Defection 89.4 - Saluting the Pirate Legends

Defection logo with a cheeky use of the DTI logo in it!

I grew up locked to pirate radio - getting out to a rave was a once in a while thing, but radio was there every weekend, Friday through to Sunday night. 1992 was a golden period in London, with a whole host of hardcore jungle stations on the dial, with three in particular leading the way: Weekend Rush 92.3 , Kool 94.5 and the mighty Defection 89.4 - from what I gather all running out of the same corner of Hackney, centred around the Nightingale Estate.

There was something about Defection that, for me, was just that notch above the rest. Serious high quality DJs, always a top selection, good natured uplifting MCing, great little jingles - just a sweet vibe that you can't fake. Defection...the station in the right direction...

I've posted a bit about Defection in the past, but this post here has been triggered thanks to my good friend Steph J digging out a nice little article about Defection from 1992. The article is alright - written by someone outside the scene,  so not really asking the questions I'd ask - but a nice little feature nonetheless. Best of all for me are the pictures! All that time listening to these  tapes (for years after the original broadcast) and having no idea what the studio and djs looked like...till now.

So check below for the scans of the article, and alongside that I'm posting up a few CLASSIC Defection sets - with download links and mixcloud streaming links.

Not sure when Defection stopped broadcasting but if I remember rightly by around1995 the 89.4 frequency had the ground-breaking UKG station London Underground on it. Always wondered if there was a link between them and Defection...

Nothing but love to all Defection crew: Chunks, Miley, Chattabox, Mix Master Max, DJ Wicked, Sonic, Shire, Nitro, Sketch,Wise, Ram, Flight, Nicklebee, King Size, Force of One Crew, not forgetting Kemistry, Storm and all the rest, and extra big shout to Lt Stitch. 0831 323 099....

*If any old Defection crew see this post and can ID who's who in that photo up top, please post in the comments. In fact any other memories / facts / jokes, please post them!*

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT BIG!

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT BIG!

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT BIG! 

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT BIG!

SETS

Mix Master Max Masterclass - 1992
This is my hands down all time favourite pirate radio tape. Massive influence on me. Max was full of tricks: scratches, juggling doubles, and playing dancehall tracks and mixing hardcore tunes over the top - this in particular was a huge influence on me. Most importantly the selection was impeccable and unique. I heard him live once back in the day at Roller Express (Future Myth), and he did all the tricks live too
Download link Side A  ///// Mixcloud Stream Side A
Download link Side B ///// Mixcloud Stream Side B

Lt Stitch + Killer '92 Set + Defection 89.4 // 1993

Recorded in '93, Stitch lovingly tears through his favourite cuts from '92 - goosepimples and smiles guaranteed. Miley alongside.Bad bad set

Download link ///// Mixcloud Stream

Dj Wicked + Lt Stitch 

Wicked, aka Evil Ed, another Defection veteran, always fun sets with top notch scratching. Gold.

Download link ///// Mixcloud Stream

Feel Free - Killer 1993 Set

Feel Free was such a tight dj - brillinat set building and running mixes long - no quick cut crosses, just building tune on tune. Fantastic 93 set.

Download link  ///// Mixcloud Stream

Lt Stitch + Full Crew in the Place - 1992

Vibes in the studio with a full house in session and Stitch playing some top tunes

Download link ///// Mixcloud Stream

Fabio on Kiss 100 Tape Cache

From the years 1994-1997 the jungle sound split in several directions and different clubs and nights catered to the different sounds. The unity from the days before was still there in spirit, but things definitely did fragment - only natural i think - people wanted to push the sound and take it in different directions and express themselves as they saw fit. It would've been nice if there was more crossover, both in djs sets and in club line-ups, but on the whole it didn't happen so much.

