Bomb the Bass Rocks This Place

Tim Simenon aka "Bomb the Bass"

In 1987, the acid house movement exploded in the UK, sparking an underground dance movement that would become the global rave scene.  It wasn't until a year later in 1988 that I was introduced to this scene as an exchange student in Belgium, and it wasn't until 1989 that this music dominated underground dance clubs in the United States.  But back in 1987, some of this music did make it onto mainstream American radio - "Theme From S-Express" by S-Express, "Pump Up the Volume" by M/A/R/R/S, and later "This Is Acid" by Maurice and "We Call It Acieed" by D-Mob.  In 1987, it was all about "Beat Dis" by Bomb the Bass, a young deejay out of London named Tim Simenon.  There was nothing else on the radio like it.  Strong rhythm and heavy bass line "bombed" with scratches and layers of samples.  The song commanded us to "Keep this frequency clear!"

By 1988, I was fully into the acid house scene, and my first purchases on vinyl were the singles "Superfly Guy" by S-Express and "Beat Dis" by Bomb the Bass.  I loved that it mixed a disco era vibe with the urban sounds of hip-hop.  I went onto purchase Simenon's first album, "Into the 

Into The Dragon

Dragon" which is still one of the best records in the genre.  It was a good time for Simenon.  He went on to produce and mix "Buffalo Stance" and "Manchild" by the underrated Neneh Cherry, two of the greatest hip-hop singles of all time, in my opinion.

As all fresh scenes do, acid house burned out quickly, but Simenon never quite disappeared, producing several more ambient records as Bomb the Bass, but acting as a producer for several acts including Massive Attack, Bjork, Sinead O'Connor, and Depeche Mode.

In 2013, he remixed his his two biggest hits - "Beat Dis" and "Megablast" - in honor of their 25th anniversary in a compilation called "Mega Dis", which I am reviewing,  These songs have been remixed repeatedly by other artists, some of these remixes I myself own.  But Simenon remixes these songs himself, using digital technology that didn't exist back in the day.  He mashes the two songs into one almost ten-minute opus.  The basic structure of both songs remain, along with some of the more familiar samples.  But, if I may say, this remix is almost more acid house than the original with its electronic chirps and tweets.  But he succeeds in making it sound new and fresh.  My teen boys love the remix, one saying that it reminds him of something out of a superhero movie.

On the side, Simenon also remixes his 1994 single, "Bug Powder Dust" in the same vein - the robotic rap set with a new veneer of updated electronica.

It was a good walk down memory lane to listen to Bomb the Bass again.  I'm sure that Tim Simenon will be around a while - whether behind the scenes or in the front line, tagging us with his musical graffiti.