DJ Alex Corton – Vinyl Reviews

Good Looking Records

The Invisible Man – The Bell Tune / The Tone Tune

1994

Few of us are strangers to the importance and admiration we have for our next artist. We did review a little about The invisible Man, while on the Drumtrip Label. He will also be a big factor with Timeless and Legend when those labels become joyously exposed. By the time today’s release was distributed out through Good Looking, Graham Mew had been a very busy fellow. Doctor G and Undergraduate aliases then led to this piece of crown jewel work. This was his only release on Good Looking, (Looking Good, he had ‘Stormfields’), although he did have a release on ‘Soul Survivors’ on Tayla’s GLR offshoot label Nexus in 2000, and on Ascendent Moods on PHD’s, Ascendent Grooves label within the GLR organization, with ‘Erratic Dreams’. Both tracks are highly recommended.

   If you had to put the producers who distinguished themselves as masters of breakbeat engineering and characteristic performance in a lift, or elevator as folk around here call it, you’d maybe half fill it? Sometimes you can play a track and without seeing a name on a label or sleeve, you just know it’s their sound. Graham is one such guy. For our first track today, we have The Invisible Man displaying the full artillery of his skills and creativity, with that twist of chaos and madness marinaded over the sweetness of his music. This exceptional 12” is a true champion of the history books. 

   Side A is ‘The Bell Tune’. a track that justifies why The Invisible Man was in a league of his own. He seemed to take all the best parts of everything he did, then mold and sculpt ‘The Bell Tune’ into a masterclass of musical brilliance. From the crescendo of bell ringing in the intro, the dawn breaks and the jolt toward life begins. A tapping high hat and then a beat straight out the Invisible crates. The bass bubbles and the beats riiiise! Here we go! Those amens just roll things perfectly. When the pads lap the shore, and the waves grow, the temptation stirs. The bell chime then drops allowing those pads to crash onto land, washing over you with the healing properties of the gods. All the little beat edits in ‘The Bell Tune’ should be recognized more in this tune. Graham is meticulous, precise and I urge you to listen to this with that in mind. Yet another classic track on this sacred label. 

   For the B Side we get ‘The Tone Tune’, which doesn’t have anything to do with being told “it’s your tone” by the trouble and strife. I think the vocal say’s “unlock your tone?” I hear all sorts of random shit these days though, so…

   Far from any negativity, this one is another one of those displays of classic Invisible Man beat markets that you can immediately establish that busy, Legend engineering medallion of whisked up collectives in drum work. Like a few GLR’s, one side seemed to do more damage than the other, but it’s really hard to put one of these tracks before the other. The tone stabs keep a scent of the darkness that Graham loved putting in his tunes. The beats are again, so so detailed and focused. This is a perfect example of how unique his work is. There is a melancholy to the sine synth and even the somber style of bass fits in with this ponderous approach. We were blessed with such a momentous occasion with tracks like this. What a belter of a plate! I really loved playing this again. There were little messages at the end of many Invisible Man’s tracks. 

“Ok the shows over. Go back to your home”. 

   Graham’s work has always, and will always be admired. He had that technical knowledge to bring out more than just the sound, he carried with it, a sense of life. A blend of the frantic, the smooth, the calm and the slightly insane. I get the feeling this is why his work connected so personally. We all have those somewhere in the nooks of our lives. 

   A huge respects to you Graham!