Yage – Theme from Hot Burst

Released on:
EarthBeat

Runtime: 4:34

The only track 100% exclusive to EarthBeat, and thus the final track the band gave to Jumpin’ & Pumpin’ in 1992, is very strange. The rattling drums are a sped-up breakbeat, but in a style that feels closer to the more ambient end of drum’n’bass that came in the mid ’90s, rather than the early proto-jungle that was growing from hardcore in 1992. Jazzy synth chords and melodies further tie the track to what we think of as dnb, while percussive rolls and weird samples peppered throughout give it a more typically FSOL sound. The addition of Spanish guitar samples, flute and twinkling synths drive the piece in a direction that borders on being a bit too “smooth”, uncharacteristically so for the group who were already recording Lifeforms during this period. Ultimately, ‘Theme from Hot Burst’ is an incredibly strange track, and one that has never fully made sense to me.

Credits
Written by Brian Dougans and Garry Cobain (sleeve).
Written by Brian Dougans / Garry Cockbain (labels).
Produced by Yage.