I kept up on what was going on across the board but my heart was definitely in the Speed camp - Speed being a club night with resident DJs Fabio, Bukem, Kemistry & Storm, Doc Scott and Lee, which played tunes that if you had to describe them could be said to be deeper and more musically involved than what was going on on the upfront jump-up side of things. Really exciting times musically. Should also add I've got a little Speed Connection Facebook group here which you'd be more than welcome to join and post endlessly on.

1994 was the year that jungle blew up in the media and also the year that London's Kiss 100 FM - once a pirate station which got a legal license in 1990 - a little belatedly picked up on our UK breakbeat rave scene. The likes of Fabio, Rider, Bukem, JJ Frost, Randall, Hype, Kenny Ken and others played the slot on rotation - was the first time jungle got played on legal radio - and it was a great chance to hear tunes that wouldn't normally get played out in a dance, all kinds of (jumpy) dubplates, tunes that wouldn't come out for another year, and tunes that never came out at all. The whole scene was always pushing forward so fast that these shows were like a glimpse into the future...essential listening. Started at 9-11pm on a Wednesday if i remember rightly, but got pushed into a post midnight slot after a couple of years....

My flat mate used to particularly record Hype and Bukem's Cosmic Jam sessions, but I tended to go for the Fabio shows above all else - or at least those are the tapes that have lived to see the day 20 years on. Many didn't make it, including some early Giving it Up Slot Fabio & Grooverider sessions. Particularly gutted to have lost one which ended with Fabio playing some house tunes. Still not found that uploaded anywhere. Anyhow, we move on!

So here are the ones that made it. Thanks so much to RolldaBeats family for help with the tracklists (posted in the comments). Rolldabeats also has the best catalogue of all the Kiss Jungle Shows - check that here. Great hive-mind resource for those who care.

Before we get into it just got to pay respects to Fabio for all his hard work and almost single-handed commitment to pushing the sounds he does - hugely appreciated by a certain section of jungle music lovers. On the whole this was music that was sidelined at the time, and sadly even in an age of 24/7 jungle pirates and plenty old skool nights still remains sidelined... Interesting listening back to these tapes now and hearing Fabio talking about the splits and trying to keep the unity. So much good music and so many good memories attached to these sounds - a serious part of my life played out over these tapes.... Salute Fabio, and a big shout to all the original jungle soul boys and girls and all the Speed/Tempo/Swerve faithful.

     

Fabio on Kiss 100 Tape Cache

All tapes ripped at 320kbps. Hover over titles and right click and save as to download. Tracklists in the comments.

Fabio - Science - First Show - 1994

  Fabio's first solo show
"taking you through the spectrum...a little show, Im calling it: Science"

Fabio - Travelling - Science Pt2 - 1994 - Side A

Fabio - Travelling - Science Pt2 - 1994 - Side B
Fabio's second solo show... "music for the open minded"

Fabio - FreezeFire - 94-95 - Side A

Fabio - FreezeFire - Dec 94 - Side B
End of 94...turning the corner into 95

Fabio - Summer Bees Wax - 1995 - Side A

Fabio - Summer Bees Wax - 1995 - Side B
Getting into 1995 - by now Fabio really was carving out a distinct sound
"look ahead every single time" 

Fabio - Mutant Jazz - 1995 - Side A

Fabio - Mutant Jazz - 1995 - Side B
After a quiet start Speed was blowing up by this point

Fabio - Moving - Summer 95 Side W

Fabio - Moving - Summer 95 Side X
The soundtrack to the summer of 95...we had a proper heatwave that year 

Fabio - Lazy Days - 1995 - Side A

Fabio - Lazy Days - 1995 - Side B

More gold from 1995

Fabio and Grooverider - End of Year Spesh - 1995
F&G's xmas shows always great fun and filled with interesting chat

Fabio - New Days - Sept 1996 - Sides A+B
By 1996 the jazz elements were really coming to the fore

