''Soundclash'' is the debut album by English

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

act

Renegade Soundwave Renegade Soundwave (sometimes shortened to RSW) were an electronic music group. Formed in London in 1986, the group originally consisted of Gary Asquith, Carl Bonnie and Danny Briottet. Their debut LP '' Soundclash'' was released in 1990 on Mu ...

, released by

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...

in February 1990. Co-produced by the band with producer

Flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

, the material was recorded over several years, and displays the band's unique style of

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

, taking influences from

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

and

dub music Dub is a musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style.Dub: soundscapes and shattered songs in Jamaican reggae, p.&nb ...

. The music incorporates

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that uses drum breaks, often sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as Florida breaks, hip-hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat ...

tape loop In music, tape loops are loops of magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound when played on a tape recorder. Originating in the 1940s with the work of Pierre Schaeffer, they were used among ...

s, stalking basslines and numerous samples sourced from disparate material. The album's lyrics concern social issues, with the band aiming to write lyrics that approach issues from unusual angles. The album was promoted by three singles, including the UK Top 40 hit "Probably a Robbery" and dancefloor hit "Biting My Nails". Upon release, the album reached number 74 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, and remains their only charting album. Music critics noted the band's hybrid sound and disparate influences. Over time, the album has been regarded as an innovative release, and has influenced numerous

acts including

the Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in Manchester in 1992. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. Originally known as The Dust Brothers, th ...

and

Leftfield Leftfield are a British electronic music group formed in London in 1989, a duo of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley (the latter formerly of The Rivals and A Man Called Adam). The duo was influential in the evolution of electronic music in the 1990s ...

. The band followed ''Soundclash'' with the

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...

''In Dub'' later on in 1990.

Background and production

Formed by multi-instrumentalists Gary Asquith, Danny Briottet (both formerly of

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

) and Carl Bonnie, Renegade Soundwave emerged on the London music scene in the late 1980s, applying the musical styles of

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

and industrial music to electronic dance floor styles such as

, earning them comparisons with

Meat Beat Manifesto Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened as Meat Beat, Manifesto or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens that was formed in 1987 in Swindon, United Kingdom. The band, fronted by Dangers (the only ...

, Cabaret Voltaire and

Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy was a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group was among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crom ...

. The band described themselves as a "by-product of punk," explaining: "It forged the way we think, though the sound is nothing to do with it." Their notorious first single, "Kray Twins" (1987), was released on

Rhythm King Records Rhythm King Records Ltd was a British independent record label, founded in the mid-1980s by Martin Heath, Adele Nozedar, DJ Jay Strongman and James Horrocks. It was based in Chiswick, London. History Beginnings Starting out as an offshoot of ...

and set samples of a

television documentary Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. * Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

to an underlying throbbing bass line. Following the release of the similarly notorious "Cocaine Sex," which was released in a cocaine envelope, Renegade Soundwave switched labels to

as they appreciated the greater eclecticism present in their catalogue. Their first release on Mute was the ''Biting My Nails'' EP in 1988. ''Soundclash'' was Renegade Soundwave's debut album, and was co-produced by Renegade Soundwave and

. Paul Kendall engineered the sessions. Some of the songs on ''Soundclash'' date from as early as 1986, as the band spent some two years recording material for the album.

Composition

''Soundclash'' blends together different styles of

into the band's distinctive style of

alternative dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the United States) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained worldwide exposure ...

. The album draws from British

, American

and

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

, and incorporates

s, samples, clattering

s, and "stalking" bass lines. Asquith's

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

vocals are nasal and reminiscent of

Madchester Madchester was a musical and cultural scene that emerged in the English city of Manchester during the late 1980s, closely associated with the indie dance movement. Indie dance (also referred to as indie rave) blended indie rock with elements o ...

music, although writer

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

wrote that the "deadpan" vocals were similar to the

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

. Vocals, dance breaks and guitars are employed more conventionally on "Biting My Nails" and "Probably a Robbery." The album samples from a diverse range of sources, including

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

and

film soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...

s. The usage of several hip hop-oriented samples highlights the influence of

golden age rap Golden age hip hop refers to hip hop music created from the mid or mid-late 1980s to the early or early-mid 1990s, particularly by artists and musicians originating from the New York metropolitan area. A precursor to the new-school hip hop mov ...

