If I remember correctly I walked into Tweakin’ Records, on Haight street in San Francisco, one day in 1995— I might have been working there at the time — and an English gentleman by the name of Big Lee thrust this record into my hand saying, “Check this out, it’s fookin’ devastatin.'” I abided — as a dude should — by his recommendation and concluded that it was, indeed, devastating. At the time, around ’95, house and garage were played pretty much unto themselves and techno would rarely be introduced into the mix (and there were maybe 1.5 techno parties in the city anyway). This record boldly combined house and techno and nodded to garage, the heavily filtered track being basically comprised of a sample of Underground Solution’s “Luv Dancin’.”

Below is a review of that fine release from Woody McBride’s Sounds label, which was always a go-to in that halcyon era.

Various
Sideburns EP
Sounds/US/12
Another Technoid House excursion for Woody McBride’s Housier imprint, Sounds, another mysterious label and another round of fierce beats. Not very much in the way of details on this one (as compared to other Sounds releases, not) just the title and a picture of a guy with absolutely no sideburns at all. Rumour has it, though, that Gemini might well be involved, as well as a good friend of Woody’s. Anyway, more importantly, the musique; the A side contains two smoking Techno grooves at a House tempo but they still display the ferocious sound experimentation of the most out there Motor City techno coupled with a definite European feel, acidic and harsh.

The second tune shows a Chicago track inclination, but you might still be tempted to throw it into a garage set just for the fuck of it and take a very deep breath as the crowd rushes the box (to shake your hand for being inventive and daring. However, try this at your own risk). The other side is another story altogether, with a groove that sounds uncannily like Undeground Solution’s ‘Luv Dancing.’ This strays off into sub bass territory and let me assure you, you will feel the bass on this one. You might not think it’s great shakes at home but wait ’til you hear it out — and you have heard it out — bass, bass and more fucking bass than you can wave a…er…bass guitar at. A dub disco delight definitely due to detonate dance floor decadence. Chris Orr