BUY NOW >>> https://www.vinylfanatiks.co.uk/product/missing-volume-one-vfs023

When Sam Gordon was 7 years old he fell in love with vinyl. He can recall the very first time he went into a record shop at that age “I really loved Herbie Hancock’s tune ‘Rockit’ which was released when I was 7 and I have this vivid memory of my mum taking me into Our Price in Bromley and as I was so small, she had to lift me up at the counter so I could ask the shop assistant for it” It was this shopping trip that got a young Sam hooked on music and those electro beats of Herbie Hancock stuck in his head throughout his formative years. By the time he was 15 he first started producing – “Me and my mates were messing about with the UK hip hop and early house sound we were inspired by, just sampling loads and rapping over fast hip hop beats and hardcore sounds. This would have been 1991. I had a keyboard with 3 seconds of sample time on it, which meant you could only sample one element at a time, loop it and bounce our ideas down onto a 4-track. Our little crew was called ‘Youts On The Run’ which was a reference to the experiences we had growing up in 80’s and 90’s South East London where we were constantly looking over our shoulder. Our lyrics spoke about these experiences and the music drew on the melting pot of influences that were starting to converge into the UK hardcore/early jungle scene. The Group consisted of me as MC Firefly, a mate Lee who went by DJ Frontline and handled the musical side with me and two others; Kevin “Mad X” and Dene “Iron I”. Firefly was a short lived alias as I soon changed my name to DJ Shocker, leaving the mic behind and getting on the decks instead. And then not long after that I became Missing. These name changes all happened within a two year period!”. It wasn’t long before ‘Youts on The Run’ sent off a few demos and had a phone call from one label, Gangster Records, who released tracks by a UK hip hop group Dominant Force. The label boss liked their ideas and spoke about getting them in the studio but nothing came of it and the other band members lost interest but Sam definitely had the bug!

Sam continues –“By the time I was 17 I was really keen to get into a proper studio but back then it wasn’t easy to make music like it is today where practically anyone could access a DAW; and this was pre- internet so definitely no YouTube tutorials on how to chop an amen! These were the days of analogue studios and they weren’t cheap to rent. I was at Orpington College in Kent studying for A levels and a fellow student Ian, DJ Kingsize who was a DJ on Defection FM at the time, told me about a studio he had used for a demo track in Mottingham (also in South East London), run by a guy called Martin. He was in his 50’s and a chain-smoking Yorkshireman who liked his pints. He knew nothing about jungle but he charged a reasonable fee for a day’s session, about £100, and was a nice bloke and mostly a patient engineer when being asked to try all kinds of mad edits! He had a fairly basic set up with a Roland JV1080, a Mackie 24 channel desk, an Akai S1000 that was upgraded, so had about a minutes sample time, an Atari ST running the same cracked copy of Cubase everyone seemed to have and a few sample CDs. So when it came to my 18th Birthday and my parents asked me what I wanted, I asked for a day’s studio session”. His parents kindly agreed to his request, as they could see how much enthusiasm their son had for music, and a day’s studio hire was secured.

www.vinylfanatiks.co.uk
www.vinylfanatiks.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/vinylfanatiks
www.instagram.com/vinylfanatiks/
www.twitter.com/vinylfanatiks