. The lyrics concern social issues; Asquith said of ''Soundclash'': "It's adult, adult music. Our angle is not the obvious angle. It's a lot more ambiguous. A lot more open. There's a lot more ideas going into it than just one singular one. It's sort of – objectionable." "Blue Eyed Boy" features a sample later re-used by

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

on their song "By the Time I Get to Arizona." "Probably a Robbery" features a "rueful-vengeful jailbird narrative" that incorporates

black humour Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

. Musically, the song features a brass hook, singalong chorus, brittle beats and backing

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

s. "Murder Music" is a recording of a song Asquith wrote with

Rema-Rema Rema-Rema were a short-lived English music group, consisting of Gary Asquith (guitar/vocals), Marco Pirroni (guitar), Michael Allen (bass/vocals), Mark Cox (keyboards) and Dorothy Prior (drums, generally known only as "Max"). History Asquith ...

for their unreleased album, and samples the introductory drum beat from "

The Crunge "The Crunge" is a song by the English rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1973 album ''Houses of the Holy''. The song is a takeoff on James Brown's style of funk similar to the group's attempt at reggae with "D'yer Mak'er". It was also r ...

" by

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

. The dance song "Biting My Nails", a Genevieve Waite cover, samples the

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...

and horn riff from

Eddie Floyd Eddie Lee Floyd (born June 25, 1937) is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song " Knock on Wood". Early life and education Floy ...

's "

Knock on Wood Knock on Wood may refer to: * Knocking on wood, an act of superstition Music * Knock on Wood (Eddie Floyd song), "Knock on Wood" (Eddie Floyd song), a 1966 song by Eddie Floyd, covered by many performers * Knock on Wood (Amii Stewart album), '' ...

" (1966), and features lyrics about frustration over nightclub sets. A deconstructed cover version of

' "

Can't Get Used to Losing You "Can't Get Used to Losing You" is a song written by Doc Pomus, Jerome "Doc" Pomus and Mort Shuman, first made popular by Andy Williams in a 1963 record release, which was a number-two hit in both the US and the UK. Twenty years later, British ba ...

", also a hit for The Beat, exemplifies the band's diverse tastes, and incorporates sinister sound effects, a pulsating bass line and a funky guitar riff reminiscent of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Release

Released on 20 February 1990, ''Soundclash'' was issued via Mute Records, and reached number 74 on the

, spending one week on the chart. It remains their only charting album. Original British CD copies feature "The Phantom" and "Ozone Breakdown" as

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

s that are unlisted besides on a sticker. The release of ''Soundclash'' was preceded by several dance floor-orientated singles. "Space Gladiator" was the album's first single; it reached number 81 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1989 and stayed on the charts for four weeks. Even more successful was second single "Probably a Robbery", which spent six weeks on the chat, peaking at number 38 in February 1990. "Biting My Nails" reached number 76 on the chart in July. Adam Higginbotham of '' Select'' described "Probably a Robbery" and "Biting My Nails" as appearing to show Renegade Soundwave "on the verge of widespread success as their aggressive sound began to reach a wider audience."

Critical reception

In a contemporary review, '' Option'' magazine described Renegade Soundwave as " rposely subversive" and "calculatedly audacious," and felt they created "danceable audio barrages, a pummeling sound that conveys a slick, edgy urban hipness, often spiked with a humorous tw st" He felt that, despite its reliance on samples, the music is "a delicious tangle of sensory overload that manages to be cunningly original." In his review for ''

The Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN radio and WGN tel ...

'',

felt that the "dance noise terrorists" create a "fashionably gloomy atmosphere for their slamming rhythms, but never approach the intensity level of truly menacing industrial beat outfits such as Ministry." In their review, ''

CD Review ''CD Review'' (formerly known as ''Digital Audio'' and ''Digital Audio and Compact Disc Review'') is a discontinued American monthly magazine that specialized in reviewing albums and audio electronics, especially compact discs. The magazine was ...

'' described Renegade Soundwave as "an aggressive British trio that wants to attack faulty modern sensibilities and safe music by dragging you by your ear onto the dance floor." They felt that ''Soundclash'' contains impressive samples, rhythm tracks and lyrics, but felt that "some of the material occasionally feels contrived." Among retrospective reviews, John Bush of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

said the album covered a lot of territory with a "unique sound aesthetic," and wrote that it featured "a solid focus on the audio terrorism possible from sampling" despite the presence of "subpar" rapping. Tony Flecher of ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' felt the album saw Renegade Soundwave suffer from "identity crisis," adding: "Unsure whether to produce rock songs, dance anthems or dub jams, they experiment with each ..and just come across confused." Writing in 2010, Sputnikmusic Emeritus writer Iai described ''Soundclash'' as an "underground dance classic that, miraculously, still holds up." The writer felt the album "blew away the cobwebs" with its ability and willingness to "drag several different strands of dance into tssound, most obviously hip-hop," and complemented the band for not straying from club music territory throughout the album despite its "unusual orbit between genres." They concluded: "I can't even begin to imagine how exciting this must have sounded in 1989, at a time when British music was in the doldrums and independent labels were so far out of sight that it was easy to believe that they didn't even exist; even now, it sounds like the kind of album that could spark a movement."

