#Law and Chopper are so lovely together imo

[l-in-the-light]

Why did Law break the heart of poor Chopper? 😭🥺

Did he tho? :D I assume you mean the infamous "shut up" scene at the end of Wano. Did you know this is actually not the first time Law tells Chopper to shut up? But let's start from the beginning!

"See you around, Torao!", "Shut up!". In the anime it comes off much harsher than in the manga, in which the flow is completely different, because it happens immediately after or even in same time as Law's conversation with Luffy:

Law is trying to draw the line here, they've been in an alliance, but now it's over, so they had to know this would be the result, now they're back to being enemies. But since Law kinda expects Strawhats to forget about that (he was with them in that alliance long enough to know how "uneccessarily emotional" they are most of the time, lol), he reminds them about that, making it a very "manly" and "cool" goodbye in the end.

Except, it would stay that way, if not for Chopper destroying it all with his affectionate "see you around, Torao!" because he understands they became friends, and you say that to friends when you're parting ways, right? Chopper isn't really known for being able to "read the room", so he totally missed the vibe Law was going for. In the end Law has to shut him up before Chopper goes on to say even worse emotional stuff.

(btw Kid is not having any of this, just look at his grossed out reaction there... "set sail", it's like he's trying to make them leave faster so he doesn't have to hear their sobby pretentious goodbye lol)

You might have missed it, but it wasn't the first time Law told Chopper to shut up. The very first time it happened was in Punk Hazard, on their duo mission in the lab. Law, slightly aware they might be heard or watched, insists on Chopper hiding already because they're almost at the door. He wouldn't say it in a nice way. Don't get me wrong, I believe he is rather tamely mannered, but I can't deny there are a few things he indeed is rather rude about (though definitely still tame in comparison to other pirates): never saying greetings, for example, and also never saying "please". Apparently he uses "shut up" instead now, lol. Anyway here he told Chopper to shut up because he is worried they will be spotted and he won't say "please stay in the bag" lol.

(Law doesn't say "please" anymore, not after his last request was to Vergo and he got betrayed and Cora-san suffered as the result. Law didn't say the word "please" not even once ever since.)

Chopper is actually the first out of Strawhats crew that Law kinda bonded with. Despite Law telling him to hide, they actually talk for a bit in this scene and Law is really open with him too (telling him he can't deal with Caesar on his own and that's why he needs the help of Strawhats - a rare moment of honesty and something he didn't tell anyone else, not even Luffy). In a way, you can look at their goodbye in Wano as a callback to Punk Hazard :D

We know already Law is bad with greetings (which means also saying goodbyes). The best you can get from him is silence instead of "hi" or "bye", the worst you can get is "shut up". In Law's novel we also could see Law saying goodbye to Wolf and he struggled soooo much with it. If you thought Sanji's goodbye with Zeff was awkward, Law's goodbye with Wolf is like ten times that, haha. I will use some quotes here from the end of the novel, so if you want to skip it, now would be your cue :D (you can skip to the next image from manga!)

*cough cough* yes, it's Law saying that line: "stop, you'll make me cry". Young Law is a mood, I swear. In a way you can take it as a clue, Chopper got silenced so he won't blabble out emotional monologue like Wolf up there, melting Law's heart and pretense of toughness away.

"I have to say goodbye to the locals, as well only to those who have treated me particularly well. I think that includes the doctor and Rad".

It's worth noting that he says that as well in the novel, despite the fact we never see Law saying goodbye to practically no one in the manga. Not to Strawhats, not to Kin, not to Bartolomeo, and he was indebted to them to various degrees as well (not counting Kin, that was actually reversed). Young Law could stand goodbyes slightly better than adult Law, it seems.

