Looking Back - Going Forward : ACID

It goes without saying, that unmistakable sound is making a massive resurgence! ACID is back and sounding fresher than ever! Personally, I cant say it's ever been gone, but of late there's been a glut of massive Roland generated sickness. And there's no denying it's been of the highest quality, with some of the big names taking to their dusty 303's. Lets go back though to start...

My first recollection of acid was via a dusty 12" that nestled in my uncle's collection, being a rave enthusiast at the tender age of 13 in the early 90's (Nice one Unc'!), I never tired of scrolling through his gathered wax. I still have a mix tape with this taking pride of place on it, must dig it out and share, it contains acid of the highest calibre, just like this....

There are many praised acid champions out there, with the likes of Dexter...

DJ Pierre and Green Velvet...

And collaborations made in Roland heaven! Like Jesper Dahlback & Jori Hulkkonen!! Jack that @$&*$!!

But none, in my opinion, come close to the true kings of acid... Hardfloor. Having had the utmost satisfaction of witnessing sets from these guys over the years, not once have they disappointed. To do what they do was unfathomable to me, having sat with a 303 some years ago and giving up relatively quickly like a kid who'd been beaten by a rubix cube... much to my friends amusement. I must try it again now I'm more ofe with production tools, if I can find one that doesn't cost the earth!

They've made countless classics over the years, whether it be their original productions like Acperience, Murano, and my personal favourite...

... or they're remix duties, taking on seminal tracks like New Order's Blue Monday, Mory Kante's 'Yeke Yeke', Meat Katie's and the manifesto's Elite Force's 'Divine', which I cant find a video for to display the sheer class of it (Damn it!) I'll guess I'll have to flip the lid then and allow Elite Force to take us out with his tasteful and typically enigmatic revamp of their most notable classic, Acperience!

'Hard Flaw' (Acperience 2010 Revamp) *FREE DOWNLOAD* by Elite Force

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'Hard Flaw' (Acperience 2010 Elite Force Revamp) *FREE 320*

This track is one of the reasons I make the music I do. I can remember exactly where I was on the dancefloor back in 1992 when I first heard this acid anthem. I'd been into acid house for 3 years or so, particularly the pHuture-style raw filth that to me was the PUNK of it's day. Acid House liberated people and politicized them in a way that's hard to understand nowadays ... going out dancing at the weekend was more often than not a political act, a statement of intent. This actually came out after the Criminal Justice Act became law in the UK (if I remember rightly) so it didn't necessarily soundtrack the rucks & riots & outrage that came with liking & consuming this music, but for me it was a symbol of that joyous moment of total abandonment where you forget everything and simply allow yourself to DROWN in the music. This is acid house at it's finest - an organic symphony of machines.

This version is dead simple. It's about letting the track breathe and evolve how it was always intended too. It's not about meddling, it's about gently giving it a slightly different context - a lot of work went into getting the production elements to sit comfortably and in bringing out certain elements of the original and using the stereo field to decent effect to do this. It's not rocket science, it's just an excuse to dig out this gem and play it in a current context.

'Hard Flaw' (Acperience 2010 Revamp) *FREE DOWNLOAD* by Elite Force

You can DOWNLOAD THE FULL 320 RIGHT HERE, where it forms part of a special webpage I set up to showcase my experiences at the amazing SHAMBHALA FESTIVAL in Canada this summer.

If you dig it, show your support by dropping a comment on the track & joining the 12,000 strong family on FACEBOOK.
sHack