Fabio - Jazz Stepping - 1997 - Really  Side A

Fabio - Jazz Stepping - 1997 - Side A
The jazzstep becomes official

Fabio - RIP 1997 - Side A

Fabio - RIP 1997- Side B
Deeper and deeper into jazz and fusion sounds

A little bonus one - recorded from R1 and some great crowd vibes on this:
Fabio - Live at Sonar Festival Barcelona 2003 - Side A

Fabio - Live at Sonar Festival Barcelona 2003 - Side B

...also have some Rider tapes to rip - they'll go up later in the year i expect
and dont forget, tracklists in the comments

London Pirate Radio Tapes - Cache #2

Sharing a second batch of top-notch hardcore jungle pirate radio recordings from the golden days of 1992-94. There's a lot of tapes floating around online these days, some good some bad, but trust me these are all quality.

If you missed the tapes uploaded so far, check the Dusty Tapes tag - some real gems there. All tapes ripped at 320kbps...enjoy

DEFECTION 89.4FM
Two from my favourite station Defection. I don't know, there was just a vibe off that station that felt right, especially so in 1992 - Miley on the mic a big factor I reckon. First up Tony T chopping out some firing hardcore,  followed by the scratching upbeat selection of Evil Ed. Evil Ed changed his name to DJ Wicked, and on the second tape he's followed by one of Defection's bedrocks, the mighty Lieutenant Stitch (currently residing in Japan I gather). Just noticed that their logo has a little dig at DTI in it!(Department of Trade and Industry whose job it is to shut down pirates)
 
Tony T + Evil Ed

Dj Wicked + Lt Stitch Side A {link needs fixing!}

Lt Stitch Side B {link needs fixing!}

KOOL FM 94.5FM

Kicking of with Easy D who's joined by the ravers favourite MC Stingray, whose enthusiasm and energy are legendary - he seemed to be in that studio 24/7, and always feeling it. Easy D gets into some of the darkside hardcore tracks around at this time, but played with a Kool FM twist.

Easy D Side A - 1993 

Easy D Side B - 1993 



Two top sessions from one of Kool's absolute finest Feel Free - an excellent dj, brilliant selection, seem to recall he had a slot around 8pm on a Friday evening - the start of many a weekend. Serious 1993 selection, tuff and dark.

Feel Free - Science

Feel Free - June 93 - Side A

Feel Free - June 93 - Side B

For a good while Fabrok and Phaze 3 played on a late Saturday night, Sunday morning, and week in week out destroyed the airwaves in those smoked filled early hours, and played on into the dawn as people were getting in. This one is an absolute bona-fide killer - big tunes, big mixes - pirate radio gets no better, trust me - across the board 93 selection (possibly recorded in Jan 94).

Fabrok + Phaze 3

To finish here are a couple of unusual ones:

PULSE 90.6 FM
An early 1992 show from Chris Simon, who co-ran the Music Power record shop in Haringey

Chris Simon on Pulse

HARDCORE FM 88.9FM
A tape from DJ Face on 88.9FM. Don't know anything about this, other than maybe Hardcore FM took over from Sunrise FM, which was connected to the Sunrise raves. 92 vibes.

Face on Hardcore FM

...plenty more goodness to come in the future, so keep in touch on facebook, twitter, email, stamped addressed envelope to be informed of new posts.

Dusty Tapes: R Solution - Marc Mac, Dego, Kirk Degiorgio, IG Culture, Phil Asher + Patrick Forge

Another batch of rescued radio tapes here, these from the now vintage 4 Hero R Solution shows. The first 12" I ever bought was 4 Hero's 'Kirk's Nightmare', and like a lot of devotees to their sound I followed everything related to them and the rest of the camp loyally ever after, so when they got their own show - on Sunday nights, 2am to 4am on London's Kiss 100 - I was all over it.

To my ears the 4 Hero sound, be it the old hardcore stuff or new future soul material, is all about deep roots drawing water from the springs of 60s free jazz and 70s funk and soul, giving flower to music always way ahead of its time. The R Solution shows captured that whole spectrum.

