FOUNDATIONS: T.POWER
The Self Evident Truth Of An Intuitive Mind
Friends.
It’s Friday.
You know the score.
This week we’re heading back into the jungle.
T.POWER
Hailing from my old ends in South Woodford, Marc Royal has been active in bass culture since the early 90s. A proflific producer of breakbeat, jungle and drum and bass under a huge range of aliases, he is probably best known for his work with Shy FX which did significant mainstream numbers in the early 2000s.
Today I want to focus on some of his earlier productions. In particular, one of the most accomplished and underrated albums of the golden era of jungle.
THE SELF EVIDENT TRUTH OF AN INTUITIVE MIND
Although jungle had been fully formed since at least 1993 and arguably quite a bit earlier, 1995 was the year it began to reach its most polished and creative peak. As seminal LPs from Goldie, A Guy Called Gerald, Omni Trio and Foul Play confirmed the reputation of the UK generally, and London in particular, as the global epicentre of musical innovation. A creative ecosystem consistently mapping out sonic territory that had never been explored before.
T.Power was a central player in this creative mix.
A slew of heavyweight releases through ‘93 and ‘94 had already established him as a dubplate favourite with the likes of Bukem and Grooverider, who reached for T.Power’s 1994 release Lipsing Jam Ring to open to what is arguably one of the finest jungle sets ever officially released.
Make sure to check the mix into First Sequence… Machine gun business! They really don’t make them like they used to.
NB - the Bukem and DJ Rap CDs are also next level.
With 1995’s Mutant Jazz, T.Power delivered one of the most iconic jazz licks of the 1990s.
A track that was famously reinvented by DJ Trace:
Not just once, but twice:
Each time with equally devastating impact.
Golden years indeed.
But it was his debut long player, released in 1995, that truly earned T.Power his place in jungle history.
Divided into two distinct movements, Intellect and Emotion, and comprised of nice individual tracks, ‘The Self Evident Truth…’ is a deep and profound creative exploration that delicately expands consiousness while causing absolute devastation on the dancefloor.
For me, this ability to perfectly balance the dark and the light, the cerebral and the physical, the grammar and the geometry is the pure essence of jungle music.
Take the time to listen from start to finish, it’s a truly remarkable piece of work.
And buy direct from the source.
See you next time.
Peace and love.
Rubin