The little acid box that couldn’t, when it hit shelves in the 1980s, has once again proven it can (and then some.)
British club culture was built on the silver surface of the TB303. Acid House was dubbed a menace by tabloids when the grimy jack sounds of Chicago landed in Britain in the late 1980s. Incredulously, tracks with the word “Acid” in them were even banned from the BBC’s flagship music show Top of the Pops. Fast forward a quarter of a century and that little box is still capturing hearts and minds of musicians, despite its sound not making the headlines.
Since 2007 I Heart Acid has been delivering 303 inspired club nights across the UK and Ireland. Now club night founded by Josh Doherty (of Posthuman fame) is making the leap to label. To get the vinyl spinning I HEART ACID see DMX Krew hooking up with Breakin’ Records veteran Phil Klein aka Bass Junkie for Room 13.
First up, a remix. Matt Whitehead has been called on to serve up a cold and caustic interpretation of “Room 13.” Vocals ghost against a wall of melting squawk for in a hardened opening course. “Body Language” is a taut burner. Breathy samples, harking back to Tour De France or Egyptian Lover, have the wind knocked out of them by thump and tweak. “Jack to the Future” opens the flip. Knobs are jerked off panels as snares slice. Classic Chicago is the delivery. Aggressive machine shriek is coupled with corrosive claps and echoed samples for a work forged in the fires of Armando or Bam Bam. The title track closes. Brooding vocals are rinsed with Electro to usher in a bleary eyed dawn.
The little acid box that couldn’t, when it hit shelves in the 1980s, has once again proven it can (and then some.) DMX Krew and Bass Junkie offer up a tough and tight 12”, an EP for darkened floors and late night sessions.
Room 13 is available on I Heart Acid.
