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Various Artists Ozone Recordings

Sheffield champions of bleep and bass Ozone Recordings start the new year by reviving classic cuts from the label and refreshing these for a new audience.

Ozone Recordings

Starting with Count Zero’s ‘Silent Prayer’, the bouncing wood and sub-bassline jumps into action from the off. We’re instantly taken back to a time when Sheffield heralded the charge in the north for credible house and techno. This release includes comprehensive liner notes from Matt Anniss (writer of Join The Future) and the half-dozen tracks have all been remastered by local legend Rob Gordon of Forgemasters fame.

Zone’s vibrant ‘Eternal’ remains as fantastic as ever, effectively transforming old-school hip-hop samples with a Kraftwerk loop and crisp breakbeat. Through the subtle acid house of Success’s ‘Tripwire’, we’re reminded of the smart sounds that made Ozone one of the most credible labels when it broke through in 1990. Again, that trademark sub-bass returns for the crisp Trak 1 tune ‘For This II’ as they take another iconic moment from hip-hop, this time Run DMC’s ‘Sucker M.C.'s’, and bridge a gap with it between techno sensibilities and rave intoxication.

New Age Technology’s self-titled track is bleep and bass in its purest form, resonating alongside classics such as ‘Report To The Dancefloor’ by Energise and once again maximising another old-school electro sample, this one from the Jonzun Crew. Though three decades may have passed this music of the future is still very much that – fresh and forward-thinking with an added touch of Rob Gordon magic.