LTJ Bukem

Twelve-inch single releases are dance music's real medium, not albums, so it should not be surprising that LTJ Bukem (a.k.a. Danny Williamson) has released only one "real" album of new material thus far in his career. However, his influence on the genre of drum-and-bass music -- as an artist, label head, producer, remixer, and DJ -- is immeasurable.

Drum and bass, initially termed "jungle," exploded in the clubs of London in the early '90s and Bukem was one of its earliest proponents. By taking the form's skittering breakbeats and melding them with a blend of funk grooves and spacey synths, he was creating a more atmospheric and soulful style than his peers, who opted to explore the music's darker edges with colder, more metallic digital soundscapes.

As head of his own label group, the Good Looking Organization, Bukem has released countless compilations of his roster's material (ranging from the more straight-ahead drum and bass of his Good Look-ing and Looking Good labels to the more ambient-funk-driven Earth and more soulful Cookin' series), but none more important than Logical Progression, Level 1, a landmark drum-and-bass album showcasing tracks of his own and a host of other like-minded artists and future drum-and-bass superstars, including Peshay, PFM, and ILS. A fantastic introduction to the genre, not only did it signal a fresh, more musical direction for drum and bass at the time, but it continues to serve as a blueprint for many of today's drum-and-bass artists. This ranks alongside Goldie's debut, Timeless, as perhaps one of the two most important drum-and-bass releases of the decade.

Increasingly, Bukem was finding space within this inventive and futuristic new style of electronic music to incorporate the music of his teenage idols, '70s jazz-funk fusioners such as Herbie Hancock and Beastie Boy faves Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers. This was most in evidence on his double-CD solo album. Journey Inwards was just that: thoughtful compositions with Rhodes keyboards, nature sounds, female vocals, drifting synths, and wah-wah guitar all giving life to the stiffer programmed beats while paying homage to his influences. It made for a much more organic, instrumental, and downtempo collection than his previous output.

The Mixmag Live DJ set is an early statement of intent from Bukem but, as it was not widely released at the time, serves more as a historical document now than anything. The Progression Sessions series showcases GLO artists in a more exciting live-mix setting with Bukem on the turntables and sidekick MC Conrad freestyling (more singing than rapping) over the top. The MC is a common feature in live drum-and-bass club sets but, unless you're looking to re-create a Sunday night out in Brixton (and despite Conrad's prowess), it does tend to distract from an otherwise superb tune selection.

The other two all-Bukem albums, Producer 01 and Producer 05, collect his numerous single releases and are both very good, but the first stands out on account of such early classics as "Music" and the once-hard-to-find "Demon's Theme." Fans may also want to seek out the Bukem-compiled Points in Time and Looking Back series. (DEV SHERLOCK)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide