1991 – ‘Ardkore Tekno

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The one other style we must mention for 1991 was the UK hardcore techno sound. As we’ve stated earlier, in ’91 there was a musical melting pot where DJ’s would play tracks from all five of our 1991 sections in the same set, but in order to single out the very first seeds of jungle, we’ve chosen to separate those sounds.

Hardcore UK techno, or ‘ardkore tekno, was a 4/4 based mixture of Belgian overtones, a smattering of breakbeats (but not enough to make it jungle tekno) and the fattest, hardest synth and bass sounds on offer at the time. It was hard, fast and made you stomp. It was an integral part of the melting pot and its influence is unquestionable. Turn this stuff up load and take a good listen. It’ll shred both your speakers and your mind!

Carl Cox - Success'n'Effect
1.Carl Cox - Success'n'Effect - If you read the story of the Frankie Bones mixes of Success-n-Effect back in our 1989 section, you'll probably have been waiting to hear this. Combing the amazing Amen drum work of the Frankie remix and slapping the Landlord - I Like It riff across the top (see 1988), this saw several re-presses on white label and has gone down in history as a hardcore classic, even with the production bumps in the road. Release date available on line states this is a 1991 release, but the Frankie Bones strory states it was made in late 89 or early 1990, and Carl Cox doubtless rinsed it on dub, but we'll go with '91, as this is when it was likely available on white label to the general public. Bangin.
Acen - Close Your Eyes
2.Acen - Close Your Eyes. Acen was on the cusp of hardcore domination with this '91 release. Full of panache and displaying amazing attention to detail, this cemented his place firmly in the hardcore hall of fame. You can find more in our 1992 Hardcore section.
Low Noise Block - Rave In The Bedroom
3.Low Noise Block - Rave In The Bedroom. What an absolute monster. Before Potential Bad Boy was defining jungle, he was making bangin' hardcore like this. Not quite jungle but full of those hardcore overtones, this was one of the best Ibiza Records releases for 1991 without question. Superb.