Lost Paradise: Blissed Out Breakbeat Hardcore 1991-94

Label: Blank Mind – BLNK022
Format: Vinyl, 2x12", Printed Sleeve
Country: UK
Released: Mar 18, 2024
Genre: Electronic
Style: Drum & Bass, Jungle, Hardcore

Classic UK Hardcore from 91 - 94 compiled by Blank Mind label boss Sam Purcell and producer Tammo Hesselink. Include's rare and legendary cuts from Skanna, DJ Mayhem and Xray Xperiments (aka B12) 2x12"-- all tracks remastered by Beau Thomas.

With an intrigue for a particular niche of old UK hardcore which takes cues from Sheffield bleep ambience, heady rave futurism and soft, almost new age synth pads, Blank Mind presents ‘Lost Paradise: Blissed Out Hardcore 91-94’.

Though the records gathered for the compilation span a short three-year period and bridge the gap between scenes, the collection manages to find a sweet spot where the influence of Warp’s Artificial Intelligence, back room chill out sonics and the nascent jungle boom meet with elements of Italian piano house and slower breakbeat cuts.

Opting to focus on atmosphere to highlight shared connections; in this case the duality of often serene and calming soundscapes with frenzied breaks and bass (see Hedgehog Affair’s ‘Parameters’ and Luxury’s ‘Twirl’ respectively); Lost Paradise is a formidable collection of tracks plucked from a thriving time for British dance music experimentation.

The general themes of ascension and escapism channelled through digital samplers are also inescapably linked to a turbulent time in politics, beginning in the post-Thatcher years and culminating in the year the harshest anti-rave Criminal Justice Act came into force.

Initially building the compilation around DJ Mayhem’s track ‘Inesse’, Blank Mind label founder Sam Purcell and Amsterdam based producer Tammo Hesselink began a process of swapping favourites and deep cuts to spread across this 2x12” doublepack.

The compilation avoids any obvious centrepieces through masterful sequencing, allowing for moments of refrain and tempo changes in a way that helps add to their overall vision of what this music is and can be; “We wanted to frame hardcore in a different light, looking at this idea of ecstasy through the traditional meaning of the word and exploring that symbolism”. By drawing from what some might consider the softer edges of the movement, the pair offer a look into the relevance of these tracks in the contemporary era, where the past years have seen both an explosion in popularity of old ambient/new-age music and a certified jungle revival.

All tracks remastered from original DATs, with the exception of Sleepwalker (A1) which has been professionally ripped and cleaned.

A1. Sleepwalker - Age of Aquarius (L.D remix)
A2. Hedgehog Affair - Parameters
B1. DJ Mayhem - Inesse
B2. Luxury - Twirl
C1. The Invisible Man - The Flute Tune
C2. Escape - Escape (The Optical Mix)
D1. Skanna - This Way
D2. Xray Xperiments - Techcore