Atomic Hooligan - You Are Here

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  • Atomic Hooligan's Matt Welch and Terry Ryan have been producing tunes since the mid 90s and during that time have put together some of the finest tunes ever released on Botchit & Scaper such as Servin It Up, Clubshaker and BTP 2 and also remixes for artists like Aquasky and rockers The Egg. 2005 sees the release of their debut album, You Are Here - a culmination of tunes embracing sounds of rock, hip hop, house, techno and electro all rooted in the production principles of breakbeat. They begin the proceedings of their breaks album with a rock song... no you didn't just misread that - Seven 10 Split is a rock influenced breaks song, kicking open with a guitar lick, double time drum beats (reminiscent of psych rock tunes from the late 60s/early 70s) and middle eastern influenced hooks. The beats and rhythms truly get intense during the chorus while vocalist Justine Berry takes things back to the carefree sounds of acid induced rock. Head is a hands in the air rock influenced trip featuring a gritty buzzsaw bassline, tough breakbeat and vocals by Pavinda who instructs the crowd to move with shouts of "heads nodding, feet just bouncing, bodies moving crazy baby!" Shine A Light takes a trip through acid house loaded with a massive 303 intro and bubbly electro bassline with feel good gospel vocals courtesy of Sweet Hustler. Spitball leans towards jazzy, percussive house with Justine Berry making a return with her feline-like Moloko style vocals. Dreaming sees the duo cross the boundaries between 80s electro and breakbeat with a b-boy style beat, Arthur Baker-esque synth riff and a booming bassline. You Are Here even features a slow moment on the album with the ballad-like Twelve Hundred Miles. In contrast to this is the rave influenced Just One More with that unmissable JDS style rave hook (similar in many ways to their classic tune Nine Ways, especially prominent during the middle breakdown), techy stabs and rocking beats. Finally vocalist Sweet Hustler returns for the finale - the album's title tune which is a feel good rock number with spoken word, bluesy harmonica, with a classic rock feel. You Are Here is more than just a bunch of dancefloor oriented tunes, it is a melting pot different music styles written as proper songs all deeply rooted in breakbeat. Atomic Hooligan have set a new standard in breakbeat albums and really set the bar up high.
RA