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Aquasky

Brent from Aquasky on his all-time six favourite tracks...

1. Pharaoh Sanders - You've Got To Have Freedom

The first song you've chosen is Pharaoh Sanders' You've Got To Have Freedom from his 1980 album Journey To The One. Pharoah Sanders is a jazz legend and Ornette Coleman once described him as probably the best tenor sax player in the world. This is one of Pharoah's signature tunes, a prime piece of hard-bop that goes up-tempo and redlines with beautiful sax work by Sanders and amazing keyboard virtuosity by John Hicks. What made you choose this track?

People who perhaps have got into us in the last ten years through all the breaks stuff and, more recently, with all the 4/4 styles would not be aware that Aquasky use to be termed jazzy d&b!! Arrggghh, still makes me sick writing that genre name! Such a lazy term for what was a fantastic period of d&b.

Before Aquasky I use to make hip hop / trip hop and during that period thanks to the likes of Giles Peterson, Kevin Beadle, Patrick Forge and Snowboy I discovered folky, spiritual jazz. This was one of the ones that always gives me goosebumps. That chorus 'Gotta have peace and love' still resonates and I find myself thinking of the tune when on long distance flights for some reason! A class act, a class tune and it would not do anyone any harm looking deeper into that style of music.

Are you much of a jazz fan or is it just this particular track you like?

I love jazz, I have a huge collection. Shit, I just have a huge collection of records that I first started collecting back in the 70s when I was in primary school. I got hooked into jazz in the 80s as I was a massive (and still am!) hip hop fan. From there I wanted to find out where they sampled their music from and that's how I originally got into jazz. I learnt more when I use to listen to Giles' show on Kiss in the early 90s. That guy use to take you on an adventure. And I have a showbox of his shows from '93-'95 on cassette tape somewhere! Ahhh, cassette tape, now there are some memories!

2. The Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom

Next up is Mirror In The Bathroom by The Beat from their 1980 album I Just Can't Stop It. The Beat are a 2 Tone ska revival band and this classic piece of ska pop was one of their biggest hits, why did this make the list?

I grew up in a smallish town and sorta found myself in the company of a lot of Mods. It was that kinda era in the early 80s. My dad was one of the original Scooter Boys, and he still owns two Lambrettas. He bought me my first Vespa when I was 16 and from there I had another two Vespas and a Lambretta. I even built my own Vespa that was clocked at over 100 mph! Now that's big pimpin!!!

Back to the question, this brings back memories of youth clubs and getting into trouble at school. It's like a guy my age watching an old episode of Grange Hill... it has so many more memories than just Gripper, Tucker and Pogo Patterson! I liked The Beat as they had a great look and vibe early in their career. I went to see them a few years back. The lead singer Ranking Roger's son also jumped on stage too and performed with the band which I thought was kinda cool...

We must be around the same age and this reminds me of a special time of when I first started getting into music, is this the case for you as well?

Totally, my second record I bought was The Specials' Ghost Town!! I loved my ska and back in the mid-90s jungle era of Aquasky we were actually managed by Chas Smash from Madness! Now we are managed by the same company who manage Madness, so ska has been something that has always followed me about! I was even considering getting another scooter for next summer, or borrowing one of my dad's!

3. Main Source - Looking At The Front Door

Now we have some early 90s "golden era" hip hop. Main Source were an innovative hip hop group comprising Toronto natives Sir Scratch, K-Cut, and Queens native Large Professor. This track is taken from their 1991 debut album Breaking Atoms. There was so much good hip hop from this era and this isn't an obvious choice, why have you chosen this?

I dunno, the lyrics really speak to me. I think perhaps this came out after I had a big bust up in my life with a girl or something! But it's like one of those things that music evokes memories and this is so much the case for me. The sample is taken from the classic Donald Byrd album Stepping Into Tomorrow. I remember getting that album as I found a copy of Leroy Hutson's debut album in a charity shop. At the time it was a £60 album but I wasn't really into soul so I took it to Mr. Bongo in London and traded it with Kev Beadle up there. Part of the trade included the Donald Byrd album. This was like '93 I think!

