Boymerang - "Soul Beat Runna"
Why isn't Boymerang a drum 'n bass household name? You never see him mentioned alongside Goldie, Roni Size, Photek, 4 Hero, or any other big producers of the scene, or at least I never have, not on the internet or in any magazines. Graham Sutton was never going to earn much name recognition as part of Bark Psychosis -- neither in their prime or in the less productive but more respected years that followed -- but certainly should have once striking out on his own in 1994 with the original Boymerang EP. Just three tracks, but it's as perfect of a jungle release as I've ever heard.
More singles would follow, culminating in the full-length Balance of the Force in 1997. It was released on Astralwerks in America but never came close to crossing over to any kind of success that year like the Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, or the Wipeout XL soundtrack. But that's never really made sense to me. Balance of the Force was progressive and complex but also extremely accessible to anyone new to electronic music, as most people still were at the time (a sweeping generalization if there ever was one, but that's how I remember it). If it wasn't successful as a gateway release, then it still could have become an underground classic, but such status still seems to elude it today.
"Soul Beat Runna" is the opening track. One of the best breaks I've ever heard: so mellow but so kinetic. Too classy for the Wipeout XL soundtrack, perhaps. But maybe perfect for World Cup 98.
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