10 years of Causing Trouble – the
Trouble on Vinyl music group
“It’s simple, TOV makes music for people
to dance to…” Mark Hill, label manager
This is the first in an occasional series where
we at ELECTROMEDA give some props to some our favourite labels.
To kick off we have
a special 10th anniversary big up for Trouble on Vinyl.
Holding it down since 1993 and now including Renegade Hardware and Renegade
Recordings, the label has been going from strength to
strength, riding the ups and downs of DnB throughout the last decade.
To
celebrate 10 years of kicking it in such fine style TOV have
released “Here
Comes Trouble: A Decade of Drum n Bass” a storming 3 cd retrospective,
each cd mixed by a top scene playa. DJ Friction, Fresh (Bad
Company),
and the don Fabio are on duty, see later for a review.
When long time mates, Mark and Clayton formed
TOV in ’93,
they had moved along the traditional pirate radio route and in
the early days the label was conceived as an outlet for their own
tunes and upcoming artists such as DJ Red, Future
Forces and Just
Jungle. Tunes such as Red’s 94 slam ‘Enta The Dragon’ and
Just Jungle’s ‘Sky’ set the scene. By the time
1996 had rolled around TOV had released their first full length
album entitled “Code of the Streets” which proved to
be a cornerstone in the establishment of TOV.
As the DnB styles continued to mutate and evolve
TOV were tracking these movements and decided a new label was
needed to put out these
divergent sounds. So came the genesis of Renegade Recordings and
it’s jazzy vibes included such talent as State Logic/Solid
State, Future Cut, Total Science and Shogun. Following a slew of
fine releases including Shogun’s ‘Sunburst’,
Solid State laid down the first album entitled “Point of
No Return”. “Point of No Return” was a notable
success and gave rise to the cracking remix of ‘Just a Vision’ by
Marcus Intalekt and ST Files. A slammin’ tune who’s
influence can still be felt in today’s DnB. By ’97
TOV had yet another string to their bow with the formation of Renegade
Hardware, a label catering to the more hardcore tech style epitomized
by Future Cut’s releases such as ‘Stealth’ and ‘Whiplash’.
Album collection ‘Quantum Mechanics’ contained no physics,
but plenty of fine cuts, propelling it and the hardware scene to
both commercial and critical acclaim.
Meanwhile the TOV label was anything but quiet,
busy adding dancefloor smashes by the likes of DJ Friction, Future
Cut and Psychosis to
their ever expanding catelogue. Following the success of “Code
of the Streets”, 1999’s “Mission Control” hit
the decks rolling. RH weren’t to be left on the sidelines
and added their second album “Armageddon” to the mix.
Another smash worldwide this really put RH on the map. If no one
had taken notice before, they were now. Tunes such as Konflict’s
anthem ‘Messiah’, Marcus Intalekt and ST
Files’s ‘Moon
Walk’ and the introduction of the Usual Suspects and C4C
Hardware to the floor showed no mercy! The release of Grooverider’s ‘Essential
Rewindz” pushed the point home, a fine album showcasing some
of the tunes of the year and outselling the previous outings.
The worldwide flavour of DnB was appreciated
by RR, who’s
next LP “Renegade Hardware” was another hit and pushed
forward German stars Tronik 100 – who’s debut album
is eagerly anticipated (check for a winter ’03 release).
Continuing to explore the jazzier, funkier sides of DnB, RR are
continuing on the mission statement with alomp. Check for the Tronik,
D Kay, Mathematics and Solid State releases as a fine starting
point.
As we move to the modern day, the ‘Here Comes Trouble’ on
TOV is an established series releasing some of the juiciest cuts
on the scene. New releases from the likes of Sonic and Silver,
DJ Red, Friction and Nu Balance soundtrack the rise of this granite
solid label. RH has got the highest record sales of the group and
the 3 part “The Harder They Come” backed up by the
4 part “Four Elements” did much to promote the label
and it’s artists. Including the newest on the block, Raiden who has a new EP out around now I hear. The most visible releases
are the wicked ‘Killa Bees’ by Usual Suspects, which
achieved the highest record sales and the instantly recognized
and loved ‘Twist ‘em Out’ by the man Dillinja.
This release made no. 43 in the UK, which is no mean feat in todays
contaminated chart system. Heavy remixes of both by Bad Company can be found on the accompanying mix cd.
Bang into the present the TOV group are continuing
to stick to their ethos and are known for releasing some of the
hottest tunes
around. TOV is known for it’s ability to rock the dancefloor
while continuing to innovate and explore new vibes, proving such
scope to their artists. Keep your eyes peeled for the new releases
mentioned above as they promise to be fine tunes. TOV have been
responsible for some of my real faves, the likes of DJ Red, Future
Cut, Usual Suspects, D Kay, Dillinja etc etc and I am sure many
of yours too. 10 years is a good time to sit back and take stock,
but there’s no evidence of TOV’s force waning and I
for one am looking forward to the next 10 years! Big up.
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