Next in our podcast series is Foul Play – the 90s rave legends who helped pave the way for the transition from hardcore through to jungle and drum & bass.
There are many phases to Foul Play’s story but the founding members were John Morrow, Steve Bradshaw and Steve Gurley who came together as a production outfit after Morrow and Bradshaw (both based in Northampton) invited Gurley (from Milton Keynes) to play at their Oblivion parties – leading to the launch of their Oblivion Records platform.
Their first two releases on Oblivion Records, ‘Foul Play Vol. 1 & 2’ became highly sought after among collectors and truly cemented their reputation in the scene. As they were about to put out Vol. 3, they received a call from Simon Colebrooke who signed them to the Moving Shadow imprint, leaving Oblivion Records behind. The trio put out a one-off record under the 4 Horsemen Of The Apocalypse and a handful under Foul Play Productions before their final output with the founding members, ‘Foul Play Vol. 4’ in 1994.
Whilst they’re productions stand true on their own, the Foul Play guys also become well-known for their remixes, bringing their style to tracks by Omni Trio, Ray Keith, The Shamen, Hyper-On Experience, Bug Khan & The Plastic Jam, DJ Pulse and more.
Over 20 years on there’s still lust for their music with a collection of their early EPs being remastered and reissued on Sneaker Social Club including seminal tracks ‘Dubbing You’, ‘Finest Illusion’ and ‘Ricochet’. And for our podcast series, Foul Play take us back to the 90s with a thrilling masterclass in hardcore, jungle and drum & bass.
‘Origins’ by Foul Play is out on the 22nd May via Sneaker Social Club – pre-order here.
Tracklist:
1. Satin Storm – Think I’m Going Out Of My Head
2. Foul Play – Dubbing You
3. Kaotic Chemistry – Space Cakes
4. Run Tings – Tribe Vibes (Sonz Of A Loop Da Loop Era Remix)
5. Nookie – Pedro Pulls An Essex Sort
6. Pseudo 3 – B-Line Stepper
7. Foul Play – Ricochet
8. DJ Mayhem – Damage
9. Justice & Mercy – Fake Lobsters
10. The Charm – De-Men-Tation
11. DJ Jinx – Paradise Project
12. Manix – Hardcore Junglism (Remix)
13. Foul Play – Survival
14. Bass Selective – Make Me Rush
15. Foul Play – Finest Illusion
16. Potential Bad Boy – Work The Box
17. Scott & Keith – Deranged (Remix)
18. Andy C – Slip N Slide
19. Foul Play – Open Your Mind
20. Studio Pressure – Jump Mk 2
21. Omni Trio – Renegade Snares (Foul Play Remix)
22. DJ Peshay – Gangsta
23. Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse – Drowning In Her
24. DJ Trax – High Time
25. Internal Affairs – Shinin’ Down On Me
26. Skanna – This Way