25 Years Since....November 1997

It's getting dark earlier, a bit like it was this time in 1997. These were the tunes helping me through it:

Fatboy Slim - Everybody Needs A 303

In 1997 Fatboy Slim was just one of several names Norman Cook was using to put out music. He'd had a hit that summer as Da Mighty Dub Katz with "Magic Carpet Ride" whilst he wasn't done with the names Pizzaman and Freak Power yet.

As Fatboy Slim this was his first Top 40 hit which was taken from his debut album "Better Living Through Chemistry" which had came out over a year prior to this.

The mainstream public were still yet to really notice Fatboy Slim at this point, though it wouldn't be too long until they would.

Sundance - Sundance

1997 was the year of speed garage, but there were actually more trance Top 40 hits that year. Most of these got to the lower reaches of the Top 40 and this was one of them which reached 33.

It was their biggest of 3 Top 40 hits, though the second was "Sundance 98" which was basically a remix of this. As far as commercial trance records of the time went, this was amongst the best.

187 Lockdown - Gunman

When it comes to speed garage, it doesn't get much bigger than 187 Lockdown. They scored 3 Top 40 hits and were the only act from the speed garage era to achieve that. This was the first of those.

Like with a lot of garage acts, it's members weren't new to the music scene. Danny Harrison had previous had Top 40 hits as part of Congress and Nush, Julian Jonah had a Top 40 hit as part of East 57th Street shortly before this.

They would have a further Top 40 hit post-187 Lockdown in 2002 as M Factor.

Roni Size/Reprazent - Brown Paper Bag

In the days before internet forums a good outlet to hearing people moaning about the rave scene was via the letters in Dream Magazine. Someone who got much of the criticism was Roni Size for making drum & bass commercial.

To be honest I was inclined to agree, I didn't want to see the music I listened to in the Top 40. Crucially though it annoyed me because it was music I listened to and therefore liked.

Faithless - Don't Leave

When I first heard this, presented as the new single from Faithless my reaction was are you sure? Not only was this nothing like "Insomnia" but also Maxi Jazz was nowhere to be seen.

I was aware of them being experimental though. Initially I thought this was too different and too slow. After hearing it enough times though it grew on me.