Mark Archer – 8 Tracks

Music

Mark Archer is something of a living legend. Yeah, yeah we know that recently the qualification for 'being a living legend' seems has been reduced to 'once released a record. Still not dead," but we think in Archer's case it's a fair cop. With Altern-8, Archer created some of the bolshiest, brainiest and aggiest UK rave music of all time, combining Detroit techno sensibilities with a fine understanding of pop hooks and the English love of breakbeats. We reckon he also boosted the sale of gas masks to ravers by about a million percent. It's unsurprising that when Sony Music were knocking together one of their perennial 'Sound of the Old Skool' comps they'd come to Archer to pen the sleeve notes. In advance of the comp hitting stores (and we're happy to say it's full of amazing – if a litle obvious – tracks) we thought we'd ask Mark for a few of his old skool favourites, the tracks that define the rave era for him. Think of this as a loving introduction to a magical place.

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Gto - Pure (Energy)

From the same producers who later hit big with ‘Tricky Disco’s Tricky Disco’ and Technoheads ‘I Want To Be a Hippy’, sampling big chunks from Technotronics Pump Up The Jam and turning out a far more underground and heavy track.

Gto - Pure (Energy)

From the same producers who later hit big with ‘Tricky Disco’s Tricky Disco’ and Technoheads ‘I Want To Be a Hippy’, sampling big chunks from Technotronics Pump Up The Jam and turning out a far more underground and heavy track.
Blame - Music Takes You (2 Bad Mice Remix)

The original version of the track had vocal samples from Seal which couldn’t be cleared. 2 Bad Mice took the track on a bass and scratch attack and turned out the best mix of this huge anthem.
Johnny L - Hurt You So

Rumour had it when this first appeared that it was by Joey Negro using a different name but were soon quashed. Epic breakdown and pitched up vocal laid over a heavy breakbeat and the use of a roland tb303 made this tune stand out and is a track I still play in sets today.
Lfo - Lfo

The track that rattled any loose fixture in the club it was being played in much to the managers dismay, It was king of bass back in the day and still packs a punch now. We (Nexus 21) toured with LFO in early 91 as part of a warp/Network tour.
Urban Hype - Feel The Heat

The far classier B side to ‘Trip To Trumpton’. This got more plays at the big raves once the novelty of the trumpton samples had worn off (very quickly). Still getting dropped at oldskool raves now and the piano works every time.
Liquid - Sweet Harmony

Early house tracks were much about taking parts from classic tracks or copying current hits and putting a new slant on them, this ethos continued through the UK hardcore scene and is very prevalent on Liquids ‘Sweet Harmony’ heavily borrowing from CeCe Rodger’s ‘Someday and bringing it up to speed in 1991.One of the biggest tunes of the whole rave era.
Stakker - Humanoid

From the one of the guys who later went on to become Future Sound Of London, this track proved that the UK could kick out the acid house just as well as Chicago, an absolute acid anthem and 26 years later it is still a standard bearer for the genre.
Rhythm On The Loose - Break Of Dawn

One of the many tracks made in someone’s bedroom studio (it was a new thing back then) but filled dance floors wherever it was played, from Raves to Ibiza.

Commonly known as the ‘suitcase tune’ this was created by Geoff Hibbert who also recorded as Cyclone (Place Called Bliss).