Total Science have been rocking dance floors for 20 years and have changed the face of DnB music. Here are our top ten essential picks from their illustrious career...

 

10. Defcom 69

 

Defcom 69 is a good way to launch a Total Science top ten as it's the complete DnB production. It is laced with a long, dreamy two-minute intro that descends into a murderous chainsaw hook topped with an edit of Nasty Habits' Mentasm sample. Then on the drop, there are shades of Twisted Individual sauntering into the mix. Is that a sample of Badass in there by Aphrodite? It's all going on in Defcom 69.

 

 

9. Zodiac

 

Zodiac is the sporting equivalent of a confident footballer in a one-on-one situation with an opposition goalkeeper. He makes the goalkeeper fall flat on his face, then confidently rolls the ball into the net with his nut sack. Zodiac was made by two producers at the tops of their games who sprinkled wave after wave of cute touches onto this play. The rattling beats, that outrageous brass hook and a bridge that could spice up any weed-head's day were a rare surprise in 2001.

 

 

8. Hardcore Junglism Remix

 

Total Science's remix of Manix's Hardcore Junglism was released in small quantities on a colourful, purple picture disc on Reinforced. The build up is vintage Total Science, showing that these producers properly understand how to get dance floors hyped. It teased the listener like a true slut and threw lashings of weird effects in there. The main melody was instantly recognisable and as for the Amen drums, somehow Total Science made this ancient loop satisfyingly fresh again.

 

 

7. Street Level

 

Anyone who loves old-school hardcore – Rufige Kru and Doc Scott, for example – will have a place in their heart for Street Level. It boasts the gnarly Nasty Habits Mentasm sample again and comes across as funky and destructive at the same time. Watch out for what sounds like creaking planks on a pirate ship in the build up of this cult classic.

 

 

6. Jazz Note remix

 

A DJ Marky favourite, the Total Science remix of Krust's deep, melancholic Jazz Note was built around endless ride cymbals and fast moving edits. The drums, as is the case with the majority of Total Science material, are a springboard for the rest of the composition's elements such as computer-game bleeps and diving, subsonic basses. A very complete production, Jazz Note is the kind of art you can enjoy over and over in different settings.

 

 

5. Make Me Feel

 

An abstract bruiser, the siren lead of Make Me Feel sounded alarming within the claustrophobic shell of a subterranean dancehall. It was made at a time when Total Science were fast rising to the top of the production table and had an unusually large array of tracks emerging on various labels that were being played by all. Make Me Feel, beneath its off-key, bent patterns, is real drum and bass, effortless but also potent in its simplicity.

 

 

4. Jungle Jungle

 

This track was one of the "magic four", including Up All Night by John B, Obsession by Future Cut and Lose Control by Marcus Intalex that resurrected Goldie's Metalheadz label and dropped it back at the forefront of the scene where it belonged. A moment of genius from Total Science, the Oxford boys once again displayed their deft touches at reinventing the "jungle" genre, making fans come over wistful. Jungle Jungle blisters through its running time, making crowds dance as if they have only minutes to live.

 

3. Champion Sound Remix

 

For those that weren't around at the time this was on dubplate doing the rounds in the scene – a time when the internet and music hadn't combined into the freebie factory it is today – you missed out big time. This sucker had a massive intro... it crept along like the opening credits to a brooding science-fiction blockbuster, with enough effects and trickery to keep your attention glued. And like the other remixes in this essential Total Science throwback, Champion Sound ranks as one of the most faithful in the genre.

 

 

2. Squash

 

This record succeeds on many, many levels. The mix on the drums is special – arranged in such a way to give you chicken skin. The intro takes the piss – stretched so the DJ can cue up chaos – it teases all the way. The eponymous synthesiser hook is what it's all about – sounding "squashed" – it sets a panicky tone that forces crowds' hands in the air like a scene from Night Of The Living Dead. And as for the bassline it's straight out of the hardcore tome of knowledge.

 

1. Dubplate Remix

 

This record shows a veteran understanding of rave culture by its remixers and it's a powerful interpretation for a modern generation. Keeping the structure the same as the extremely rare, original vinyl track, Total Science fitted Dubplate with an extravagant technical upgrade... that shot of extra-something needed to light up a DJ mix. Structurally and technically, Dubplate remix over-delivers.

 

 

What do you think? Let us know your favourite Total Science tunes below in the comments section...

 

• The Essential...
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• Total Science

Related Links:

• Podcast 11
• Podcast 07
• DJ Lee Relaunches Atlas Recordings
• Guest Reviews: Lenzman
• Ringo's Swarf Pot Compilation

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