Leeds-based Ability II are best known for their 1990 track Pressure, a groundbreaking bass heavy rave tune, that crossed over The Atlantic and made the playlist at David Mancuso’s New York Loft parties. Then a 4-piece, they released the 12 on local label, Bassic, which was run out of the shop, Crash Records, and also home to the musically likeminded Ital Rockers – an early alias of legendary soundsystem man Mark Iration. In 2017, Luca Lozano, the Hong Kong-based head of Klasse Wrecks, remixed the track for Dublin’s Major Problems and Compassion Cuts, and now collaborates with David Duncan from Ability II on a new tune titled My Definition Of Bass. There are 4 mixes, which also feature Lozano’s spar DJ Steve.

Still with a techno core, of rattling drum machines, snares like Plastikman’s Spastik 808, its bionic bass and bleep melody are accompanied by a righteous roots, Babylon-busting brass, horn hook. Da Love Mix has LFOs that edge toward acidic. Deep In Dub is a seriously stoned swirl of sound. Heroically dosed with mad washes of deranged delay. Wapping great walls of echo. Kinda chaotic and cathartic.

Drug Free Americawere another 90s Leeds outfit, who, in this case, starting out noisy and industrial, a little like Age Of Chance, before getting decidedly dubbier. Baby Doll And The Dolphin Burger, dating from 1995, is slow, groovy, funky reggae built from bass, bongos and scratchy rhythm guitar, with even slower, slurred male and female vocals. Head nodding, hypnotic receptive indie roots rocking with a wheezy organ breakdown, it makes for nearly 10 minutes of mutant nyabinghi / grounation sonic dub narcotic sedation. Undoubtedly Andrew Weatherall and Jah Wobble-influenced, the track also tips its hat to King Tubby, Scientist and Lee Scratch Perry with its fuzzy, bounced down Black Ark fog. This was (another) Tom Dubwise tip.

Discover more from Ban Ban Ton Ton

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.