DJ Alex Corton – Vinyl Reviews

Good Looking Records

Tayla – Bang The Drums / Remnants

1993

Day two of our journey through Good Looking Records, and we turn to a guy who has largely remained hidden from the music scene over the last couple of decades. Do not fret though as Russell Tayla is out there having set his studio back up, plus he’s set up to have a mix on Eruption FM in the not too distant future. This is great news!

TAYLA is an artist who never swarmed the scene. I got to see him DJ at The Ministry Of Sound back in the 90’s on one of the Prog Sessions there. His work not only demonstrated his unique abilities in the studio, but his ethic of quality over quantity. He only put together a handful of tunes, which largely consisted of collaborations with the likes of Bukem, Photek (Aquarius), PFM, and then with the engineering prowess of Intense and Olly ‘Artemis’ Lomax. Russel’s work remains some of the most indelible music of the last 30 years. He did have some material out with Furney and on the black and white GLR era of releases with ‘Turn It Around’ (which we’ll review down the road), but for today, we start with his first venture. This release is produced and engineered by LTJ Bukem

‘Bang The Drums’ is a great tune to play out, no matter what jungle or drum and bass set you’re playing. If you are mixing it, don’t forget to release the plate with those little blips, between the first and second beat of the first bar. “Listen and learn, now it’s my turn” and…wham! Igniting the beats that make your screwface crunch up and cheeks bellow out an expulsion of satisfactory, audio-ecstasy carbon dioxide. The bells keep chiming, the vocal sirens calling, and the beats rolling strong, as the bass booms out across the tundra of blissful harmony. The breakdown swoops in and lifts things up another level. It’s like coming up for air after that final kick underwater, before the lungs explode. The pads speak volumes of unbridled delicacies, London airwaves and steps beyond the boundaries.
‘Bang The Drums’ is a true monument in the jungle world. A tune that deserves a place in the history museum of music. I use the word ‘classic’ all too often at times, but for the first Good Looking plates, I feel the word does not do enough justice in relating just how important they all are. A vintage, historic, sacred and protected snapshot of everything we’ve experienced in this beautiful scene.

So, how can that track be beaten? Well, it’s not a competition, it’s a celebration. Tayla provides a track on Side B which is like nothing else on the Good Looking label. ‘Remnants’ is a tune which I started a few studio sets with back in early ‘94. As the perfect counter balance to the raw, gritty power of ‘Bang The Drums’, we have here the Diazepam of music from Tayla. This track is such a hot clay pit of therapy that once you sink yourself into it, you cannot leave. Nor, do you want to. If music could put you under its spell, you’d have here the leader of the pack, as ‘Remnants’ plummets your mind into a state that transforms you. Utterly devoid of outside infiltration or disturbing your well being. “Feel it”

That’s the second release on GLR, we end the week with the third release, and…you guessed it, another piece of music that transcends the perimeter of sounds and feelings. Remember to keep an eye and ear out for Tayla’s Eruption FM set! Big up to you Russell!