Jungle, rave 1992
1992 - 073011 DJ Phantasy@Dreamscape 4 1992 Remake (320kbps)

Originally published on the internet August 3, 2011. It hasn't been downloadable for ~2 years since then.

(13 years in the making and I had fans for me doing this mix from before I even had all the vinyl. Apparently this is a much loved set.)

If I was pushed to name the one DJ set that inspired me the most both with my musical tastes and style of playing records on record players I would have a list of 5 sets. The set at the top of the list would no doubt be, DJ Phantasy & MC Long John at Dreamscape 4.

I came across this set in an unlikely way. At the time in 1998 there was only one 1992 music fan site called "Bassquake" ran by this fellow named Matt. He had up a great set of LTJ Bukem at Dreamscape 4 but it was in crappy real audio. I asked him if he could upload this set as an MP3. He instead sent me a cassette tape in the mail with Bukem on one side and Phantasy on the other.

When I got it I put it on the Phantasy side. The sound quality was just aweful, lots of distortion and hiss. Once I got over that I was in for a treat! Previous to this day in 1998 I had thought of UK 'Ardkore as just being the same old anthems I had heard time and time again such as all the Acen, 2 Bad Mice, and DJ Seduction stuff. I had no idea this style of music went any deeper then that. As I was listening to this tape I was in for a big surprise!

These were all seriously kick ass tunes that I had never heard before yet somehow I knew they must have existed as if I dreampt about them. Not only was the tune selection "not of this world" but the mixing was rediculus! Phantasy was mixing these records faster then I thought was humanly possible. I was used to hearing lame ass east coast trance DJs that let tunes play for 5 minutes and then take another 3 minutes to mix in the next record. Phantasy was letting tunes play for less then a minute sometimes and mixing the next tune in as soon as the last track just got going. At one point he was mixing in the amen break intro from Kid Unknown "Nightmare" over the Hy-Ryze tune in a way that made it sound like it was part of the Hy-Ryze tune itself. Plus he was doing all of that cutting back and forth mixing that I loved from the 1994-1996 jungle DJs only he was doing it back in 1992 and I never knew DJs mixed like this back then.

The first record I was able to get for this set was weeks after I had gotten this tape from Matt "Bassquake" himself: Structural Damage "Really Livin". It would take me another 13 years to track down the rest.

I've done my best here to not only collect the same records for this set but to play them in the same order and to even mix them in the same way as Phantasy which was tough since I haven't listened to that low quality live set in a long time. For the past week before making this mix I was listening to the Phantasy set on loop while playing Battlefield 2 to reaquaint myself with the set. In post production I also added in some bits of MC Long John because he has become my favorite MC just from this set. Not only did he say clever funny things (talked about putting sugar in tea) but he sounds like a worker in a haunted house which brings back happy memories of Castle Dracula in Wildwood, NJ. For this reason I just had to drop in some bits of his speach in the set. As it is, when I hear tunes from this set I hear MC Long John in my head saying "Deeeee Jaaaaay Phaaaan tasy / This is not a dream / Going all the way to the kore. 'Ardkore. Phantasy / Taking you all the way into the Twilight Zone (2 unlimited reference yeah!) / Your a bassline ahead of me (wtf?!?!)" I even thought of doing a second version of this set where I write down on flash cards all of Long Johns "lines" for each track, then record myself doing a Long John impersonation. However I do not own a microphone.

Tracklist:

01). Urban Shakedown "Some Justice" (Urban Shakedown URBST1)
02). NAZ A.K.A. NAZ "Started Again (Have a break mix)" (Deja Vu Records DJV 017R)
03). DJ Phantasy "Jungle (Remix)" (Liquid Wax HAN 006)
04). 2 Da core "Rub A Dub" (Paranoia Music PM 60 T)
05). SMF "Bad Temper" (Rugged Vinyl SMF 0001)
06). Noise Factory "Behold The Jungle" (Tam Tam TTT 055)
07). Cosmo & Dibs "Body Work" (Moving Shadow SHADOW 12)
08). Noise Factory "We Can" (Tam Tam TTT 055)
09). Cosmo & Dibs "Sonic Rush" (Moving Shadow SHADOW 12)
10). Supertronic Co "Ladada" (Round and Round recs RR01)
11). Structural Damage "Really Livin" (Symphony Sounds SYMPHONY 001)
12). Crossfade "NRG" (FX Records FXUKT 7)
13). DJ Seduction "Hardcore Heaven" (Ffrreedom TABX 103)
14). Cool Hand Flex "Genetic Energe" (De Underground Records UG001)
15). Hi-Ryze "Ride The Rhythm" (Brainiak Records Braink 07)
16). Kid Unknown "Nightmare" (Warp Records WAP 20)
17). Criminal Minds "Baptised By Dub" (White House Records WYHS 001)
18). Sorted "Pigbag (DJ Phantasy Remix)" (Black Diamond PWLT 234)