8 Tracks – John Osborn

Music

If anyone knows a good defining track from London's 90s it's John Osborn. He made the move to Berlin in 1999 leaving the place that sparked his curiosity in experimental techno behind for the next best thing. Flitting between house and techno like a moth eternally trapped in the middle of two flourescent bulbs, his latest EP has just been released via Tanstaafl Records. Here, he takes us on a trip down memory lane with 8 tracks that'll set your mind wandering back to happier times.

John Osborn's Desire Is Mono is out now via TANSTAAFL Records, grab your copy here.

LISTEN

Leftfield - Storm 3000

There is everything in this track and it all makes sense. Drum & Bass, Tribal House, Trance, Detroit Techno and UK Hardcore Rave – there is even a break drop that is reminiscent of Prodigy’s ‘Smack My Bitch Up’. It’s certainly one to leave the journalists scratching their heads as to what genre this fits in. First time I heard it I was at the actual album launch party held at the former GLC building in London. All paid for by Sony Music Entertainment, back in the days when major labels really spent money on such things. It was probably the best entertainment I have ever had from Sony, sure beat a PS4, just ask my mate Paul about what was in that massive ‘fruit’ punch.

Leftfield - Storm 3000

There is everything in this track and it all makes sense. Drum & Bass, Tribal House, Trance, Detroit Techno and UK Hardcore Rave – there is even a break drop that is reminiscent of Prodigy’s ‘Smack My Bitch Up’. It’s certainly one to leave the journalists scratching their heads as to what genre this fits in. First time I heard it I was at the actual album launch party held at the former GLC building in London. All paid for by Sony Music Entertainment, back in the days when major labels really spent money on such things. It was probably the best entertainment I have ever had from Sony, sure beat a PS4, just ask my mate Paul about what was in that massive ‘fruit’ punch.
Future Sound Of London - Cascade

FSOL was just audio sci-fi for me, it was the futurists soundtrack of our techno revolution. It was on repeat in one of the first few internet cafes that opened up in London. Dreadlocks and megabytes accompanied with really cheesy 3D visuals that at the time blew my mind. It was electronic soul talking to us from the future.
Sb Project - Xtra Edit #1 (The Message Ep, 1994 Cosmic Records, Cos004x)

Steve Bicknell was a genius in my mind. He was the man behind THE number one techno party in London, back then it was our Berghain & Panorama Bar. He had Jeff Mills as a resident and many other legends that graced the decks in this time period. Steve always had his style of DJ-ing but it was his productions for his own label Cosmic Records that I loved so much, and this track melted my mind and made my feet a blur. I remember Derrick May dropping it at the fridge in Brixton on a mid week night (!) and all of the lost crew in the club (which was almost everyone) went mental.
Bandulu - Presence

These guys had energy and ripped the London techno scene up. They were a three man band and the live shows were ferocious. This particular track is still sounding fresh today even amongst modern techno and it will drive me to wave my arms around like I am twenty one again at any given moment.
The Mole People - Ocean

Paul Johnson – Flange Beat

I am cheating a little here as I am putting two tracks together in one but I cannot separate these two tracks. Ever. When I should have been at college I was hanging out at Fat Cat drinking coffee and eating donuts, just listening to all the new tracks that came in on delivery day (and any other day for that matter). This is something that the internet has killed, sure record shops still exist and very good ones but few have this rail buzz about them anymore. This is because we can all investigate new music so easily online now, but back then record shops were alive and quite often packed. It was the only source of new music and what was happening in our scene that we had, it was were we would hear the records that would be played at the weekend and take some of them home. I miss those days dearly, the interaction and togetherness. One morning I went to Fat Cat and propped myself up in the corner listening to the new tunes. I watched Alex Knight grab two new tunes, rubbed the plastic seal on his jeans to open them and put the fresh wax on the decks. First he played the Paul Johnson Flange Beat and then mixed The Mole People, Ocean track into it. I nearly chocked on my donut as the two together sounded so damn good. I knew it wasn’t intentional from Alex because I had just seen him open the records, I was pretty sure he didn’t know what they sounded like before opening them. So I purchased the two together there and then and I have been doing this mix ever since since 1995. Now nobody else can do this, its my mix HAHAH (p.s thanks Alex).

Jeff Mills - Step To Enchantment

This set clubs on fire. Literally in every club it was played people would go mad. The energy this track creates is like no other. I remember clear as it was played by the support DJ for Underworld at Brixton Academy in March 1996 (I forget who it was -possibly Mark Broom). Unfortunately I was in the seating area on the upper level and the security guards were making us sit down (at a dance concert FFS!). A few people tried to stand and dance but were quickly seated and told to calm down. Then, as this track was dropped, and a friend of mine at the time, called Mathew aka Warlock, stood up and called us all to arms; “come on lets dance you fuckers, they can’t make us all sit down, this is our music” he screamed. With the energy of this track propelled at us from the sound system we all realised how right he was. They couldn’t hold us back, so we stood, danced, jeered and flicked our fingers at the dumfounded security guards standing at the sides. The memory I have of this moment reminds me of the Prodigy’s Jilted Generation LP poster, we were really living it then and we totally believed it.

Maurizio - Untitled ( M4 - A1 )

This was the first Maurizio track I heard – at least knowing it was Maurizio. I actually thought it was called C.4 at first because the label artwork looks like a C not an M. I was stunned how it seemed to go on forever but I never ever got tired of it. We probably listened to it 4 or 5 time in a row. It was the fusion of techno & dub sounds that we all loved so much in london due to our heavy dub reggae influences, especially in Brixton. It was Paul Spymania that played it to me firsts on a stoned friday evening round his house, which was perfect, as he gave me another excuse to run to Fat Cat on Saturday.

Underworld - Cowgirl (Video)

This video is actually quite rare and the song is such an important one for me. Underworld probably defined what I do today more than any other band. It was the LP cover design of dubnobasswithmyheadman that made me decide to get into Graphic Design and od something that was music related (and also because I couldn’t afford studio gear at the time). It was the ‘an eraser’ lyric that penetrated my mind at a chill out party after a Sabresonic night. It was the growth of the design multi media outfit connected to Underworld called Tomato, who I eventually interviewed for my final dissertation – entitled ‘The Deeply Intertwined Facets Of Graphic Design & Electronic Music Production’. It was the first record I put on my silver Technics 1200s, purchased with my first student loan. It started here, thank you Underworld.

…and thank you Ransom Note for giving me this platform to do this. It was a very enjoyable trip down memory lane for me; made me re-live some moments I thought had been lost in the memory banks. It even made some things I am doing today clearer. Nice one, enjoy spring 2015.