R Solution only ran from 1998 to 2001 (cut short by the tragic selling-out of Kiss by new owners Emap) - three short years - but in that time the show became the home of what came to be known as the broken beat scene. Marc Mac and Dego shared the hot seat with Phil Asher and Kirk Degiorgio on rotation, each bringing their own angle.

I've upped a load of old radio tapes now - I think what all these shows have in common is that they were each a focal point for a living, breathing scene, in which listeners tuned in because the shows felt essential, building a movement, providing a testing ground for new music, and schooling on what had gone before. Couldn't be more true for R Solution.

Listening back now I cant help but feel that the music played seems more relevant and fresh than ever - where's the soul gone? If anyone knows where the home of the broken beat scene is today please post - I'm all ears. Enough chat - enjoy:
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4 Hero - World Wide - Sides A + B

I think this might be the very first 4 Hero show, in a guest spot given to them in Giles Peterson's Worldwide show (at that time also on Kiss). A warm up for what was to come.

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Phil Asher - Original Texture - Side A
Phil busting soulful broken beat nuggets

Phil Asher - Modaji Interview - Side B
Interviewing Modaji and playing some of his twilight jazz jams

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Kirk Degiorgio - Vintage Selection - Sides A+B
From disco to hip hop to jazz to afro to dub to heaven!

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4 Hero - All Good, All Love - Side A
Deep in the beats


4 Hero - All Good, All Love - Side B
Deeper still

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Kirk Degiorgio - The Mizell Brothers Special - Side A
Kirk plays a selection of strictly Mizell Brothers productions - pure quality 70s jazzfunksoul

Kirk Degiorgio - The Mizell Brothers Special - Side B 
The tribute continues - strictly Mizell Brothers; Sky High productions

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4 Hero - On the One Double Zero, Lahvley! - Sides A+B
A friend of mine sent this one over, not my tape. Thanks KP.

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IG Culture - Main Squeeze - Side A
Not strictly R Solution, this was recorded on BBC London (another once-great station now on the crimes-against-music-list), but definitely belongs here. IG digs deep in the bag...

IG Culture - Main Squeeze - Side B
Part two of IG's show, finishing up on a bit of JA music. BIG UP IG.

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Patrick Forge - Forging Ahead - Sides A+B 
As with IG, Patrick Forge isn't technically part of the R Solution thing, but a tape of one of his shows definitely belongs here. With Kiss since pirate days, and finally cutting out in 2008, the man is a radio legend - jazz cadet of the highest order. Salute!

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R Solution lives on in a different form on NuWave Radio - check it - i'm especially feeling Dez and Biz's Cybershow - definitely still solving the problem...

The definition of junglism

The mighty stevie hyper alongside dj clarkee and full black market crew on don fm 1994 in a tower block in london - it gets no ruffer. RIP Stevie Hyper D.

Dusty Tapes: Manasseh & Joey Jay on Kiss

For a generation of London roots reggae lovers, Nick 'Manasseh' Raphael's radio shows on the now tragically sold-out and commercialised Kiss FM were pivotal. The show went out between 3am-6am on Saturday night/Sunday morning, but despite the late slot still had a big impact on its loyal following - for those not up for an all-nighter, alarm clocks and tapes had to be at the ready!

Nick's deep selection and minimal presentation style made for possibly the best roots and culture show Ive yet to hear on radio. For those unfamiliar, Manasseh's own productions are up there with the best UK dub acts - be sure to check out his material. Great producer.

I live in hope that a decent roots and culture show will return to London's airwaves...radio continues to neglect real roots music, and even the pirates don't play dub cuts, as far as I can hear. The early nineties really were a mini-golden era with Norman Jay's brother Joey Jay, Manasseh and Rodigan all pushing the sounds on Kiss. Joey Jay's 'Word, Sound and Power' was a mighty show, but was filling a shorter, prime time slot, and so didn't get to go as deep as Nick's I would say. I really owe them all a debt of gratitude for really turning me on to the wealth of great music connected to Jamaican culture.

