Mental Cube – Dope Module

Released on:
Chile of the Bass Generation

Runtime: 2:14

With two bona-fide classics before it, ‘Dope Module’ rounds out the Chile of the Bass Generation EP on a very weird note. A strange techno/breakbeat hybrid, the track samples brass, wah-wah guitar and orchestral stabs and blends them with staggered drum programming and, for the first time, sampled vocals. The vocal sample feels almost like a novelty here – Discogs user Orbtastic describes the track not sounding ‘right’ at 33 or 45, and the bizarre vocal is a definite part of that – but in hindsight, it’s the first example of a key element of the FSOL sound.

The track is a bit of an obscurity – it never appeared on any compilation albums, nor the 2020 reissue of the EP, and at two minutes was unlikely to get much club or rave play – but fans coming to the track may notice some familiar sounds, most notably the ringing electric guitar and the outro breakbeat, which were reused in From the Archives Vol. 2‘s ‘Head Kick’ – arguably a remix or alternate take of the same track. The 2007 compilation of unreleased pieces from this era, By Any Other Name, features four tracks using Dope Module as an alias, of one of those, ‘She’s So Automatic’, utilises the same guitar sample. Lastly, From the Archives Vol. 5‘s ‘Tif Feetal’ features the same breakbeat, albeit sped up. Despite being a lesser-known track, ‘Dope Module’ spawned a large family.

Credits
Written by B. Dougans / G. Cockbain.
Produced & mixed by Yage.