A tearful goodbye between Wolf and Hearts. This is how his goodbye with Strawhats could have looked like as well, I guess? But keep in mind, when Law said his goodbye to Wolf it was pretty much the same situation like when Sanji said it to Zeff. Both were indebted to their mentors and didn't know if they will ever see each other again (and if they will, then when). Novel's ending suggests Wolf and Hearts didn't meet again and after Law announced them leaving for the Grand Line, you can be sure they never had occassion to go back to North Blue ever since. This goodbye is pretty much definitive, they won't see each other for more than a decade. The casual goodbye with Strawhats might mean they will see each other sooner than not! Especially with Chopper's foreshadowing "see you around!". Though I still think Law doesn't plan on meeting them again.

Now, is Chopper's heart truly broken by Law's response? He got shocked because Chopper doesn't understand why Law told him to shut up instead of telling him "see you around" or "take care" back. But Chopper often misreads the situation and that happens even in the Strawhats crew. At Jaya, Nami told him to dig for gold, only to scold him for something she told him to do mere moments later:

Chopper is simply bad at picking up those hints or realizing when someone asks of something unreasonable that's better to be ignored. He's also quite silly and naive, and ends up taken advantage of as the result. But mostly, all those social cues are beyond his understanding, because he's a reindeer. Chopper is also very emotional, always easily touched by someone's sad story or when seeing people crying. You can say his empathy levels are really high. Perhaps, but take it with a grain of salt, Chopper thought Law is a bit sad, maybe he picked up on his emotions that Law wanted to hide so well, so he said "see you around" to make it sound like their seperation isn't going to last very long, to cheer him up, and since no one else said it, Chopper thought he should (besides he also simply likes Law, why wouldn't he like him? they're both doctors and spent quite a long time together).

It didn't end the way Chopper wanted it to end (he probably didn't cheer up Law nor did he get any nice reply back), but it's hardly the first or the last time it happened to Chopper in the story. He can handle it, he's a tough reindeer :) sadly he probably won't learn any time soon, if at all. Also, this...

Some goodbyes are harsh for the sake of the person left behind. Here Hiruruk kicks out Chopper so the reindeer won't have to watch him dying with his own eyes. He thinks it's better to part ways before Chopper gets even more attached, so it hurts him a bit less. Hiruruk knows how kind and caring Chopper is and doesn't want him to lose his heart again. Sadly the only alternative he had was to break his heart a little, hoping it will heal fast, but at least *he won't lose it* completely. Could this also be seen as a parallel to Law's goodbye with Chopper? It might be, because I think Law is totally the same type of guy who would push people away for their own sake.

(Still, the next time they meet, Law might need to apologize to Chopper, hehe. After all he must know by now that Chopper's rumble balls literally saved his life)

That's it about Chopper, but let's go back to Law for a moment. Where did he get his habit of saying "shut up"? He did not have it as a kid... well. I think the novel gives us the answer indirectly to that (no spoilers, just two short quotes):

Wonder no more, it seems he learned that from Wolf, lol. Quite fitting because Wolf taught him how to be a responsible leader/captain as well :) Wolf loved those kids, like we can see from his goodbye scene. He kept telling them "shut up" mostly because he was embarrassed and also because he didn't want to get too attached to them at first (he had some poor experiences in his life before), and he wasn't used to have people around his house all the time, living together, sharing meals etc. Last time he had it, he lost it and he became quite bitter as the result. But spending time with Law, Bepo, Penguin and Shachi changed him a bit, to the point he could tell them that heartfelt goodbye instead of harsh words.

Now, is it just a habit Law picked up from him? Or is there something more to it? For starters, he doesn't really say "shut up" to anyone besides Chopper (and once to Luffy in One Piece Red, but there is sounds almost affectionate lol). Not to Usopp who is panicking (even if it slightly irritates Law), not even to Luffy who is always noisy (he does call him idiot though, but it's always deserved lol). But he does say it to his lovely Heart Pirates when they kept nagging him about going to the New World and he tells them "to stop yapping, shut up and follow his lead". And we know how much Law loves his Hearts. If Chopper deserved to be said to "shut up" then it already shows Law puts him in same category as his Hearts and thinks fondly of him. Just like Wolf was fond of his "stupid brats" he constantly shouted at to shut up.

