Today's compilation:
FFRR Classics Volume 3 1998 House / Ambient Techno / Groundbeat / Downtempo
Here's a terrific 12-inch that fondly looks back on the eclectic role that the UK's FFRR label played in the development and spread of electronic and dance music at the turn of the 1990s. As a division of London Records, FFRR's head of A&R was the legendary Pete Tong, who is known to have spent a whole lot of time in the party capital of the world, Ibiza. So, although it's not explicitly stated anywhere on this record itself, it seems that what you really see in these four songs is just how deeply impactful the Spanish island's sound was on the UK underground, and also how transplants and extended vacationers from the UK helped to further shape that same Ibizan sound too, which happened to yield a uniquely warm and hazy vibe that was blissfully hedonistic 😌.
And the starring track of this little release, an ambient techno jam from UK duo Orbital called "Belfast," serves as a quintessentially beautiful example of that late 80s-early 90s sound, with a pairing of operatic female vocals and a wondrously deep and aquatic beat 🥰.
But Ibiza also wasn't all parties all the time for all people either. Revelers definitely needed some R&R during the day in order to recuperate from their nights of hard partying too. So, if you wanted something to unwind to while being away from the club, you could stare at some waves while sinking yourself into a nice downtempo tune like Less Stress' hand-drum and dub-infused "Don't Dream It's Over."
And Diana Brown & Barrie K Sharpe, who helmed a brief fusion genre in London that mixed acid jazz with a rare groove sound called groundbeat, supply a song that could've fit in on an Ibizan dancefloor too, with a funky cut called "The Masterplan."
Now, of course, Ibiza is currently a wholly different beast than it was thirty-plus years ago, and with that's come a change in its overall sound too. But if you wanna hear some of the really cool, Balearic vibe that was being spread to and from that island during some of its halcyon days, this varied 12-inch here from FFRR has some damn good nuggets on it 😋.
Highlights:
Orbital - "Belfast" Diana Brown & Barrie K. Sharpe - "The Masterplan (Ext Version)" Less Stress - "Don't Dream It's Over"
