Brian Acardy – The Killing Fields 2

It s me or I see the Cover is a camp concentration?? Seriously?

I was so delighted when this EP appeared (20 years ago, Christ...). At the time I was just starting to really collect vinyl - and was getting very into classic 90s hardcore. So any revival of that sound was already very welcome. But what really made this special, was the inclusion of the B2 track, Promo's remix of "One Tribes Jam".

It had originally appeared on Thunderdome XVII back in 1997 (making the title here a bit wrong) - which was my very first experience of Dutch hardcore .So all the tracks on that CD were already pretty special - and "One Tribes Jam" was my favourite. But in later years when I started buying old hardcore on vinyl, I discovered to my dismay it was only on that CD. Until this was released!

The tune itself is classic artcore style, with bouncy 909 kicks, breakbeats & frantic juno hoovers. And much like Ruffneck, full of samples from UK oldskool - the breaks at the start are from Brothers Grimm "Sign Of The Times", plus vocal samples from Rhythm Section & Genaside II.

But the biggest nod to oldskool is in the middle, when the track breaks down to sample "Justa Lil Dope" by Masters At Work - but sped up to the same tempo that UK DJs would play it in the early days of breakbeat hardcore. Even if you aren't familiar with the original - it's a strange but inspired choice - taking the track in an entirely different direction, before speeding back up into more familiar territory.

At the time I hoped this might lead to more producers revisiting the 90s sound, which was sadly not to be. But given how many other excellent tracks on Thunderdome and other compilations never made it to vinyl, I'm glad that this one did.

A perfect example of "going against the grain". During the early 2000's hardcore had evolved into slower and darker sounds. Out of nowhere Promo released this ep with a style that reminds of a faster and more melodic sound from the end of the 1990's.

With three reworked tracks and one that has only featured on a compilation CD, this is a must have for anyone that is into "Early Hardcore/Gabber".

"From Da Darkside"/Return To The Darkside" has always been a favorite of mine. Juno's going from left-to-right on the speakers and the melody part work so well together.

I don't know if this record sold a lot at its release date in 2003. But like a fine age it aged well and I am sure this regularly gets discovered by someone and makes it on his/her favorite list.

With the recent release of "The Killing Fields 3" this one will get more attention. Get it while you can when the prices are still reasonable.