Jungle saw the likes of Ronnie Size shoot to stardom in the 90s, which had both a commercial and underground scene which still exist today. This spawned Drum and Bass which saw the likes of Andy C commercially smashing it across festivals and arenas worldwide. There was and is both a commercial and underground global scene that pulsates strongly today. This spawned a sub-genre of d’n’b called liquid and this is where Hospitality Records came to the fore.
Started by legendary producer Tony Colman (aka London Elektricity) and Chris Goss, the label has been pushing the creation of edgy, noisy and ground breaking liquid d’n’b for the past 15 years. Artists such as Bop, S.P.Y and Danny Byrd have blurred the lines between commercial and underground with their infectious, warm and melody-replete beats. Pushing reverb, trip-hop beats, and maxing the effects has been the name of the game, turning dance-floors around the world into sweaty cauldrons of pie eyed punters. They have broadened their horizon even further this time with a huge remix of Enter Shikari’s latest album ‘The Mindsweep’.
There were times gone by when punks and metalheads chided the thought of dance music, but then came along the Prodigy who with seemingly consummate ease, allowed the two genres to sit side by side, both aurally and live. And why not, there is as much pace and furiousness to d’n’b, as there is to most bands.
Take for example, the Reso remix of ‘Anaesthetist’ which starts with the slowed down melody, jazzy-like, before the beefy d’n’b beat peels back the skin on your face, the pace picking up to 160 bpm. It works so well, Rou’s lyrics masterfully layered over the top.
Bop made his name in Hospitality Records with his unique influences from deep house, minimalist dubstep and ambient d’n’b. His version of ‘Myopia’ is scaled back but with the original hostility still punching through, even overcoming the original.
Danny Byrd is renowned for his remix ability, and has tirelessly been reinventing tracks from across the musical spectrum for some years. He is known for his more jovial, party anthems. ‘There’s A Price On Your Head’ is one of the heavier offerings from Enter Shikari and the remix is nearly unrecognisable, the SOAD-esque screams and jittery structure replaced by an utterly rhythmic and delirious remix, an anthem in its own right, complete with a wave of warm, Arabic sounding melody that sends shivers down the spine.
One of Hospital Records’ longest standing servants, Brazil’s S.P.Y takes ‘The Last Garrison’, adds in reverb and knock knock beats and turns the original singalong into a knees up exercise routine, both the original aggressiveness and melody leaking through. The drops are massive and devastating and thoughts of this through a loud PA make the legs tremble in trepidation.
It wouldn’t be right to talk Hospital without talking Tony Colman, aka London Elektricity. His take on ‘Dear Future Historians’ is a slow burner, as the original suggests, the melody and piano parts drifting over you with Rou’s vocals “I never walked on the moon…” wrapping around you like a snug blanket. The vocals are distorted to give that feel of otherworldly dance euphoria, before the symbols melt into a whirlwind of warm, electrical percussion. It is perfect, not having the bite of aforementioned tracks, but giving the original a fresh and urban sound.
This album is nothing but a huge success. It takes an already unique and genre defying sound and dresses it up for the dance floors of London. It takes two scenes in the UK that have been underground since day one, but are now peeking out into the everyday. If this album is anything to go by, remixes and collaborations between the two are incredibly unique and moreish, and do exactly what the two genres set out to do in the first place – push boundaries, enhance the live scene and simply entertain.
DAVE BULL