I've managed to find a few old tapes of Nick's and Joey's shows (sadly most tapes lost along the way...), and they still sound great - these are they:

Click on the titles to download

Manasseh - Classic Selection

Manasseh - Upsetter Selection

Manasseh - Dont want to be a General

Manasseh - Heavily Protected

Manasseh - Blues

A tape featuring a vintage selection from Edie Joseph, Riz Records co-founder:
Eddie Joseph on the Manasseh Show Side A 

Eddie Joseph on the Manasseh Show Side B

Joey Jay Blues Dance Word Sound Power Kiss

Joey Jay Devon Russell Tribute 1997 Kiss Side A

Joey Jay Devon Russell Tribute 1997 Kiss Side B

...and for good measure here's one of the great deejays on London community radio and from the circuit, Cabbage Man, recorded on Power Jam. Cabbage Man is pure personality, his laugh is hilarious, and his love for music is infectious - be sure to give this one a check:

Cabbage Man - When Dance Used to Nice - Power Jam

So that's it from me - however, Ringo over at Cry Tough has been collating lots more Manasseh recordings, so be sure to check out his collection HERE . Big up Ringo. Ringo also plays a fortnightly roots show on Purple Radio, and there's a big old archive of his previous shows HERE.

Dusty Tapes: London Pirates 1991-1995

Going to resist writing too much about London pirate radio, save to say that I love it to the bone to this day. London's history with pirate radio is deep and today London runs it redder than ever - is fair to say that London has the most vibrant pirate radio scene in the world. This is a collection of favourite pirate radio tapes from the hardcore/jungle/dnb pirates between 1991 and 1995. To read more about the pirate scene check out londonpirates.co.uk and give the excellent video above a watch too.
All tapes ripped to 320kbps and eq'd where necessary - click on Side A/B to download

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Sketch + Ruff and Ready + Weekend Rush 92.3 + 1991

Stitch and Miley join Sketch on this session - the three of them soon going off to start Defection. Sounding ruff tuff and raw to the core - hardcore!

Side A

Side B

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Mix Master Max + Master Class + Defection 89.4 + 1992

Incredible show, full of trademark dj tricks, dancehall mixes and impeccable selection (already posted this one here)

Side A

Side B

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Lieutenant Stitch + Killer '92 Set + Defection 89.4 + 1993

Recorded in '93, Stitch lovingly tears through his favourite cuts from '92 - goosepimples and smiles guaranteed. Miley alongside.

Side A

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King Size + Killer '93 Set + Defection 89.4 + 1993

King Size was a later addition to the Defection roster - tight dj, great selection

Side B

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Fabrok + Feed Me Bass + Kool 94.5 + 1993

My compañero, the man who turned me on to the whole scene (thank you) smashes Kool in a late late night session with no mc. Big UP!! 

Side A

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Brockie + Running it Red + Kool 94.5 + 1993

Brockie pulls out a string of absolute killers, alongside some good natured and uplifting mcing from Dett and Co-gee

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Side A

Side B

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Feel Free + Serious Selection + Kool 94.5 + 1993

Heads down serious session here, alongside mc Dett on form.

Side A

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Faze 3 + Dark Zone + Kool FM 94.5 + 1994

Faze 3 gets into the dark, deep and orchestral selection that was around about this time. Sadly lost an amazing soulful Faze 3 alongside Navigator tape...got chewed up.

Side A

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DJ Ron + Roast Style + Kool FM 94.5 + 1994

Summer '94: jungle had just blown up in the media, Fabio & Grooverider had just played their first legal shows on Kiss FM, and Ron was in the spotlight - you can feel the excitement of it all on this one, with Ron playing his unique style along side mcs Moose and a hyper Five-0 going mad on an echo unit

Side A

Side B

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Swift + Definitive '95 Selection + Kool FM 94.5 + 1995

Mampi Swift pulls out all the best teardown cuts from this year - sounds like a kool fm special! no mc

Side A

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Kane - Find The Source + Kool FM 94.5 + 1995

Wicked Kane session, Kane coming with his own style, and a few of his own productions, with nice supportive mcing from Gee and Tekka

Side A

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There'll be some KISS FM rips down the line, featuring shows from Fabio & Grooverider, Bukem, Mannaseh, 4 Hero and more.

