Suburban Base
Encyclopedia
Suburban Base Records was one of the biggest British
jungle
/drum and bass
record label
s based in Romford
, Havering, UK. It was established by Dan Donnelly and operated in the UK from 1989
to 1997
and in the United States
from 1994
to 1997.
, Essex
. Named Boogie Times, the store specialised in dance music
as well as producing its own self-made white label
records. Donnelly's first release was a track called Hypersonic which he made with André Jacobs, the owner of Essex based D-Zone Records. These Boogie Times white labels were well-received by customers as well as DJs from the nearby capital London
which enhanced the store's reputation. In the wake of this success, Donnelly was able to fund a nascent label entitled Suburban Base.
The fledgling label's first release was Kromozone's The Rush, released in April 1991. This was followed by six further releases later in the year from artists Austin, M&M, Rachel Wallace
, Run Tings, Phuture Assassins and QBass. 1992 saw the label's first UK Top 40 singles chart entry - Sonz of a Loop Da Loop Era
s' Far Out - a piano
-led breakbeat
track which reached number thirty-six in February. As rave music
filtered into the mainstream, the label was to end the year with twelve UK Top 75 hits, and experienced the highest-charted debut from an independent record company since the charts began with Smart E's Sesame's Treet. The track, which sampled heavily from the US children's TV show Sesame Street
, reached number two in the UK Top 40 in July of that year.
As the rave music
scene began to mutate into two contrasting scenes: 4/4 helium-vocal-characterised happy hardcore
and darker, more bass-led darkcore
(which itself mutated in jungle
/drum and bass
), the Suburban Base label found itself drawn to the latter. Such releases as DJ Hype
's Weird Energy and Shot In The Dark and Boogie Times Tribe's The Dark Stranger (all 1993) maintained the label's high standing within the scene which continued as jungle
/drum and bass
broke through into the mainstream in 1994. Tracks from this period were showcased on the two The Joint compilation releases; a joint collaboration with fellow leading record label Moving Shadow
.
That year, Donnelly launched Breakdown Records, a compilation-only subsidiary with which he and others devised and compiled an entire range of albums covering all genres of dance. The most successful of these were the Drum & Bass Selection series, compiled with the help of Danny Breaks
and DJ Ash, which sold in excess of 300,000 copies and were the first TV-advertised Jungle compilations.
The label's successes allowed it to expand its horizons, setting up a US subsidiary: Sub Base USA, and opening an office in Los Angeles as well as securing a distribution deal for North America. Further label deals for South America and Japan soon followed.
Towards the end of 1997, however, Donnelly took the decision to close Suburban Base down. This was to allow him to pursue other new challenges in business and he felt it would be a great injustice to continue running Suburban Base without his full attention. In particular, with the emergence of the speed garage
music scene, a genre that derived many elements from jungle and which saw many jungle/drum and bass fans and club-goers defect to this new scene, Donnelly had created a specific sub-label, Quench, for speed garage releases.
Suburban Base still regularly licences tracks from its back catalogue for compilation use (via The Tailormade Record Company) and has recently allowed some of its biggest tracks to be remixed by some of the drum and bass
scene's biggest players.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
jungle
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
/drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s based in Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, Havering, UK. It was established by Dan Donnelly and operated in the UK from 1989
1989 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...
to 1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1994
1994 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....
to 1997.
History
Danny Donnelly opened a record store in his native RomfordRomford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Named Boogie Times, the store specialised in dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
as well as producing its own self-made white label
White label
White label records are vinyl records with adhesive plain white labels affixed. Test pressings, usually with Test Pressing written on the label, with catalogue number, artist and recording time or date, are produced in small quantities to evaluate the quality of the disc production...
records. Donnelly's first release was a track called Hypersonic which he made with André Jacobs, the owner of Essex based D-Zone Records. These Boogie Times white labels were well-received by customers as well as DJs from the nearby capital London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
which enhanced the store's reputation. In the wake of this success, Donnelly was able to fund a nascent label entitled Suburban Base.
The fledgling label's first release was Kromozone's The Rush, released in April 1991. This was followed by six further releases later in the year from artists Austin, M&M, Rachel Wallace
Rachel Wallace
Rachel Wallace is a Rave/House vocalist and songwriter.-Background:Wallace is best known for 1992 Breakbeat hardcore/Techno song "Tell Me Why," which was co-produced and co-written by Wallace with Mark Williams and Matt Clayden . Although she had other follow-up releases, "Why" remains her...