One last thing, because context matters a lot as well. It's possible that Law said that to Chopper in that moment because he was afraid to get too attached to the Strawhats. Is it stretching it too far? I will let you all decide that for yourselves :D

[thus-spoke-lo]

As I go through my self care Sunday routine, I have been hit with the idea of OP men participating as well. Sheet masks? Fancy facials? Nail painting? Hair masks? My brain is running a mile a minute.

(I imagine Zoro grumbling about it and then liking it so much that he has to join every week)

Ohhh anon I have had thoughts about this before.

I feel like Zoro is absolutely the kind of man who responds well to praise and compliments--he protests and groans about it when you stick a sheet mask on his face, but afterwards, when you tell him how his skin looks so soft and it makes you wanna touch it more, he's already asking when your next self-care day is. Probably gets caught by at least one crew member trying out your different lotions on his own and smelling them because they remind him of you.

Sanji loves nothing more than quality time spent pampering you in every way possible--I mean come on, the man whose hands are probably soft as silk? He's got everything you need for a self-care afternoon together, and probably knows your favorite scents, any skin sensitivities, and the best types of products for your exact hair texture and length. Compliments and sweet swords are flowing from him like water throughout the day, and he's making sure you don't have to lift a finger.

Ace is always game for whatever--as long as he gets to enjoy the feel of you sitting in his lap while you cover his sun-drenched skin in serums, he's happy. He will absolutely fall asleep while you wash his hair and massage his scalp in the tub, even though he swears he'll stay awake and return the favor. But don't worry, he'll make up for it by keeping the water the perfect temperature while you enjoy your nice, long soak.

Law won't protest, but he also won't actively seem like he's enjoying it when you insist on conditioning his face scruff for him in the bath, or using a skin scrub on him, even though inside he's buzzing from the attention. He revels in the intimacy of helping you apply lotion after the bath, loves the excuse to have his hands on every inch of your skin, enjoying the rare moment of calm and quiet together before he's called away for something or another.

BONUS: the best platonic self-care buddy imo? Chopper. He's so enthusiastic about it, and knows how to make his own natural skin treatments! He loves it when you help him condition his coat--he's so poofy and fluffy afterwards, and he's practically floating from all the attention from the crew as they coo over how soft he is.

[lawbin-archive]

Hi, in your opinioni why Oda gave Robin and Law the same Dream?

Hi, first question hehe! :D

With my delulu mind, of course I will say is to let them develop feelings while pursuing their dream, get married after finding one piece and live happily forever the end.

Ok let's be more rational lol.

I read a theory that Law will sacrifice his life for Robin and let her fulfill their dream. To be honest, if I really think logically, there is a chance this might happen but I think is under one condition - Law & Robin be canon romantically before the sacrifice happen.

Even they have the same dream now, they are at most - friends and Law has declared that "They are enemies next time they meet" so if Law sacrifice for Robin, the reasoning is really thin to me. Like why would he do that for "his enemy"? Just because they have the same dream? Do Law trust Robin so much now he can put his life and dream on her? Just because she can read poneglyph? Is he going to sacrifice for Pudding or Sukiyaki too? I just think their bonding *as shown on screen now*, is not enough for him to sacrifice himself. So to be more impactful or to strengthen his will to sacrifice, I can only think of that because they love each other and he is willing to risk his life for her. Of course there are a few example that the character sacrifice without much deep bonding but most of them didn't really die, and I just think if it's Law and with his personality, the reasoning of his sacrifice wouldn't be that thin.

Plus, Robin already faced a lot of sacrifices - the entire Ohara and the scholars, Saul and her mother. Oda please don't be so cruel to her... and please don't be so cruel to Law too... He already lost his country, his family, Corazon and... *please hopefully his crew still alive*. That's just too sad :(

Another theory is that Law is going to sacrifice for Luffy, that actually makes more sense because they saved each other multiple times, Luffy is a D and well - he is Luffy aka nika the sun god LOL but I'm 100% sure that Luffy wouldn't want that. And he wouldn’t want to be immortal. It’s never his goal. I think if Liffy become immortal would be a very off character thing and kind of against Oda’s message in one piece so imo I don’t think Law will use his immortal abilities to Luffy ever.

