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cDr|m's
.:: a klangwerk release ..................................................::.
artist :: various artists
release :: ltj bukem presents the rebirth
year :: 1996
genre :: drum & bass
label :: lgr /yaman
catalogue :: yamcd10.1
website :: www.glo.co.uk
ripper :: soulfiction
date :: 24-nov-2001
quality :: 192kbps/44,1khz
source :: compact disc
.::.......................................................................::.
01-axis: dusted
02-g-force: g-force
03-jonny l: tychonic cycle
04-jack & phil: a jazzier groove
05-jack smooth: genesis project (remix)
06-shogun: together e.p.
07-universal: live session
08-voyager: hyper sleep
09-seba & lo-tek: so long
playtime :: 00h 58m 38s
.::.......................................................................::.
just who is ltj bukem? ground breaking dj? inspirational musician?
record label entrepreneur? club visionary, perhaps? when the man
behind those wire rimmed glasses and that disarming smile writes
his job description just what does he put? the man who took the
drum and bass concept from a small venue off london's charing
cross road to the nation's superclubs and then onto the
international stage? the geezer whose records launched breakbeat
into a brand new galaxy of sound? or maybe he just writes
'renaissance man for a digital age'. in truth ltj bukem is all of
the above. although he wouldn't like to admit it, ltj bukem is the
living embodiment of the post-acid house entrepreneurial creative
spirit. he is a mild mannered energy flash whose panoramic musical
vision has found success in every area he has explored. from
running soundsystems to cutting up breaks at raves, from
relocating the heart of breakbeat culture to redefining the spirit
of drum and bass, the man known to his friends as danny williamson
has sat at the forefront of breakbeat
evolution, lighting the way with little more than a zest for life
and a love of music. in other words, ltj bukem is a man on a
mission!
bukem's first introduction to music was, like so many others,
through piano lessons as a child. unlike so many others however,
the young pianist turned out to possess a natural talent and he
quickly moved through the piano grades.
classical music represented the soundtrack to his home life. both
parents having a passion for rachmaninov and tchaikovsky that
rubbed off on their son. however it was when the family moved to
watford and bukem changed music teachers that he developed his
first true musical love. thanks to a progressively minded teacher
called nigel crouch - with whom he lost touch but, after a long
search, has recently found again - he was introduced to the world
of jazz fusion, a style which has informed his work ever since.
in the mid eighties, at the age of seventeen, bukem discovered the
joys of clubbing. the teenager regularly checked out the local
soul clubs and legendary rare groove all dayers. as a keen record
buyer he soon became interested in the idea of putting over his
own version of the club soundtrack and before long he got involved
with a sound system.
throughout this time he also had a jazz funk band, although this
had never presented itself as a serious past-timeà just fun. the
djing was his main thing and by 1987 he gained something of a
reputation for his sets. however it was 1988 that bukem first
realised that djing could offer a full-on career.
in 1990, ltj bukem got his first big break at raindance. booked to
play between 1 & 2 am in front of 10,000 people, it was the first
true test of the fledgling dj skills. it may have taken all his
mates to push him onto the stage but it proved to be a set that
he'll never forget. from the first track he ripped it up and ltj
bukem, the world class dj was truly born.
around this time bukem had also ventured into the studio to record
a track which was to become one of the most influential records of
the era. called 'logical progression' it surfaced on the newly
formed vinyl mania imprint. at once anthemic and relaxing it
offered the first true blueprint to bukem's sonic vision.
by the time of his follow up to 'logical progression' bukem had
set up his own imprint. run from a small office in harlesden,
london, the label was christened good looking and its debut
offering came in the shape of 'demon's theme'. finished in mid
1990 and pressed up onto dub-plate, bukem dropped it into his sets
for a full year just to test the reaction before he finally
released the track officially in july 91. 'demon's theme' caught
people's imaginations immediately, its soulful combination of
rushing breaks, lush ambience and mellow vibes opening up fresh
vistas within the increasingly dark ambience of the rave.
bukem's next release was 'apollo' in 92, however his biggest
breakthrough came with his next release 'music' in 1993. in 1994
bukem unleashed '19.5' while the release of the similarly epic
'horizons' coincided with the opening of the legendary "speed" at
the mars bar off the charing cross road in london. it was an
important time for bukem. the label was gaining ground with its
growing catalogue of must-have tunes and his own in-demand djing.
the launch of speed was intended to run hand in hand with the
growth of good looking while also offering a focal point for the
growing drum and bass scene.
after a shaky start, which almost forced the night into closure,
"speed" quite literally took off one night in the summer of '94.
typically for bukem he made the most of the situation to forward
his vision. he used the sudden media limelight to highlight good
looking records and its label roster. in 1995 the label licensed a
compilation to london records. called "logical progression" it
featured exclusive cuts from the roster alongside old tracks and
is still one of the highest selling drum 'n' bass compilations to
have been released.
"i wanted to see the label grow, i wanted to invest in the people
who were signed to the label, so the move had to happen. it was
never simply about ltj bukem, it was about good looking records,
logical progression and the sound."
bukem's own music never took a back seat. there were remixes
(including astounding reworks of jodeci's "feenin" and michelle
gayle's "sweetness"), his own addition to the label compilations
and a collaboration with david arnold on the infamous james bond
theme to "thunderball"
in the middle of all of this rampant activity bukem also managed
to release the "mystical realms ep" in march 98. the ep featured
"twilight voyage" with some somber flute refrains, chopping keys
and outer world ambience. the vocal and instrumental versions of
"orchestral jam", with its urgent break, echo dropped sonar and
dissonant violins, and final track; the reflective, herbie
hancock-esque "journey inwards". three new tracks, each
representing a deeper development of the bukem sound, further
underlining bukem's position as a sonic leader of post rave
breakbeat culture.
bukem went further and continued to produce and mix some of the
world's best drum 'n' bass and cross-over compilations that have
ever been put out. titles such as progression sessions, earth and
further instalments of logical progression series have become
notorious for their and exciting directions that bukem has always
strived to take, but without losing sight of his original musical
roots and all the things that inspired him in the beginning.
as we start the 21st century, ltj bukem continues his
extraordinary musical odyssey with his forthcoming and highly
anticipated, solo album journey inwards. a diverse and multi
directional album of drum 'n' bass, soul, downbeat and house
tracks that will open the eyes of those that had no faith and warm
the soul's and inner belief's of those that did.
it's all a matter of opinion !
.::.......................................................................::.
greetings :: sb, qdp, sour, dps, it, rac, dh, sfe, hbz, igr and mgc
.::.......................................................................::.