Drum and Bass remix for Grace’s trance anthem ‘If I Could Fly’.

As the remix name suggests, it’s a smooth roller which works either at home to relax to, or on the club floor.

One of the Bukem’s lesser known remixes but also one of the cheapest, partly due to an en masse pressing thanks to the huge popularity of Oakenfold’s Perfecto label at the time.
Pick up a copy (with the Trance mixes) from Discogs for as little as 50 pence!

You can also check this track along with the rest of his remixes and releases on my Biography of LTJ Bukem mix.

The tune is Unplugged (Chaos & Julia Set Mix) produced by Mark Pritchard and released on his Recoil Records label. A really forward thinking tune for its time (released in 1994) it features unique beats, quirky Sci-Fi FX and a great breakdown halfway through.

It was regularly played at the time by LTJ Bukem and featured on his Fantazia takes you into the jungle mix.

Dark and intelligent sit back and enjoy this absolute classic.