Sometimes you do rediscover a forgotten set. A set so damn good, you listened to it a lot in the good ol' days. This is one of those sets. I remember playing Need For Speed and having this on loud. Who cared about Gangsta Rap, when you can have this, eh? I never liked the game's music, so I decided to play this mix instead. And it always reminds me of playing for hours, whenever I hear Goldie's mix. It's a solid mix, that's for sure. And it's now 25 years ago since it aired on BBC Radio 1. Well, nearly 25 years ago, but still sounding fresh.
Goldie does not need an introduction, nor does his music need any kind of explanation. He's not the first Drum and Bass producer/DJ, but he's certainly one of the biggest ones ever. An influence in the scene, and a pioneer. You know what the weird thing is? I actually read his autobiography, but I can't remember when Goldie started in the scene. He's been a stable force within the scene for many years, and back in 1996 he was asked to compose this mix for the legendary BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix show. And to me, it became the biggest Drum and Bass mix of all time.
And even in 2021 he's recognised as a huge influence. But let's go back to 1996. A great year for Drum and Bass. Why, you might ask? Well, just look at the tracklist below. These were the anthems for that year, and years to come. And for you to realise that these are 25+ years old, it is probably another reminder that time is slowly passing by, without you knowing. Time flies, when you are having fun.
To this day I do find this mix the finest Drum and Bass mix I have ever heard. Calm, relaxing, and yet powerful enough to vision yourself in a dark and underground club, somewhere in London, with minimalistic lightning equipment, but with big ass speakers. Nothing too fancy. The only thing you could do, is to close your eyes, and let Goldie take you by the hand, and lead you on this dark and unknown path. You would come out the other end a more powerful person. You will certainly be reborn, once this mix is over. Pure bliss.
So which records did he use? He used these bad boy tracks:
Rufige Kru - Dark Metal (Source Direct Remix)
The Limit - Get Stoned
Q-Project - Champion Sound (Doc Scott Remix)
Doc Scott - Machines
J Majik - Your Sound
Dilinja - Promise
Maximum Style - One 4 Da MCs (Hornz VIP)
LTJ Bukem - Music (Happy Raw)
Skanna - Find Me (Classic Skanna Mix)
Blame - Planet Neptune
Ed Rush - Killamanjaro
Rufige Kru - VIP Rider's Ghost
Doc Scott - Drumz '95
S.O.S. - Spacefunk
Goldie - This Is A Baad (Source Direct Remix)
Photek - The Rain (Remix)
Lemon D - Urban Style Music
Adam F - Circles
Gang Related & Mask feat Bigger Star - Ready Or Not
Goldie - Kemistry (Grooverider VIP)
Goldie - Jah (Original Prototype)
Goldie - Still Life VIP
Blame & Justice - Essence (Jazz Testament)
We can have a long discussion, but come on, let's just all appreciate this mix, and what Goldie has given us nearly 25 years ago. A 'timeless' classic. See what I did there? If you know Goldie, you will appreciate that joke. Anyway, let's turn our attention to this mix.
This is one of those mixes which is shared over and over again, and can be found on literally every platform. Even Goldie released it under his official Soundcloud channel, but also on his Metalheadz channel. It is that good. There are many good mixes, but it seems that this one just tops them all. Well done Goldie. Well done.
As I mentioned before, I used to listen to this mix when I was playing Need For Speed, and one track just made me park the car on the curb, and close my eyes, and enjoy life as it was. Come on, Skanna's 'Find Me'... how can you not like this one? Pure Drum and Bass gold! A true underground anthem. I wish I would hear this one more often. But what a big track, seriously. Goosebumps all over my body.
25 years old, still dope as fuck. Yes, the recording levels might have been a tad off, but remember, this was recorded back in the day. The oldskool way. DAT, cassettes, you name it. Pre-USB, pre 44,1 kHz sample rate. But does that matter? No fucking way. Just shut the fuck up, and appreciate this.
Not the first time I've reviewed this mix, and certainly not the last. What a fucking epic mix. Close your eyes, and let Goldie lead you down the rabbit hole. So many classics, but only 1 Skanna record. Epic mix. Name one better than this in the comments below, and I'll judge it. But I'm guessing you are not able to provide me with one.
So shut up and listen. And dance.
DJ: Goldie
Genre/Style: Drum & Bass, Jungle
Mix Info: Goldie's Essential mix on BBC Radio 1 - 1996
Length Mix: 01:34:19
Tracks: 23 (twenty-three)
Download/Listen (via Soundcloud): LISTEN HERE
File Size: unknown
File Type: unknown
Release Year: 1996 (BBC Radio 1)
Audio: Stereo
Sample Rate: unknown
More Information: Goldie - Soundcloud Channel