Benny B's Garage Mixes

It was with some trepidation I opened the first package in this round of the Dissensus tape swap and noted that it was all Garage! Two mixes back to back, one 1997-98, the other from 2001-2003. Blimey - house music! It’s been so long! Soundtrack to my youth in a lot of ways… many a misspent night was spent bopping away googly-eyed to repetitive beats, from my late teens to my late 20s really. Going back earlier, I can remember listening to what was probably the first house music shows in London, Jazzy M (on errmmm… LWR?) and hearing the acid house on pirates. Early Trax singles found their way out to Ilford and used to nestle alongside Nu Groove, with Soul II Soul and Just Ice in my record boxes. These days however, house music has been washed out of life, alongside clubs, drugs and dancing sadly. None of the latter have gone completely but all are lot less frequent than they used to be. House music in the last few years has most regularly been heard as annoying, distant thump through floors and walls, prompting mucho bitching on my part if it happens to be my flat.

Anyway, as it’s a mix, I’m not going to do a track by track breakdown. I’m going to more write about my reactions and pull out a few tunes which stood out to me. I decided to listen to this tape while doing simple tasks like the washing up and cooking. Stuff where I like my brain to wander off. I must confess for the opening couple of songs on first listen I wasn’t feeling it – but gradually I began to warm up, as dormant parts of my brain came back on line. In a way, it felt like what I was doing was retraining my ears. Instead of looking for the various indefinable whatever-they-ares I normally go for, I felt I was tuning into something much simpler, and listening for something very different. Simple structures - drumsbeat/hi-hat, bass, various samples and mid tones sounds and stabs – and in these structures, the pleasures seemed to come out of tuning into the way these elements interplayed, listening for both the pleasures of repetition and the slight variations in tone and texture. I also found myself listening just to sound in itself a lot more, just simple noises that got me going. For instance, I particularly liked the bass sound on “Mr Maniac” by Genaside II - deep and resonant but still a bit cheap sounding and tinny, as if made by flatulent Metal Mickey. Another example of this is “Bad Boy” on Side 2 – loads of different sounds bouncing off each other – rolling bass, bruk up ragga samples, alongside other tones, stabs and clicks. Great tune. I may be getting weirdly overanalytical here (consequences of listening to dance music at home and writing about it maybe?) but it reminds me of dub – not so much how it sounds, but in the interplay of parts.

Another aspect for me was very much connotation – the connections and memories summoned up by these simple textures. I know that I like that bass soundd because of a couple of old UK house/hardcore records I used to know (I keep thinking Unique 3 but am not sure if this is right.). As I stood there, with my hands deep in suds, other pleasures came to mind. Not so much memories of clubbing, but synthaesthic impressions – dim red light, dry ice, just moving, spacing out, certain little fantasies I used to have while dancing. “Deep Inspiration” by Double 99 was a a particularly good example of this – just the simple keyboard riff reminded me of the idea/concept/impression of clubbing in NY the Paradise Garage. Not that I’ve ever been but I imbibed a ton of style magazine articles, pirate radio interviews and fragments of clubland history that this groove summons to mind.

On the subject of connotations, I will admit this cuts both ways. The four four beat in particular has negative connotations for me – years of hearing it, muffled, through next door neighbours wall etc meant, at moments, I'd have an adverse reaction. I almost felt I had to distract myself by listening to other elements in the mix. I’m sure this is also consequence of listening to the mixes on my crappy cheap stereo in the kitchen – I’m sure these beats aren’t meant to be just meant to be heard, but felt instead. A couple of tracks I found a bit boring for this reason – not enough extra going on - I think it might’ve been the Wesley J & Shimano ones?

Some other tracks that stood out for me – both the tracks by G.O.D. , they seemed to me heavier, with more of a jungle/ragga feel coming in. Lots of snapping kick drums and again farty UK basslines again. I liked “Lickle Rolla” as well for the breakbeaty feel and the ringtone bassline.

Alrighty, to sum up then - I’d say I enjoyed the mix the most, when I imagined myself dancing and let myself go into my impressions and memories of clubbing. There’s an edge of nostalgia for that stuff with me, the scent of sweat and amyl nitrate. Also, the more I listened to it, the more I like it – it’s not just about retuned ears here, there’s something hypnotic going on. Giving in to the repetition. Musically, I seem to lean towards the UK/ragga/jungle axis, which is unsurprising given my affection for reggae. I’m not sure if I’m the target audience for this kind of mix anymore but I really enjoyed it, and it’s been really interesting to reengage and think about the music in a way I never used to, though without the bursts of weekend hedonism, I can’t imagine getting fully back into it. Overall, then top stuff, and thanks a million.

DannyL