So to be honest, I don't want them to be canon now lol because I have a feeling they won't have a happy ending after. They can go investigate or flirt as much as they want until the end :P

Back to the question - Then why Oda gave the same dream to Robin and Law? Maybe the answer is simple. Maybe just because it makes sense. Maybe it's because Robin and Law's journey is too lonely, Oda felt there should be someone to pursue with her/him.

Because most of the straw hats have people in their homeland or have friends that can understand their dream: Luffy: Sabo & Ace & his whole crew Zoro: Kuina, Koushirou(his teacher) & Mihawk Nami: Nojiko, Genzo and Bellemere Sanji: Chef Zeff & Baratie Usopp: Kaya, the kids, Broggy & Dorry Chopper: Dr. Kureha & Hiriluk Franky: Iceberg & Galleyla company Brook: Laboon & Crocus Jimbei: Sun pirates & most of the fish-men

Robin: Saul, her mom, Professor Clover & other scholars (which most of them passed away when she was 8)

Only Robin carrying the dream from Ohara and is working toward her goal by herself for a long time, and before egghead she thought Saul was dead too. Law is also similar, he carry his goal (defeat Doflamingo) for 13 years by himself. He even left Heart Pirates in Zou so that it won't hurt them while he is achieving his goal.

So why not let two people that have been chasing their dream alone for a long time, can share their goals and work together now?

Although I delulu a lot, it also might be Oda is planning a romantic relationship between them. I know he said that he won't be focusing on romantic relationship but It's final saga, it makes sense characters developing feelings with each other during adventures and he probably changed his mind throughout the years. Law & Robin are somewhat popular in japan and Asia too. So that's actually possible!

Hopefully that answer your question! I talk a lot lol but I can't really think a strong reason that why he did that. I will keep this in mind and maybe I will come up another reason once I re-read the chapters. Thank you so much for your question!!

[zorobae]

Okay, so after not reading One Piece for more than a year, I caught up on all the chapters I missed by now and just wanted to write down my thoughts~ I also intend to make edits again. It’s been a while, though, I hope I still remember how lol. First and foremost, I’m really glad to be reading Oda-sensei’s great writing and to be in this world again, so to say. I missed this consistently-good quality of writing, the blend of action+emotion+humor and of course, I missed my adorkable Strawhat crew ^-^ I stopped reading where the second Wano Act ended so I picked up from there until chapter 1009. A lot of the chapters in Act Three are flashbacks from Kozuki Oden's life. He is an interesting and well-thought-out character, to say the least. I found it quite hard to wrap my head around his demise, though. That was just too... unfair. But then, if the point of that incident is to make us readers despise Kaido more; mission accomplished. I gotta say, for me, the highlight of those flashbacks was to see the Whitebeard pirates. The way that crew treated each other like family and they all called Whitebeard "pops" will never not be endearing to me. I lk hate that Oda indirectly brought up Ace in Oden's flashback (when Roger talked about his unborn son). Maybe I'm just overly emotional but I think it's a testament to Oda-sensei's writing that any reminder of Ace still makes me sad. I think that Toki and her relationship with Oden was also quite sweet. Oda-sensei never spends too much time on romance but he still manages to give those relationships weight. I was moved by how perfect Oden and Toki were together, how understanding and supportive of each other. When Toki said "we are not your weakness", right after she lost her husband... that was a powerful moment imo.