, Run Tings, Phuture Assassins and QBass. 1992 saw the label's first UK Top 40 singles chart entry - Sonz of a Loop Da Loop Era
Danny Breaks
Danny Breaks is a British drum and bass DJ, record producer, and record label owner. He is known for his experimental instrumental hip hop production, and early music career as the breakbeat hardcore artist Sonz of a Loop Da Loop Era.Whidett began recording under the alias Sonz of a Loop Da Loop...
s' Far Out - a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
-led breakbeat
Breakbeat
In 1992, a new style called "jungalistic hardcore" emerged, and for many ravers it was too funky to dance to. Josh Lawford of Ravescene prophesied that the breakbeat was "the death-knell of rave" because the ever changing drumbeat patterns of breakbeat music didn't allow for the same zoned out,...
track which reached number thirty-six in February. As rave music
Rave music
Rave music may either refer the late 1980s genre or any genre of electronic dance music that may be played at an electronic dance party such as a rave. Very rarely, the term is used to refer to less electronic related genres glam, powerpop, psychedelic rock and dub music parties...
filtered into the mainstream, the label was to end the year with twelve UK Top 75 hits, and experienced the highest-charted debut from an independent record company since the charts began with Smart E's Sesame's Treet. The track, which sampled heavily from the US children's TV show Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, reached number two in the UK Top 40 in July of that year.
As the rave music
Rave music
Rave music may either refer the late 1980s genre or any genre of electronic dance music that may be played at an electronic dance party such as a rave. Very rarely, the term is used to refer to less electronic related genres glam, powerpop, psychedelic rock and dub music parties...
scene began to mutate into two contrasting scenes: 4/4 helium-vocal-characterised happy hardcore
Happy hardcore
Happy hardcore, also known as happycore, is a genre of music typified by a very fast tempo , often coupled with solo vocals and sentimental lyrics. Its characteristically 4/4 beat "happy" sound distinguishes it from most other forms of hardcore techno, which tend to be "darker". It is typically in...
and darker, more bass-led darkcore
Darkcore
Darkcore is a subgenre of jungle that became popular in the United Kingdom hardcore rave scene in late 1992. It is recognized as being one of the direct precursors of the genre now known as drum and bass...
(which itself mutated in jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
/drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
), the Suburban Base label found itself drawn to the latter. Such releases as DJ Hype
DJ Hype
DJ Hype is a stage name of drum and bass producer and DJ, Kevin Ford. His 1993 track, "Shot in the Dark", appeared in the UK Singles Chart in 1993.-Biography:...
's Weird Energy and Shot In The Dark and Boogie Times Tribe's The Dark Stranger (all 1993) maintained the label's high standing within the scene which continued as jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
/drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
broke through into the mainstream in 1994. Tracks from this period were showcased on the two The Joint compilation releases; a joint collaboration with fellow leading record label Moving Shadow
Moving Shadow
Moving Shadow was a UK-based jungle/drum and bass record label that was started in 1990 by Rob Playford. Alongside such labels as Suburban Base, Formation Records, D-Zone, Reinforced, and Metalheadz, Moving Shadow grew to become one of the best-regarded and longest-lived labels in its genre,...
.
That year, Donnelly launched Breakdown Records, a compilation-only subsidiary with which he and others devised and compiled an entire range of albums covering all genres of dance. The most successful of these were the Drum & Bass Selection series, compiled with the help of Danny Breaks
Danny Breaks
Danny Breaks is a British drum and bass DJ, record producer, and record label owner. He is known for his experimental instrumental hip hop production, and early music career as the breakbeat hardcore artist Sonz of a Loop Da Loop Era.Whidett began recording under the alias Sonz of a Loop Da Loop...
and DJ Ash, which sold in excess of 300,000 copies and were the first TV-advertised Jungle compilations.
The label's successes allowed it to expand its horizons, setting up a US subsidiary: Sub Base USA, and opening an office in Los Angeles as well as securing a distribution deal for North America. Further label deals for South America and Japan soon followed.
Towards the end of 1997, however, Donnelly took the decision to close Suburban Base down. This was to allow him to pursue other new challenges in business and he felt it would be a great injustice to continue running Suburban Base without his full attention. In particular, with the emergence of the speed garage
Speed garage
Speed garage is a type of music, associated with UK garage and hard dance scenes.-Characteristics:Speed garage has sped-up NY garage 4-to-the-floor rhythms. Snares are placed as over the 2nd and the 4th kickdrums, so in other places of the drum pattern. Speed garage tunes have warp, heavy...
music scene, a genre that derived many elements from jungle and which saw many jungle/drum and bass fans and club-goers defect to this new scene, Donnelly had created a specific sub-label, Quench, for speed garage releases.
Suburban Base still regularly licences tracks from its back catalogue for compilation use (via The Tailormade Record Company) and has recently allowed some of its biggest tracks to be remixed by some of the drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
scene's biggest players.
Compilations
Suburban Base regularly showcased its catalogue throughout its brief history. These compilations include:- Sub Base For Your Face LP (1992)
- The Joint LP (1993) (collaboration with Moving Shadow)
- The Joint II (1994) (collaboration with Moving Shadow)
- A History Of Hardcore (1995) (collaboration with Moving Shadow)
- Subbase Sampler (1996)
- Classic Subbase (1997)