MusicRadar Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History 1985–2012 The company was founded by Chris Anderson a ...

described ''Soundclash'' as a "masterpiece of genre-splicing breaks, samples and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

Legacy

In 1994, Larry Flick of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described ''Soundclash'' as innovative for breaking musical barriers, and noted its influence and inspiration on "so many artists and producers." He continued: "A quick stomp through almost any current

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

program will turn up a slew of direct descendants of 'Biting My Nails', 'Women Respond to Bass,' and 'Probably a Robbery'." Iai felt the album was influential on

big beat Big beat is an electronic music genre that usually uses heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns – common to acid house/techno. The term has been used by the British music industry to describe music by artists such as the ...

, with

The Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in Manchester in 1992. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. Originally known as The Dust Brothers, th ...

naming Renegade Soundwave as their main influence and

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known as Fatboy Slim, is an English musician and DJ who helped popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. His music makes extensive use of Sampling (music), samples from eclectic ...

also borrowing from the album. They also identified

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

act

as being influenced by the album, while crediting the album's "nasal, boozy, quasi-Madchester rapping" as a large influence on EMF and

Stereo MCs Stereo MC's are an English hip hop and electronic dance group that formed in Clapham, London, in 1985. They had an international top 20 hit with their single " Connected" and a UK top 20 hit with " Step It Up". After releasing eight albums for I ...

. In 1999, Tom Ewing of ''

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2 ...

'' ranked "Probably a Robbery" at number 60 in his list of the "Top 100 Singles of the 1990s." In the accompanying write-up, he wrote that Renegade Soundwave were "well ahead of their time, and not just musically. Their tough electro-dub experiments get some credit now for helping to spread the breakbeat virus through British dance music, but their crim-glam stance now seems just as prophetic." He added of the song: In comparing ''Soundclash'' to the music of

the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

, writer Chris Knowles described ''Soundclash'' as a "landmark album" and felt it was "squarely in the mold of a tightly focused ''

Sandinista! ''Sandinista!'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side. It crosses various genres including funk, reggae, jazz, gospe ...

''," similarly to

's ''

Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius in the late 1st century AD, though the manuscript tradition identifi ...

'' (1992). Renegade Soundwave followed ''Soundclash'' with a "stripped back dub" remix album entitled ''In Dub'' (1990), which contained remixes of several songs from the former album, including "Pocket Porn", "Traitor" and "Blue Eyed Boy." In a 2006 interview, Asquith named both ''Soundclash'' and ''In Dub'' as the albums of which he is most proud of, and expressed an interest in remixing ''Soundclash'' with Briottet.

Track listing

All songs written by Renegade Soundwave except where noted. #"Blue Eyed Boy" – 4:30 #"Lucky Luke" – 3:52 #"On TV" – 2:26 #"Probably a Robbery" – 4:09 #"Traitor" – 3:55 #"Space Gladiator" – 4:36 #"Murder Music" – 2:35 #"Biting My Nails" (Renegade Soundwave,

Geneviève Waïte Geneviève Joyce Waïte (born Genevieve Joyce Weight, 13 February 1948 – 18 May 2019) was a South African actress, singer and model. Her best known acting role was the title character in the 1968 film Joanna (1968 film), ''Joanna''. She was a ...

) – 3:54 #"Pocket Porn" – 3:45 #"

" (

Doc Pomus Jerome Solon Felder (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hal ...

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including " Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as ...

) – 4:32 #"Biting My Nails" (Instrumental) – 5:22

CD bonus tracks

"The Phantom" – 4:47 #"Ozone Breakdown" – 6:46

Personnel

*Renegade Soundwave – production, writing *

– production *

Paul Kendall Paul Kendall is a composer, producer and visual artist, primarily known as a sound engineer, mixer, mainly through his extensive career at Mute Records and his collaborations with Alan Wilder of Recoil. Career Kendall was born in 1954. In 197 ...

– engineer

References

{{Authority control 1990 debut albums Mute Records albums Renegade Soundwave albums Albums produced by Flood (producer)