Coming back to present time; it's actually stupid how happy it made me to see Jimbei finally catching up with Luffy and all now ten Strawhats reunited! Didn't last long of course but hey, at least they're all still on the same island this time xD I’m so glad that Jimbei joined the crew for good now - the traditional toast to a new crew member has yet to come, though. And I wonder if maybe Yamato, even if just temporarily, might also join. Yamato is a badass character so far. I think her weird pretense as Oden is a bit off-putting but I still like her. I am actually confused about her gender identity now, though. Does he actually identify as male himself or is that solely because he’s pretending to be Oden? What she’s doing seems to be “identity theft” rather than being genderqueer. But either way, it hasn’t been confirmed yet. I really hope Oda-sensei will confirm her gender soon. For now and until we get any confirmation, I’ll still headcanon her as genderfluid. I definitely think it’s easy to tell that she’s genuine in her support for the Kozukis and the Strawhats. Also, there were some flashbacks with Ace... I both hated and loved those. Yamato, having to tell Ace he mentioned his brother too often was not okay TT-TT Speaking of Ace’s brother, Oda-sensei hinted that Sabo got announced dead but as is the rule with OP; if there is no corpse, he ain’t dead.

I haven’t checked how far the anime is but the rest of my thoughts might be spoilery so I’ll put them under a cut~

Luffy and Zoro are my faves but Is2G, I love all ten of the Strawhats with all of my heart. And yet, there’s one Strawhat who I always hope will do better but .... /sigh/ They are outnumbered 6:1 and somehow, Sanji still lets himself be distracted by women. And not even friendly ones but women who are also his enemies. Luffy and Jimbei assumed that Sanji stayed back to clear distractions for them - which was really sweet but not exactly true. I can’t believe there are fans who are arguing about who’s the #2 among the Strawhats. I mean, Zoro is fighting against Kaido and Big Mom and protecting his Captain as best as he can while Sanji got caught in Black Maria’s net cuz he’s a huge perv. And some fans still feel the need to debate who’s better.... Okay then. It’s not unexpected but it’s just disappointing cuz we all know how strong, protective and determined Sanji is. He can be better than this. I hope that he, and all Strawhats, will get their moments to shine at some point during the rest of this arc. Well, actually Chopper might have already gotten his moment when he cured the Ice Onis. That was pretty badass, and got even better when he punched Queen and reminded everyone he ain’t a racoon-dog teehee

Right now, at the end of chapter 1009, it looked like Big Mom would fall off of Onigashima. If she really does, it’ll probably take a while before she can fly back up somehow and anything like that would obviously help Luffy, Zoro, Law and Kidd. I wonder how tf Kaido can both keep the island floating and also fight at the same time. If they should defeat him while it’s still floating, is the whole island gonna crash down? Anyway, I can’t wait for Luffy to kick Kaido’s ass. I’m kinda hoping Momonosuke or one of the Akazaya or maybe Yamato will deliver the final blow or something. I also hope Oda-sensei won’t give us ten or so chapters of Kaido’s tragic past cuz I really don’t care lol. I’d rather see Oden’s dream of an open and peaceful Wano fulfilled~

[bluebuzzmusic]

Your EDM Playlist: Insomniax Relive the Days of Sanctuary, Look Forward to ‘V7 Saxon Street’ [Viper]

In a rave career that collectively spans almost 30 years, it’s natural for artists like Freshold and Renzo (the members of Insomniax) to want to look back and reminisce and also to take inspiration from those rave glory days. That’s just what Insomniax have done with their two-part EP series, V7 Saxon Street, the first part of which released in late March. The EP’s title is the literal address of legendary club Sanctuary in Milton Keynes north of London, from which the duo clearly take a lot of inspo both for the EP and in their music in general.

In a genre whose focus seems to be relentlessly on pushing forward, creating new vibes and daring the laws of sound design physics to blink, Insomniax are and have been on that leading edge, creating new vibes and keeping said vibes super clean with no small amount of humor, groove and cheek. They’ve played with every sound imaginable from liquid to dark to techy “Foghorn” vibes. That said, however, the Insomniax “Origin Story” seems to go back to those early days in the 90s and early 00s where the leading edge of jungle and DnB sound was created not in the studio but on the dancefloor.

