Adam F “Circles” Colours Astralwerks 1998

Of the myriad of genres and styles of music I’ve been into over the years – through sludge metal, free jazz, trip hop, alt.whatever – few are revisited less than my drum & bass/jungle platters. It was ten years ago to this day that found me at the height of my jungle obsession, as I was devouring, piece by piece, every last bit of Roni Size & Reprazent’s New Forms (1997) (still the quintessential drum & bass statement as far as I’m concerned), and obnoxiously enlightening anyone within earshot on the boundary-pushing brilliance of ‘abstract’ artists like Photek, Squarepusher, and Spring Heel Jack. Those halcyon days lasted for about a year until I realized that the music was doomed forever to a state of perpetual stunted development: because of jungle’s own strict defining parameters, anything that ventured even slightly outside of the established framework became something else entirely, thus hindering any real creative advancement on the part of the artists. I dabbled briefly in heavier stuff like drill ‘n bass afterward, but for the most part, my time frolicking in the jungle had passed. Even now, depending on my mood, hearing the “Amen” break chopped up at 160 bpm for the hundred-millionth time can trigger a wave of nausea, and if I hear skittering drums over an uninspiring held maj9 chord I feel like I should be shopping for a $400 shirt.

Yet I still find myself returning to Adam F’s debut full-length Colours (1998) on occasion, certainly more than, say, Logical Progression, Level One (1996) or anything by Goldie, for that matter. Adam’s blend of ’70s fusion, touches of neo-Soul, and modern drum & bass failed horribly just as often as it succeeded (it is the very definition of a “hit-or-miss” album), but you had to admire the guy’s stolid audaciousness, and dude was nothing if not a hell of a producer (and still is). If someone were to ask me back then what I liked about jungle so much, without a word of response my reflex would have been to put on “Circles,” as it’s the essence of drum ‘n bass, elevated to a level that I’ve yet to hear anyone match. All of the core ingredients are contained within its seven minutes and Adam blends them together beautifully: the atmospheric pads, that dry upright bass, an accelerated breakbeat, the faceless diva repeating the title, a sizzling synth lead. Not a single bar is wasted or feels labored, and just when it seems like the track is losing steam, Adam constructs a jaw-dropping 808 bass kick pattern at 3:56 that is the highlight of the whole production. Sure, it’s dated as all hell, but I guarantee you that “Circles” would still slay if worked into a jungle DJ’s club set somewhere.

“Circles” – Adam F 7:15 (Colours, Astralwerks 1998)