In digging through the Cutout Bin for lost treasures, I came upon two singles by drum & bass act London Elektricity. While iTunes classifies the group as “electronica,” they also encompass jazz, R&B, and dance to create their unique sound.

Admittedly I've never been a big fan of drum & bass, a genre of dance music that evolved from the U.K.'s late 80s-early 90s rave scene. Featuring heavy drums at impossibly breakneck speeds and an intricate, dominant bass line, drum & bass (AKA “jungle”) hasn't proven as successful in the U.S. as it has abroad. In America, the best-known artists of the genre include Goldie, The Prodigy, Squarepusher, Aphex Twin, and even Bjork, who occasionally dabbles in the form. The long, complicated history of drum & bass, including its various forms, defies easy summarization; for a complete history, sound samples, and guides to essential tunes, check out Wikipedia's entry as well as the BBC's History of Drum & Bass 1989-2006.

My initial exposure to drum & bass was through the eclectic podcast Radio Clash, based out of England. Host “Tim in London” plays mashups, novelties, rarities, and electronica, occasionally spotlighting artists that are virtually unknown in the U.S. On one such episode, Tim played two singles by London Elektricity: “Rewind” and “Born to Synthesize” (he even used that title for this particular show). Unlike other drum & bass songs I've heard, these two grabbed my attention with their jazz-like chord changes, unusual instrumentation, and interesting lyrics. In fact, London Elektricity even define their sound on their web site as “fast soul music” in addition to drum & bass.

London Elektricity began as a duo, featuring Tony Colman and Chris Goss, in 1996. By 2002 Goss departed the group; since then the name has become a moniker for Colman's projects, including a live band (retiring in 2006), DJ appearances, and productions. Their roots, however, lie in jazz and R&B, nowhere more evident than on their 1999 CD Pull the Plug. “Rewind” features Lianne Caroll, a talented jazz-folk singer from South England, and her vocals transform this epic-length song into a soulful experience. A flute solo separates this from traditional drum & bass, but the rapid beats make it danceable. The “Rewind” version I prefer is from Medical History, a 2006 compilation of B-sides and remixes (check their web site for ordering information). “Tap your fingers into oblivion...Tap tap tap into another world” Caroll urges, and these lilting vocals layered over rapid beats, swirling synthesizers, and delicate flute melodies indeed transports the listener into another universe.