Mantronix – Hardcore Hip- Hop

I remember buying the 12'' of 'Temple of Love' by The Sisters Of Mercy just so I could listen to Dr Avalanche going wild in the middle. I loved drum machines, Cocteau Twins, Cabaret Voltaire and especially the MPC gymnastics of early hip hop and electro. I was no B-Boy, my brow was still furrowed with post punk gravitas, but I did dig the crisp sound of those devices. This particular number was given away with the NME on a 7'' single and I played it to death. As a student in late 1980's Manchester, I often got asked to play music at house parties as I had a relatively decent collection of records, and this tune always got a run out. These were my first forays into djing, the nascent rumblings of me inflicting my taste on a captive audience. My inaugural attempt at such a role involved me rigging up two all in one music centres and turning up the volume on one whilst turning down the other. It wasn't exactly Dj Kool Herc but we had a block party of sorts.