Over a decade ago, when Jungle started branching out into distinct styles, one label found itself on the cusp of an evolution towards a more sinister sound. Thirteen years on, Renegade Hardware remains at the cutting edge of the scene. Time for us to give you an overview of how they’ve kept their finger on that button.
To do this, we’re taking you back to about 1994, when a large part of the jungle scene was moving towards simpler, more uplifting beats. As a reaction to this there was a growing demand for driving underground sounds, which gave rise to Hardstep, and with it an even richer diversification within the genre.
The man at centre of the revolution: Clayton Hines of Trouble On Vinyl. By creating Renegade Hardware as an outlet for those productions that drew on the darker roots of Drum and Bass, he made sure this niche of the scene had a chance to develop into an influential and much loved subgenre.
The first few releases by artists like Future Forces, Paradox and Dom and Roland equated the Hardware name with quality production and paved the way to the label’s first massive success. Usual Suspects’ Killa bees attacked in 1999 and were good for the best selling release on any of the Trouble on Vinyl group’s labels, even entering the national charts.
Three years later Dillinja’s Twist ‘em Out was good for another massive hit. It’s somewhat light-hearted energy appealed to a broader audience than the traditional Hardware sound, which effectively spread the word further than it had ever gone before.
Meanwhile, back in Belgium, the label was going from strength to strength. The darker timbre fell right in line with this part of Europe’s Hard- and Darkcore roots, and when Techstep swept the Drum and Bass world, the labels recognition soared.
The next big milestone was in the making when Kemal and Rob Data came together and aptly named themselves Konflict. Their cooperation came to a head when they produced Messiah and after some discussion, signed it over for release by Renegade Hardware, thus leaving us with another signature classic to cherish.
The man at centre of the revolution: Clayton Hines of Trouble On Vinyl. By creating Renegade Hardware as an outlet for those productions that drew on the darker roots of Drum and Bass, he made sure this niche of the scene had a chance to develop into an influential and much loved subgenre.
The first few releases by artists like Future Forces, Paradox and Dom and Roland equated the Hardware name with quality production and paved the way to the label’s first massive success. Usual Suspects’ Killa bees attacked in 1999 and were good for the best selling release on any of the Trouble on Vinyl group’s labels, even entering the national charts.
Three years later Dillinja’s Twist ‘em Out was good for another massive hit. It’s somewhat light-hearted energy appealed to a broader audience than the traditional Hardware sound, which effectively spread the word further than it had ever gone before.
Meanwhile, back in Belgium, the label was going from strength to strength. The darker timbre fell right in line with this part of Europe’s Hard- and Darkcore roots, and when Techstep swept the Drum and Bass world, the labels recognition soared.
The next big milestone was in the making when Kemal and Rob Data came together and aptly named themselves Konflict. Their cooperation came to a head when they produced Messiah and after some discussion, signed it over for release by Renegade Hardware, thus leaving us with another signature classic to cherish.
Renegade veterans like Loxy, Ink, Dylan and Cause 4 Concern were holding down the fort at the Hardware camp by exploring a darker side, while producers such as Black Sun Empire and John B surpassed other boundaries. The latter created his very own flavour of electrostep, a tongue-in-cheek type of sound with plenty nods to the glitzy 80’ies, which bravely contrasts with its piers. A great example of this is Barcode. Originally an affiliated label created by Clayton as a medium for younger talent, which by then had matured into the harder wing of the T.O.V. circle. Featuring groundbreaking releases by, Raiden, Ewun, Spor, Noisia and Evol Intent, it takes us back to where we left off, the Drum and bass of the present.
What this journey has left me mulling over is how T.O.V. and affiliates have managed to overlap the movements of the scene so intrinsically. As Subgenres spider-webbed and more of them saw the light of day, most of them were represented on one of the labels at the height of their existence. Trouble on Vinyl, Renegade productions, Renegade Hardware and Barcode’s discographies each double up as a kind of soundscape, detailing the evolution of a particular offshoot of Jungle, which in turn has flourished because of it. Clayton Hines has since brought out a DVD magazine about Drum and Bass entitled ‘Code of the Streets’, thereby adding images to sound.
So what the story really boils down to is this: Most of us have clear-cut expectations of vinyl baring the Hardware mark. In my experience these expectations have never failed to be met in fresh and innovative ways, which has left us relentlessly awaiting forthcoming releases for some 13 years. Right now, the Babylon L.P. which came out in June, is being followed up by Ink through a world tour, culminating at The End in January of next year. This will be the very last Renegade Hardware night at the iconic venue, so well worth travelling up to London for. Be there if you can!
More info:
Renegade Hardware: http://www.myspace.com/renegadehardware2k7
T.O.V.: http://www.myspace.com/tovmusic
Renegade Recordings: http://www.myspace.com/renegaderecs
Barcode: http://www.myspace.com/barcoderecs
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