Five Tracks: Hybrid Theory

So glad to have Hybrid Theory on board for this week's Five Tracks. That's a name you definitely have seen on DAD for a bit, as our search for the bassline house / night bass sound has put the Four40 Records crew in our sights. Not only has Hybrid Theory dropped tracks for Mad Decent and Southern Fried, there have been Crookers and Doorly remixes to boot. Out now is the single you can hear below, "That's What It Is," which finds Hybrid Theory going into more of a hip-hop lane. What's dope is this week, we not only get to see that influence, but the speed garage side as well. Solid collection of tunes for this one.

Childhood classic for me, greatest rapper that ever lived.  The funky elements of the track got me hooked on it, which was sampled from the disco hit "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume.

This track has so many good memories for me.  Again sampled from another disco track I grew up listening to (Cheryl Lyn's "Got To Be Real"), so when I heard this version I instantly made a connection with it.  I tried to so hard to find Ladycop on vinyl, was such a hard track to get.  I managed to get a copy around 2000 from BRA Records.  I first heard it in '98/'99 at the Steering Wheel club in Birmingham, UK. The club had a Formula 1 model car hanging from the ceiling.  It wasn't like today's luxurious superclub, it was quite an intimate venue full of all sorts of people which created such a great vibe.  Great music policy in there strictly uplifting house and speed garage.

I have always been a sucker for '70s/'80s disco music, growing up in a household with my mom and dad listening to Motown, soul, and disco.  The first time I heard this record from Armand was when I was just getting into DJing and I recognized the main hook & riff straight away from Carrie Lucas' "Dance With You." Tracks from my childhood we're being reinvented with a 4x4 house beat and dominating the airwaves and clubland.  Good memories.  I bought a copy of this record on FFRR.

I first heard this record on Pete Tong's Essential Selection Spring 1999 CD.  I managed to grab a copy on vinyl from Dance Music Finder which used to be based in my hometown (Birmingham, UK).  I instantly fell in love with the catchy piano riff and Darryl’s manic vocals.  We were lucky enough to work with Darryl Pandy in 2006 before he passed, which was an honor.  If you listen closely you will hear a familiar sample from Doorly & Shadow Child's new one.

I was first introduced to this track by my cousin, who was about 16 at the time, having the time of his life at early '90s raves.  Unfortunately I was 11 and didn’t really get what the buzz was about until I started to get into dance music around 1998.  I remember watching this video on MTV Dance, when Russell Brand used to present the dancefloor chart, and thinking it was amazing.  The build-up on the track is amazing, real acid vibes.   I bought a copy on vinyl around 1999 on Manifesto Records from HTFR.