It’s easy enough to hear and feel the vibes in the tracks of V7 Saxon Street but to get the true experience and the love the UK rave scene and Inxomniax themselves have for said vibes, Ollie Freshold decided to put together a banger of a playlist: 21 of the tracks he feels were at the core of the Sanctuary vibe and which still inspire the Insomniax sound today. It is a gift, this collection, and Your EDM are proud to pass it on to the ravers of today. Listen and love.

Andy C & Shimon – Recharge – RAM 

One of my all time favorite DnB tracks. It’s so way ahead of its time it still sounds fresh today. Whilst many other jungle/DnB producers were sampling hip hop and reggae etc these guys were fusing jungle with sci-fi samples. Absolute classic!

Aphrodite – My Style (from the Dark Side) 

Probably my favorite Aphrodite track. Seriously infectious use of samples and an absolute killer Reece bassline.

Adam F – Metropolis – Metalheadz

Again another track 20 years ahead of its time. Everyone was rinsing this around this time.

Alex Reece – Pulp fiction – Metalheadz 

A timeless classic and a pivotal moment in drum and bass. I don’t know if my vinyl of this ever left my record box.

Andy C & Shimon – Quest – RAM

Another vinyl that never left my box. To this day this is still one of the most inspirational drum and bass tracks to me. So simple! “So both sides begin a new quest for peace”

Prisoners of technology – The Trick of technology- Fresh Kutt

If you don’t know this tune then get to know.  An absolute amen monster ! I Might start dropping this one in the sets again.

Adam F – Circles- Positiva

I’m pretty sure a lot of non DnB jungle heads know this one. Huge anthem and an absolutely beautiful piece of music. One for the back row head-nodders.

Mask – Square Off- Dope Dragon

Back in the day when we didn’t have internet we had to search out records. Sometimes you would never find find out what they were. It took me 2 years to find this after hearing it played out and on the tape packs. Well worth the wait.

Terrorist – Chopper – (Shy fx remix) – Dread

The first time I attended a rave at the sanctuary in 1996 I’d say 90% of the Dj’s on the night started with this. IMO One of the biggest drum and bass records ever.

DJ Zinc – reach out – True Playaz 

I’ve just actually just downloaded the new master of this through DJ Zincs website. Definitely my favourite Zinc track. I recently read that he sampled the bass from a really old Marcus Intalex song from the early 90s.

DJ Hype feat MC Fats – Peace love & Unity – True Playaz

It’s a shame Hype stopped producing all those years ago because his tracks were so good. This was an anthem for a good few years back in the sanctuary days.

Mask – Splurt – Dope Dragon

The Full cycle crew always had the knack for writhing the most simple but catchy records. This is no exception. I fell in love with this the first time I ever heard it which was during Ray Keith’s set at a Helter Skelter event in 1998.

TNT (trend & target) – 2 Degrees -Kartoonz

RIP Trend. My memories of this track is standing in the queue outside the sanctuary eagerly waiting to get in and hearing this blast out of the doors of the Rollers arena and everyone in the queue bobbing around outside to it. Huge huge anthem back in the day.

DJ Die – Clear Skies – Full Cycle

A cool fact I learned the other day is that DD Die took inspiration from DJ Zinc’s “Reach out” and went on to write this. Definitely in my top 10 all time favorite DnB tracks.

Andy C & Shimon – Nightflight- RAM

The fact that 23 years later this still absolutely guarantees to murder the place down,  proves what a classic it is. Still sounds fresh now and everyone still loves hearing this, and Dj’s still love dropping it !

Renegade – Dark Soldier – Dread

Another huge Jungle/DnB anthem. Longest intro ever though. I remember the MCs calling rewind and us lot shouting “no don’t do it” because the intro was sooo long. This has had countless amounts of remixes over the years but the original is still by far the best version.

Sappo- Ding Dong Bass- Rinseout

“Listen up… The ding dong bass” Nuff said !

Fire fox – Buck Rogers – Philly Blunt

Back in 96 this is what we used to call Jump up. Rarely would you hear a set back then without this in it. Classic Bristol sound !

