Monday, March 3, 2008

El-B 'Digital'





What can I say about Lewis Beadle?

Better known as El-B, this man single handedly blew me away more than any producer in the late 90s and early 2000s.
It was 2000 when I was working with RickyForce and Grizzle managing a certain retail outlet in Dublin that sold DJ equipment and accessories.

By now totally jaded with Drum and Bass, and spending any readies I had on old breaks I couldnt afford when I was a kid, quirky disco rarities and broken beat, it was El-B that rekindled my love for new music.

The track below is the one that just killed me when I first heard it - Id already been getting into UKG at the time, but the notion of spending money on
vinyl that would never be appreciated in Dublin seemed pointless. Thankfully I bought some of the (few) killers I could get my hands on over here in the days before the credit card and ubiquitous internet.

For me, he brought all that had been cast aside in jungle as drum and bass became a snorefest of dodgy copycat production. He brought genuine darkage, swing and rhythm to the fore and invented a whole new musical form.

Here it is anyway, the track is 'Digital' featuring MC Juiceman on the mic. Killer.



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