Zomby: Where Were U In '92? Vinyl LP

FUCK MIXING, LET'S DANCE. Where Were U In ’92 is technically Zomby's first album, but it's not the best primer for the elusive producer's work. While later albums and earlier EPs focused on eskimo grime, mutant garage and dubstep, WWUI92 is a tribute to the classic rave sound immortalized on records by Manix, 2 Bad Mice, A Guy Called Gerald and countless others. The album was hand picked from a selection of over 300 tracks the producer claims to have banged out on an Akai S2000 sampler and Atari ST computer: weapons of choice for O.G. purveyors of UK hardcore and darkside jungle. Zomby’s kitchen sink sample collages are faithfully executed in the spirit of the genre: plenty of “think” & “sing sing” breaks thrown in alongside piano stabs from Terrorize & Bizarre Inc. But Zomby is bass music’s enfant terrible, so he sneaks in vocals from Aaliyah, Gucci Mane & Peaches just to irritate the purists. Aside from the more contemporary influences woven into the mix, Zomby’s breakbeat science is so on point that some of the tunes leave no clues that they were recorded this century (it’s hard to believe there wasn’t already a hardcore rave track built around the “Tears In The Rain” monologue from Blade Runner, but we’re still digging). Originally released as a CD on Darren Cunningham (Actress)’s Werk Discs imprint in 2008, the album was finally given a full vinyl release on Zomby’s own Cult Music label in 2012. Although we’d kill for some of these tracks pressed loud and deep on a 12-inch, it’s rare to find an album pressed to a single LP that bangs from front to back. Recommended.

• music label: Cult Music 2016

reviewed by peanut dust 02/2017