Dusty Tapes: Bass Persuasion

This one has been carbon dated to 1996, and was my first innocent stab at laying down some jamaican tunes. Thing was in those days i can't have had much more than a dozen dubwise tracks to my name - barely enough to fill a tape - what I had came mainly from dusty boxes in second hand furniture stores round my part of town. Despite that, I got lucky and picked up what I now know were some great tracks.

No tracklisting for this, but expect to hear some scientist, heptones, revolutionaries, lee perry wailers cuts, a couple of dancehall tracks, as well as some uk dub from disciples and shaka - all rounded of with a dose of junglism, including a bit of guy called gerald. Nice for me to have this for prosperity, but hope its entertaining enough a listen for you too.

Click for Side A

Click for Side B

Dusty Tapes: Can't Stop the Love

This is a mix tape I put together in 1999. In those days i was glued to the decks, and directly inspired by Mix Master Max (see previous post), I got into the art of finding two tunes from different genres and mixing them through to make a remix of the two tracks - a bit like mash-ups today i guess. Over time I had a whole bunch of these, all well rehearsed, with pitch speeds memorised, and this mix is a collection of all these live remix specials. I was dead proud of this tape at the time, and made a load of copies which I gave out. Some what upsettingly for me side B of this is blank, and I know there was another 45mins of these. If I can track down a full copy I'll update this.

Peshay - Pacific
Public Enemy - Don't Believe the Hype

Shy FX - Pandoras Box
Dillinja - Tronik Funk

Peshay - Theme
Tenorfly - Roughneck Fashion

Portishead - It Could Be Sweet
Dj Buz - Slave

Poets of Thought - The Rhyme Goes On
Noise Factory - Breakage #4

Iration Steppas - Rejection
Urban Shakedown - Some Justice

Hydroponics - Here Comes The Judge
Splash - Babylon

Moodyman - Black Mahogany
Dee Patten - Who's The Bad Man

Grab it here

Dusty Tapes: Mix Master Max on Defection 1992

I'm in the process of digitalising what tapes have survived to see this day. Like a lot of people I recorded lots of stuff off pirate radio (theres stories of people driving to the edge of London just to listen to the weekend pirates!), and if you wanted to make a mix tape for your mates, it meant buying a stack of blanks and doing a load of copies. I'm going to post up a small selection of tapes here, starting with this one which is very important to me. Defection 89.4 was a hardcore jungle station that ran in the first half the nineties. For me it was the best of all the pirates up at that time - a professional attitude, brilliant DJs, and even great MCs too.

Mix Master Max's shows were truly special, and this tape is a fine example, which I've listened to so many times I'm amazed it still plays. Max was full of tricks: scratches, juggling doubles, and playing dancehall tracks and mixing hardcore tunes over the top - this in particular was a huge influence on me. Most importantly the selection was impeccable and unique. I heard him live once back in the day at Roller Express (Future Myth), and he did all the tricks live too. He pops up now and again at a few oldskool nights. A legend in my book.

Nothing but love to all Defection crew: Chunks, Miley, Chattabox, Mix Master Max, DJ Wicked, Sonic, Nitro, Sketch,Wise, Ram, Flight, Nicklebee, King Size, Force of One crew, not forgetting Kemistry, Storm and the rest, and extra big shout to Lt Stitch. Oh, and big up Akt, who'd blam anything that moved, including the label of this tape!

Click here for Side A

Click here for Side B


UPDATE:
Max has entered the Online DMC Champs 2011 with this little gem. What a legend! Cant keep a great deejay down