36 (Mar 2001)

Perfect Combination

Issue 36: Perfect Combination

At first glance it may seem that the drum & bass fraternity is represented by a handful of high profile labels such as Full Cycle, Metalheadz, Moving Shadow, Ram, Reinforced, Renegade Hardware / TOV and V Recordings. However if the surface is punctured, a rich tapestry of smaller imprints emerges.

In many respects the proliferation of imprints is fundamental to the existence of drum & bass and an intrinsic part of its burgeoning popularity throughout the nineties and now the noughties. They provide an environment in which talent is discovered and honed. Emerging artists can get to grips with studio equipment, find their sound and develop how they wish to express themselves - essentially they are a breeding ground for the producers of the future. One imprint that follows this ideal is Freeform Records, run by the amiable, yet straight-talking, Jimbo Allsop (aka Perfect Combination).

At the age of 29, he is a veteran of the acid house-rave-hardcore-jungle-drum & bass scene(s). Freeform, now three years old, came about for a number of reasons, including the paucity of any drum & bass labels emerging from a city so steeped in the development and lore of dance music history, Manchester. Jimbo also found producing material for other labels increasingly frustrating: "I was making tracks and it was seven or eight months before they were coming out. They were fresh in my head and they needed to be fresh for people, not released a year down the line."

Jimbo began as a raver-inspired-to-be-a-DJ, when he managed to secure a gig abroad in Tenerife in the summer of 1991 alongside Darren Jay: "It wasn't until I came back to Manchester that I realised there was more to it than just putting records on the decks and wanted to get more involved - the producing side of things was the next step." He has since accrued an impressive list of credits with productions released on Formation, Partisan, No U Turn, Flex and Freeform.

The range of labels Jimbo's material has appeared on is particularly striking. They are synonymous with very different aspects of the drum & bass spectrum. In fact, you probably couldn't get three more contrasting labels than Formation, No U Turn and Partisan. It serves as a barometer of Jimbo's attitude to music and is also the reason behind his DJ/production moniker: "After 14 years experience of buying music there was loads of different areas that I liked. When I DJed I always wanted to combine different pieces of music to come up with that right combination. Same with drum & bass - I like the jazzier stuff, the harder and the deeper stuff. I never wanted to go down one road so I've always kept it open for different styles. The name Perfect Combination came about purely because I didn't want to go down one alleyway of music."

To a large degree Freeform has successfully provided an outlet for up-and-coming producers, particularly from the north west. To date, the pinnacle of Freeform's discography is the 'M/CR Movement' album, released last year: "We set up the M/CR Movement as a little stable for some artists to release their tracks and move onto bigger and better things." The LP featured work by established local artists like Marcus Intalex, ST Files and Sappo plus rising stars like Future Cut and Accidental Heroes. Since the LP release Future Cut's success is well documented while it seems like it could be a big year for Accidental Heroes with work earmarked for release on Reinforced, Infra Red and Renegade Hardware - as Jimbo puts it, "they have moved onto labels that can pay better advances."

There are others in the pipeline too: "A guy called Pete Stevenson has just done his first outing on M/CR Movement. I gave him a little help and that's going on the EP I've got coming out on Moving Shadow in March.' Unsurprisingly our cover CD is as much a showcase of young potential as his own abilities: "It's fresh stuff - a few tracks are for Hype and Moving Shadow but the rest are for Freeform. Also on the CD is MC Tonn Piper. It's a chance to show what he is made of - he's a talented young kid. I don't think anyone from Manchester has ever given an MC a chance, the Knowledge CD is a perfect opportunity to bring one of these kids in. He's a worker, he doesn't go on, lets the music roll and says a little bit just to uplift people at the right time, so respect to Tonn Piper for giving me a lift on the mix." Given Jimbo's knack of unearthing the new breed, Tonn Piper could well be a name to keep an eye out for in the not too distant future.

Given the current debate within drum & bass circles over the recent old skool revival I cannot help but ask Jimbo his opinion on the current hot potato. "To be honest, the backlash of the Bad Company vibe has hit all the younger producers. The records being released, stuff that I am making alongside many others, is very much back on the breaks tip. Breaks are where it began for me. Drum & bass this year will get more intelligent, not old skool intelligent, but it will take you somewhere whether it be on a deeper or a harder angle."

Well, regardless of what direction the music is going in or the latest scene discussion, without the cornucopia of smaller labels there would be no music.

Jimbo takes us through his mix...

Perfect Combination - Chasing Shadows
I made this track just as Schumacher pipped Hakkinen to the F1 title and was gutted - McLaren were chasing Ferrari's shadows all season. This track was made as an opener for one of my sets - long, long intro.

Perfect Combination - Phuture
Hype rang me in Cyprus to ask for this tune, he liked it along with "Breakdown" and "Escape" which were on the same CD I sent him.

Unauthorized Science - Paranoid
This is me on my first go at an Amen track under a different pseudonym. L Double rang me and asked if I would do a harder track for his album, so I did and it still goes down well in my sets today.

M/CR Movement - Snowman
Don't ask me why we called it "Snowman", something to do with us making it in the summer! I did it with two of the Accidental Heroes and it's totally different to any track I have been involved in making.

Perfect Combination - Bring Back the Bongos
My mates were all ribbing me to use more bongos in my tunes so this is for my drinking buddies. It's top to mix with too!

Perfect Combination - What Lies Beneath
Named after the film. Call me a shithead but it frightened the life out of me - probably one of the best films I've ever seen. I still look twice in the mirror when I go to the bathroom, the tune's pretty scary too.

Perfect Combination - Don't Look Down
I was playing some old skool tracks from around 1990 and thought, "that's a nice b-line sound". So I nicked it, reversed it, transposed it, put it in audio, put it in a high pass and... I forgot what I did after that!

Perfect Combination - Highway 5
I was playing in San Francisco and I named this track after their motorway. Sounds crazy but I wanted it to remind me of the city cos it's a cool place with good people. The tune's one of those you want to hear on your car stereo, like when I used to go to raves in Blackburn in the late eighties.

Perfect Combination & Futurebound - Control (remix)
The original was the first on my label and Futurebound insisted he come and do a remix with me. I like the tribal, 'jungly' voices in the background all through the track and really enjoyed making this tune.

Perfect Combination - Definition of a Track
I did the original in 1995 and this mix sounds nothing like it. I just took the vocals out of it and put a new sound behind them. It appeared on my 'Rolling Round 8' EP.

Perfect Combination - Breakdown (remix)
The original appeared on Freeform back in 1998, I tried to keep the vibe the same but pushed the b-line as far as I could. Nice, deep jazzy roller.

Perfect Combination - Bring Back the Bongos (Rollout mix)
Probably my favourite track in this mix. Two mixes on this CD but I like this one most as I keep the beats rolling and there's no drop to the bassline. This tune makes me move!

M/CR Movement - The Slice
Top intro with dark strings done by Peter Stevenson, an up-and-coming producer from Manchester.