Life Innovation Revival (FEATURE - MUSIC)
25 YEARS AND STLL GOING STRONG
What had been an idea for a while finally became a reality when we had our very own cover CD. The concept came into fruition early in 1996 and appeared on the cover of April 1996 issue. As ever we went about it in a totally different way to the other cover CD’s on other magazines and decided to set the standard and make this CD totally unique.
Background
There were several reasons why we did the CD, we had actually been thinking about it for some time as a way to encourage new readers to pick up the magazine. Over the years we’d forged relationships with many promotors and we could have so easily decided to do a collaboration on a CD, a sponsored CD if you will; but this would relinquish some of the control as to what the CD was. We wanted the listener to hear the spectrum of House music which the magazine covered. It was a statement; Eternity covered everything from Ambient, through all genres of dance, right back to Ambient and when you listen to the CD you are taken on a musical journey, perfectly executed, what else would you expect from one of the most talented music producers in the industry. At a time when the scene was becoming more segregated we certainly didn’t want to be adding to the segregation that had seen the division of the scene, as we remember the days when you would go clubbing / raving and the DJ would take you on a journey playing different styles in the one set. As we were an all-encompassing publication in which we covered all genres catering for all aspects of house, it was an obvious route for us to go with our CD.
I asked Paul our owner and editor for his take on the concept and the scene. “I personally had always enjoyed all elements of Dance music and when visiting events often found it difficult to choose which room I wished to frequent throughout the night, often moving rooms to ensure that I didn’t miss anything, it was such a joy when some promoters would mix up styles in the same room throughout the night, although I did appreciate that many people were not so open minded, the multi room events obviously gave people the choice and that was how we structured our very own launch party in Sheffield. We chose this particular issue as it was also a way to celebrate the life of Murray (owner and promoter of Dreamscape) who had sadly passed away following a motor accident, the magazine was of course dedicated to him that issue, it was in a way a new beginning as the scene did change after that.”
We commissioned one of the most prolific producers on the scene, who rarely played out at events, although you can guarantee his tunes were being played by most of the DJ’s on the UK scene. The task of producing the CD was given to none other than the one and only ‘Jack Smooth’ aka Ron Wells. In order to fully celebrate this CD turning 25 it only made sense to speak to the man himself to get his thoughts on the whole thing.
A WORD FROM RON WELLS….
A word from Ron Wells.
“Initially I was given a month, (I think) to put together a one-off mix which would encompass the ethos of the magazine and the scene. It was an honour to be asked to be involved in this project as Eternity was the only magazine that properly represented the music I was making and the rave scene as a whole. Being asked to do a mix covering the scene worked out well as I was involved in multiple genres at the time and made absolute sense for me to include as many as possible to show a breadth of how the music evolved from house. Having a wealth of tracks to pull from, it was a matter of how to create the journey that I wanted to take the listener on and one that also made sense to clearly show the development and evolution of house. One thing that is for sure, it is rare for mixes to cover so many genres and possibly unheard of for a cover CD. After the first take, it needed a few tweaks and changes to really present the journey I was after. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds though; it required extensive preparation beforehand because it was not only a combination of styles, but also technology. I incorporating vinyl, DAT and live Cubase. All the preparation was essential in order to make it as easy as possible when recording it.”
Me: I love the fact that the mix is like a journey; taking the listener on a trip through the spectrum of the house music that we love so well. This journey is set up excellently by the intro, tell me something about that?
Ron: “The intro is a Fast Floor ambient track ‘Lost to the Deep’ is was released on a Hi-Fi concept CD I had made at that time.”
Me: Can you give us a rundown of the full track list and an insight into their inclusion?
The track list.
1. Euphoria (Fast Floor) -Lost To The Deep
Ron: “I felt it needed a long intro to set the scene. I always liked this very deep track, played from DAT”
2. Smooth & Simmonds - Climax
Ron: “I wanted to show that in the main the music evolved from House music and used a softer slightly Garage tune to start with – played from vinyl”
3. Smooth & Simmonds - Four Seasons Remix
Ron: “I needed to build into Techno so used this as it's slightly heavier – played from vinyl”
4. Earl Grey -Back To My Roots
Ron: “I made this track specifically to transition between Techno and Drum & Bass. Without this track the mix would not have been possible – played from vinyl (dubplate cut for the mix)”
5. Earl Grey -Earl's Groove
Ron: “I wanted to show the Jazzier side of DnB so used this to keep things lite – played from vinyl”
6. Mystic Moods - Shakout
Ron: “Now I'm thinking we need to get a bit heaver so the next track makes sense – played from vinyl”
7. Mutants- Power Tools
Ron: “I always liked the light and shade in this tune, it sets up the next track well – played from vinyl”
8. A Touch Of Jazz Stepz
Ron: “Now I'm thinking about the next tune and how hard a transition this will be. I use this tune because it has frantic drum sections so Gabber won't be such a shock – played from vinyl”
9. Salute - Salute
Ron: “I wrote this specifically for the CD. I wanted to include the harder side of Techno. - played live in Cubase (like DJ'ing I made sure the tempo matched and pressed start at the right time and mixed it in)”
10. Interlude –
Ron: “A few sound effects played on a synth so that I didn’t have to beat-match with a DAT machine (virtually impossible)”
11 Euphoria (Fast Floor) - Hold It Down
Ron: “I wanted to go full circle and end with a more mellow track that had a triphop feel – Played from DAT”
Final Question
Me: “It was obvious almost straight away how popular the CD was, I'm curious how you felt regarding this?”
Ron: “Well I’m not so sure it was universally received that well due to the number of genres. It has a Gabber track, a genre which a lot of people don’t like, then there’s the ambient, trip-hop bits, which have less connection with Rave. That said, I’m proud of it because it tells the story of our music.”
Thank you, Ron, for taking the time to answer my questions, also thank you for putting together such an awesome, timeless journey of a mix.
Written by: Ronan Tierney
On the scene for Eternity
DOWNLOAD THE MIX HERE - ENJOY!
