In Memoriam Depth Charge
J. Saul Kane aka Depth Charge has passed away.
I would like to write this in remembrance and thanks to Depth Charge, as his music influenced me a lot and his mindset is a big part of who I am today.
Many people think of Depth Charge as an artist who made his name in the mid-90s during the UK-based trip hop movement.
He did a lot of productions and remixes during this period, so there is no doubt that this was his heyday.
However, his music did not have the jazzy vibes, moody atmospheres, trippy synths and rockin' elements of the trip-hop sound of the same period, nor did it have a dark, stoic worldview.
Rather, he was one of the pioneers in influencing that kind of music.
He loved kung fu movies, pornography, football broadcasts, B-movie music, countless sample collages from old DUB, disco and soul records, analogue synths, fat bass and breakbeats, a little sarcasm and humour.
It was a thorough departure from the privileged and a love of blue-collar entertainment.
It was a one-of-a-kind sound that no one else would or could imitate through his paranoid filter, as if he were jumbling the wild side of hip-hop with nerd culture, boiling it in a pot and putting it on a plate.
As I will introduce later, his attention to the jackets and artwork was not half-bad, and his music was as powerful when the sound and the jackets were skewered as the music itself.
I think that there was a clear visual demand for the sound.
Or maybe the sound was created with the title and jacket first.
A wide range of carefully selected artwork.
If his music were to be compared to cooking, it would be like eating ramen or sushi with a hamburger instead of a balanced meal of one soup and one vegetable.
He is an eclectic eater who only eats what he likes.
Some people might get heartburn and find it totally unacceptable. But I was strongly attracted to and admired his musicianship, his slightly condescending and sardonic humour, and his well-honed cynical jokes.
For example, one of their early works is a single called "GOAL" released in 1990.
It is a song that overflowed with his love of soccer, who is one of the British who love soccer, but the sound of this broadcast is covered from the beginning to the beginning of the soccer broadcast and the whole of the song.
A cheerful baseline and heavy beat with a Brazilian feel.
And the announcer's "Goal!!!" Ascension with the scream of.
Innovative or something, no matter how innovative the approach in this direction is, no matter how much it is a sampling culture, I've never heard of hip-hop records, and no one can imitate it, but no one does it even if they come up with it lol
At the time, Depth Charge was doing this kind of crazy stuff with ease. (He later used a similar technique on his 1998 single Romario, modelled on Brazilian football legend Romario Di Souza Faria.)
Also, the innovation of Depth Charge cannot be described without the VINYL SOLUTION label where he served as an A&R.
From the late 80s to the early 1990s, VINYL SOLUTION was led by the person's name, Depth Charge, The Octagon Man, Aeon, Bizarre Inc, and Midi Rain He released a large number of artists from hip-hop to breakbeats, techno, and house such as GUN SHOT, and had a great impact on the European dance music scene.
In VINYL SOLUTION, J. Saul Kane, along with Ian David Loveday, also known as Aeon, has left numerous productions and remixes.
who was a genuine B-BOY It was at this time that the young J.Saul Kane established his originality by being involved in various styles of dance music.
in VINYL SOLUTION J.Saul Kane is the main project, Depth Charge, The Octagon Man, in addition to Grimm Death, Block Ink, and Mr. Selfish, The Spider, T.E.T. And using various names, we will actively approach club music in an all-round way such as hip-hop, electro, breakbeats, techno, and house.
And this vitality that combines a wide range of musicality and expressiveness is I think it is the essence and charm of an artist named J.Saul Kane.
1990
1988
Acid house, which originated in the USA, spread across the ocean to Europe, fused with EBM and gave birth to NEWBEAT, which then fused, split and resonated with various beats such as reggae, DUB and Detroit techno, repeatedly creating the bones of bleep house, rave and jungle. VINYL SOLUTION existed in the vortex of rave culture.
I personally think that the label played as important a role in the scene at the time as XL, R&S and WARP.
In the mid-'90s, VINYL SOLUTION was expanded into J. Saul Kane's two personal labels, D.C. Recordings, which mainly released under the Depth Charge name and breakbeat releases, and J. Saul Kane's other name, The Octagon Man. and Electron Industries, which mainly releases UK electro productions such as EON and SEM (Deadly Avenger).
As Depth Charge, they released their first album 'Nine Deadly Venoms' in 1994, a familiar kung fu-jacket, which became a hit there, thanks to its high-impact cover and the boost from the trip-hop boom.
J. Saul Kane, born in 1967, was only 27years old at this point.
He was 21 years when he released his first single in 1988 under his first solo name BLOCK INK, so he's a hell of a young man.
1994
At this time, the abstract hip-hop and trip-hop movements were in full swing, and Depth Charge, like many others, was included in this framework and became a popular artist.
The remix of Sabres of paradise was also made around this time. (As an aside, when I saw Sabres of paradise live a long time ago, this song was on the setlist, but I was surprised that it was a track from the Depth Charge mix and not the original lol).
