DJ Kane - Let's Go To Work (Trouble On Vinyl, 1996)
I've been back at work this week after over three weeks furloughed. It's been good to be busy again and contribute towards keeping the small company I work for in business but it has meant I've not been able to write much. So it's about time to get a new post sorted and this is the perfect tune to cover. 'Let's Go To Work' was made in the Mixing Lab, the Trouble On Vinyl and Renegade Hardware studio where DJ Kane produced many of his classic tunes.
It opens with a stripped back break. There's a bit of a story behind this break as DJ Kane revealed in a Facebook post about this 12" last year:
"It came after Animal Instinct which I have to admit, was more than a little influenced by what was going on over at No U Turn, so much so that Nico & Ed Rush were less than happy.. They made their feelings known by sampling my Let's Go To Work Break and putting it in a little tune you might know called Locust"
That break features throughout the intro to 'Locust'. DJ Kane had his first release, Lost / Rebel Without A Draw, on No U-Turn in 1993 and also co-produced DJ Buz's 'Slave' but shortly afterwards moved on to Trouble On Vinyl.
Over that break Kane brings in some horns and the title lending sample from Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, taken from the scene where heist organiser Joe Cabot, played by Lawrence Tierney, gives the crew their colour coded aliases. A catchy keyboard sample from the beginning of DJ Premier's remix of 'Danger' by Blahzay Blahzay is then introduced, which makes the tune particulary memorable. Kane would go on to sample Blahzay Blahzay again on 'Definition' while the original of 'Danger' is of course the basis for Special K's track of the same name, also on Trouble On Vinyl.
The drop brings in a nice wobbly bassline that regularly shifts pattern - the second bassline that comes in is influenced by 'Concentration' by Gang Related & Mask AKA Krust & Roni Size with Kane commenting that "DJ Krust is BY FAR my biggest influence ever". Kane has also stated that the bass sound was sampled from an under appreciated hip-hop LP, Seeds of Evolution by Dark Sun Riders, though I don't know from which track. A similar technique to tracks such as 'Quest' is used to create that wobble effect, where the bass is played on two keys a semi-tone apart. The drums are developed throughout the track as well, with what sounds like 'The Flow' and 'Versatility' breaks appearing underneath at various points.
This was the first DJ Kane record I purchased and it remains a firm favourite. DJ Kane recently revived the Trouble On Vinyl imprint and at 7pm BST this evening is putting out 'Flair', an unreleased tune of his from 1994 which was originally on the first test pressings of the Animal Instinct EP. It's backed by a Ricky Force remix of 'Slave'. Bandcamp are waiving their fees today so it's a good time to support DJ Kane and everyone else on the scene who is releasing their material through the platform. It is also available directly from the Trouble On Vinyl website. 'Let's Go To Work' has been remastered but has yet to see a release, fingers crossed it isn't too long.