1994

The Greatest mix of all time?
Ark And Universe Leeds Uni 25th June 1994

Ark And Universe Leeds Uni 25th June 1994

Probably not, but in the eyes (ears?) of 88to98 anyway, incredibly this mix by Jon of the Pleased Wimmin must be pretty close.

Here is some of it

25th June 1994 Ark Leeds University

House was massive at this point, with the rave scene split between happy hardcore and jungle, many people had moved to house.  This mix is the example of the sound before superclubs went overground in 1995. Tough, fast, uplifting with massive breaks this just does it on all levels.   Jon Pleased Wimmin was known for the more commercial cheesy side of things, but there is none of that here, even though some of the tunes went on to be massive anthems.

If you want to hear it drop us a PM.

It says Ark and Universe, this was the Universe based in Bradford, not the Universe responsible for Pleasure Planet, Big Love etc

Mixmag April 1994 – Is Jungle Too Ruff?

Mixmag | APRIL 1994 – IS JUNGLE TOO RUFF?.

This article is now 20 years old. It’s an argument that wasn’t solved then, and hasn’t been since.

APRIL 1994 - IS JUNGLE TOO RUFF?

Words: Jane Headon
Photos from Jungle Fever: Donovan
Published in Mixmag April 1994

With the precision of a wire cutter, jungle music has divided the rave scene down the middle. People’s feelings are set down in two camps. Thereʼs those who claim that jungle is keeping dance music alive and that, without it, the entire rave scene would have collapsed. And there’s those who argue that jungle music is a nasty business, too mixed in with hard drugs, violence and bad vibes, killing the scene without mercy.

It has been around, like most dance music forms, since the beginning. After the ’88/’89 summers of love, when house started dividing itself up like an amoeba, one of the sub-genres was heavily reggae influenced tracks. Black kids stole back their tech and chucked deep baselines and frantic breakbeats under it. Shut Up And Dance started toasting over bass heavy hardcore.

Then in 1991 Rebel MC put out his ‘Black Meaning Goodʼ LP. Suddenly the unlikely bed fellows of ragga and techno became a respected marriage. It was described by many as ‘noise free’ music. Everyone got into it, from The Prodigy to SL2 whose poppy ʻOn A Ragga Tip’ sold 200,000 copies. Techno opened up the scene. Rave became legal, harder and less elitist.

So the pro-junglists are right. Without hardcore the scene wouldn’t be what it is today. Around ’91 and ’92 it was exhorted by ravers for being a truly multi-racial form of music. In 1994, says Gerald Bailey, promoter of Quest in Wolverhampton, a hardcore session that’s been pulling in 1,000 a week for two and a half years now, if you want to fill the club, you play jungle.
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Mixmag June 1994 Trip Hop

We never really went for Trip Hop, wasn’t dancey enough, but it was pretty big in the mid-90’s. Love the DJ Shadow album Endtroducing that is mentioned though.

Mixmag | JUNE 1994: TRIP HOP.

Was it all crap? JUNE 1994: TRIP HOP

It’s insane, scary, trippy, very dope and the most exciting thing to happen to hip hop for years.

Words: Andy Pemberton
Photos: Mark McNulty
Published in Mixmag June 1994

“It’s so fucking excellent at the moment,” enthuses Mark, that guru of all things techno from Happy Daze Records on the Isle Of Wight. “That stuff is just wicked. La Funk Mob, RPM, itʼs excellent.”

He’s not talking about the latest ‘Technoid implosions Volume 12’ LP, or the new ‘Die Pantaloons Trancenfurher’ 10 inch cyberdisc. Heʼs talking about a new kind of hip hop record.

It would be unheard of for technoboffs to enthuse about hip hop just six months ago. The beats were far too slow, and the rhymes just got in the way for dance-floor fun or bed room appreciation. Hip hop was out there on its own, a whole culture and musical genre best left to low riding Americans obsessed with guns and girls with big bottoms. But now all that is changing. London’s bastion of techno Fat Cat Records is selling these new hip hop records like hot cross buns, sussed trance and techno-heads like Mark Daze and Andy Weatherall are sitting up and paying attention, and house producers like Slo Moshun, whose ʻBells Of New Yorkʼ slowed right down to a hip hop break, are realizing there’s more to life than four to the floor beat fascism.

Cut to Friday night at the London citadel of trance, Sabresonic and Bob Jones, erstwhile soul and Ian dude DJ, is on the decks. That in itself is surprising enough, but he’s playing some weird music. Slow and crunching hip hop beats, no vocals, just strange swirling noises over the top. The Sonic faithful look utterly confused. It’s like taking acid at a hip hop gig. Weird.
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Mixmag | FEBRUARY 1994: PIRATES ON PARADE

Mixmag | FEBRUARY 1994: PIRATES ON PARADE.

From the Archives

FEBRUARY 1994: PIRATES ON PARADE

FEBRUARY 1994: PIRATES ON PARADE

Words: Jane Headon
Published in Mixmag February 1994

It’s about freedom of choice. You want hardcore all day? There’s Pulse or Format. You want solid soulful garage? Here’s Rhythm FM. You want full-on ambient and dripping tap noises from midnight Saturday to midday Sunday? With Chill Out FM, you’ve got it.
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