However, as mentioned above, from my point of view, I just happened to get into it at the right time, but it was completely different.
From here until the early 00's, there was a rush of Depth Charge releases.
From 1994 to 2000, they released 12 singles and 2 albums, so they released quite consistently.
At the same time, they released 7 singles and 2 albums under the name of "The Octagon Man", so I think their pace is quite fast.
J. Saul Kane's sound is quite peculiar, and there are those who like it or dislike it, but I would like to pick up a few of his works that I like.
First up is the 1989 single, aptly named Depth Charge.
It is a Depth Charge-esque combination of breakbeats, kung fu and Hong Kong movies, but what is interesting is that the two B-side tracks are played at 45rpm instead of the original 33rpm, a jungle prototype and a classic in the breakbeat techno - UK Old Skool interpretation. It is.
King Tubby's DUB, which originated in Jamaica, the birth of acid house and the history of the development of club music. This 'accidental invention (discovery) different from the original intention' is sometimes a very important factor.
Although a secondary factor, it is interesting to note that J Saul Kane's second single under the name Depth Charge became a cornerstone of later UK beat culture.
1989
Next is the 1990 single "Dead By Dawn".
1990
As you can see and hear, it's quite a horror jacket.
What's more, it's a great dubby breakbeat with lots of horror movie samples.
The design of the jacket is also a great piece of work, with the front being horror-inspired while the back is cosmic.
Including this one, it proves how innovative he was in creating beats, five years before the term 'trip hop' was even coined.
Also, from the creator's point of view, the number of hands is really good!
There are so many samples you'd think it was Todd Terry's Royal House or Depth Charge.
I think it takes a serious and industrious character to handle so many samples in this period.
The artwork on the jacket is by artist Junior Tomlin, who did many record covers during the heyday of UK RAVE in the early 90s.
Next is the single Hubba Hubba Hubba from 1994, which is also on the album.
This song has a few samples, but I personally think it's the pinnacle of DUB breakbeats, and it's simply cool, with its extra-thick drums, bass and dubby structure!
This was the first song I listened to, and I was instantly drawn in.
Next up.
Vampyress (Demo Dub) from side B of the 1995 single Shaolin Buddha Finger. This song has a melancholy feel to it, with flanging breakbeats and a crying melody in the second half of the song.
It's a dark and beautiful masterpiece, similar to the darker side of sabres of paradise, Bristol and Massive Attack.
The EP's title track, Shaolin Buddha Finger, is another great funky breakbeat track with samples from kung fu movies.
Next is another 1995 10-inch, "Legend Of The Golden Snake".
If you don't look closely, you may not be able to tell, but the jacket is a cobra colored with fluorescent paint that glows in the dark.
The cobra on the jacket is not particularly golden, and there are places where you might think they spent an excessive amount of money, but the sound is dubby breakbeats with sitar, full of weirdness and awesome.
Next was Blue Lips, released in 1997. It's a unique title under the Depth Charge name, approaching house music.
The jacket is still in excellent taste,
Strange disco house with a bassline from Lenny Williams' 'You got me running'.
It's a dangerous balance, with the filters and delays being handled perfectly.
The interesting thing about this track is that Depth Charge becomes Depth Charge when it gets close to house.
It is said that LOFT boss Mancuso and DJ Harvey, the 'Keith Richards of the DJ world', liked it and played it, as well as the Idjut Boys Edit, which is only included on the CD compilation project.
I mentioned earlier that this is suddenly one song that is a different form of house! But the song is actually foreshadowed.
The song Disco Drunkard from T.E.T's first EP under another name, Ear, is the prototype for this song, which uses the same material.
Listen to it and you'll know it's bad. So is this one.
This is exactly what happens when Depth Charge do house! This is what happens when Depth Charge do house sound-making.
Theo Parrish must be amazed.
Therefore, it is almost certain that the Blue Lips remade this song on their own under the name Depth Charge.
In any case, it is quintessential that this song has been well received in 'that line'. I love it!
Next, here is the 1997 10-inch single Disco Alien. The theme couldn't be a better combination of alien and disco, and both the cover and the sound explode with Depth Charge's worldview.
The sound is a truly disco-alien funky dance track, with electro and breakbeats at their finest, and a vocoder burst from the start.
In the middle break, the aliens are talking about something.
The idea of playing a pitch shifter to create the alien sounds like something out of a 70s or 80s shounen manga magazine - very cheap, but that's what makes it so great.
The cover is a masterpiece by famous British cartoonist Savage Pencil.
Continuing in this vein from Disko Alien, the following year, 1998, saw the release of the aeroplane-themed Disko Airlines. This single featured a remix under the T.E.T. moniker introduced earlier.
