September 2019 - Steve Spon

Blame speaking on Radio 1 about the making of Music Takes You

Nice to see or rather hear Contrad Blame on Radio 1 from a couple nights ago talk about the making of his early Jungle/Hardcore anthem classic, “Music Takes You” This was first recorded way back in 1992 at Luton’s very own “33 Studio” at the Art’s Centre in Guildford street and it was originally engineered by yours truly. The original white label I engineered for Blame, “Music takes You” went on to be taken onboard Rob Playford’s Moving Shadow rostrum and became a huge hit reaching number 1 in the Dance Music charts and making the lower end of the national charts.

” A bright eyed youth walked into 33 Studios one day in 1991 and claimed he would receive a grand for making a record. After we ripped a couple of records for samples, we laid out the track added some MIDI synth lines then I suggested we try my Juno 106 for bass sounds. After a twiddling we set upon a big fat sound. He left the studio with a smile and I thought that would be it! Six months later he returned with a 12" and a bigger smile. The record had gone big time in the underground rave scene. Although you won't find me credited on the sleeve, as Rob Playford had seen the potential and took Konrad (Blame) under his wings and produced 3 other mixes and re-released with proper clearances. I recorded and helped Konrad produce the 'Original Mix' and yes, the phat bassline was from my Juno! “

Above taken from my Discography
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Cherry Red Music has just released a 4 x CD + book set entitled Optimism / Reject – Punk and Post-Punk Meets D-I-Y Aesthetic: 4CD Deluxe Bookpack Edition. ( CRCDBOX74 )

One of my early tracks is included within this collection.
This collection includes “Exhibition” by Pnemania which was originally on “Plastic Records” (Plas 001) – the split and flip side with UK Decay’s “UK Decay”. This was my first ever published recording, a song I co wrote with Pneu Mania’s Gaynor, (aka Snow White). I joint owned Plastic Records along with Captain B, Steve Harle and Steve ‘Abbo’ Abbott

Optimism/Reject a 4 x CD Bookset collection available from Cherry Red Music — Optimism/Reject a 4 x CD Bookset collection available from Cherry Red Records
CRCDBOX74

“In the wake of punk, musicians in the UK found themselves suddenly liberated artistically and free to think in new terms commercially. The outcome was the independent label boom, and beyond that a certain Do It Yourself aesthetic. Overnight, the possibility arose of recording your own music and releasing your own record, or, if you weren’t musical yourself, setting up your own label to release records by people who were. “

Link to Cherry Red Records Product page