Unearthed gems – How one of my tracks reappeared as a ‘most treasured’ record

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30 years is a long time. Think of all the changes that have happened since 1992 (OK, so that’s 32 years). I’ll wait while you mentally list them out … Done? OK, a few more moments then.

What I can say for sure is that there is a lot of dust that can settle on an obscure vinyl release from 1992. A vinyl release such as KZ1 “I Know I Can Make It” / “Drop the Bass”. I created this track in the heady days of rave, and it was released by Stu J (who was, at the time, owner/manager of Movement records in Southampton, but was also running Adrenalin Records). Mine was the 5th release on the label, and it only ever existed as a white label (with a big-ass KZ1 stamp on the paper sleeve). That was it, no big crossover hit. Sure, it turned up on some mixtapes here and there, but it was never more than a bit of pocket money at the time. In recent years, it’s served as a reminder that, yes, I did actually have some of my music released and, dare I say it, during one of the best cultural periods we ever had. Also, back-tracking a bit, didn’t Adrenalin Records have the coolest logo ever? The answer is “Yes, yes it did”.

That big fat ‘E’ right in the middle? I’m sure it meant nothing …

Oh yeah, regarding things that have changed in 32 years? I’ll give you one: when this track was out, no-one, and I mean NO-ONE, was pulling out their phones to record video of the experience. What was in the air? HANDS! HANDS IN THE AIR!

Hands in the air. No phones. Joyous! (Pic taken at Fantazia, Bournemouth in 1992). The same year that my track came out, in fact.

Anyway, grumble grumble, moan moan aside …

So this is a largely forgotten slab of vinyl. But not for everyone. Out of the blue, a chap going by the moniker of ‘Fish56Octagon’ (yeah, I have no idea what that’s about) chose this track on one of his regular Tik Tok videos. It turns out that not only was this a track that he liked, but he described it was “one of his most treasured records”. Whaaaaat? Oh wait, there’s more: it’s probably in his top 5.

Now, I didn’t know Mr Fishy before this point so I had not seen/heard what he’s posted before, but I have since then. He seems to love all genres of dance/club music, and that means he gets to play a fair few bangers. He’s covered a lot of big tracks and yet … somehow this is in his top 5. Who am I to argue? If Mr Octonaut says it’s a banger, I’ll take it.

I don’t recall how many copies this sold (I’m guessing under 1,000, maybe it was a pressing run of 500, it’s all just too long ago for me to remember), but it’s definitely one of the more obscure/rare rave tracks from the early 90s. But Mr Fiddy-Six is not the only person who holds this track in high regard. There’s another chap who I know very well from back in the days (and still do) who not only loves this track (fanatikal, you might say) but had a cunning plan to deal with the 32 years of dust that had settled on this vinyl. But that’s a story for another post.


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