Back to Main Source, damn they were the shit back then! Large Pro still is the shit! K-Cut recently issued some early cast offs from the Breakin Atoms album on the Diggers With Gratitude label. The track was called Bootleggin, one of my close mates DJ Format did the mix for that label that included that track, so yeah, music is always full of memories and strange oddities. This is just one of a thousand tracks I could talk about. But this is one in a thousand kinda tune... they don't make 'em like this anymore. The memories!!

4. Peshay - The Piano Song

This track needs no introduction, it's a classic from D&B's formative years. Out of all the drum & bass tracks from this time what made you pick this?

It was the tune that brought me back to jungle. I was a raver, use to go to acid house parties and free parties in the late 80s and from that went to all the big raves etc... Dreamscape, Fantazia, Paradox... then I kinda got into a lot of trouble and stuff so I needed to change my lifestyle. So went to college, studied photography and put those times behind me.

I met Dave (Aquasky) who did hip hop with me in like '93-'94, he was involved in the jungle scene as Mad Dog. He also worked with Kieron (Aquasky). Dave gave me one of Kieron's mixtapes and this tune was on it, along with Music Box and Jazz Note. I freaking loved it. I loved my jazz at this point and those tunes and The Piano Song really pushed my buttons. But this is the tune, 15 years later that still gives me the goosebumps. I dust off the vinyl, and just stand there, staring at it going round on my deck. Basically like a zombie. Not daily you know! I ain't a total freak! I dig this out a few times a year and just zone out and get inspired. It's one of those treats that I don't OD on, just now and again I listen to it. But seriously, it's a killer he nailed it with this and very nearly matched it with Futurama.

You stopped making drum & bass a few years back, any plans to make some again soon?

Nah, those days are gone for us. It's a scene that I love but I didn't like that lack of community in it. We are talking ten years ago where no one liked people who weren't 100% d&b. You would get slaughtered on the forums and that probably happened to us back then as we weren't 'ardcore to the jungle core. But fuck it, we wouldn't still be here now if we only did d&b. Drum & bass is like the gospel to 18-23 year olds, it was to me, but then you get older and other music just pulls you away from it. Still, I made a lot of good mates in that era and wouldn't change it for the world. I still have a huge amount of respect for Rob Playford and Moving Shadow and Dego, Marc and Gus at Reinforced. They were all like big brothers to me! And of course Friction is a good guy who we get on real well with. A brilliant DJ and a real positive force for the d&b generation. And it's great to know that the d&b cats these days are just as likely to make dubstep and house as they are d&b. Perhaps we were ahead of the game on that one!

5. Keymatic - Breaking In Space

This is a pretty obscure hip hop track from 1984. I had trouble finding out any background information on this track or the act so please can you tell us what you know about it and the reason why it's on the list!

The reason this is on the list is because it was on the classic Electro 4 compilation released on Morgan Khan's excellent Street Sounds series from back in the early 80s. This series of albums were what put me onto the hip hop / electro culture (although I was already doing graffiti before I realized it was part of that culture!) and I still have the complete series on vinyl gathering dust in the vaults. So many memories are attached to each one of those albums as they followed me throughout my teens.

Back to ya question though, why did I choose it? I think because it is the classic electro tune in my humble opinion. It ticks all the boxes, it has mood, it has depth and it has soul. And that sax solo, that was just mental! I got the original 12" on Radar from Huw at Mr. Bongo, again when they owned the original store in Soho, so that woulda been like '94 or something. I would never part with this record... it has its place next to all my other collectable electro bangers from the '80s!

Were you into breakdancing and b-boyism back in the 80s?

