LTJ Bukem |
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Wed. September 06.2000 3:52 PM EDT |
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Drum & Bass Master LTJ Bukem Starts Biggest North American TourProducer will highlight debut LP, upcoming mix-CD and new tracks on 21 dates. by Contributing Editor Corey Moss |
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The first release on LTJ Bukem's Logical Progression imprint, the 1996 double-disc Vol. 1, is a drum & bass classic. (Maurice Ramirez) |
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Drum & bass pioneer LTJ Bukem launched his second North American tour of the year on Saturday in Montreal and will perform 19 more dates beginning Wednesday (Sept. 6) in Seattle. The influential London
Labelmates Nookie and Conrad will join Bukem (born Danny Williamson) on the 21-date jaunt, dubbed the Progression Sessions Tour, which crosses the States twice and ends Oct. 28 in Los Angeles. "I've been waiting for a day when I could maybe pack all the venues and play the music I love to a lot of people," Bukem said. "It's been a long time coming, but hopefully this tour will be the one." All The Latest Styles Bukem first toured North America in 1995 and has returned every year since, gradually building a fanbase for the melodic, jazz-influenced drum & bass he has spearheaded since his legendary early-'90s tracks "Demon's Theme" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Music" (RealAudio excerpt). "I think the U.S. is one of the hardest places to break music," Bukem said. "It's exciting watching it happen and being involved in it. I remember the first time I played here was in a warehouse for, like, 10 people; now I'm playing for 5,000. The progression has been immense." Bukem will highlight tracks from Journey Inwards and Progression Sessions Volume 5 on the tour but will focus his sets primarily on new music. "It's stuff that's going to be coming out in the next six to 12 months," Bukem said of his set. Many of the cuts will be culled from future releases on his Good Looking family of labels. "I've been signing more and more artists. I just signed PFM back to the label and also signed Nookie and Future Engineers. There's more and more music involved in the label." PFM (Progressive Future Music), the duo of Mike Bolton and Jamie Saker, helped break the ambient style of drum & bass, once termed "intelligent" in the mid-'90s, with such singles as "For All of Us" and "One and Only." Nookie (born Gavin Cheung) has been a key player in the jungle scene for many years, also releasing tracks under the alias of Cloud 9. He will be making his North American debut on the Progression Sessions Tour. "Nookie is definitely one of the people that has remained different in the scene, in the kind of music he's produced over the last 10 years," Bukem said. "Signing him has been very exciting. He's writing some of the best music he's ever written, and you're going to hear a lot of it." Continuing The Progression The new Progression Sessions mix includes tracks by such veterans as Bukem and Conrad, as well as Good Looking newcomers Makoto (from Japan) and Nu-moon. "It's a continuation of what we've been trying to do with Progression Sessions," Bukem said. "It's a year more advanced musically than the last [mix], but it's definitely me. I haven't changed any. There's a way I like to do things." Remixes of several Journey Inwards tracks cooked up by the stable of Good Looking producers will also be represented on the tour. Bukem said he is currently spinning cohort Blame's remix of "Watercolors" (RealAudio excerpt of original) and a variety of remixes of "Suspended Space." Bukem's album has been hailed for its fresh, intrepid drum & bass perspective, which ventures into moody, beatless compositions and even straight-up soul on "Inner Guidance" (RealAudio excerpt). "The album is definitely a reflection of the last 10 years," Bukem said. "I suppose it's kind of like the end of 10 years of very hard work and the beginning of another 10 years of hard work. The end of one era and the start of another." Progression Sessions North American tour dates: Sept. 6; Seattle, Wash.; Showbox Sept. 9; Chicago, Ill.; Metro Sept. 11; Lawrence, Kan.; Granada Sept. 13; Austin, Texas; Velvet Sept. 14; Phoenix, Ariz.; Freedom Sept. 15; Rochester, N.Y.; Water Street Music Hall Sept. 16; Indiana, Pa.; Indiana Ice Center Sept. 19; New York, N.Y; Centro-Fly Sept. 20; Boston, Mass.; Envy Sept. 21; Cincinnati, Ohio; Lift Sept. 22; Atlanta, Ga.; Masquerade Sept. 23; Washington, D.C.; 9:30 Sept. 24; Philadelphia, Pa.; Warehouse Sept. 26; Charlotte, N.C.; Mythos Sept. 27; Detroit, Mich.; Radar Oct. 25; Washington, D.C.; TBA Oct. 26; San Francisco, Calif.; 1015 Folsom Oct. 27; Denver, Colo.; Soma Oct. 28; Los Angeles, Calif.; Los Angeles Sports Arena |
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