User:Jubbrooker/sandbox/Pressure Drop

New article Pressure Drop Pressure Drop were a UK based 'underground' music group originally formed in 1989 which released a series of singles, 5 albums and one EP over an 11 year period. Before their debut album Upset was released the London based record label Big World ceased trading and the album was licensed to Boombastic, an independent label based in Munich, Germany.

History The origins of Pressure Drop and the musical partnership of Langlands and Henley, stem back to an era of illegal warehouse parties and the London club scene in the mid to late 1980s, where they were first introduced by mutual friend and underground DJ, Paul Guntrip, who enlisted them to DJ with him at his Heavy Duty night at the Wag Club, London in 1986. The Wednesday club night featured an eclectic selection of rare funk and soul, hip hop and rap, roots reggae, early house and film soundtracks and also featured live performances from up and coming acts such as the Stereo MC’s, Jungle Brothers and London Posse, amongst others. The Heavy Duty DJ trio also played regularly at the fund raising ‘Artists Against Apartheid’ sessions at the Seven Dials community centre in Covent Garden hosted and run by ex-Special Jerry Dammers, as well as a radio show on Brixton's pirate Faze 1 FM.

Pressure Drop could be considered in the vanguard of early 1990's music makers and alongside other luminaries such as The Sandals and Young Disciples, they represented a time of change in the UK underground music scene which was born out of warehouse parties and London club culture. Their music is a fusion of wide-ranging influences encompassing reggae, funk, soul, hip hop, jazz, rock, classical and film soundtrack recordings, that reflect the music they grew up with during a golden age in 20th century music.

1.1 Feeling Good Pressure Drop was initially formed by Justin Langlands, Gareth Tasker and Mike Puxley in London in 1989; however after the release of their first single Feeling Good (BIWT 005) in January 1990, Tasker and Puxley left to pursue another project and Dave Henley joined Langlands to form the core of the group.

1.2 Back2Back Naming themselves the Blood Brothers for writing and production purposes, the duo began working on material which demonstrated their eclectic influences and political consciousness. Back2Back (BIWT 010), the second 12" released in October 1990, was a marked departure from the previous Feeling Good and the trend of house inspired club music that was common at the time. The song featured the singing talents of Allison Gordon and incorporated Afolabi narrating an abridged passage from the book Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver, the Minister of Information for the Black Panthers, and called for unity among the youth of the world.

1.3 Upset + You're Mine The debut album Upset was written, recorded, produced and mixed in a rented room situated in a house near Ladbrooke Grove, London, which was used by the record company Big World primarily as offices. Consisting of 11 tracks and featuring guest vocalists and musicians who were mainly unknown at the time, including Joanna Law (sister of Simon Law - Soul to Soul), Mark Cornell (Sunchilde), Rob Gallagher and Constantine Weir (Galliano), with Paul Daley (Leftfield) on percussion and up and coming jazz trumpet player Gerard Presencer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Presencer) alongside saxophonist Scott Garland. The album was licensed from Big World to Boombastic Records an imprint of Marlboro Records (CD cat no. 262 040), initially this led to Upset only being released in the GAS territory (Germany, Austria & Switzerland) in 1992 to some critical acclaim and commercial success. Later that year Logic Records licensed it and released it in the UK as a double 12" vinyl format only (CD cat no. LUK LP 001), including additional mixes which weren't previously available. The first single taken from the album was You're Mine (cat no. 665 040) featuring the lead vocals of Joanna Law and subsequently remixed by Leftfield, also released on Logic Records (CD cat no. 74321-12622-2).

Musikexpress: The Albums Of The Month (Die Platten des Monats) 1990-1999 https://www.discogs.com/lists/Musikexpress-The-Albums-Of-The-Month-Die-Platten-des-Monats-1990-1999/137358?page=2 Gilles Peterson // Must Have Albums // #195 https://www.gillespetersonworldwide.com/gilles-peterson-must-have-albums-95/

1.4 Front Row + Unify Pressure Drop's second album Front Row (cat no. ) was again only released in the GAS territory, featured vocalists were Joanna Law and Brian I-Gad (nee Amos) with a similar line-up of musicians to Upset, although Mark Cornell had departed to work on a new project called Sunchilde. The only single released from the album was Unify (cat no. ), which reputedly became a favourite of Cafe del Mar's resident DJ José Padilla amongst other club DJs. José later commissioned a new recording by Pressure Drop called Dusk that was included on Café del Mar Vol. 3.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Padilla_(DJ)

1.5 Tearing the Silence EP By 1995 Pressure Drop had recorded and released two albums and various singles but circumstance dictated that Pressure Drop hadn't had a direct release in the UK and this contributed to the fact that a lot of record buyers in their own country were unaware of Pressure Drop and their releases. Prior to forming Leftfield with Neil Barnes, Paul Daley had previously worked with Dave Henley cutting hair in the latter's Vision hairdressers located in London's notorious Kensington Market and their friendship led to Pressure Drop releasing their next project ‘Tearing The Silence’ (1995)(Cat no. ) on Leftfield's Hard Hands label. The EP consisted of eight instrumental recordings, ranging from the mellow reflective Asian influenced 'The Calling' to the cinematic string drama of 'You Can't Hide' via the irreverent audio escapade 'Up Against the Wall'. The record gained widespread respect and acknowledgement leading to a deal with Mick Clark’s Higher Ground imprint label on Sony Columbia.

1.6 Elusive The first release on their new label was the critically acclaimed third album 'Elusive' (1997) (Cat. no. .

would go on to form the album Upset.

were a German act seemed detrimental to the band's career progressing

External links

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