I did try to break but I was pretty shit. I was more into art, my grandpa got me into it... but I was always a bit of a rebel so graffiti appealed to me and it still does. It's something I have spent the majority of my life doing. But the old school hip hop thing is my vibe. I was fortunate to grow up around the ultimate b-boy fighting force Second To None and still knock about with them as we are all from Bournemouth. I even went with them back in 1992 to New York for the 18th Zulu Nation Birthday Party. An event held over three nights with acts as broad as Bambaattaa, Showbiz & AG, Fat Joe, TAT Crew, Ice Cube (his first show in New York since he departed NWA I believe), KRS One, Rock Steady Crew, Positive K, Grandmaster Caz, Jazzy Jay... I mean, pretty much everyone who was / is anyone in the scene was there, whether to perform or to party. Second To None got the invite from Crazy Legs from the Rock Steady Crew, so we were lucky enough to hang with those guys upstairs, along with Kool Herc and the TAT crew. It was amazing, I was 19 and in my element. Don't think anything in my life could match that trip to New York during those golden years of the hip hop culture!

6. Gunshot - Crime Story

Gunshot were a legendary hip hop group formed by MC Mercury, MC Alkaline, Q-Roc, DJ White Child Rix and DJ/MC Barry Blue from east London. Released in 1991, Gunshot were one of the first credible UK rap acts. Why have you gone for this as your final choice?

UK rap was my thing! I was like 15 when it kicked off, the first single was Style Wars by Hijack which came out on Music Of Life in the Easter of 1988. I was addicted. I went to all the UK rap jams, from Westwood's 'Live From London' at the Arches to events in Brighton, Bristol (BHGM parties), Southampton (which had an awesome hip hop scene back then) and Derby / Midlands area (which is where my family are from and my good mate Micky Blue Eyes). Basically I went anywhere I could see guys like these perform live.

I was studying photography at the time and going to a lot of events with the Second To None guys, so I got backstage passes and met a lot of the crews and photographed them. I have a awesome collection of photos back then and even did a cover for the Suspekt crew! I got to be pals with some of the guys, a few I still am mates with like the Killa Instinct boys, Suspekt, Blue Eyes and DJ Renegade.

So why is this my final tune? Well it's pure aggression, real angry music for angry kids made by some real creative guys. For me, I was always drawn to the ragga guys in the UK hip hop scene of the late 80s / early 90s. People like Bionic from London Posse (in my opinion the second greatest UK MC after Kamanchi Sly), Daddy Freddy (who we have worked with over the last seven years) and, of course, MC Alkaline from Gunshot (someone I would love to work with).

Anyways, yeah, Gunshot were don, the video was great (I remember this being aired on like Normski's Dance Energy when it came out). I liked the look, and use to rock the pin-roll trousers and Burlington socks back then too! And I use to buy my hip hop bits and bobs back in the day from 4-Star General on Carnaby St, where White Child Rix used to work! Gunshot are an awesome force, totally dedicated to the UK rap scene and did a lot of groundwork for all these new jacks these days who probably do not even know of them! I would recommend any angry young teens to check their sound. And go and buy their Best Of... album.

Three of the six on your list are hip hop tracks, do you still listen to a lot of hip hop and have you ever made some hip hop yourself? If not, would you like to?

I do listen to a lot of hip hop, and if I had to sell all my records and keep one genre alone I would keep the hip hop tunes... it's my heritage, each tune captures a memory in time and all of those memories compile my history. And without knowledge of your history you can't build on your future. It's a lifeline to me to have all of that music there and be able to go back in time when the needle hits the groove. And yes, before Aquasky I made hip hop and as Aquasky we have made some hip hop and worked with lots of rappers. It was inevitable really!

This list is purely a list by me though. Next time I will get one of the other Aquasky guys to do it, then you will be completely confused as our musical tastes vary a hell of a lot... thanks for letting me have the space to talk some shit about the music I love!

Download Aquasky's November Party Bangers mix here and you can get the tracklisting here...

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