Shy Fx – Bambaata- Ebony

Absolute game changer ! I remember hearing this for the first time also at sanctuary when Nicky Blackmarket dropped it. I was stood next to a crew of fully moschino’d up Rude-boys who all lost their shit to it.

MA2 – Hearing is Believing – Formation

This had just had a re-lick from modern day Jungle don Serum. I feel he definitely did it justice but you can’t beat this Version.

Shout to DJ SS and formation records. One of the longest standing Djs and Labels in Drum and bass.

Doc Scott – Shadow Boxing – 31 records

I Got to 20 tracks on this list and then remembered Shadow Boxing and couldn’t possibly leave it out. For me it’s the most simple but emotional piece of Drum and bass ever written. I remember first hearing it at Sanctuary and literally everyone playing it that night. If you looked around everyone just had utter screw face ! When I think of dark drum and bass, I think of Shadow Boxing.

V7 Saxon Street Part 1 is out now and available on Beatport to purchase or Spotify to stream. Stay tuned for part 2, out shortly.

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Your EDM Playlist: Insomniax Relive the Days of Sanctuary, Look Forward to ‘V7 Saxon Street’ [Viper]

source https://www.youredm.com/2019/05/17/your-edm-playlist-insomniax-relive-the-days-of-sanctuary-look-forward-to-v7-saxon-street-viper/

[kevindurkiin]

Your EDM Playlist: Insomniax Relive the Days of Sanctuary, Look Forward to ‘V7 Saxon Street’ [Viper]

In a rave career that collectively spans almost 30 years, it’s natural for artists like Freshold and Renzo (the members of Insomniax) to want to look back and reminisce and also to take inspiration from those rave glory days. That’s just what Insomniax have done with their two-part EP series, V7 Saxon Street, the first part of which released in late March. The EP’s title is the literal address of legendary club Sanctuary in Milton Keynes north of London, from which the duo clearly take a lot of inspo both for the EP and in their music in general.

In a genre whose focus seems to be relentlessly on pushing forward, creating new vibes and daring the laws of sound design physics to blink, Insomniax are and have been on that leading edge, creating new vibes and keeping said vibes super clean with no small amount of humor, groove and cheek. They’ve played with every sound imaginable from liquid to dark to techy “Foghorn” vibes. That said, however, the Insomniax “Origin Story” seems to go back to those early days in the 90s and early 00s where the leading edge of jungle and DnB sound was created not in the studio but on the dancefloor.

It’s easy enough to hear and feel the vibes in the tracks of V7 Saxon Street but to get the true experience and the love the UK rave scene and Inxomniax themselves have for said vibes, Ollie Freshold decided to put together a banger of a playlist: 21 of the tracks he feels were at the core of the Sanctuary vibe and which still inspire the Insomniax sound today. It is a gift, this collection, and Your EDM are proud to pass it on to the ravers of today. Listen and love.

Andy C & Shimon – Recharge – RAM 

One of my all time favorite DnB tracks. It’s so way ahead of its time it still sounds fresh today. Whilst many other jungle/DnB producers were sampling hip hop and reggae etc these guys were fusing jungle with sci-fi samples. Absolute classic!

Aphrodite – My Style (from the Dark Side) 

Probably my favorite Aphrodite track. Seriously infectious use of samples and an absolute killer Reece bassline.

Adam F – Metropolis – Metalheadz

Again another track 20 years ahead of its time. Everyone was rinsing this around this time.

Alex Reece – Pulp fiction – Metalheadz 

A timeless classic and a pivotal moment in drum and bass. I don’t know if my vinyl of this ever left my record box.

Andy C & Shimon – Quest – RAM

Another vinyl that never left my box. To this day this is still one of the most inspirational drum and bass tracks to me. So simple! “So both sides begin a new quest for peace”

Prisoners of technology – The Trick of technology- Fresh Kutt

If you don’t know this tune then get to know.  An absolute amen monster ! I Might start dropping this one in the sets again.