It's an aeroplane song that makes you smile from the start, sampling an airport announcement announcing the name of the destination city, but I think it was a play on words, or perhaps a pun on the word 'disco airlines' from the previous year's release 'Disco Alien'. I think it was a play on words, or perhaps a pun, that led to this single. And it was a two-disc set.
The way the song ends on this Disko Airlines (T.E.T. Air Mix) is out of the ordinary and great.
I think the great thing about this guy is that he can throw himself into this kind of nonsense.
After all, a cool adult is someone who works hard at what they love, no matter how silly it may seem from the outside.
The last one is Biting The Dragon's Tail, a 1995 album by The Octagon Man, the electro name that J. Saul Kane was focusing on in the 90s and early 00s.
The other side of Depth Charge, another label from Electron Industries, is not 808 Electro of American origin, not German Electro, but UK-style (though he's the only one who does it, lol) electro with a hard-hitting beat. This is UK-style electro.
This is another one that I loved, although I think there are different likes and dislikes.
Towards the end of Octagon Man (around 2000), with singles like Octagon Man versus Depth Charge, the atmosphere became increasingly industrial and decadent, and before we knew what was happening, the Electron Industries label faded out Before we knew what was happening, the Electron Industries label faded out.
His style at this time seemed a bit too much for my taste.
But I think that's fine.
There was definitely no compromise in his expressive activities.
That is why we have found his great music.
That uncompromising attitude is J. Saul Kane's life and identity itself.
If you are interested, the following link will take you to the discography
https://www.discogs.com/ja/artist/1402-Depth-Charge
In the 00s, D.C. Recordings peaked with Emperor Machine, but perhaps because he decided to concentrate on the back end of the label, J. Saul Kane released his last single under the Depth Charge name, Mecha Squirrel, in 2008 He has since released another single under the name Depth Charge, Mecha Squirrel, in 2008. Since then, J. Saul Kane's production work has ceased.
Probably the last time we saw J. Saul Kane's name in the credits was in 2020 on the remix of Coldcut's project Keleketla!
(If there's anything else, please let me know!)
At that time, I was like, oh, is he back? I was so coloured!
Depth Charge, whom I have a lot of respect for, actually played with me when they came to Japan in 2004.
At the time, there was a club in Osaka called Tsurunoma, run by the Sound Channel crew I belonged to, and I remember how excited I was to be able to perform with Depth Charge, who I adoured.
I was surprised to see him DJing with a laptop and records at the same time, when it was still commonplace to DJ with records.
I was surprised and excited to hear him play Detroit techno such as UR.
I couldn't hide my nervousness in front of Depth Charge, a DJ and trackmaker I admired and owned all his work at the time, but I wanted to talk to him if I could.
In fact, I found him to be shy but very nice.
The DJ MAG article said he had a brusque personality, but that was not the case at all.
I showed them a lot of Depth Charge, Octagon Man and Silver Fox records, because they would sign them and talk to me.
Maybe shy people know shy people.
Are you thinking of doing a live performance of your performance? Or, 'What's your relationship with Tim Simenon of BOMB THE BASS now? Which do you prefer, ACID HOUSE or Detroit techno?' What is your main piece of equipment? Etc. Etc.
I was just a maniacal fan, but he answered my questions politely and without a trace of disgust.
Incidentally, Depth Charge's all-time best was Ryuichi Sakamoto's 'Riot In Lagos'!
What a numbing selection of songs!
I was also impressed that this song was listed as an all-time best.
As a result, I think they talked for over an hour somehow.
Looking back on it now, it was a great time.
There is one thing he said at this time that I still remember well.
'I can't write that good a song every time, and music doesn't have to be that highbrow. There is no major or underground. It's less about sales and more about being able to do what you want to do."
This conversation still has a strong impression on me.
In fact, he did a lot of major work, but even so, I always felt from his work that he was making what he wanted to make, rather than what was popular with everyone else.
And that attitude is still the basis for my own expression.
Without joking, I think the Depth Charge series of works, including the artwork, is an important cultural asset of British beat culture.
I've seen him update his FB page a lot recently, so I can only say that it's a shame that he's gone, but the many messages I've received through his artwork are a treasure for me.
It is sad that the heroes I admired in my youth are disappearing more and more, but it makes me feel that I am getting older too.
I will continue to listen to his music and I will always love it.
I have received so many messages from your music.
Collecting your records was a great pleasure to play.
You inspired me to start writing songs and I continue to do so.
I love the world you create.
Always have and always will.
I would like to leave my writing here, thanking you for the opportunity to have found his music.
Apologies if some of the English expressions are incorrect.
I have always admired him and his work.
Living in Japan, I am not in his immediate vicinity.
However, I thought it might be worth writing from Japan, far away from the UK, about my feelings through his work and his attitude to music.
I hope you will forgive me if, out of love for him, there may be some factual errors or my own assumptions in the article.
Thank you for reading to the end!
Great pioneer, Depth Charge.
With love, respect and gratitude from Japan to J. Saul Kane.
Text by AKIO NAGASE