Missing - 'A Stitch In Time' - VFS023 - 192mp3 clip

I got into the rave scene by seeing the likes of The Prodigy, Altern 8, Bizarre Inc, Orbital and Moby on the TV in the early 90s. Regular visits to the local record shops. Ended up me buying some decks. Being under 18. I spent a lot of my early years mixing on illegal pirate radio stations called laser fm, storm, frequency, choice and kiss 100 Worcester (not exile radio). Playing all forms of hardcore music under the name DJ Trauma. When old enough. I started playing out in the clubs. I mainly could be found in the second room at mindgames, zig zag's doing the drum and bass. I also got a booking at an event called Wrekweim. Which was my first appearance at the legendary Sanctuary night club in Milton Keynes in November 1996. I joined a dj agency after that. Which had mixed results. But I did do a few gigs in mainland Europe. One of the best being in north Germany. The rave was in this graffiti interior house which had a massive cellar. This house and also a music studio in the same German city were funded by a millionaire. So that the young people had some where to hang out and enjoy music. Pretty cool. I noticed the free party rave scene in Oxfordshire had a revival back in the late 90's. So I got the chance to play all my favourite rave and hardcore tunes from the golden era. Playing in many different environments like warehouses, fields, farm barns, boats etc. Amazingly I was at the first Truck festival (which i think is still going even now). I enjoyed many hassle free nights out in Oxford at top old skool events like depth charge. Also the source, a wicked drum and bass night that always had the best dj's. Typically after a few years the scene went a little backwards there. In part to the main clubs like the Zodiac and all of Oxford's iconic records shops closing down. Not to fear. I started my bi-weekly residency at Baby Simple in Oxford for many years (2007 to 2012) I kept things moving on. Performed for many promotions through the 2000s in the Midlands such as nu breed, pure x, timeless and illusion. Also appeared at various festivals including Glade. I have organised and put on a few events. Generally in Oxford and Worcester. Easily the biggest one I done was the colossal custard festival. Which was at the custard factory Birmingham August bank holiday in 2008. An all nighter with four arena's of drum and bass, tech house, acid techno, breaks and classic rave from the early days. But due to work and other life commitments. I did one last dj gig at the Bully, Cowley Road Oxford, early 2016. Then I called it a day dj-ing out. Music is my passion and the main thing is there's still so much new and old music to discover. I am on Soundcloud everyday. Don't really have a favourite tune of all time. There's just too many. But even now I still play the classic Prodigy experience album way too much. I bet you lot play it pitched up on the Technics like myself. Much love to everyone following me on soundcloud and also knows me in person. I have met so many dj's, mc's and artists over the years. Personality wise. The one's in the scene that you probably would of heard of. That I got on well with or met at least once are : John B, Stu Allan [r.i.p], Billy "Daniel" Bunter, Dj Vibes, Andy & Simon Bassline Smith, Glen Aston, Bryan Gee, Mickey Finn, Blame, Dj Lee, The Invisible Man, Brillo, Jason & Paul (aka Total Science), Mouly (Massive Records), Chris Energy,  Jay Jay & Mark C, Tera, Tango [r.i.p], Dj Warlock, Beau (Intense), Rob Vanden, Remarc, Eksman, Dj Freak, Hazard and Dj Spice (Music First) Dego & Mark (4 Hero), Goldie, DJ Ron, Keith Suckling, Shock C, Pete Parsons (Voyager) and even house dj Tall Paul Newman. Been lots of others I ain't been impressed with. Better not say who as i'll end up in trouble. Anyway massive respect to all rave goers and everyone making brand new old skool hardcore style tunes on the cloud. Loving your work. Respect due to all the internet radio stations for keeping the pirate vibe alive. I personally love jungletrain.net with the likes of Pete Devnull & Tim Reaper, Equinox, Djinn, Code, Greenleaf, Rumbleton, Josh Hill, Arnicvs, Krugah, Paludal & Jaja. Whats not to love. My soundcloud page is dedicated to the memory of my old pal Chris Savage aka Mr Sav. Who sadly pasted away January 2014. You may still find some of his classic jungle tekno and gramophone record shows here on soundcloud. So check them out.

The label was established in 2018 as a means to release the back catalogue of renowned Jungle Techno label Underdog Recordings, which ran from 1993-1995. It quickly expanded from beyond the original goal and now reissues sought after, rare and classic records from the Jungle, Rave, Bleep House, Techno and Jungle Techno genres.

The Vinyl Fanatiks aim is to track down and work with the original artists from the early 1990’s, to reissue their music on vinyl only, and to support the record hunters and vinyl diggers from around the world with quality pressings and superb mastering; a way to show respect and share the story of those that created these incredible records.

The vision is not to focus on the obvious artists of that time but to dig a little deeper and find those that came and went but their legacy still holds true to this day. Some of these producers only released one record and vanished soon after but their music still resonates into the 21st century, accumulating new audiences across the globe, far beyond the catchment of the UK pirate radios and muddy fields of 25 years ago. What happened to these artists? Its Vinyl Fanatik’s mission to find out!

Each record captures a moment in time, a vibe that was true and innocent from a period when music was far more synonymous with rebellion and anarchy than today’s finely polished productions and conformist club pop. This music itself bred on the outskirts of society, fuelled by the passion of the rave, its lineage stemming from the Acid House era of 1988. Often produced on minimal equipment, with minimal skills and knowledge, its audio blueprint transcends to new generations, a rawness that no expensive audio plug in could ever create in this present day.

Vinyl Fanatiks wants to pay homage to these young producers who forged the foundations of the multi-million pound EDM scene we have now. Each of these artists has their own tale to tell, their own memories to share. Limited by their own geographical status within the UK, they somehow still all managed to connect and influence each other, years before the internet, mobile phones and social media that we have today. But the music knew no limits and had no boundaries, transcending generations to this day.

Bringing The Experience Back To Music

please increase the following limit over 2000