Adam F – Circles- Positiva

I’m pretty sure a lot of non DnB jungle heads know this one. Huge anthem and an absolutely beautiful piece of music. One for the back row head-nodders.

Mask – Square Off- Dope Dragon

Back in the day when we didn’t have internet we had to search out records. Sometimes you would never find find out what they were. It took me 2 years to find this after hearing it played out and on the tape packs. Well worth the wait.

Terrorist – Chopper – (Shy fx remix) – Dread

The first time I attended a rave at the sanctuary in 1996 I’d say 90% of the Dj’s on the night started with this. IMO One of the biggest drum and bass records ever.

DJ Zinc – reach out – True Playaz 

I’ve just actually just downloaded the new master of this through DJ Zincs website. Definitely my favourite Zinc track. I recently read that he sampled the bass from a really old Marcus Intalex song from the early 90s.

DJ Hype feat MC Fats – Peace love & Unity – True Playaz

It’s a shame Hype stopped producing all those years ago because his tracks were so good. This was an anthem for a good few years back in the sanctuary days.

Mask – Splurt – Dope Dragon

The Full cycle crew always had the knack for writhing the most simple but catchy records. This is no exception. I fell in love with this the first time I ever heard it which was during Ray Keith’s set at a Helter Skelter event in 1998.

TNT (trend & target) – 2 Degrees -Kartoonz

RIP Trend. My memories of this track is standing in the queue outside the sanctuary eagerly waiting to get in and hearing this blast out of the doors of the Rollers arena and everyone in the queue bobbing around outside to it. Huge huge anthem back in the day.

DJ Die – Clear Skies – Full Cycle

A cool fact I learned the other day is that DD Die took inspiration from DJ Zinc’s “Reach out” and went on to write this. Definitely in my top 10 all time favorite DnB tracks.

Andy C & Shimon – Nightflight- RAM

The fact that 23 years later this still absolutely guarantees to murder the place down,  proves what a classic it is. Still sounds fresh now and everyone still loves hearing this, and Dj’s still love dropping it !

Renegade – Dark Soldier – Dread

Another huge Jungle/DnB anthem. Longest intro ever though. I remember the MCs calling rewind and us lot shouting “no don’t do it” because the intro was sooo long. This has had countless amounts of remixes over the years but the original is still by far the best version.

Sappo- Ding Dong Bass- Rinseout

“Listen up… The ding dong bass” Nuff said !

Fire fox – Buck Rogers – Philly Blunt

Back in 96 this is what we used to call Jump up. Rarely would you hear a set back then without this in it. Classic Bristol sound !

Shy Fx – Bambaata- Ebony

Absolute game changer ! I remember hearing this for the first time also at sanctuary when Nicky Blackmarket dropped it. I was stood next to a crew of fully moschino’d up Rude-boys who all lost their shit to it.

MA2 – Hearing is Believing – Formation

This had just had a re-lick from modern day Jungle don Serum. I feel he definitely did it justice but you can’t beat this Version.

Shout to DJ SS and formation records. One of the longest standing Djs and Labels in Drum and bass.

Doc Scott – Shadow Boxing – 31 records

I Got to 20 tracks on this list and then remembered Shadow Boxing and couldn’t possibly leave it out. For me it’s the most simple but emotional piece of Drum and bass ever written. I remember first hearing it at Sanctuary and literally everyone playing it that night. If you looked around everyone just had utter screw face ! When I think of dark drum and bass, I think of Shadow Boxing.

V7 Saxon Street Part 1 is out now and available on Beatport to purchase or Spotify to stream. Stay tuned for part 2, out shortly.

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Your EDM Playlist: Insomniax Relive the Days of Sanctuary, Look Forward to ‘V7 Saxon Street’ [Viper]

Your EDM Playlist: Insomniax Relive the Days of Sanctuary, Look Forward to ‘V7 Saxon Street’ [Viper] published first on https://soundwizreview.tumblr.com/