Following on from publications such as Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music and State of Bass: The Origins of Jungle and Drum & Bass, Velocity Press is set to publish an oral history of the records that defined jungle and drum & bass, Who Say Reload.
Landing on 5 March and available to pre-order now, the book features the likes of Goldie, DJ Hype, Roni Size, Andy C, 4 Hero and many more talking about the influences, environment, equipment, samples, beats and surprises that went into making the classic records of the genre.
‘This is the story of music forged from raw breakbeats and basslines that soundtracked a culture of all-night raves, specialist record shops and pirate radio stations,’ Velocity Press put it in a press release.
‘It’s the story of young producers embracing and re-appropriating new technology, trying to best their peers and create something that would have hundreds of people screaming for a rewind on Saturday night.’
Photography is provided by Eddie Otchere, the resident photographer at Goldie’s Metalheadz nights, which help immerse the reader into the cultural phenomenon of the jungle and drum & bass scene.
As author Paul Terzulli puts it, “Despite the impact jungle had when it first hit, there was always an element of mystery about the music and its creators. You could experience it through vinyl, tapes of raves and pirate radio and, assuming you were old enough, going out to the raves themselves.
“However, finding out more about the creators of these futuristic soundscapes was a different task altogether. I felt that the stories of those responsible should be collated and presented in one place, rather than scattered across podcasts, YouTube videos and obsolete websites, or as anecdotes flickering past on a social media timeline.”
For more information, or to order a copy, click here.