Marcus Barnes Top Ten

This week we have a Top Ten from Marcus Barnes, author of “Around The World In 80 Record Stores”. I have to say I’m super chuffed and really loved this piece being a huge Goldie fan myself! Thanks Marcus!

Goldie was an idol of mine when I was a teenager (and I guess he still is now)

Goldie was (and still is) an idol of mine when I was a teenager. In my naive teen bubble I felt like I had so much in common with him as a mixed-race kid who was into graffiti and drum’n’bass. His music was part of the soundtrack to my youth, a difficult time when I was starting to work out who I was and what this strange thing we call ‘life’ is all about. Drum’n’bass was my life from the early jungle days up to the early 2000s. There are too many names to mention but Fabio, Grooverider and Bryan Gee were very influential during this time…

Rufige Kru – Menace
The intro to this one sends shivers down my spine. I quite like a pitched up vocal and this one (sampled from Urban Soul’s ‘Always’) gets me every time. This predates the early years of jungle/drum’n’bass, when the British spin on hardcore was in full flight. This is what the UK does best, proper!

Goldie – Sensual
Another cut that has a tingle-inducing intro. I love that b-line and the sombre keys, then the wistful vocal clip comes in and gets your hairs standing on end. I’ve honestly had days where this was on repeat for hours and hours, without any other tune interrupting it. Classic.

Rufige Kru – Terminator
Another early Goldie release, proper darkside business. If you put this on and actually play some of the action scenes from the famous Arnold Schwarzenegger film it works quite well. Besides that, this is another great tune from Goldie’s early catalogue.

Goldie – Kemistry
First of all, RIP Kemistry. Goldie and Kemi were in a relationship for a while and this is, of course, dedicated to the beautiful woman herself. A pioneer in the drum’n’bass scene, Kemi’s contribution will be remembered forever and this is a timeless tribute.

Goldie & 4 Hero (Internal Affairs) – Hands To Heaven
4 Hero are UK legends with a decorated past that includes their hardcore releases, early jungle, drum’n’bass, jazz and much more. They have innovated constantly, and this vintage cut made with Goldie really does take me back to my youth – I remember Bryan Gee playing on this on Kool FM one Sunday night. I still have the tape as well!

Goldie – Angel
One of Goldie’s key collaborators in the early period of his music career was the late, great Diane Charlemagne. Her distinct voice works so well in tandem with his often stark instrumentals. The juxtaposition between the deep, stirring soulful nature of her vocals alongside the rugged, dystopian atmospherics is beautiful.

Goldie & Noel Gallagher – Temper Temper
In the mid to late nineties Goldie became the first (and maybe only) drum’n’bass superstar… he mingled in celebrity circles and dated a few famous women (Bjork, Naomi Campbell among them). Noel Gallagher became a friend, too and he got busy on the guitar for this killer track. Check the video for Goldie letting loose with a baseball bat…

Goldie – Letter Of Fate
Like a lot of Goldie’s work, this is deeply personal. The lyrics for ‘Letter Of Fate’ are taken from a suicide letter he wrote as a youngster. I still remember hearing this for the first time and having a huge lump in my throat.

Goldie – Mother
Perhaps Goldie’s longest recording, and undoubtedly one of his most personal and ambitious. ‘Mother’ is just over an hour long and fuses classical with electronica – this may sound a bit passe by today’s standards but at the time (1998) it was still very much an avant-garde experiment to meld an orchestra with synthesisers. Always pushing the boundaries, Goldie’s ‘Mother’ absolutely blew me away when it came out and the VIP Vocal Mix is out of this world, too.

Goldie – Inner City Life
I guess it couldn’t be a Goldie top 10 without this one. Like the album it comes from this is absolutely timeless. The soundtrack to summer 1995 for me and so many others, everything about this cut is spot on, and it will remain an all-time classic forever. Nearly 25 years since it came out, it still has the same impact on me.

You can get Around The World in 80 Record Stores here:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Around-World-Record-Stores-emporiums/dp/1911026607

Or possibly from a more Independent supplier!